What the Tide Brings

Chapter 46 - Liam - Helping Hand

Liam couldn't stand to wait anymore. The storm had ceased, and he was afraid of what that meant. It could mean that Kaelin and her siblings had stopped Arlen, but it could also mean that he had stopped them. Maybe even permanently.

Despite the arguments of his friends and family, he left the Old Shack and ran across the road to the boardwalk. The gates were broken on the hinges, hanging limply to either side. He continued forward across the mess of towels and T-shirt's and stuffed animals torn to shreds, their fluffy guts soaked and pouring out across the ground that creaked with every step he took. He didn't remember the boardwalk ever creaking before. Not even when there were two hundred tourists mulling about.

Halfway to the Ferris wheel, Liam was struck to see the end of the boardwalk in shambles, crashed into the ocean. Brightly colored tents were swept back and forth in the current. He noticed one of the tiny toy boats—from the guessing game that Kaelin had played to win a little boy a prize—flopping about on the surface. The ruined skeleton of the Ferris wheel appeared to be the only thing holding the boardwalk together. It's remains had hooked a couple of the large posts underneath and held them upright. It wouldn't be long before the weight of the rollercoaster or the next big shift in the tide caused it all to crumble.

Liam decided it was time to go, before that happened. He hurried back to the entrance and found the staircase that led down to the beach.

Halfway down the stairs, he noticed a figure on the beach. The pale hair whipping in the wind was unmistakable. "Kaelin!" he yelled, but his voice was lost amid the heavy wind and the roar of the waves.

Her head popped up as if she'd heard him. She looked around for a moment, but then went back to dragging something across the beach. Liam thought it was a person. His heart sank as the image of her brother popped into his mind. Was that who she was pulling to the water? She seemed to be having a tough time of it, regardless.

Usually that would be no problem for her, but as he drew nearer, he saw that her shoulder was wrapped with a bloody cloth. It hadn't struck him at first because he was so used to thinking of blood as red. However, once he realized the truth, the sight of the blue stained cloth made his stomach do a backflip.

He ran toward her calling her name all the while. Once he'd gotten closer, just a few feet away, he saw that it wasn't her brother she was dragging. It was Arlen. His body was in that halfway state, between human and merman.

"What are you doing here?" Kaelin asked, frantically. She looked out toward the water, concern washing over her features. He assumed that she was worried one of Arlen's soldiers would leave the water and attack him.

"As soon as the storm stopped I had to check on you. I was afraid that Arlen won." Liam threw his arms around her. "I'm so glad I was wrong."

Kaelin nodded against his shoulder. "Me, too."

When they broke apart, Liam stared down at Arlen for a long moment, then he turned back to Kaelin, confused. "What are you doing?"

"I have to get him to the water." Her voice was almost pleading.

"Why?" Liam wondered if it mattered whether he died on land or in the sea. That merman who attacked him had turned to foam after dying. Did that only happen if they were in water? Or would Arlen become a mass of blue-gray foam on the sand? Maybe she wanted to put him in the water to avoid explaining that.

"So that he doesn't die." she blurted, completely squashing Liam's theories.

"I don't understand." Liam furrowed his brows. "Why would you want to help him after everything he did to you?"

"Because I'm not like him." Kaelin grabbed Liam's wrist. "I don't want to be like him. And if I let him die here, as result of something I did, I'll be just as bad as him."

Liam walked up to her and pushed her damp, straggly hair back out of her face, tucking it behind her ears. One of his hands lingered on her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. "I love you so much."

She leaned her face into his palm and smiled. "I love you, too."

"You could never be like him. You're too good." He leaned in to give her a brief peck on the lips.

"Will you help me?" Kaelin asked, looking straight into his eyes.

Liam smiled at her and knelt down to hook his arms under Arlen's armpits. Kaelin grabbed his feet. Together they were able to carry him much faster than Kaelin had managed alone.

Once they reached the water's edge, Liam continued walking backwards into the surf until he was hip deep in the water. Kaelin released Arlen's legs and instructed Liam to do the same on his end.

Arlen's motionless body sank into the salty water as Liam waded over to Kaelin's side and hooked an arm around her waist. She clung tightly to him, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"What happens now?" Liam asked.

"Hopefully, his body will know to make the change. He's already halfway there, being wounded should send him the rest of the way. The magic of the change should heal him enough that he won't die."

"What if it doesn't?"

Kaelin squeezed her arms tighter around Liam, pressing her cheek to his bare chest. "Then there's nothing left to do. He'll die." She shivered, so Liam rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Her clothes were completely soaked.

A dim glow emanated from beneath the surface of the water. "It worked." She breathed the words out, barely louder than a whisper, as if she was afraid speaking too loudly might break the magic.

The glow around Arlen grew as his body stretched, his legs growing longer to form into his tail, his feet stretching out into a fins.

Kaelin pulled back from Liam to look up into his eyes. "You should go."

He gripped her shoulders tightly. The words felt thick in his throat as he said, "I don't want to leave you again."

"I need to finish this." Kaelin reached up to cup his cheek. "I have to help Calder and Amaya stop the others."

He nodded. He knew there was no holding her back. "Be careful."

She smiled at him. She opened her mouth, about to speak, when he looked down at the water curiously. Something had caught on his ankle.

It took too long to realize it was a hand. He barely had time to scream before he was jerked beneath the surface, and dragged quickly away from the shore and from Kaelin.