kill the shark who was trying to conquer Nereus and her dad. Who was powerful enough and evil enough to do all of that? A bubble came up fast and Lilliana clutched the side of the cliff. Her nails scraped across the side and a large chunk of rock came off. She watched mesmerized as the rock fell out of sight below.
“Who goes there?” rang Serena’s angry voice.
“I told you to be more careful sister.”
Lilliana didn’t wait around to introduce herself to the blue lady. If she failed to escape she’d meet her at the wedding. She pulled herself down along the rocks until she found an overhang to hide under.
A rush of cold water flowed down the rocks. A blue glow shone on the rocks making even the barnacles hide.
“What fish dares to spy on me!” said the furious voice above.
Lilliana didn’t breathe. The cold water swirled around her and Lilliana heard the monster’s tail swish against the rocks. Lilliana held her gills still and didn’t dare to breathe. Her lungs hurt for lack of oxygen, but she could sense the witch staring in her direction. Could this one be related to the witch on the dragon? Lilliana heard a swish and saw bubbles float past her face. Was she closer or going in?
“I sensed no fish dear sister, and believe me, I would know. My tentacles can pick up every fish with or without scales for at least a hundred arm-lengths,” said Serena.
“You’d better go to your meeting,” said Pyra with a snarl. “We want our dear Titan to be pleased with your…performance.”
“Yes, sister. I’ll speak with you after the meeting, oh and you are invited to the wedding, if you’re available,” Serena said.
“I couldn’t miss it now, could I,” Pyra laughed. “Someone has to heat things up around there.”
Lilliana dared to look into the window. The blue woman-monster-witch was putting a large ball into a box with several other large balls. The light in the room gleamed off of the ball and made it look luminescent. It was a pearl! Lilliana ducked just in time as Serena turned to the window.
“Scoot down, scoot down,” Lilliana told herself, and she hid her face in the cliff as she felt the sudden rush of water that meant the witch had left the building. Lilliana clung to the side of the rock for a minute more as she waited for the monster to leave. Bubble. She moved to one side as it passed.
Looking up there were fewer shadows passing now. Perhaps the sharks had gone to their meeting. Titan was going to attack Nereus, and Serena and her sister were going to attack Titan. Life under the sea was definitely complicated, and Lilliana was stuck in the middle of it.
She swam up towards the top and began to feel the cold water of the trench. If she could just reach King Nereus, perhaps he would know what to do. He could stop Titan and the sisters.
“Ugh, Stupid sharks. Don’t even give a fish proper room to move around,” mumbled a voice nearby.
If all the fish were at the meeting, why was one talking from a wall? Lilliana swam closer to it. The crystal in her pocket started glowing brighter now and she could see the rough wall in front of her. Lilliana looked above her and saw no movement. The ocean was clear, for now. She pulled the crystal out of her pocket and held it up. It glowed brilliantly, like a torch on a dark night at home.
“So you’ve come to torture me again,” said the voice in the wall.
Lilliana looked at the familiar bars over a hole in the side of the cliff. This was another prison cell with more strange bones over the window.
“Torture is not really my habit,” she said as she swam to the bars to see who was inside.
“Princess! I can recognize that too-proper diction anywhere.”
It was Lance. “I don’t trust you,” Lilliana said peering inside through the bars, “Titan said you were going to give him the information he needed.”
Lance grunted. “Yes, I suppose that puffed up bubble-head did get some information, but it is good to see a friendly face.”
“Don’t pretend to be my friend! You let Spectrum die! I was captured and you admit to betraying the king!”
“I am your friend! Titan forced me to talk.” Lance grunted again, and he sounded genuinely hurt.
“I thought sailfish were strong, mighty and stubborn. How can anyone force a sailfish to talk?”
“Come see,” he said quietly.
Lilliana moved closer to the cell and held her crystal up to the window. She peered in and gasped.
“How did they do this to you?” she asked.
“Remember the really ugly one called Smiley?” Lance said, still whispering.
“How could I forget?”
“He’s a cookie-cutter shark. When my answers were not what Titan wanted, he cut out circles of my skin, with his teeth.”
Lilliana’s hand tightened around the bars as she held up the light and looked at Lance’s wounds. He was covered with circular holes in his skin and his sail was tattered. Blood oozed from his wounds and his torn fins made him lean to one side. The cell was too narrow for him to turn around to get the few scraps of food scattered on the floor. His eyes were half-closed with pain and he looked like he was barely conscious.
“I didn’t want to betray the king, but I couldn’t stop,” Lance said sadly. He turned his head to the side. “I asked him to just let me die, and he laughed. Princess, you cannot hate me more than I hate myself.”
“Oh Lance. I thought you were a spy.”
“Of course not,” said Lance looking up at her. “I would rather die than harm my king, but that shark…” Lance’s voice trailed off and he sank to the bottom of his cell.
“I can get you out Lance, and you can come with me,” Lilliana said.
“I don’t deserve to be out,” Lance said.
“The king still needs you. I still need you,” Lilliana said.
“Ah Beastie, even if I could get out, I’m in no shape to swim with these holes in my sail.”
“Let me see how bad they are,” Lilliana said. She held the crystal inside the window to see better. The crystal grew brighter and the light shined in, making Lance shut his eyes against the brilliance.
“What is that?” Lance asked as he tried to peer at the light source.
Lilliana looked at the radiant gem. “It’s a crystal I found in Star Shadow.”
“It’s from the Morning Star,” said Lance with awe in his voice. His eyes had gone from glazed to bright.
“How do you know?” Lilliana asked.
Lance lifted himself up and pushed against the floor, half scooting, half swimming closer to Lilliana. “He has not deserted us.”
“Lance, it’s just a crystal. It makes us feel good, but it can’t do anything else.”
Lance gave Lilliana a critical look. “You still have much to learn about the Star. Why do you think it’s glowing so brightly?” He scooted right under the window and looked up at her. “I want to touch it,” he whispered.
Lilliana reached her arm in and place the crystal next to the fish. The light exploded in her hands and filled the room. She felt energy course through her arm and she pulled it out quickly.
“What was that!?” asked the shocked fish.
“I’m not sure,” Lilliana looked down at the glowing crystal in her hands. It hadn’t burned her and it hadn’t exploded. She looked back at Lance. “Your side! Look!”
“I can’t see my side; I’m a fish! My tail looks a little less beaten,” said Lance curling his body around to see a little better.
The holes in his side had shrunk. They were much smaller than before and were almost healed completely. Lilliana hesitantly held the crystal out again towards Lance. Again the light exploded, but this time she was ready for it and she held the crystal firmly. The light glowed brighter and brighter until Lilliana had to turn her eyes away. Her arm was vibrating with power as the crystal filled the room with its light. Lilliana felt shivers run down her spine and her head felt dizzy. Then slowly the energy lessened and her arm felt limp and coo
l. Lilliana looked at her hand and the crystal was warmly glowing like a little lamp.
“What happened this time?” Lilliana asked, blinking her eyes to adjust to the dimming light.
“I’m not sure, but I feel much better,” Lance said. The wounds that had been oozing blood were now faint circular scars. He turned his head from side to side and lifted his sail along his back.
“Your fins. They’re mended.”
“This is faster than the healer,” he said, “and it doesn’t hurt as much either. I feel stronger than the last time I beat my brother at flaming swords.”
“I know you’re feeling better if you’re talking about pranks. Come with me, Lance. Let’s go together to warn King Nereus.”
Lance looked thoughtfully at Lilliana. He swished his sword back and forth and fanned his sail twice.
“Going home and fighting for my king is what I live to do, but I think I can serve him better here,” Lance said.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain beastie, but that flash of light did more than heal my body,” Lance hesitated.
“What do you mean? Are you all right?”
“Everything is clear to me now. Titan will look for me before he looks for you. As soon as he finds me missing he’ll move faster than ever to attack the king. I can limp around and act wounded and he’ll probably take me with him just to show that I’ve been tortured and beaten.”
“That doesn’t sound safe to me. What if Titan finds out you’re better?”
“He won’t. I’ll just act like Pierce when he’s whiny.” Lance leaned to one side and whimpered for
The Prophecy of Atlantis Page 25