by Liara Woo
Katie was screaming, flailing, and desperately trying to keep her head above water. But the waves were massive and she was tossed around like a ragdoll. The waves tossed her around, tugging her between them, flinging her forwards, toying with her the way a cat plays with a particularly juicy-looking mouse.
"Help!" she shrieked, although she doubted anyone could hear her over the furious howls of the wind and the earsplitting cracks of thunder filling her head. Drowning wasn't an issue; she was afraid that she'd be left behind, or that she'd be too exhausted to keep her head above water and she'd sink underwater and no one would be able to find her.
Her arms and legs were already burning from fatigue, and every wave pushed her farther away, even though she was swimming with all of her strength. She was as weak as a kitten in the face of the mighty ocean. "Help!" she screamed again.
A wave rolled over her and forced her back beneath the surface, sending water up her nose. She coughed and sputtered, sinking several feet. Breathing deeply underwater, she stopped swimming for a moment to catch her breath. She saw something moving in the water deep below her…a sea serpent. Katie gasped and swam back to the surface. "Help!" she shrieked. "There's a sea serpent!" Then a towering wall of water reared above her and crashed down on her, forcing her underneath the surface where she was pushed and tugged around by the current. Frantically she swam back to the surface, but her strength was failing. She sank back underwater, her arms and legs burning from fatigue. For a brief moment she closed her eyes.
Someone wrapped a strong, lean arm around her and helped her back to the surface. "It's alright. I have you," a familiar voice called in her ear.
"Halthren!" Katie gasped. She clung to him, exhausted, unable to keep swimming. "Halthren—in the water—sea serpent—"
"Hold on. I won't let you fall. Loriina's coming," Halthren told her, his breath tickling her ear. Trembling from fear and fatigue, she clutched at his sodden tunic desperately as he struggled to tread water amidst the water-mountains and the driving rain. Loriina dived down close to the water and hovered just above them, fighting desperately against the wind as she beat the sky with her wings. Relenthus reached down and helped Katie and Halthren climb up to her back. Katie hung on to Halthren even as Loriina flew higher and the sea serpent burst out of the water, scowling angrily at the dragon that had stolen its meal.
"Thanks," she said shakily into Halthren's ear. "I d-don't think Loriina would've known I'd been swept off if you hadn't…"
"I'm glad to have been able to help," Halthren responded with a nervous smile. Katie could feel him trembling from the cold.
"We need to land somewhere," Relenthus called over the raging wind. "By now it must be almost nightfall! We should stop!"
"I...agree," Loriina panted. She folded her wings at her sides and dived, making Halthren's insides tie themselves in uncomfortable knots. Soon he could see the mountainous waves beneath him again. No—stop—don't look down—
He felt his stomach lurch nauseatingly and he quivered, remembering with sickening dread the moment when he'd left Loriina's back, surrendering himself to the nothingness below, being twisted and pulled every which way as the wind tore at him and gravity sucked him downwards. No—don't think about that; think about good things…Katie. Think about Katie—
"Another sea serpent!" Katie yelled, pointing. Halthren furrowed his brow; a long, s-shaped neck attached to a head like a cross between a sea urchin and a dragon was rearing out of the water.
"Where?" Loriina asked in a panicked voice. Halthren cringed; he'd read about but never actually witnessed how bad a dragon's vision could get during a rainstorm. The third eyelid that they had to protect their eyes from debris could often blur the dragon's vision because of the raindrops streaking down it.
"To the right of us! Look out!" Relenthus yelled, panicked. Loriina gasped and swerved to the left, so suddenly that Halthren's stomach lurched. He held onto the spine on Loriina's back with every ounce of strength he had.
"Does…anyone…see…land?" Loriina wheezed desperately, once the sea serpent was left behind.
Halthren cracked his eyes open a tiny bit. "No," he answered, ashen-faced.
"Wait…there's sort of a pillar of stone rising out of the sea. It has an abandoned nest or something at the top," Katie noted, craning her neck.
"I see it," Loriina said confidently. She changed direction and flew directly towards the dark shape. Katie was right; there seemed to be a nest at the top.
"Hang on," Halthren said. "That looks an awful lot like the nest of a roc…"
"What's a roc?" Katie asked. Suddenly there was a furious shriek, and a massive bird shot down from the clouds and began to circle them, looking like a giant blue-gray eagle.
"That's a roc," Relenthus responded, speaking quickly. "Can someone drive it away? Those things are extremely protective of their nests, and we're getting too close…"
Suddenly the roc shrieked again and dived towards them, rage burning in its fierce yellow eyes. Frantically Loriina beat her wings harder, trying to gain a burst of extra speed to outrun it, but she wasn't fast enough. The roc snatched Halthren, wrapping its thick claws around his torso. "Help!" he shouted desperately, as the roc wrenched him off of the dragon's back, forcing the air from his lungs, and took him high into the air. His eyes widened when he saw that almost nothing separated him from the towering black waves far beneath him. He felt completely sick with fear.
The roc shrieked a third time and released him. Halthren yelled in panic, tumbling from the sky, the terrible memories from his childhood brought to the forefront of his mind with sudden horrific clarity. The water rose up to meet him; his limbs were twisted wildly around as the wind rushing past his face stole the breath from his lungs and wrenched his arms and legs in every direction. His back slapped against the water so hard that he was winded, and he plunged into the darkness, stunned and numbed by the sudden iciness. He couldn't move for several seconds, and he couldn't breathe, so when he regained his senses he struck out desperately for the surface.
When his head breached the water, he inhaled desperately, but a monstrous wave crashed over him and forced him under the surface, pushing water into his mouth instead of air; flailing, he struggled to the surface and tried to cough it up. He was powerless as a second wave washed over his head, sending him deep underwater again, tumbling head over heels. He struck out in the direction he thought was up, and when he came back to the surface he coughed again, his throat raw and stinging.
Gasping for breath, he struggled to keep his head above the water. Panic set in. The humongous waves carried him farther and farther away from the roc's nest, which he could barely see in the distance. He thought he saw Loriina, flying quickly away. "Help!" he screamed. Then another wave pushed him underwater again, and he caught a glimpse of a vast creature heading from the dark depths towards the surface—towards him. Sea serpent!
Frantically he kicked towards the surface, but his clothing was dragging him down. Hastily he discarded his belt, sword, and satchel full of food, letting them sink into the darkness below. Stubbornly holding his breath, he unlaced his boots and kicked them away before unclasping his cloak from around his neck. But as he fumbled with the neck of his tunic, something huge suddenly rushed up past him, the force dragging him up with it. He felt wind on his cold, wet face, and he gasped, partially because he needed air and partially because of the sea serpent directly above him. He tried to swim away, but his limbs were beginning to weaken from the constant battle against the force of the waves and the currents.
A second serpent burst out of the water, and before he could do anything it had grabbed the back of his tunic in its mouth and hauled him out of the water. Twisting and trying to free himself, he tried to ignore the Dark influence of the sea monsters sapping what little strength he had left. A normal elf would hardly feel anything so soon, but since Halthren had lost most of his Light, Darkness could penetrate him easily. He stopped struggling and dangled from the giant s
nake's mouth, exhausted. It was then that he heard a ripping noise; the serpent's teeth were beginning to tear his tunic.
Suddenly more serpents burst out of the water, smaller than the first two but still large enough to pose a threat. They opened their mouths wide, fully prepared to eat him. The large ones must be parents, and the little ones are their children…
A shudder went through him, and his stomach lurched as his tunic continued to rip. His face slack with fear, he looked down into the serpents' glowing yellow eyes. The one holding him tossed him upwards, tearing his tunic farther; shouting in terror, he was flung helplessly head over heels through the air before quickly falling down towards the gaping mouths—
An explosion shook the air, sending the serpents screaming and swimming for cover, and there was a flash of white light that struck the air right beneath Halthren. That was all he remembered before losing consciousness.
The explosion had been enchanted; full of powerful Light and caused by the stars, it ended the storm and sent the clouds far, far away. The moon and stars stood watch over the settling ocean, as Halthren sank far beneath the waves, drowning. The Darkness had weakened him almost enough to kill him. He wasn't breathing and had accidentally inhaled too much water. But a curious and kind-hearted mermaid saw him and pulled him back to the surface. She draped him over a thick piece of driftwood and waited for him to wake up.
When he did, he didn't want to open his eyes; the sun was shining too brightly. He coughed violently, expelling the seawater from his lungs. Then, exhausted, he rested his cheek on the wood once more.
"You're awake. What are you? A reckless dwarf, perhaps?"
Halthren didn't have the strength to raise his head and see who was talking to him. "No," he gasped weakly with another, weaker, cough.
"What are you, then?"
"Elf," he mumbled, his lips feeling swollen and dry.
"Are you sure you aren't dead?"
"Don't know," he managed. His bare arms were draped over a beam of wood, and someone was constantly holding his forearms to keep him from slipping off, back into the ocean. Someone with slimy, webbed hands. He cracked his eyes open a few centimeters and saw what appeared to be a silvery-green fish-girl with bulging silver eyes, a flat nose, and wide, full lips. She was completely covered in silver-green fish scales, and her hair appeared to be seaweed. Her resemblance to a human was just about the same as a horse's resemblance to a dragon. "Are you a mermaid?" he whispered huskily.
She nodded. "Of course. And since you don't know, I can inform you that you are completely alive, but I thought you were dead for a good twelve hours.
Halthren raised his head weakly, startled by the number. "Twelve? What… what happened?"
"Don't ask me," the mermaid answered with a casual shrug. "I was just swimming along, riding my shark, and then I saw you, unconscious and sinking slowly towards the bottom of the ocean. No wonder you don't feel good; elves aren't supposed to be in water long enough to drown. No one is. Except for mermaids and other sea dwellers, of courses. How did you get in the ocean anyway?"
"Riding…a dragon," he grunted, trying to explain. "Roc…took me. It…dropped me. Sea…serpent…came. Then… I don't…know."
The mermaid squinted at him, looking confused. "You must have hit your head or something."
Halthren nodded. "Maybe," he rasped. "Do you…have…water?"
The mermaid clapped a hand to her forehead. "Silly me; I forgot. You can't drink seawater. I'll be right back; try to hang on by yourself."
And with that she vanished back into the water. Halthren lowered his head onto the beam of wood, his eyes slipping closed. Before he knew it he'd lost his grip on the beam and was sinking back into the water…
"That's not good," the voice of the mermaid said. He felt a strong webbed hand lift him back onto the beam. "Can you hold this? Probably not; here." He felt the cold, sharp edges of a shell being pressed to his lips, and cold water trickled into his mouth, tasting slightly of fish. He swallowed painfully; his throat was swollen and raw from his coughing.
"Where did you get freshwater?" he asked feebly.
"There's a small island nearby. I asked a seagull to fill up an empty oyster shell with the water from a spring near the beach, and…that's what happened."
"Could you take me there?" he queried, his voice rough and grating. It hurt to talk.
"Yes," the mermaid answered. "But I'm not strong enough to take you and this beam, so you'll have to try to keep your head above water."
"I'll do my best," Halthren croaked, as the mermaid let go of him for an instant. The she draped one of his arms over her shoulders and began pulling him in some direction. His eyelids fell closed from fatigue, so he didn't quite see where he was going, but eventually his knees brushed against sand, and the mermaid gently pushed him onto a warm beach. He used the last of his strength to roll onto his back, and then he lay motionless, letting the warmth of the sand and the sun on his back send him to sleep.
* * *
The next thing he was aware of was a gentle voice calling his name. "Halthren."
It was not the voice of the mermaid, but somehow he recognized it. He opened his eyes, but the bright sunlight was too much to bear at first so he closed them quickly. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse, feeble moan.
"Halthren," the voice said again, more urgently this time. It definitely seemed familiar… He tried to sit up and found that there was a comforting hand to help him.
"Who are you?" he asked raspingly. His mouth was dry again; he needed more water.
"You'll see soon enough. Drink this." Something cold and smooth was placed in his hands; Halthren guessed that it was another shell. Putting it to his lips, he was grateful to discover that it was full of water. He sipped every drop of liquid from inside before setting it down on the sand beside him. Then he cracked his eyes open a fraction, but the sun was still too bright. He tried again, blinking furiously, squinting. The midday sun was shining brilliantly, and the light was reflected by the blue waves and white sand. Kneeling beside him was the spirit of an elf clad in flowing white robes, gently holding him up.
"I am Kylaras," she told him. "One of the Great Elves slain by a unicorn. You've met me before, Legendheart."
Halthren's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized her. Not only had she told him of the existence of unicorns years and years earlier, but she'd also spoken to him in Vernisgard, as he was being tortured. "My Lady," he said, inclining his head and suddenly ashamed by his appearance. His clothing was torn to thin rags covering only a slight amount of his chest, arms, and lower legs; he was a fugitive from the wrath of the sea. That was not how one should appear when standing before a queen.
"There is no need for shame, dear child," Kylaras laughed. Her voice was like the trickling of water down the smooth pebbles of a riverbed. "I come to you to help you in your quest. There is still hope for you—more hope than, I think, you could have realized. Have you forgotten so soon that you were chosen by the stars?" She pointed to his eyes; specifically, she pointed to the silver ring around his pupils. "Your lost Light has not been destroyed. It has merely been separated from your body." She waved her hand, and a white-clad figure appeared on the beach before her. He was mostly transparent, but he was glowing brighter than Halthren did at night. Wait. That's…that's me, he realized, shivering despite the warmth of the sun shining down on him.
The figure looked exactly like him. "Can I get it back?" he whispered, staggering to his feet on legs as wobbly and uncertain as a newborn colt's.
Kylaras smiled. She waved her hand again, and the figure vanished. "Yes. Your goodness is stronger and brighter than that of anyone else, which is why we chose you to guide the Earthling, and so I will return it to you. First, however, as a final test of your goodness, you must rescue the elven prince. He is in danger."
"I know," Halthren said solemnly, leaning his back against a palm tree. He still felt weak and sick, but his strength was
slowly returning. "But he is in the Dream Kingdom. How can I get to him?"
Kylaras looked him in the eyes. "I will give you the ability to travel wherever you wish to go until your task is completed and the prince is safe. Hold still." She approached him and placed her hand on his forehead, pressing her little finger over one of his eyelids and her thumb over the other. Her other three fingers rested daintily on his brow as she whispered a few inaudible words and he felt a sharp, painful sting. Recoiling with shock, he rubbed his suddenly aching eyelids and forehead.
"That hurt," he muttered.
Kylaras grasped his wrists and took his hands away from his face, staring intently into his eyes. "Now you must leave. Go first to the Dream Kingdom and then to the Earthling."
Halthren nodded. "I will. How exactly do I get there, though? Is there an incantation? Or…or something like that?"
"All you have to do is focus on what you want to do," Kylaras answered. "Allow your feelings to take you away. But the stars' power can only keep you in the Dream Kingdom for five hours before you must return to Allagandria."