Chapter 23
1754 Words
23
We floated through the dark, wet abyss along a path that was more hope than knowledge. The world was water born from shadow.
I glanced from my left to my right. Only a few loose air bubbles told me which ways were up and down. “Damn. . .”
Roisin clutched onto me with trembling hands as we floated through the abyss. “I-I c-cannot see anything.”
I furrowed my brow as I looked at her. “Are you cold?”
She nodded. “Yes. C-can you n-not feel it?”
I shook my head and looked ahead. “No.” I could feel it through Roisin’s shirt. She had goosebumps on her arms.
I pursed my lips as I studied the eternal darkness. Maybe there were other water fae out there we could get a hold of, but how to call for help?
Call. I frowned. Abha had mentioned something about the Call, and that old man, too. I stopped and looked around.
“Is something the matter?” Roisin asked me.
I shook my head as I swept my eyes over the darkness. “No, but maybe. . .” I closed my eyes and listened.
The water was as silent as the grave, or was it? Every pond and stream had a current, and the ocean was just a larger version of those. I focused all my attention on my clothes and skin.
There. A slight touch of current brushed past me. It was the way we were headed and pushed at our backs as though urging us gently along.
Something traveled along the currents, something I could barely hear. It was a soft melody, like someone whistling far away. I strained to hear the music. My lips pressed together as I sought to mimic the sound.
“Hmmhmm. Hmmhmm,” I hummed. It was like a lullaby that cradled the deep. I only caught a bit of the music, but it was enough.
“What is that tune?” Roisin asked me.
I opened my eyes and grinned. “I think it might be our ticket out of here.” I let go of her and swam a little ahead. The current brushed past me and into the depths of the ocean. I took a deep breath and cupped my hands over my mouth. “Hmmhmm! Hmmhmm!”
My voice echoed deep into the darkness. I waited. Roisin came up beside me and looked where I looked. There was only shadow.
Then she came. She started as a speck of light in the dark, but the closer she came the clearer became her form. She was a young woman of about twenty, or appeared to be. I admired her beautiful long blond hair that floated around her like a halo. Her attire kept with the moss-attire like the young men, but her breasts were covered, as well. A pearl necklace adorned her neck.
At her side was the young man with the same necklace. He hung back and hung his head. If there’d been ground beneath us he would have kicked at the dirt.
The young swam up to us as swift and clean as any dolphin. She looked from one of us to the other with wide eyes. “You are alive?”
I nodded at the boy. “Yeah, but no thanks to him and his friends.”
She bowed her head to us. “I am terribly sorry for my brother’s terrible behavior. If I had any idea he was stealing sheep I would have stopped him long ago.”
I looked from the boy to the young woman. “So you two are siblings?”
She raised her head and her eyes twinkled as she met my gaze. “Yes. As children of Valtameri we both are your cousins.”
My eyes widened. I pointed a shaking hand at her. “You. . .do you know where he is?”
The young woman tilted her head to one side. “I do, but are you not concerned with returning home? And my brother-” she half-turned and gestured to the young man who floated behind her, “-is eager to make his apologies to your people.”
I glanced between them. “That’s great, but I’d really like to meet your dad, this Calamari guy. I’ve got something I want to ask him.”
“You do?” Roisin spoke up.
The young woman frowned. “I cannot allow that. My father would be furious if I brought a mortal to the palace.”
I held up one of my glowing hands. “But I’m a cousin, remember? What’s a little meeting between family?”
My cousin shook her head. “While we are related, not all who share our lineage are to be trusted.”
I gestured to the dark world around us. “Seriously, what am I going to steal around here?”
She held up the pearls. “These are priceless to your people, but to us they are sacred beauty. Others before you have stolen them from the palace, and my father was forced to deal harsh justice to our cousins.”
“But I just want to talk!” I insisted.
She dropped the pearls and shook her head. “It cannot be allowed.”
I clasped my hands together and rung them in front of her. “There’s got to be some sort of exception. Some way you’d trust me.”
She turned away from me toward her brother. He floated closer to us as she pursed her lips. “We have spoken too much and you have come too close to the palace. We must take you back.”
I balled my hands into fists at my sides and glared at her. “Then if you don’t trust me who would you trust? Another full-blooded fae?”
The siblings faced us side-by-side one another. The young woman furrowed her brow. “Please do not judge me too harshly. I do not set the laws in my father’s domain.”
“So you’re saying that’s a ‘yes?’” I persisted.
She nodded. “Yes, I would be allowed to show another fae to my father’s palace.”
I half-turned from her and crossed my arms over my chest. “You sound like the humans on the surface. They’re just as paranoid as you are. If you guys had been the first fae I met, or I-” My eyes widened. I snapped my fingers and turned to my fae cousins. “What if I could prove I’m a friend of the fae? Would you take us to the palace?”
She arched an eyebrow. “That would depend on what you have to show me.”
I dug around in my pocket and drew out the soul stone given to me by Thorontur. Its faint green hue glowed in the darkness of the black water as I held it up for my cousins to behold. The young man’s mouth dropped open.
The young woman’s eyes widened at the stone before she looked to me with interested eyes. “You are very blessed, cousin. That is a most powerful stone.”
“But will it get us an audience with your dad?” I asked her.
She smiled and gave a nod. “It will, and I apologize for not trusting you sooner.”
I stuffed the soul stone back into my pocket and grinned. “I’ll forgive you if you tell me one thing.”
She arched an eyebrow. “What is it you wish to know?”
“Your name.”
The young woman’s face softened and her eyes smiled at me. She bowed her head. “My name is Aeronniell, but you may call me Niell.” She raised her head to catch my gaze. “And what is your name, cousin?”
I held out my hand. “It’s Miriam, daughter of-um, somebody.”
Niell tilted her head to one side and studied me. “You do not know your father?”
I shook my head. “Nope, or my mom, but I’m hoping your dad can change that. Can we go see him right now?”
“Of course, but-” Niell glanced at Roisin, “-do you wish to return to the surface? My brother Aearion-” she gestured to the young man, “-would be glad to escort you.”
Roisin shook her head. “I will not leave without you.”
“Then please allow us to escort both of you,” the fae woman requested.
My cousins turned and swam back in the direction they’d appeared. Roisin and I followed them. I looked to my friend and lowered my voice. “You really don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”
She smiled and shook her head. “You are my friend, and a friend does not leave one another behind to face anyone, especially someone as great as Valtameri.”
I arched an eyebrow. “So you know who he is?”
She nodded. “Yes. That is the name of the ancient god whom my people worshiped.”
I whistled. “You had a pretty nice god watching over you. We’ll have to ask him how come he went from being a benevolent god to letting his kids run amok with your sheep.”
Roisin’s eyes widened at me. “Oh no! We could never insult a god!”
I grinned. “Just watch me.”
“But-”
“I’m family, remember?” I teased as we followed our guides.
The two fae led us deeper into the depths of darkness. A few hundred yards further into the bleak blackness the way began to lighten. Giant reefs of glowing white coral sprouted from the ocean floor some half mile beneath us and rose to a towering height over our heads. Their cylindrical bodies pulsed with a soft, warm light that lit up a path of thick green seaweed that wound through their forest. For the first time we saw other fae. They swam through the water like the fishes that scattered before our coming. Many stopped and stared at us. I felt like I was back in the city of the humans.
We followed the green path until the coral parted. Their light stretched far ahead of us, but in that space stood a tall, conch shell-shaped palace of white glistening stone. The rock was like quartz in that it reflected the bright light of the coral reefs. The edges of the palace were smoothed to a glistening shine that reflected the darkness and light that surrounded it. Four sets of open gates led into the shell palace.
Around the palace was a magnificent city made from the same white stone, but the walls of the buildings weren’t as reflective as the palace. The layout was circular with bands of seaweed beds that partitioned the city into terrace-like blocks. Many of the residents gathered in talkative groups on the beds like they were roads.
I looked to Roisin. “I think I know where your people got the idea for their city.” She could only nod as her eyes were glued to the scene.
Our guides directed us to one of the sets of open gates. My fae cousins floated down to the seaweed and stepped onto the green carpet. The seaweed gave a little under their weight, but bounced back and supported them. Roisin and I followed suit, and together the four of us walked through the towering gates and into the palace of the ocean god.
- Writer
