Return to Wisteria (Book Three of the Wisteria Chronicles)

CHAPTER 14~Source~

Summer

        “Thank you for letting me stay with you.” I said as I did my round of hugs. Auntie Phoebe waved her hands dismissively, “I would have been offended if you had stayed somewhere else.” “Summer!” Idris yelled. His lanky form lumbered towards me, Dimitri and Nova were close behind him. “Hey squirt.” I teased, jumping up to ruffle his hair. Idris frowned, “Why do you insist on calling me that? I'm taller than you!” I rolled my eyes, he didn't need to remind me; he’s been taller than me since he turned 14.

        Nova scoffed as she pushed him away, taking his place to hug me. She didn't need to say anything, her hug was filled with worry. “I'm ok.” I whispered into her ear. She pulled back with a sympathetic look before she handed me off to Dimitri. He gave me a tight squeeze before letting go. Dimitri wasn't acting like his usual cheerful self and it scared me. I studied him closer; he had dark circles under his eyes and he had lost some weight. 

       Dimitri looked lifeless. Nova noticed my concern and murmured under her breath, “Our birthday is coming up.” I bit my lip to prevent myself from crying out. Poor Dimitri. We knew that Dimitri would have to claim his title, ending his residency at Black Pines. But none of us really knew what to expect when it was time. According to Auntie Tiana, the nymph Dorvina, never made another appearance after he was born.  

      “Hey Teeny. Are you ready for your tour of Hell’s Shield?” Uncle Titi asked, slipping on a skin tight blazer. Nova caught her mom staring and frowned in disgust. “Goddess, Mom! Wipe the drool off your face! And Dad, do you have to wear that today?!” Phoebe chuckled while Titus frowned. “What? You don't like the color?” he asked, flexing his arms. Nova gagged as her mom pulled him close and gave him a loud kiss.

      Titus grinned like a fool, “Alright, let's get this show on the road.” He marched us out of the pack house and into a blacked out SUV. Nova animatedly chatted for the hour drive towards Bayliss. “We’re here.” Titus announced as the car drove in front of a four story brick building. Nova was babbling on about how the two top floors were recently added to accommodate clients and they recovered family members.

     She led the way through the building, continuing her history lesson of the business. She didn't skip a beat as she was greeted by employees and clients. Titus puffed his chest out with pride, his smile never leaving his face. When we made it to the main office, the secretary approached us. She introduced herself as Monica then promptly began to update us.

     I expected her to address Titus, but Nova was the one flipping through the paperwork and verifying all of Monica’s words. “Our guests have arrived as well.” Monica announced. “Perfect. Did you remember to seat them in the pink sitting room? The blue room makes them uncomfortable.” Nova questioned. “Yes, Ms. Jones. We also changed the refreshments like you instructed.” Monica answered.

    “What was wrong with the refreshments from before?” Titus asked with a pout. “Merfolk can’t process carbonated drinks well. It makes them sick and impairs their swimming.” Nova answered. I stared at her with wide eyes, she was going to be one hell of a boss! Her father cleared his throat, “They never mentioned that before. How do you know so much?” Nova stuttered, “I have a friend who grew up with merfolk.” I c****d my head to the side, she wasn’t lying but it was obvious she wasn’t telling the full truth.

     “This way, please.” Monica said, leading the way to the pink room. She knocked on the door then motioned us inside. Two classy dressed men stood up and waited to be introduced. “This is Caspian Marinus and his son Kairo Marinus, Princes of the Atlari Kingdom.” Monica said motioning to the men. Prince Caspian was medium height with light blue eyes that were so pale they are almost white. His hair was sprinkled with grays and his face was weary; his son was his younger clone.

      After a round of pleasantries went finished, we were seated. “Prince Caspian, we were not expecting to meet up with you for another two days. Is there a reason why you suddenly changed our meeting time?” Nova asked, getting straight to business. Prince Caspian chuckled, “You are just as blunt as your father.” Kairo shifted in his seat, handing over an envelope. 

   “The matter is quite grave. Somehow, our safe place has been located. These men have slowly been appearing every day. Their numbers are increasing the closer we get to date we were meant to dock.” Kairo reported. “That's impossible! The only ones who knew about the location are sitting here in this room. Well, besides Summer. She was a last minute addition and hasn’t been fully briefed.” Titus explained.

     “You are correct, the Council representatives from the last meeting are not present.” Kairo observed. Prince Caspian gave me a curious look, “We think information is being leaked.” The way he said it left little room for who he suspected was the source. Is someone in the Council compromising our information? I wondered who the representatives were that first came. Why I was suddenly assigned to this mission and where were my teammates?

     Nova gasped while she handed me the envelope. It contained pictures of a small loading dock with open shipping containers. There were several shady men with black hoods and matching tattoos on their right hand. They appeared to be scoping out the area. I held the pictures closer, unable to make out the mark but it seemed familiar. “Do you know who these men are or what organization they belong to?” I asked.

    Prince Caspian shook his head, “No. Our scout was only able to take these few photos before retreating.” Titus leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh, “Good, we need them to think that everything is still going according to plan. We need to bring the rest of the Royal family in later than expected.” The princes nodded in agreement. “Excuse me, your majesty, but how many family members will be present? I asked.

      The merfolk stared at me with shocked expressions. “They really didn't tell you anything?” Kario asked, I shook my head. “You'll be protecting my six-year-old niece, the future Queen of Atlari.” Caspian announced nonchalantly. I tried not to choke on the sip of water I just drank. Holy s**t! This was a serious f*****g mission! Why in the hell didn’t they give me a full briefing?!  

     “We can't let the princess come in without knowing who's threatening her.” Nova advised. Titus nodded, “You're correct. It'll take some time but we have to identify the person who sent these men first. It might take a couple of days at the least.” Nova glared at her father, “A couple of days?! We need to know by tomorrow. Postponing the princess's shedding process will only cause her unbearable pain, especially for a six-year-old who hasn’t had her first shed.”

   Titus shared a look with Caspian, “I know that, sweetheart. But we can't send her into an unsafe environment. She will have to wait to shed until the threat to her life has been neutralized.” The princes nodded their agreement. Nova clinched her fist but didn't argue. Titus wrapped up our meeting and walked his guest out.

    “Are you ok?” I asked Nova, her body was tense and her face was angry. “We aren't going to let that poor girl suffer. We are going to find out who those thugs belonged to, tonight.” her voice determined. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, “We are?”  “Yes. There’s someone I want you to meet.” she stated. I groaned, “Why do I feel like you’re about to get the both of us in trouble?” Nova chuckled, “Probably because we are.”

   I wanted to ask her more questions, but her dad walked back in. Nova crossed her arms and glared at him. Titus laughed, “I know you’re upset about our decision. But it's honestly for the best. The princess’s safety comes first.” Nova huffed, “Can I show Summer around some more?” Titus raised his hands in defeat, “Of course.” Nova grabbed my hand and stomped past her dad.

    She dragged me around the building, spouting out random facts. I tried to focus on her words but my mind couldn’t focus. Why was I here? If the Council knew the importance and severity of this mission, why would they send me in alone? Who was the leak? Nothing was making sense. I still didn’t know anything about the importance of mermaid scales or how to get more information on the Fallen.

    “Hey, Nova, do you know why mermaid scales are being poached?” I blurted out. Nova stopped her rant to give me a disgusted face. “I don’t know. Everyone one has been tight lipped about it. But they are rumored to be very powerful.” I bit my lip, powerful enough that people are literally being killed for them.

     “Does your source know?” I asked. Nova wrung her hands nervously, “She does but she hasn’t wanted to share her information.” I tried to hide my disappointment. Now I was curious, “Who is she?” Nova turned her head to avoid eye contact. I nudged her shoulder, “You’re making me nervous.” Nova looked around then pulled me into a dark secluded corner. “Seriously Nova, you freaking me out.” I murmured.

   Nova continued to wring her hands, her energy anxious. “Promise you won’t freak out.” she whispered. “For f***s sake! Are you going to tell me or not?!” I furiously whispered back. Nova pulled me closer. Her breath was hot as she panted against my ear. “Zaida Williams, the siren.” she whispered. I felt my eyes roll back, darkness quickly claiming me.