Destined

"Who Is We?"

I tried my best to wriggle out of my attackers hold but my efforts were useless. He was too strong. My mumbled cries for help died away under his firm hand on my mouth. I felt panic rise. What does he want? To rape me, abduct me... kill me?

"I'll let you go, so we can talk. But first promise me, you won't shout. I mean no harm. I only want to speak to you."

When I heard the manly, smooth voice, my brain started searching in its depths. I had heard this voice before. It wasn't a familiar voice but I knew the owner...somewhere, somehow, I had met him. I may forget names, but never voices and faces. WHO was he?

The urgency in his voice told me, that he ment what he said. He wanted to talk to me. Slowly I nodded. 

"You'll be quiet and listen to me?" Again I nodded. "Good, I hope you won't break your promise, or I'll have to hurt you...although I don't want to." He whispered the last part, as his fingers left my mouth. 

My stiff, tensed body turned immediately around in anticipation, ready to defend myself if needed. I was astonished, who was standing in front of me. He was not on my inner list of mighty villains trying to hurt me.

"Amarin?!", I asked utterly perplexed. How does he fit in this game? I thought Blaithin had sent her minions to kill me to get rid of me once and for all...or one of Gaisgeil's enemies wanted to kidnap me to blackmail the Lord of Desa. But a member of the Daonnachd council? Really? How does that fit?

I watched him baffled and confused. Although the situation was serious, I wasn't immune to his handsome features, his mesmerizing blue eyes. He was not much older than me and a Daonnachd. How could he be that strong? Normally I would have had a good chance in a fight against a human man. I was not trained by the Laidir for nothing. I shook my head, in no way able to put the pieces of this puzzle together.

He watched me wordlessly, waiting. 

"What...why...", I stuttered, not sure, how to start. Amarin scratched his jaw in unease. Abruptly, he stood still, closed his eyes and took a slow inhale. When his eyes opened, I was shocked.

He had inhuman eyes! They were silver with an unnatural dilated pupil. I took a step away from him. 

"I would never hurt you, Callida." He pressed his lips together. "Not without a real good cause!"

"What...what are you?", I whispered. I've never seen a Daonnachd, who could transform. You were either a Daonnachd or another creature. He was the first ...who was both! This was extraordinary. But something lingered in my brain. My mind wanted to tell me something, a message from my subconcsious. I wanted to grab this infromation in my hands, but it slipped ... Are there more out there in Desa? Unkown, undetected? This discovery was intriguing and fascinating. 

Amarin observed my every move. We watched each other silently. Was he a threat? Could I trust him? I calmed down, my feelings back under control. And with the control came the curiosity on surface. I couldn't hold still. My legs moved automatically in his direction

My fingers softly touched his face. His skin was a little bit colder than that of a normal human. His eyes were ... simply beautiful. Never had I seen this bright silver colour of eyes. 

Suddenly I was aware of my inappropriate behaviour: I was touching his face, like he was a examination object in a laboratory. I was touching the face of a man. Promptly I withdrew my fingers...but was stopped by Amarin's hand that grabbed mine. 

"No, go ahead, I know that you are curious. It doesn't bother me. You can ask me what you want." 

He brought my hand to his face again. When my fingers touched his skin I was at a loss for a few seconds. I considered what to do. Leave him ... or ...? Slowly my fingers began to travelled to his cheeks, proceded to his cheekbone, his forehead. The skin felt smooth but a little bit like...My thoughts were interrupted as Amarin closed his eyes with a little smile on his lips. Obviously he liked my touch.

No, this wasn't right, not at all. I overstepped the boundaries. I withdrew my hand again, but this time Amarin didn't stop me. He opened his eyes again, silently watching me. 

"I am a hybrid. As of now, I am the only one."

My eyesbrows furrowed. "A hybrid? What kind of hybrid?"

Amarin's eyes turned human again, a deep blue colour. "I am half Daonachd and half ... something new." His teeth bit his lips, while his mind searched for the right words.

"I am like the Cuan, but without the gill. My lungs function like the lungs of other mammals of the sea, like dolphins or whales. I can stay in the sea for 3 hours without needing air. And I can hear under water in far distances. 

A flash of recognition burned my brain. NO, HE WASN'T ALONE! AILIS!  Theos, three summers ago my brain wasn't in the right place or situation to understand, what Ailis had revealed to me.  She was a hybrid too, a hybrid that could read minds. 

"Callida?", his voice called for me. My eyes snapped back to his. Amarin was searching my face with concern. A mustered a small fake smile. "Everything's alright, Amarin. I am a little bit shaken by your confession." Hopefully he believed me. Ailis and her background story had to wait ...

"Yes, that's a lot to take in, I know", he admitted.

I cleared my throat. "Do you have other", I moved my hand in a helpless manner, "special skills?" 

For a short moment, he hesitated. "I am very strong, three times as strong as a very strong human man."

My eyebrows vanished in my hairline. "But Gaisgeil nearly killed you the other day. You didn't stand a chance?"

Amarin snorted, chuckling. "What did you expect me to do? Reveal my secret because of my hurt ego?" He shook his head. "No, I am not that stupid. It's my only advantage...it's better to let others think that you are harmless. Let them underestimate me. The surprise is worth the wait."

His facial features suddenly changed from an handsome and human face to an animalistic one. His teeth formed to razorsharp shark teeth, his cheekbones hightened, his chin getting pointed. Fear krept its way through my veins.

"Do you really think I should be afraid  of the oh-so-mighty-Lord?", his hoarse voice hissed.

My shoked face must have alarmed Amarin's perception of the situation, because he changed effortlessly back into his human form.

His hands reached out in a surrendering gesture. "No, Callida, no ... don't be afraid. I ...I am still human. I am both...this creature and a human. We are one."

My beating heart slowed down, the fear subsiding. This was unbelievable, exciting, fascinating ...and frightening at the same time. I had to know more. But first of all...what was his reason to drag me here in a hit-and-run manner?

"This is very exciting news, Amarin, but couldn't you tell me your story in an more private and less...uh...dramatic way?"

He huffed. "Are you aware, that you are watched by your destined's men? How should I reach out to you without being caught? Your Lord is not very keen on me...", he nearly spat the words "destined" and "Lord".

I nodded in apprehension. "So, you have something important to tell me, I understand?"

Amarin approached me step by step, taking my hand in his. "Callida, we need you." His whole demeanour was pleading.

My forehead wrinkled in anticipation. "WE? Who is we?"

He eyed me carefully. "We are the resistance. We want to take the Lord of Desa down." I froze.