Yet despite what she saw, Crystal could not pull away. In a moment, Ursula's hand would be on hers, and together they would slip down into the depths of the sea.
Crystal wanted to join Ursula more than anything, and she stretched a little further, not caring that it would lead to her death. Just a little further....
Someone was pulling Crystal from behind. It was a nuisance, and she fought it. "Leave me alone," she cried, "I have to do this!"
Ursula ripped the dagger from the chain around her neck, and in a flash, held the blade at Crystal's throat.
Swish! The sudden light from the bright moonlight illuminated a sword as it passed by Crystal's head. There was a blood-curdling scream, and a moment later, Ursula's severed arm, still holding the dagger in its hand, drifted slowly down to the bottom of the sea.
Crystal heard voices above her.
"Quick, don't let it get away. We need that dagger!"
Then splash. Someone jumped into the water and swam to recover it. Who? Jake? Nic? Crystal couldn't be sure.
Ursula, who was writhing and screaming at the top of her lungs, saw the body in the water and, with an agility that defied her injury, turned to chase down her assailant.
"A torch, a torch, hurry," someone cried.
A lit torch was slung from the boat directly at Ursula. A second later, the sea was on fire, and they all heard blood-chilling screams as the mermaid was engulfed in the flames. Crystal, horrified at the sight, realized that the oil on her body had been set alight.
Around and around Ursula thrashed, but no amount of salt-water could extinguish the inferno that danced on the surface. And then down and down Ursula sank, the fires still burning on her flesh, while on the surface the smell of rank oil polluted the night, and the echo of her shrill screams hung heavy on the air.
A Stranger at the Inn
Crystal must have passed out. When she opened her eyes, the others were standing over her in the boat. She was propped against one of the seats, and the wood was jabbing uncomfortably into her back.
"Are you all going to stand there or is someone going to help me back on board?"
At the sound of Stu's voice, they all turned, and a moment later, she watched as John and Jake hauled Stu out of the ocean and back into the boat. He was clinging to Ursula's severed arm, which still clutched the dagger in her oily hand. Stu wrenched the dagger free.
"Hey, you think I could get a few bucks for this on eBay? Nah, probably not." And with that, he tossed the oil-soaked limb as far from the boat as he could. It landed with a distant kaplunk! "Look what I've got!"
Crystal got to her feet, and along with the others, gathered around Stu. She wobbled a little and Nic reached out to steady her. "You okay?"
"Yes. I think so."
"We were all frozen, there was nothing we could do!" Nic said. "Then her hold on us relaxed and Stu cut off her arm and I threw my torch. I didn't even know if I'd hit her."
"Sucks to be flammable," John said.
"And now we have our prize," Stu said. He held out the dagger so they could all see it.
"So you have won the right to rule," Jake said.
A hushed silence fell upon them all. Crystal was painfully aware of what Ursula had just told her. How much of it could be believed, she couldn't say. The only sensible thing to do, for now, was to keep her mouth shut and see how things played out.
"Well done, dude," John said. He slapped Stu on the back and sounded convivial enough. Perhaps it was the light of the green lanterns, but to her eyes, John looked intensely jealous. But then he saw Crystal watching him, and the look instantly left his face.
"Dude, stop," Stu said. "I don't want to rule anything, Ella can keep her throne, I just want to see my family again."
"So, can we please get back to land?" Nic asked. "I don't think I'll ever be happy on a boat again after what we saw out here today."
"Well, we could..." Crystal said, turning first to Stu and then more tentatively toward Jake. "Or...."
"Yes?" Nic said.
"Or... we make a run for it on this boat," Crystal said. She paused to gauge Jake's reaction, but he didn't look enraged or afraid. She prayed he was still on their side after all. "Look, I don't know about you guys, but I for one have no desire to see Ella again. And all these ships Ursula is said to have attacked––well––they had to enter Caducus from somewhere out there." She nodded out toward the deep sea. "So...."
"So what?" John asked.
"So, there must be another portal back to our world. Another way home other than the curtain."
"Nice idea," Stu said. "But how would we find it? We don't know these waters and might sail blindly for weeks. And we've no food or provisions, so we could starve. And heaven help us if the sea gets rough and we capsize or run into stupid sirens or something and go mad."
"Yes," Jake said. “Your friend, Stu is right. We should return to the village. We can wait there until the morning, then return to the city and present the dagger to the Queen. It is your best hope.”
"Have you been listening?" Nic cried. "We don't want to go back there. We don't even know what Ella will do with the dagger, Jake. What if she used it on us? What if it's some magical thing that sucks our souls out, or something?”
Stu turned the dagger over in his hands and they all looked closely at it. The filigree work was very detailed, and there was something about the blue-gold that made Crystal want to touch it. She reached for it, but Stu snatched it away.
"Tsk, tsk, finders keepers."
"What, we can't even touch it?" John asked.
"And claim the victory for yourselves? I think not!"
"You've gone mental," Nic said. "In the Hobbit, Bilbo wasn't overcome for ages. You've gone down in under a minute. Lightweight."
They all laughed, but none more so than Stu, and he passed the dagger over to Crystal. It was strangely heavy in her hand, and she didn't like the feel of it on her skin. She passed it quickly to Nic. Nic examined it a little more closely, but like Crystal, she looked eager to pass it on. When John held it in his hand, he stared at it for the longest time.
"It's very beautiful," was all he said. "Maybe we should use it on something. That might give us some idea about how it works." He passed it onto Jake.
Jake passed it back to Stu as quickly as he could.
"I dunno," Nic said. "It might be dangerous. Who knows what it will do?"
"And its f-f-freezing out here," Stu said, who was still soaking wet and shivering. "Can we get back to s-s-shore please? We can figure out what to do when we're there. At least it'll be warm and dry."
"Good idea!" Nic said. "My toes are so cold they might fall off!"
They had all resumed their former positions on the boat and began the long row back to the shore. Their progress seemed a little faster, and their spirits more buoyant, since their immediate peril had sunk to the bottom of the sea behind them.
"I'll never look at The Little Mermaid the same way again," Nic said.
"Ursula always said she'd give up her right arm for that dagger," Stu said.
"Oh, that's terrible!" Nic groaned. “I mean, just––ugh.”
But while the others joked, Crystal remained silent. Ursula's words still haunted her. Her meaning had been plain enough, but it was too blunt and brutal to be digested at once. And it was not something she could share with the others. So, for the time being, she kept the detail of the encounter to herself.
As soon as they were back at the dock, they slowed down, rowing gently just to take them in. Then with their oars up and stored, they glided to the dock, where Jake sprang from the boat and secured the moorings to the pier. They all quickly followed, eager to get back on land so they could return to some place warm.
Crystal was the last to leave the boat. As she put her foot on dry land, she got the feeling they were being watched. It was warmer here on the dock, yet she still wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
"Are you okay?" Stu asked, who was still shivering himself.
> "Yes," she lied. "But I'm looking forward to getting some rest, and maybe something hot to drink."
"Y-y-yes," Stu replied through chattering teeth.
"Oh God, look at you, you poor thing. Come on, let's get a move on. The inn isn't too far away - let's go and get you a warm blanket some place."
They set off quickly taking a direct path to the Lady Jade. It was the only lit building on the road. By night its exterior was far less inviting than when they had entered it during the day. Now, the building looked derelict––the doors hung on their hinges and the windows were broken and dirty––yet they went in just the same.
Inside, the inn was empty except for the staff, who still wandered left and right, carrying empty trays. The place was poorly lit, and the tables looked in need of a good cleaning.
"Nice to be home," Stu said.
Nic disappeared for a second but soon came back with a warm blanket, which she draped over Stu's shoulders. "Thanks," he said.
"I just asked one of the zombie people and they found me this in a flash. We should all try and get some sleep," Nic said. "We can figure out what to do next, first thing in the morning after a good night's sleep."
"Um, Jake," Stu said.
"Yes?"
"No offense, dude, but I think you should bunk down with me or John."
"You don't trust me?"
"There's a lot of things we don't know. If you are our friend, you'll understand."
Jake shrugged. "Sure, if it makes you feel better. You do realize outside of the palace; she can't control my mind."
Crystal thought, But we only have your word for this.
"All the same, I think we'd all feel better, and in any case..."
"Yes?" Jake asked.
"Don't forget, I'm about to become your King."
"As you wish, Sire." Jake bowed, not noticing, or perhaps not caring that the others were giggling around him.
"He can bunk down with me," John said. "There were two beds in my room."
"That's settled then.” Stu yawned and stared down at the dagger, still in his hand. He shook his head. "Such a small thing. Ah well. Night all." And then he headed off to bed.
Though Crystal was dog-tired herself, there was no way she was going to lie down on that bed again. Unlike her first stay, the sheets were now filthy and torn, and looking around the room, there was nothing but dirt and squalor. I wonder if this is how it's been, all along? Lord, I can't sleep here.
She turned and went back to the public part of the inn. The lights had been switched off, but there was a lone figure sitting in front of a blazing fire. As she walked closer, she discovered it was Stu, now dry and looking a whole lot happier than he had after his plunge in the ocean. It seemed she was not the only one to find her room distasteful.
He looked up as she approached and smiled. "Hey. You can't sleep either?"
"Are you kidding me? Have you looked in the rooms?" she said.
"Not exactly a palace, right?"
"Worst holiday resort in America."
They both laughed.
"Actually," Stu said, "I've been thinking about what to do next."
"So have I. I think we should get the hell out of here at first light and get back to the woods," Crystal said.”
"I see," he said, "but once we get back there, if we manage to get that far without being captured, how do you propose to get us all over the wall and into the city? The palace is impenetrable now."
"So, what do you suggest?" Crystal asked. "Get back on the boat and see if we can find that portal?"
"I don't know but I'm thinking. What if I just claimed the prize, and became King?"
Crystal squirmed in her seat, and was about to object, when he gently took hold of her hand.
"Hear me out. She promised you would all be free to go. And if you think about it, it's my fault we're all stuck here anyway. If I hadn't followed after you like a love-sick puppy...."
She laughed. "Did you really?"
"I can't believe I just said that."
Was he blushing? "Look, did you guys not hear anything Ursula said to me?"
"Not a word."
"She told me that this world, and everything in it, has come out of my head. If I leave this world, everything left behind will perish. Stu, that means if you become King, the moment we pass through into the changing room, you die."
"I don't believe it," he replied. "What if she was just messing with your head? I mean come on, what is there to trust about an oil-coated mermaid with glowing green eyes?"
"Well that's what Ursula said. And even if she was lying, the monarch can't just leave, someone has to take their place. You'd have to wait for someone who wanted to."
"So Ella says. But what if they're both wrong––and we can all just walk the hell out of here. As King, I'll just give the order."
"Maybe you're right––but you might not be. Oh, this place is just a crazy nightmare," Crystal said.
"You got that right."
"One thing I know about nightmares," Crystal mentioned, "is if they can go bad, they always do."
Stu took in a deep breath and nodded. Just as he did so, they felt a gush of air, as if someone had opened a door or window. They both turned but could see no one in the shadows by the door.
"Next time I'm booking at the Holiday Inn," she laughed, hoping to break the tension.
"You've got my vote."
They heard a chair or table scrape across the wooden floors.
"Hello, is somebody there?" Stu asked.
No one responded, but a waiter suddenly appeared and walked over to that corner of the room. He carried a tray and in the dim light, Crystal saw there was a single tankard on it.
"Must be a regular. Not the friendly type I suppose," Crystal said.
"Who is around here?"
"Good point."
The presence of a third person made her far less comfortable talking openly. "You know, seeing the state of this place, I think I'd like a little fresh air. Shall we continue this conversation outside?"
"Sure. It's musty in here anyway. Come on, let's go."
They both stood up and walked quickly to the exit. As they left, they peered into the shadows at the newcomer, who was seated at a table in the darkest possible corner of the inn. Crystal saw a small, hooded figure, bent over and peering intently at their tankard. The figure looked up as they passed, but the cloak still covered the stranger's face. Crystal hurried by, though she was burning with curiosity, she was more afraid the stranger might be a spy, sent by Ella to keep an eye on them.
Once outside, Stu sat down on a low stone wall. Ursula's dagger hung loosely on a string around his neck; he pulled it out from under his shirt and was now idly playing with it.
"How does it feel now?" she asked.
"What? Oh, this? I'm not sensing some pulsing, secret power if that's what you mean. It feels pretty ordinary, really."
"I wonder what special power it has?" Crystal pondered.
"There's only one way to find out, and that's to give it to Ella," Stu said.
"Yeah, great idea," she said sarcastically. "Now why didn't I think of that?"
The door opened and they were joined by Nic. "Ah. Here you all are. I couldn't sleep either, not in that... filth. What are you all talking about?"
"Oh, everything and anything really. Ella, the dagger, Ursula."
"I was wondering about that," Nic said, rubbing her eyes. "Do you mind if I ask––what was it that Ursula said to you?"
"Hmmm." Could she, she wondered? Ursula had touched on a lot of personal stuff. Telling the others was not going to be easy.
"Only if you feel you can," Nic said. "I mean, if it's too private...."
"Well, I have to confess it's not easy. I'm still kinda trying to make sense of it all myself, but yes, if you give me a minute, I'll try to tell you all I can remember."
Crystal sat down beside Stu on the wall and with a few pauses, relayed as much as she could remember. It wasn't easy, and mor
e than once her eyes were filled with tears. The others did not interrupt until she was done.
"Wow. That's really messing with your head," Stu said at last.
Nic looked more thoughtful. "I don't like it, not one bit."
"I'm sorry," Crystal said. "I can't help what she said."
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm just thinking, what would happen if any of us die here? Killing random monsters is one thing, but if all this," she indicated their surroundings with a sweep of her arm, “is because of your sub-conscious, what would happen if we die? Are we really dead? And what if you die? Do we all die here too? If any of what she said is true, then this place can't exist without you. We would die in a paradox."
"Even Ella?"
I don't know about her, or Jake for that matter. Neither of them are the real 'thems,' but we are. I am me. And so are you. God, this place gets more confusing by the second."
"Right," Stu said.
"Mind you, this is all just speculation, for all we know, we'll all wake up back at the renn faire and be perfectly fine. Can we really trust anything here?"
Crystal thought she saw something stir at the window, but though she kept a careful watch, but nothing moved again.
Stu rose, then turned to kiss Crystal on the cheek. "This is what I think. I think we've wasted enough time in this place already. What do you say we just grab the others, and get the hell out of Dodge? The sooner this is over the better."
"But we still don't know what to do" Nic said. "Where do we even start?"
"That's a very good question." They all started at the strange female voice. They turned, and saw the cloaked figure standing in the doorway, a pewter tankard in her hand. The stranger drank from it, and Crystal would have sworn she saw a trace of red before the figure licked it from her lips.
"And who are you?" Stu asked.
The figure did not respond but stood watching them for a moment. "That doesn't matter. What is important is what I can do for you."
"And what is that?" Nic asked.
"I can give you what you most desire."
"And what do you think that is?"
"A way out of the city, and passage back to your world."
Sorcery & Sirens Page 17