In Another Castle
She's late."
Those were the first words Jenna heard as she regained her senses. The last thing she remembered was going to sleep in her room, dreading the thought of her father's return the next day. She opened her eyes to a rough stone ceiling, dancing with reflected light. A cave? A murmuring sound, vaguely remembered from her childhood and a faint smell of salt water meant she was near the sea, miles away from home. She sat up in shock.
"Ow!" The pain in her hip surprised her. She felt the rough bandage, puzzled. A dark-haired man, hair cropped short entered her field of vision, and she drew breath to scream. Quicker than she could see the man was at her side, covering her mouth.
"You don't want to do that." Jenna felt the first tendrils of panic, and started to tremble. The man looked distressed. "Ah, no Jenna-girl it's not like that." He turned his head and called softly. "Jason, need help here."
A second figure approached, and she froze as the anxious face of her brother leaned over her. "Jen?" Jason nodded to her captor, and he removed his hand.
"Jace? You're supposed to be at school. What?" Confused, she looked around. They were in a cave, littered with coral than sloped down towards a clear blue pool. Sunlight seem to come from an underground entrance, throwing dancing light on the ceiling.
"It's okay, we're safe here." Her brother jerked a thumb towards the other man. "This is Teleigh, he's a friend of sorts."
"How? Why?"
"Not important."
Fear gripped her. "Father. He'll be so angry. When he finds us."
Teleigh interrupted. "Won't happen. I dug out the tracking device he stuck in both of ya. Jace's own was a little trickier than yours." He gave a bark of laughter. "Nothing in that fancy fortress of your Da's can find you now."
Jenna winced, trying to gather her thoughts. "That explains the bandage, but..."
"I know what he's been doing to you Jenna, that's why I did everything I could to find your...our mother, so you could go with her."
Jenna looked at her little brother, in horror, scared for him now. If he'd hidden these thoughts for nine years, the therapy hadn't...
"Jason, Mother was delusional. She made the whole thing up. She drowned Jacey. They found her body washed up on the shore weeks after. Father did tests. We went to her funeral, Jacey..."
Jason shook his fair head. "No..." he began, but was interrupted by Teleigh's snort. "She's never heard of changelings? Sure, it's a little harder these days what's with all this DNA science nonsense..."
"I never lied to you daughter." The new voice broke into the strange man's rant, and Jenna shook as she recognised it. Turning, she saw the long, brown hair and soft eyes that had haunted her dreams for years. Their mother stood, knee-deep in the water, sealskin draped over her shoulder. Other men and women similarly unclad ringed protectively behind her. She nodded, and her mouth twitched in the sad smile that Jenna remembered so well.
Jenna moaned and fell back, covering her eyes.
"Oh God, I've gone crazy."
Jason pulled her hands away from her face.
"No Jenna. He lied to us. He knew what she was and he made us think we were crazy. He couldn't punish her any more, so he took it out on you...and that's my fault."
He paused and looked away from her. "I sent the recordings of what he did to you to every agency I could think of. That's another reason I want you to go. Before it all comes apart on him."
Anger and humiliation washed through her. "What!"
"I can't live with myself if you continue to let him use you like a whore." He looked at her with hot, angry eyes. "And I won't let them pick you apart trying to destroy you to get to him."
She flinched, ashamed, and turned away. "Jase..."
"No Jenna! I'm sorry! Don't you see?" Strong hands caught her face and hazel eyes pleaded with her. "It's not your fault! You were just a kid when he started doing this. He's evil. He knew you'd do anything to protect me from hurt after she left."
She shook her head. "No Jacey."
"Yes." The quiet certainty in his voice stopped her. "The first words I said after I started talking again was 'She looks just like Mommy, doesn't she Daddy?'" Jace looked away from her, "I remember his face as he agreed, like I just told him something he didn't realize before."
Hot tears slipped down her face. How long had he carried that inside? "Oh Jacey."
"Jen please. Go with them so that he can't find you. In the ocean, he can't hunt you, and they won't make you do anything you don't want to. I can't escape him as long as I'm afraid for you."
He wiped at her tears. "You're free." He said softly. "I'm big enough to protect myself now. I promise."
Jenna felt something break free inside her and for once, she was the one being held and comforted as she cried out the shame, fear and anger of the past nine years. Cool arms circled her from behind as her mother joined them, crooning her own form of comfort. Once she regained control, Jenna looked over to the sharp-faced man standing guard at the entrance to the cave.
"You'll make sure he's safe?"
Gravely, the black-haired Teleigh nodded. "One's easier to hide than two, and even your father can't live forever."
Jace pulled back and watched her closely. "You'll go willingly then?" She nodded, not trusting her voice, and let her mother guide her gently over to the pool where a half-dozen arms welcomed her.
"Hey, Big Sis?"
Jenna turned, and for one, shining moment, she saw the heartfelt joy of his childhood smile flit across his face, something she'd never thought to see again. For one moment, the little brother she'd fought so hard to protect was back. She kept her eyes on him as she changed.
"Love you."
The seal nodded. One by one, the other selkies slipped back into their skins and lead her away, down through the bottom of the pool and into the open sea. Jason fought the urge to call out, but lost.
"Mother?"
She paused in the act of putting the sealskin over her face, and looked at him, startled he'd used the term.
"I understand why you left. I can't forgive you for leaving us behind, but...I understand."
She stepped out of the water and came across to him, reaching out one slender hand to touch his face. He flinched away, and she let her hand drop to her side. He turned his back to the hurt in her brown eyes.
"Keep her safe Mother. Show her the underwater kingdoms you told us about. Make her forget all He did to her. You're good at forgetting things-and promises-so that should be easy for you."
He felt her reach for him again.
"Please don't."
Teleigh stepped forward, breaking the tension. "You should go. If they manage to trace us here it'll be...not good."
Silence, then a small splash and she was gone.
Tel let out a sigh then looked at his young friend, ready to scold him for his harshness, then changed his mind when he saw the hurt the boy didn't even know he still carried.
"What now?"
Jace looked at him, all trace of weakness gone.
"We continue with the plan."
"You sure son?"
Jace gave him a hard smile, and the fae's heart clenched, sorrowing at the expression that had no business on a fourteen-year old's face.
"Jenna's safe from him and whatever comes next. Time to bring my bastard father's castle down around him."
Those were the first words Jenna heard as she regained her senses. The last thing she remembered was going to sleep in her room, dreading the thought of her father's return the next day. She opened her eyes to a rough stone ceiling, dancing with reflected light. A cave? A murmuring sound, vaguely remembered from her childhood and a faint smell of salt water meant she was near the sea, miles away from home. She sat up in shock.
"Ow!" The pain in her hip surprised her. She felt the rough bandage, puzzled. A dark-haired man, hair cropped short entered her field of vision, and she drew breath to scream. Quicker than she could see the man was at her side, covering her mouth.
"You don't want to do that." Jenna felt the first tendrils of panic, and started to tremble. The man looked distressed. "Ah, no Jenna-girl it's not like that." He turned his head and called softly. "Jason, need help here."
A second figure approached, and she froze as the anxious face of her brother leaned over her. "Jen?" Jason nodded to her captor, and he removed his hand.
"Jace? You're supposed to be at school. What?" Confused, she looked around. They were in a cave, littered with coral than sloped down towards a clear blue pool. Sunlight seem to come from an underground entrance, throwing dancing light on the ceiling.
"It's okay, we're safe here." Her brother jerked a thumb towards the other man. "This is Teleigh, he's a friend of sorts."
"How? Why?"
"Not important."
Fear gripped her. "Father. He'll be so angry. When he finds us."
Teleigh interrupted. "Won't happen. I dug out the tracking device he stuck in both of ya. Jace's own was a little trickier than yours." He gave a bark of laughter. "Nothing in that fancy fortress of your Da's can find you now."
Jenna winced, trying to gather her thoughts. "That explains the bandage, but..."
"I know what he's been doing to you Jenna, that's why I did everything I could to find your...our mother, so you could go with her."
Jenna looked at her little brother, in horror, scared for him now. If he'd hidden these thoughts for nine years, the therapy hadn't...
"Jason, Mother was delusional. She made the whole thing up. She drowned Jacey. They found her body washed up on the shore weeks after. Father did tests. We went to her funeral, Jacey..."
Jason shook his fair head. "No..." he began, but was interrupted by Teleigh's snort. "She's never heard of changelings? Sure, it's a little harder these days what's with all this DNA science nonsense..."
"I never lied to you daughter." The new voice broke into the strange man's rant, and Jenna shook as she recognised it. Turning, she saw the long, brown hair and soft eyes that had haunted her dreams for years. Their mother stood, knee-deep in the water, sealskin draped over her shoulder. Other men and women similarly unclad ringed protectively behind her. She nodded, and her mouth twitched in the sad smile that Jenna remembered so well.
Jenna moaned and fell back, covering her eyes.
"Oh God, I've gone crazy."
Jason pulled her hands away from her face.
"No Jenna. He lied to us. He knew what she was and he made us think we were crazy. He couldn't punish her any more, so he took it out on you...and that's my fault."
He paused and looked away from her. "I sent the recordings of what he did to you to every agency I could think of. That's another reason I want you to go. Before it all comes apart on him."
Anger and humiliation washed through her. "What!"
"I can't live with myself if you continue to let him use you like a whore." He looked at her with hot, angry eyes. "And I won't let them pick you apart trying to destroy you to get to him."
She flinched, ashamed, and turned away. "Jase..."
"No Jenna! I'm sorry! Don't you see?" Strong hands caught her face and hazel eyes pleaded with her. "It's not your fault! You were just a kid when he started doing this. He's evil. He knew you'd do anything to protect me from hurt after she left."
She shook her head. "No Jacey."
"Yes." The quiet certainty in his voice stopped her. "The first words I said after I started talking again was 'She looks just like Mommy, doesn't she Daddy?'" Jace looked away from her, "I remember his face as he agreed, like I just told him something he didn't realize before."
Hot tears slipped down her face. How long had he carried that inside? "Oh Jacey."
"Jen please. Go with them so that he can't find you. In the ocean, he can't hunt you, and they won't make you do anything you don't want to. I can't escape him as long as I'm afraid for you."
He wiped at her tears. "You're free." He said softly. "I'm big enough to protect myself now. I promise."
Jenna felt something break free inside her and for once, she was the one being held and comforted as she cried out the shame, fear and anger of the past nine years. Cool arms circled her from behind as her mother joined them, crooning her own form of comfort. Once she regained control, Jenna looked over to the sharp-faced man standing guard at the entrance to the cave.
"You'll make sure he's safe?"
Gravely, the black-haired Teleigh nodded. "One's easier to hide than two, and even your father can't live forever."
Jace pulled back and watched her closely. "You'll go willingly then?" She nodded, not trusting her voice, and let her mother guide her gently over to the pool where a half-dozen arms welcomed her.
"Hey, Big Sis?"
Jenna turned, and for one, shining moment, she saw the heartfelt joy of his childhood smile flit across his face, something she'd never thought to see again. For one moment, the little brother she'd fought so hard to protect was back. She kept her eyes on him as she changed.
"Love you."
The seal nodded. One by one, the other selkies slipped back into their skins and lead her away, down through the bottom of the pool and into the open sea. Jason fought the urge to call out, but lost.
"Mother?"
She paused in the act of putting the sealskin over her face, and looked at him, startled he'd used the term.
"I understand why you left. I can't forgive you for leaving us behind, but...I understand."
She stepped out of the water and came across to him, reaching out one slender hand to touch his face. He flinched away, and she let her hand drop to her side. He turned his back to the hurt in her brown eyes.
"Keep her safe Mother. Show her the underwater kingdoms you told us about. Make her forget all He did to her. You're good at forgetting things-and promises-so that should be easy for you."
He felt her reach for him again.
"Please don't."
Teleigh stepped forward, breaking the tension. "You should go. If they manage to trace us here it'll be...not good."
Silence, then a small splash and she was gone.
Tel let out a sigh then looked at his young friend, ready to scold him for his harshness, then changed his mind when he saw the hurt the boy didn't even know he still carried.
"What now?"
Jace looked at him, all trace of weakness gone.
"We continue with the plan."
"You sure son?"
Jace gave him a hard smile, and the fae's heart clenched, sorrowing at the expression that had no business on a fourteen-year old's face.
"Jenna's safe from him and whatever comes next. Time to bring my bastard father's castle down around him."