Page 43 of Unseen Lord
"I gave you the temporary ability to breathe underwater, obviously. Now let's go. My Water Spirit will take us to the kingdom of the mer-people. Be quiet and let me do all the talking. They don't like strangers and have been known to eat them."
"Ugh. Been there, done that, and I'm not keen to die that way again."
Arias raises an eyebrow. "Mer-People ate you?"
I shake my head. "Witches. Boiled alive for supper. I was quite delicious I'm told."
Elias snorts, making a sound for the first time in this whole convo.
It's a long swim down to the bottom of the ocean, and it gets cold, but at the point where it's almost unbearable, Arias uses his powers to heat us up, and I sigh in relief. "You could have done that in the storm," I accuse. He just shrugs. Cheeky bastard.
We pass sights to behold. I don't know shit about underwater things, so let's just say there are some really cool seafood like creatures of all colors and shapes and levels of spiky scaliness. And some beautiful floaty plant life. Really cool. I'd like to do this again when I'm not mid-apocalypse.
When the Mer-Kingdom comes into view, it takes my breath away. The castle is stunning, made of white and peach marbled shell that glistens in the water, with a beautiful undersea garden surrounding it. It's dazzling.
But not as dazzling as the divine mer-people swimming throughout. Men, women, even children, with fins in a variety of colors that match their hair and eyes. Wow!
As they see us approach, they form a kind of reception line. They ooh and ahh over Arias, but when they start sniffing me and Elias, I lay my palm on my sword. I am not going to be fish food.
"Don't provoke them," Arias says with a stern voice. "You will not win. They can be vicious."
"Why are they nice to you?" I ask, holding tightly to
"Because I'm the Water Druid. That's a tremendous power in their eyes. And I've been the ambassador from the island in the past. You're just interlopers."
"I see."
I finally see a face I recognize, the mermaid from the rocks who helped save our lives. I smile at her, and she smiles back, her teeth sharp and deadly. She swims over and joins us. "Thank you," I say again.
She nods, then addresses Arias. "Why are you here, Great One?"
"We wish to speak to your queen."
The mermaid frowns. "For you I can do this. But for them… "
"Please. It's vital they are there as well. This is a matter of life and death. For all, not just the earth walkers."
She nods. "Very well, release all weapons and follow me."
Elias and I are super reluctant to give up what little protection we have, but Arias glares at us until we drop everything and follow the princess. She seems to command a lot of respect, and I notice atop her head sits a crown made of shells. "Who is she?" I whisper to Arias.
"The daughter of the queen. Princess Lindora."
Oh shit. We were rescued by a mermaid princess? That's a new one for my books.
The sea serpent shrinks as we are ushered into the castle. There are no floors within sight of the queen, who sits in a throne that floats in the water, so Arias uses his powers to create a platform of water for us to stand, though he quickly has us kneel.
"Royal Mother, Queen Korella, may I present the Water Druid and his companions, who seek an audience with you."
Queen Korella is striking, with a crown made of elaborately designed shell. Her hair, fin and eyes are a deep purple with splashes of royal blue and her skin shines turquoise. She looks down on us with a frown. "What have you come here seeking, Druid?"
Arias rises, and Elias and I follow suit. "Great Queen, we come begging your favor, that you would release the Moonlight Sword to us, once left in your care by our own Queen Arianna."
Guards stand around her and several other mer-people swim about, watching in wonder. She flicks her hand. "Clear the room. Guards may stay."
The princess looks up, surprised, but leaves with everyone else, until it's only us and the guards left.
"And why should I do you this favor? When was the last time your people helped us? And now, you have set the Great Storm free, disturbing our kingdom and threatening the oceans we dwell in."