A Tale of Mermaids Acathiens: The Forgotten People

Chapter 11 The Man Hidden By Knowledge

“Now, my Little Human, there is much to be done. You have a busy schedule ahead. We have a place where you can conduct your study. Mylio!”

The older gentleman reappeared from the crowd. His face stoic but his eyes burned with hatred at Audra.

“You will help my Little Human with this study. Take her with you to the kolegija and help her get anything she needs. Understood?”

The man uttered no words but gave a curt nod.

“Oh and Mylio, you have a month. If she fails I will hold you personally responsible.”

Audra gasped and looked over at the older man. His hatred almost burned her with its power but he said nothing to the king. Audra wanted to say something but didn’t know what she should say.

“Guards. Release my sons. They have been punished enough.”

A couple of hammerhead shark guards glided over and unlocked Eleas and Galeo chains. Eleas was able to catch himself but Galeo slammed down to the floor. His body completely unmoving.

“Galeo!” Audra rushed forward to grab him.

Eleas was closer and turned his younger brother over. When Audra got closer to him she saw no physical ailments to his body.

“He...he looks fine. Whats happening?” Audra asked.

Galeo began to seize. Foam formed inside his mouth and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

“Cephal!” Eleas shouted. “His familiar is rejecting him.” Eleas said to Audra.

“What? How is that possible?”

“Codon doesn’t torture our human body. He tortures our familiars. It is the purest version of ourselves. Which makes it the most deadly. Vier is dying. If we can’t get Galeo to shift back...he will die.”

Audra stared at Eleas in horror and whipped around to the king.

“WE MADE A DEAL!”

The king gave her a sickly smile.

“You are correct but you see. My sons were punished severely before our contract. Therefore these injuries were caused when there was nothing between us, Little Human. If Galeo dies I will not have breached anything between us because I did not inflict the harm after the contract was made.”

The king gave her a sweetly smile and swam away from the chaos. Audra gritted in frustration. Frantically she thought about what she could do.

“What king of medicines do you use?” She asked Cephal and Eleas.

“We don’t. Most Acathiens heal unnaturally fast and are rarely sick. Injuries need a quick patch up. Medicine is not something that we have found the need to study.” Cephal respond.

Audra was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. Then a thought came to mind.

“Can you get me a marbled cone snail?” She asked.

Cephal and Eleas looked at each other and back at her.

“Oh we don’t have time for this. Get me a marbled cone snail now!” She shouted.

Cephal in an inky swish flew into action and in search of what she was asking.

“Come. Bring the boy.” A dark voice said behind her.

Audra turned to see that Mylio was still there. Watching and observing everything. Unlike everyone else he had stayed.

“I have a lab that I believe will help you.” He said. With that Mylio turned away and turned into a giant manta ray swimming out of the throne room.

Eleas picked up Galeo and together they followed Mylio.

“Audra…” Eleas whispered.

Audra pretended not to hear.

“Audra...you probably have a lot of questions...and I’m sorry…”

“Eleas. Now is not the time. Your brother is dying. I need to focus on saving him.” Audra answered, refusing to look at him and swam forward following after the Giant Manta Ray. After a little bit of a swim through the city the small group came upon a large building that Audra had seen before. Galeo had called it something strong and earlier Codon had said the same word.

“The Kolegija.” Eleas stated.

“What does that mean?” Audra asked.

“Institution or school.”

With that they entered into the preserved building. What they found inside left Audra breathless.

“Books. Books! There are thousands of books here. How is that possible?”

Audra turned in circles. She looked as if though she was inside the most beautiful library she had ever seen. It was almost like being back on land. Wooden bookshelves lined everywhere. Tables and chairs. Books of every shape, size and color filled the bookshelves from top to bottom. She couldn’t believe that there was an underwater library.

“How?” Audra asked in a voice of awe.

“I control the water. Each book is given a waterproof manipulation. Like a ducks feathers. Everything you see here is now buoyant. The water will never be able to damage it.” Mylio explained. He looked around with the tiniest of smiles on his face.

“There are so many. Did you do this all yourself?”

Mylio scowled. “Of course not. This is thousands of years of work, girl.” He spat at her.

Audra didn’t know what she had done, but this man did not like her in the slightest.

Galeo began to have another seizure bringing them back to the present of why they were there.

“Quickly lay him on the table.” Audra order Eleas.

Within the time that Cephal was back with a few cone snails wrapped in his tentacles.

“Mylio. Do you have anything like a tweezer or grip and something I can use to smash the shell.”

Mylio nodded and within a few minutes had a human hammer and large tweezers in Audra’s hands.

“Okay listen. I need you to flip Galeo onto his stomach. The cone snail has a prob thats sting has temporary paralysis properties. I need you to hold Galeo down. I am going to inject this into his nervous system.”

“What?” Eleas asked.

“Audra...are you crazy? You could kill him if you give him too much.”

“He is already dying!” Audra shouted at them both. “If you can’t handle being her for him then I will have Mylio tie him down. I need to release Galeos familiar from he pain. A partial paralysis will hopefully bring Galeo back enough to be able to shift so I can help Vier. Now hold him down!”

Cephal and Eleas held Galeo dowd. Mylio stayed close eying Audras work curiously. Audra’s hand shook as he broke the cone snails shell and ripped out its probe. She knew that if she got stung she could be facing death. Her hope was that it woudln’t affect the Acathien body the same way as a human. Audra went to the middle of Galeo’s spine and inserted the probe just passed the thickness of the skin. She worked quickly and gave Galeo ten probe shots going down his back. Hoping that the bottom half of the body being pain free would relax Vier enough. Everyone held their breath. Galeo stopped seizing and began to breathe normally.

Audra let out a sigh. “It worked.” she said as she rubbed Galeos arm.

“How did you know that would work?” Mylio asked.

Audra looked up at him. “I didn’t. I do know that there are studies going on about using the cone snails poison as medicine for humans but it is only in its baby trial stage. I just needed to give Vier some pain relief.”

“We need to wake Galeo up if he is going to shift into Vier.” Eleas said.

For five minutes the all tried to rouse Galeo but nothing worked. Audra suddenly had an idea.

“Quick! Carefully turn him over.”

Cephal and Eleas did what she asked. Audra leaned over Galeo. His face was pain and sweat dampened his brow. His beautiful face held a grimace. Audra stroked his soft hair and Galeo leaned into her hand. Gently she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. His lips were clammy but soft and Audra tried to deepen the kiss.

Come back to me. Audra whispered in her mind desperately.

A boiling buble of anger came from Eleas as he watched Audra kissing and rubbing on Galeo. He wanted to rip her off but Cephal held him in his place.

“Now is not the time.” Cephal hissed.

Audra felt a slight stirring from under her. She lifted herself up to see Galeo twitching a bit.

“It’s working Audra. Keep going!” Cephal encouraged.

Audra leaned down placing both hands on the side of Galeos face. Kissing him again this time with more force. Trying to pull him back from whatever depths he was trapped in. A few moments passed and a strong hand reached up and pushed Audra harder into Galeos lips. She giggled as the kiss deepend. Warmth flooded through Audra and she couldn’t help but get lost in the kiss. She finally pulled away to see a gleaming Galeo staring up at her.

“Now that was a kiss.” Galeo said. He hissed instantly after and grabbed his side.

“Galeo! You’re awake. We almost lost you.” Audra rushed to his side and grabbed his hand.

“Listen. You won’t stay in this state for long. You need to shift.” Eleas demanded.

“I can’t” Galeo gasped.

“Please Galeo. I can help Vier. I can save him. Much better then I can save you. Let me help him. I know it will hurt. But you must let me help.”

Galeo shook his head. “You don’t understand. Codon...he did something to Vier. Poisoned his mind. He isn’t the same. I have no control over him. He wants to kill everything. He is in so much pain. I can’t even reason with him. He buried me deep into his self conscious. It was only because of you I was able to come out.” Galeo fearfully begged Audra.

“Listen. You have to trust me, Galeo. Vier already knows me. I can save him.”

“I was in control when you saved us the first time. I won’t be in control if I shift.”

“Galeo. Please...you will die. I can’t lose anymore then I already have. Please. I can’t lose you.” Audra begged as her voice caught. Tears pricked her eyes.

Galeo looked at her with a sad face. He gently placed his hand on Audras cheek and nodded his head.

“Eleas. When I shift...Vier is going to go crazy. Please don’t let him kill anyone.”

Eleas nodded in understanding. He would end Vier himself if it came down to it. Galeo was helped back onto his stomach. Gritting his teeth he shifted into Vier. Quickly in his place was the large tiger shark. What the group saw was absolutely unbelievable.

“By the Gods…” Mylio whispered. He came instantly closure knowing that he would need to help.

Audra clapped her hands over her mouth. The site of Vier making her almost vomit. Viers skin was burned to shreds. Skin barely hung on in some places. Burns scorched in horrible oozing blisters all over his body. His dorsal fin was completely cut hanging on by a thread of skin. Blood and puss oozed into the ocean water. Viers gills were labored in their breathing.

“Audra….what do you need?” Cephal asked in a whisper. His voice pale as he looked at the shark.

“I need tilapia. Lots of them. I need a sewing needle and strands of Delphines hair.”

Thrash! CRASH! CHOMP!

“Watch out!” Elease screamed as he pulled Audra out of the way of a mouth full of teeth.

Vier had awoke. He began thrashing around terribly. His eyes wild and black. His mouth bitting at everything and anything. His giant strong tail thrashing back and forth. He was trying to get up to swim away but instantly fell to the floor on his side. A large pool of blood escaped from the open wounds on his body.

“NO! Quick we need to get him secure before he hurts himself more!” Audra ordered.

No one could get close enough. Vier was too powerful and to full of pain to understand that those around him were trying to help instead of trying to hurt.

Audra was desperate.

“VIER!”

She jumped in front of the tiger shark. His thrashing halted and no one dared move.

“Remember me...You were injured and stuck up on the shore. I helped you.” She waved her hand slightly at the others to get closer. She kept talking. “I eased your pain. I can ease it again.”

Vier didn’t move.

“NOW!” Audra screamed.

Cephal, Eleas, and Mylio jumped onto Vier. Trying to hold him down. Vier began thrashing again almost knocking each of them off. Cephal wrapped his tentaclts around Vier tightly trying to hold on. Eleas was smashing down Viers head to keep his mouth from meeting a target and Mylio was holding onto his center trying to help keep the large shark down. Desperately, Audra was trying to break another cone shell and pull out a probe. She finally pulled it out and swiftly joined the others.

“Eleas, I need you to lean to a side.” She ordered.

“I don’t have a good grip.” He gritted.

“Okay...in three...two...ONE!”

Eleas leaned and Audra slammed the probe into the top of the shark. She had hit her target. The probe was down four inches into the thick shark skin and at the base of Viers brain. The shark stilled and everyone slowly got off. Each person was breathing heavily from the massive fight they had just taken on.

“Look...I don’t know how long…” Audra pulled out the probe, “The paralysis effects are going to last. I need tilapia, a sewing needle, and strands of Delphines hair. Quickly!”

In a flash the three men took off in different directions. Leaving Audra alone with the paralized Vier. Audra slumped to the floor and pulled her knees into her chest. Emotions began to bubble to the surface and she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tears poured out of her eyes. She released all of her emotions. She had been taken from her life. Tortured. Watched horrible death over and over again. She even volunteered to be the next victim. It was to much to take and Audra had finally broke.

There, there little one. You are not alone. A soothing voice said into her mind.

“Whose their?” Audra gasped and sat up looking at Vier. Who was still very much paralized.

It is not time for you to know yet.

“That voice...I’ve heard you before!”

Yes...I am part of you.

“Part of me? How is that possible? I’m just a human!”

You have never been just...anything

“What are you?”

All will be revealed in time….

“No wait!” The voice began to fade away. “Please! I don’t understand. Don’t leave me.”

“Audra? Who are you talking to?” Eleas asked. He held in his hand a ball of bright red hair and what looked like first aid supplies.

Audra whipped her face. “No one.” She said as she scrambled forward and grabbed the supplies from Eleas.

Refocused Audra quickly got to work. She straightened out Delphines hair and made multiple thick strands together. She organized what look like a kind of seaweed gauze and grabbed a fishing hook,

“This is a fishing hook.” She looked at Eleas.

Eleas shrugged his shoulders. “It’s all we have.”

Audra nodded “It will do.”

She dipped the fishing hook into the cone snails probe. Hoping that the venom would add some numbness to the sewing. She slowly approached Vier and waited for him to stir but nothing happened.

“Eleas. Can you hold his dorsal fin in place please.”

Eleas nodded and come forward. Audra threaded through Delphines hair and began to stitch Viers dorsal fin in place.

“Hair?” Eleas questioned.

“It’s a natural source of line. The body is less likely to reject it. So there is less likely going to be infection that will happen in this area.” She stated. She didn’t say anything further and made quick work of trying to patch up Vier.

“How did Codon do this?” Audra finally asked.

Eleas sighed. “No one knows. He is the first Acathien to ever have the ability to physically control others. He is so powerful that he can torture you without even having to touch you. No one knows how he does it. He keeps that secret very close. No one knows how to stop it either.”

“How come you weren’t as affected?” Audra asked shyly.

Eleas shook his head. “This was not the first time Codon has tortured me. It was my fathers way of making me ‘stronger’ as he said.”

“What? How long has this…”

“Since I was a child.”

Audra looked up at Eleas but his face was unreadable.

“Galeo has never received Codons, teachings. This was the first time. Codon in his anger, went to far…”

Eleas didn’t continue and Audra didn’t push. She quickly had the dorsal fin stitched back together. With the seaweed wrap she crisscrossed across Viers body to hold the stitching in place.

“Audra...can we talk?”

Audra stiffened. “About what?”

“Don’t play coy. I know Codon said something to you.”

“Codon didn’t have to say anything Eleas. I remember everything.”

“You remember?”

Audra whirled around and face Eleas.

“How could you? How could you! All of this” Audra raised her hands pointed around and down at Galeo, “is because of you”

Eleas hung his head. “I know.”

“You took me. From my home. My friends. My family. The man I loved even!” Audra felt the hysterical emotions begining to bubble back to the surface so she went back to examine Vier to see what spots could be patched and what needed grafts.

“Audra...I just...I’m sorry...I saw you save Galeo.”

“What? You were there?” Audra whirled in anger.

Eleas nodded. “I was coming to get Galeo. His unit came back and had informed us what had happened. I had tracked him down but you were already there. I watched as you dived into the dangerous sea. Fearless of what happened to you. Determined to save his life. I just...i had to know you.”

“At what cost?” Audra asked.

Eleas looked her in the eyes. His desperate plea and sorrow of pain from the torment he has faced since childhood sat raw on his face. So much emotion almost took Audras composure away to opening her arms to him and holding him close. She turned away trying to keep the burning anger she felt alight instead of pulling Eleas into her arms. A throat cleared and Eleas and Audra turned to see Cephal Mylip and Delphine standing watching the encounter.

“Interrupting are we?” Delphine mused. Her hair a flickering pink. She had a strap wrapped around her body and on her back Audra say tiny eyes poking out staring out at her quizickly.

“Did you get the tilapia?’

Cephal held up eight large seaweed bowls. Each moving in different directions.

“Good we need to start skinning them all. Quickly.” She ordered the group.

The men began to quickly make work of killing and skinning the tilapa while Audra apprached Delphine.

“Delphine...is that the baby?”

Delphine beamed. This was the first time Audra had ever seen Delphine look happy.

“This is Cya.” She pulled out the baby who looked as if he was now five months old.

“How...how is that possible? He was born only a few hours ago.”

“Acathien children grow very quickly. Within a few days he will hit his one year birthday. Children slow down once they hit five years old. But still develop much faster then any human.”

Audra couldn’t believe it. The Acathiens were an absolute marvel. Delphine handed the small child over to Audra. Cya beamed at her with a gummy grin.

“Cya...after your mother. It’s perfect!” Audra faltered. “Delphine. I am...so sorry that I volunteered you in front of the king like that. It was reckless and I wasn’t even thinking about you…”

“Hey...stop. You saved my sons life. In the moment I was pissed as was about to kill you. But Cya looked up at me. We connected and knew we were meant to be each others family. He was alone just like I was. So thank you.”

Delphine wrapped Audra into a big hug and Cya giggled being squished between the two woman. Audra froze at the unbelievable change in Delphine btu quickly embraced her back. When they little hug broke apart the turned back towards the men to get working on Galeo but were met with dumbfounded faces. Even Mylio looked at Delphine questionably.

“What?” Audra asked.

“Delphine doesn’t hug. Ever.” Eleas responded.

Delphines hair ripped fiery red. “Just because I thanked Audra doesn’t mean I still can’t kick you ass Eleas.”

With that Delphine made quick work of skinning the remaining tilapia. Within a few short hours Vier was successfully wrapped in tilapia skin. He had come out of his paralysis but was much more himself and Eleas said that Galeo was able to connect with him again. Being a little more in control. The group was able to relax and Audra needed a much needed break.

“Come human. There is much to be done.” Mylio demanded.

“What?” Audra was flabbergasted. “No...no I am done for the day. I have watched someone I know get killed in cold blood, almost lost Galeo, and I haven’t slept in who knows how long. I have to administer myself this awful serum that makes it feel like every cell in my body is being ripped apart. I am done!” Audra was seething in anger.

Mylio’s face looked at her in annoyance. “You only have a month, girl. We need to get to work…”

“I am going to sleep. If you don’t like it...I don’t care. Back off Mylio. I cannot handle another pompous Acathien right now.” They had moved Galeo to a seaweed bed in Mylios chambers. Audra needed comfort and Galeo was the only person here who had ever given her that. Galeo was still shifted into Vier but she knew that he wouldn’t hurt her now. Quickly Audra administered the serum hissing as the pain soared through her veins. Nausea slammed into her head as she quickly lied down on the slick seaweed. She inched closer to Vier but was careful not to touch him. Within seconds Audra drifted into a restless slumber.