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The Feri Circle
Chapter 15
'Rafe. Put the boy in the barrel with the fish,' Brock ordered.
The bulky man with shoulder length curly hair took two steps towards the Nereii. I used that precise moment to push him overboard with my telekinesis. Yelling, he made a splash as he fell in the water below.
'Sorry to interrupt your party gentlemen, but I will have to ask you to release the boy,' I said loud and clear.
'Son of Napidn,' Brock cursed. 'Who the hell are you? On second thought, never mind.' To the men around him he yelled, 'Get rid of this bozo.'
The two men produced fireballs and fired them at me. Again using my power I diverted their fire power towards the open ocean. They tried two more times before they realized I could anticipate their moves. So they changed tactics. While one of them fired to distract me, the other teleported to the other side of the deck. Though, as quickly as he appeared he vanished in a blur. Something came down from above and grabbed him.
The first thought that crossed my mind was that a vampire did it, but then these men were working for Xell so he wouldn't send blood suckers after his own men.
I heard the man yelling as he fell in the water with a splash like his fellow seaman before him.
Brock and the other man glanced skyward. I followed their gazes to see a winged Farren circling above the ship. I almost cheered out loud.
Brock cursed again. 'Shoot the flyer down and I'll take care of the other one,' he angrily barked at the remaining warlock.
In quick succession the warlock fired at Farren who was moving faster than he could throw.
Brock disappeared in sparks of blue light only to materialize next to me. He produced a fire-whip and rotated his wrist making the fire-rope swirl like a cheerleader's ribbon.
'You're interfering in my business for the first and last time boy.'
He cracked his whip. I raised my hands to parry his attack and the whip fell to the floor and burned out of existence leaving only a scorch mark.
What just happened?
I got my answer when Brock gave a heart wrenching cry. Lowering my hands I saw a huge growling tiger gnawing at his right wrist.
Caleb!
Whimpering, Brock hit him repeatedly on the head but Caleb-tiger had him in a tight grip. Caleb shook his head. Brock's bones snapped underneath the pressure of his bite. I tasted bile when I smelled blood.
Caleb let go. Brock fell to his knees howling in pain. He may be my enemy but I couldn't help feeling pity for him.
The other warlock materialized next to Brock. He tried to grab hold of his boss' injured arm but Brock wouldn't let him. To my surprise the man knocked Brock out with a punch to the face.
'Quick. Use your fire. Cauterize the wound,' I shouted at him.
As the man executed my order, Caleb shifted into his human form. 'Are you okay?' He asked me. He wiped the blood dripping down his chin with the back of his hand and stood quietly by my side watching the warlock work.
With great effort, the warlock managed to stop the bleeding. Brock would live. I was sure of that. A part of me wanted to use my healing powers to sooth his pain, but then a stronger part rooted me to the spot and prevented me from doing just that.
He got exactly what he deserved, I tried to convince myself.
I heard Rhett's voice calling for me. He was kneeling beside our winged friend. It appeared that Farren had been hit by a fireball.
Instantly I was by his side. He was shot at the waist. As much as I could see, it didn't look serious. Using some water from the barrel nearby, I worked my magic. I was shaking with exhaustion when I was finally done.
'He will live,' I assured a worried Rhett, 'just take him somewhere quiet so he can rest for a bit.'
Rhett was shorter and certainly less muscular that Farren, however, he managed to lift up the big guy in his arms and carry him away without showing much effort.
'The captain is on deck. Brock and the warlock have been subdued and the crew is fishing out the other two from the ocean,' Caleb said from behind me.
'Good. Are my friends up yet?'
'They are being briefed right now.'
'What about the Nereii boy?'
Caleb sighed. 'He is long gone, Your Majesty. He took the dolphin pup with him.'
'That's too bad. I would have liked a word with him.' The Nereii patrolled the island's perimeter. They may hold valuable insights on Helledon's occupation of Feri Court.
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by my friends. The captain was there too, glued to Amegra's side.
'Thank you for saving my ship, Your Majesty?' He said. His facial expressions were genuine and I couldn't detect any animosity in his voice. Yet it was hard for me to trust the guy. Perhaps it was the fact that he was Caleb's slaver.
With Helen looking at me funny, I swallowed spit, forced a smile and nodded at the captain.
'Char, Helledon knows we're coming. Worst, he's got Xell with him.'
Looks were exchanged as Wren wrapped himself around me like a blanket.
'You might be right,' Charlie said, 'but let's finish this conversation inside shall we.'
The others followed Amegra and the captain to the wardroom. Before Wren and I could follow them Caleb cut us off. 'I can't go in with you, but maybe you would like to have this as a souvenir of this night.'
He dangled some sort of shell tied to a piece of string. It looked like one of those cheap pieces of jewelry they sell on the beach back home in the human realm.
'What's that?'
'It belonged to the Nereii boy. He dropped it when he was struggling to get free from the net.'
'Thanks,' I said grabbing it.
I haven't had a vision in a while but the instant I touched the chocker I knew one was coming.
I saw the Nereii boy. He was in human form, in some sort of square in a city under a large underwater dome.
The entire setting was beautiful. There were lots of colors everywhere; from the blue of the ocean to the coral-like dwellings, and to the various species of fish swimming around the dome as well as in the water pathways around the square. I wanted to explore more of the place, alas something was preventing me from seeing further than the scene before me.
I returned my attention to the boy. Sagging head and shoulders, he stood in front of a beautiful blonde woman. She stood virtually naked with only a thin see- through roman style toga with a silver belt around her waist.
"Kai, you know the rules," she was saying. "We do not engage the ground dwellers unless our life is threatened."
"But mom, they captured and imprisoned Dolly's pup on board their vessel," Kai protested.
I moved closer and circled them. I thought I was imagining it but they were communicating without using their mouths. They were telepaths. I wonder if all Nereii have that particular skill. Even more so, how is it I could hear them?
"Regardless my son, rules are meant to be obeyed."
Kai looked up pleadingly at his mother. "What will my punishment be this time?"
His mother face softened. "You were nearly captured, you must have been terrified. And I think that in itself is punishment enough, although, I am curious as to how you escaped the clutches of those seafarers."
"The strangest thing happened, mom. I saw him, the Feres, the one they all talk about. He was brilliant. He and a tall winged man fought the men who captured me."
"The Feres you say." The Nereii woman said pensively. I could hear the curiosity in her tone. "He finally comes."
"Yes. I recognized him the moment he showed up. He is strong, mom. He pushed a man overboard with just a swipe of his hand, how cool is that." I chuckled at the enthusiasm in Kai's voice. He talked about me like I was some kind of hero.
"If the Feres is here, no doubt he is travelling to Feri Court Island. It is about time he sees the sacrilegious state that monster Helledon has put the island through."
I don't know whether it was curiosity or impatience but I couldn't contain myself. 'What did Helledon do to the island?' I said with a clear sounding voice.
Both Nereii jumped when they heard my voice. I found it strange because I can communicate or be seen if I allow people to when I am doing my search vision thing. When did I cross the line between vision and search vision?
Stunned, mother and son stared at my apparition with apprehension in their eyes.
'Please, do not be frightened. It wasn't my intention to drop in on you like this. I was just curious as to what you have to say about the island.' I looked at Kai. 'I have the gift of foresight and as soon as I touched the necklace you left behind ... you can see for yourself, I am right here.'
Kai's mother was quick to react. "Your Majesty, I am Queen Kena. Welcome to Athilmir, home of the Nereii people."
'Your Majesty,' I said with a short bow. I was still amazed how I was able to hear her.
"The Feri and all the ancient races possess the ability to communicate telepathically, although some of us forgot that fact apparently," she answered as if I enounced the question out loud.
"True enough," she replied with a complaisant smile. "Now tell me, what do you wish me to tell you about Feri Court Island?"
"Everything."
She had a lot to say about Helledon's recent activities on the sacred ground as she put it. But what distressed me most is that my friends and I are walking right into a trap again. Since no darkling can set foot on the island, Helledon had enlisted the aid of Xell and his warlock buddies. They are planning to ambush us upon our arrival.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I must be heading back to the surface. There's so much that needs to be done before we get to the island," I told her when she finished.
"It was my pleasure, Feres King."
I bowed to her, and then closed my eyes so that I could return to my body.
When a minute passed I knew something was wrong.
"What is the matter, Your Majesty," Queen Kena asked with a frown.
'I don't know. Something is wrong. I can't get back to my body.'
Suddenly I felt a searing burning sensation in the middle of my chest. I frantically clawed at it but there wasn't anything to grasp.
"Your chest," Kai said mouth practically hanging, "it's glowing red."
"Great Feri, someone placed a seal on your body," Queen Kena said.
Despite the pain, I gazed at her incredulously. 'What does it mean?'
"What it means is someone on that vessel doesn't want you to waken. I'm afraid you're trapped with no way back."
It had been four hours since I returned to the ship. The seamen were acting as if everything was fine but I knew my friends weren't. My body lies in the master's cabin and nobody but my friends have access to it. Wren is lying close to me on the bunk bed. I don't know how long I've stood here watching him. He isn't crying or upset but then when he keeps talking to the empty room I know he felt my presence even thought he couldn't see or hear me.
I was about to leave when Nick opened the door to talk to Wren. Wren sat up on the bed but couldn't keep his eyes off me.
'How is he?' Nick asked.
'He's still the same,' he relied.
Nick crossed the distance and placed a hand on Wren's shoulder. Wren reached up and squeezed it.
'He'll be alright. Rye is stronger than we all give him credit for. He'll find his way back.'
'I suppose.'
Nick bent down and kissed Wren on the head. 'Come. We're meeting in the wardroom.'
'You go. I'm staying here with Rye. I want to be here when he wakes up.'
Nickolas sighed loudly. 'Okay. Call me if anything happens,' he said squeezing Wren's shoulder before turning to leave.
Before he walked out the door however, Wren called him. 'Thanks Nick.'
Nick flashed him a smile. 'No problem bro.'
I felt the love coming from these two. I was truly blessed to have them as friends. Nick always believed in me when others seemed to think I was frail and in need of protecting. I could never thank him enough for that.
Not wanting to miss out on the meeting I followed Nick into the next room. I felt weird being there like this but then again I didn't have a choice.
Apart for my bond-mate, Rhett and Farren were also not at the meeting. Then I remembered Farren getting hurt this morning. I do hope he's alright. Rhett, well, I was pretty sure he was at Farren side.
'Okay guys listen up,' Charlie began but he was interrupted by Reed.
'Shouldn't we wait for Rye to get back?'
'We've waited long enough, we'll brief him when he returns,' Charlie replied.
It was then I realized my friends didn't know what had happened to me. If only they knew.
'We'll be arriving at the island in approximately an hour. Helledon probably knows we're coming so we lost the element of surprise. But that won't deter us from our goals.'
There was a map of Feri Court Island on the table which I never knew they had. Charlie pointed to the cove below Elle's tower. 'We're sticking to our original plan. We'll land in that cove to distract Helledon and his men while Helen and Nick swim to the other side to rescue Elle. Then with the captain's help we'll attempt to drive the bad guys off the island.'
A simple plan but it won't work. For one, Helledon's men outnumbered them five to one and two, there was still a traitor at large on board this ship. Unfortunately Charlie didn't know that, nor could I warn him.
'It's too easy,' Bron said.
Thank you, I wanted to shout.
'What. Is there something we missed?' Eric asked.
'I don't know but something doesn't feel right. It sounds more like a suicide mission to me. Besides aren't we supposed to get Amegra in the temple or something? And Rye said Xell is with Helledon. While we all know that they can't bring darklings to the island, I know how Xell's mind works. He never trusted anyone but himself. I doubt if he even trusts Helledon. If they are bringing warriors, I'm pretty sure they're his. He always thinks about getting the upper hand if the situation should turn worse.'
There were murmurs all around the table. I was proud Bron brought up the point.
'What do you suggest them?' Charlie asked.
'I believe we should turn back or wait until Rye get's back.'
'That is not an option,' Helen said dryly.
'I figured you'd say that,' Bron replied.
'Bron is right,' Reed said at which his twin rolled his eyes. 'Why don't we call Commander Nico for help? They could teleport here in seconds.'
'Too late for that boy,' Captain Damian said. I forgot he was here too. 'You forget the island has a protective barrier that suppresses teleportation of any kind. Unless we back track we've already crossed the barrier. And going back will mean losing another four hours at the least.'
The room went quiet as everyone got lost in their own thoughts.
'It's settled then. We stick to our original plan.'
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End of chapter 15