"She's back!"
A while later, we reached the bank and they came to help me up.
"Oh, Meru gods, Nikita, what happened to you?" Tepi asked. Everyone noticed my after-death state.
"What took you so long? I swear to the gods that if you didn't show up after dawn hour, we would set out to turn the sea upside down looking for you," Tusita said. Vorac and Atith nodded in agreement.
"Everyone calm down, I'm alright," I said. I didn't want my friends to know what was actually happened to me. For a moment, I just wanted to go weeping over my misfortune. Nothing would make me forget my wickedness towards the mermaid queen. The avatars brought me to sit inside a straw-roofed pavilion.
A few Devatas came and brought me dry towels and holy drink. But I was too soaked up with water to drink again.
"You look like you had been dead, Nikita, what happened?" Vorac said with her silvery eyes staring at me keenly.
"I'm perfectly fine," I said and tried to laugh her worry off. "It was my first time riding a holy crocodile, what did you expect?"
"That's true," Atith laughed. "I remember I almost soil my pants the first time I did!"
The girls gave him a disgusted look.
"Did you meet the mermaid queen, Nikita?" Samudra asked.
I nodded. They gasped in awe.
"Did she tell you about where we could find the Rainbow fish?" Tepi said.
"No," I said with a shake of my head. "But she gave me her magical pearl. She told me I shall know where the fish hides when we go seeking it."
"Oh brilliant!" Atith said and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I knew no one could convince the sea queen but the holy one."
I flinched.
"I heard the Rainbow Fish is a very dangerous creature," Vorac said with concerns laced in her voice. "How are we going to catch that deadly thing?"
"I will capture the fish myself," I said. My friends looked at me. "The gift from Sovannmacha will protect me."
"Nikita, even with the enchanted pearl, there is still another problem you will have to face," Samudra said in a sheepish tone.
"Oh now you decided to open your righteous lips to tell us something useful," Tusita said with a glare at him. Samudra lowered his head. "Tell her what in the seventh sea is that."
Vorac rubbed her lover's shoulder to calm her. Samudra turned to me again.
"To get to the Rainbow Fish, you must encounter a guardian called Makara, a sea monster of an ancient world."
~*~
I got back to my chamber again. Kesar wasn't there. I took a short bath by myself. Tiny grains of white sand clung to my clothes and stuck to my hair. When I finished cleaning and changed my clothes, Kesar entered the room.
Her eyes lit up as she found me sitting on the bed, and she ran to me.
"My lady! Where have you been all night? I had flown all over the city looking for you," she said. Then she touched my arms and my face. I winced from the soreness in my body. "Oh, my...what happened to you? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Kesar," I said. "I had something to do with the avatars last night."
"But you didn't return, and I was getting terribly worried," she said. I pulled her up and sat her on the bed with me.
"Now stop worrying. It only makes your mind weak."
Kesar rested her head on my shoulder and sighed as if in great relief. I smoothed her hair with my hand.
"Her Highness came to see you last night," she said. "I tried to convince her that you were busy with the avatars concerning the next quest."
"Thank you," I said softly.
Then Kesar noticed the cut marks on my forearms and wrists. The small scratches I got from scrubbing against sand and holding on to the mermaid queen.
"What have you done to your poor body?" Kesar gasped. She examined my wounds carefully.
"Oh, it's nothing, really."
"Would you like to drink the Soma juice for a cure to these?"
"No." I shook my head. "Let them be my scars. I need it as a reminder of what I have done.”
Kesar looked up at me.
"What have you done, my lady?"
When I did not answer, we stared at each other for a long moment.
"Please tell me, my lady, what happened?" she whispered in a soft voice. I gazed right into her imploring eyes.
"Last night, I met a sea maiden, a queen of mermaids," I said without taking my eyes off her. "And...and...I have done some terrible deed to her."
Kesar went silence. She kept staring at me with a question look.
"What did you do?" her voice was faint. I felt my blood drain from my face. I wanted to break down crying right there and then, and that was what I did.
"I ravished her!" I cried. My face crumbled as I covered it with my hands.
I did not see Kesar's reaction but I knew she must be shocked and horrified.
"I didn't mean to," I said. "It was all my fault. I was stupid!"
I told her what really happened. Kesar never dared to get angry at me. But I saw her tears flowing like waterfalls from her eyes. There was a look of pity and sadness in them. I turned my head away from her sorrow-filled gaze.
"That is all to the story," I said and took a deep breath to compose myself. "If you still pity me, Kesar, may I ask for some balm to soothe my itchy cuts?"
Kesar seemed to take a moment before nodding. She brought out a tray of medical items and helped me clean the wounds. There was no word passed between us. I watched her wetting a ball of cotton with herbal oil and swept it over my palms. The sting didn't bother me as much as the tears that dripped from Kesar's narrow chin.
She was about to finish when the door of my bedroom opened and in came my princess. She reacted just like Kesar did when she saw my face. The Kennari quickly scooted away as I welcomed Amarisa with a sweet smile.
"Nikita, my love! You are back!" she rushed into my arms. Kesar had retreated and sat on the floor with her head hung low.
"I could not sleep all night with the thought of you in danger," she said after she pulled away. When she noticed my hands, she went into the same series of questions.
Of course, I told Amarisa a different story. I told her I had gone with my friends to the sea to seek some help. The journey was rough and thus delayed me.
The princess listened and believed my words. Her eyes were full of concerns and pity. She then resumed Kesar's place and medicated my wounds. The princess was as attentive as she first treated me back when we weren't lovers. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Amarisa finished bandaging me. She brought one of my hands to her lips and kissed each of my fingers.
"Last night as I tried to sleep, I suddenly felt cold and jittery for no reasons," she said. "It was a feeling of horribleness from a distance. The sensation had awoken me with such a great jolt that it felt as if a sharp knife had plunged through my heart."
My face lifted to Amarisa again, speechlessness of what I heard. Tears sprang to my eyes.
"Oh my sweet Nikita, it was so horrible," she went on. "It was like something more important than my own life was gone."
I grabbed my princess and pulled her to me. We embraced each other in silence. Kesar looked up at me from the floor. I wanted to see hatred and disgust in her eyes, but it never came.
CHAPTER 44
The day of our departure started when the brilliant sun ascended above the dark horizon. Before I left my chamber, Amarisa had come to me. She held me as if to soak me into her skin. She wished me the best of luck and my safe return, but the lovely princess seemed unsettling. Her eyes were dimmed with worries as she looked at me.
When my avatar friends arrived, I got into their chariot and rode away. Kesar had also prepared various necessities for my voyage in case I needed them.
We had reached the city harbor at dawn. The Guru announced some rules of the game, but the quest was simple. We must get a scale from the Rainbow Fish without harming it then bring it back to the city.
Then we boarded the boats and rowed th
rough the hand of the river which stretched towards the north.
As we went farther from the city, I spotted Kesar with her golden wings extended, flying along the river to see me off. I waved at her in reassurance and to stop her from following. She watched warily from a distance as our boat plowed away, taking me to the sea.
Beside us were forty-nine other boats from the Navy of the King. They accompanied us until noon, and soon we smelled the first whiff of salty breeze from the ocean. The commoners and soldiers awaited us by the trading port on the beautiful white beach. They cheered for their avatars. The others threw us flowers as a sign of good fortune. The drums began to beat, signaling our cue to leave.
We walked up the ramp to our ship and leaned over the railing. Our ship was a real Angkorian warship. It was decorated with scale-like carvings on both sides. The wood art had the finest patterns with gilded gold. I could see a magnificent Naga head sculpted at the prow-piece. Its fierce seven heads and gem-like eyes looked out to the open sea.
The entire ship was sleek and slim like the point of a knife, meaning to cut through the waves. The soldiers began to heave up the anchor and loosened the canvas. The rest took their seats at the oars, which fringed the boat like eyelashes.
Issarak and his avatars also boarded their warship. It was black and oily with bronze encased, slightly bigger than ours. The masts were as tall as the trees they had been, pointing to the sky. There were iron nets and chains instead of normal ropes. The avatars of his team stood at attention as their captain, who was Issarak himself, gave them orders. I watched his purple cloak stirring in the breeze. Issarak was a true leader, I must admit, and that made me wonder why the gods did not choose him instead of me.
Samudra did not join our crew, but surprisingly, Morokot took his place. She was now complaining about seasickness soon after she stepped onto the deck.
There was no cloud in the sky, a perfect day to set sail, yet the wind was not generous. But without further delay, we hauled our ship off the shoreline. I stood on the front deck when Issarak and his clan grinned at us like some lunatic pirates. Then his sails caught the wind and picked up speed without an effort.
Then we saw the wind god's daughter, standing at the prow with her hair flirting in the air. She watched the tides fall away from the hull with her hands behind her back. Issarak's laughter irritated us. Their ship began sailing ahead in ease.
"That's not fair!" Morokot cried out in frustration as we watched them moving steadfast into the sun.
We went back to carry on the work that must be done. Vorac's eyes were studying the map while Atith glanced up at the sky. Tusita took the liberty of steering the wheel.
Once our ship was in the motion by her sails, I told them to follow the eye of the wind although I didn't know why. We cruised through the gentle waves for what seemed like forever.
Yet nothing looked promising to our sight. Morokot was feeling nauseous and decided to take a nap in a hammock inside a wooden cabin. Tepi and I helped our crew minding the supplies and directed our soldiers on the deck.
"Now where are we sailing to, my captain?" Tepi said to me when we stood at the railing of the prow while the evening drew closer. I blushed at the title. I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"Well, strange fish live in strange water," I said, eyeing the waves that splashed against our hull. "We must find places that are forbidden in the sea."
"Do you know of any, Tepi?" Vorac said.
"I'm competent on land but no more," Tepi told us honestly. "This quest is now depended on you, Nikita, if we must bring the prize back to shore."
"Samudra would know plenty of such places if only he was here!" Atith hissed in disappointment.
"We don't need him!" Tusita shouted from the behind the wheel. "The sea god's son is a fool!"
"Shhh...Tusita!" Vorac said and went over to smooch the frowning girl on the lips. "Your godhead will wither if you don't watch your glib tongue. His father is a sea god. Samudra has his difficulties, and you must forgive him."
"How about the pearl that would guide us?" Morokot poked her head out of the tiny window.
"The knowledge from the pearl is still faint and hard to place for me," I said.
"What use is the gift if not for a time like this?" she said.
Everyone turned back to me again, but for now, I had no answer. Tepi finished consulting with her map and came to the prow.
"When the moon is full and the tides rise high, sea creatures would come out at night," she said. "We can't be adrift far too long for the ocean is known for its many dangers."
We all knew she was right.
At first nightfall, our ship was hit by nasty storms. Even Tusita was powerless to calm them.
At one point, we were almost hurled off board when the ship stood right on end and the water splashed around the deck, washing away some of the oars. The crew ran in every which way to control the ship.
Tusita cursed a few times, which brought down lightning strokes from the sky. Vorac did her best to shut her partner’s mouth before disaster took place. Morokot was no help of any sort.
"The ship is sinking!" she cried when a massive wave tossed the ship to one side, nearly overturning us.
"She's not sinking!" Tepi snapped back. "Go to the cabin, Morokot, if you're so faint-hearted here."
Morokot wanted to yell something back but a splash of wave slapped her in the face. I would have laughed if my teeth didn't chatter too much.
We had to steer the ship off her course and found a small island to anchor. Everyone agreed that we must wait until the storms ceased.
The next day, it was windless. We couldn't set sail for the soldiers were too exhausted to row long hours. The sun was blistering hot and the air was heavy to breathe. It was so quiet and strangely so. I heard no flapping of the canvas, no splashing of fish jumping off the water.
I awoke that airless night gasping. My clothes were damp with sweat. The moon shone its silvery light through the sails when I stepped out to the railing for a breeze. Suddenly, I heard a sharp knock on the side of the ship.
Leaning myself over the railing, I tried to inspect where the sound came from. Then I saw the tip of a golden tail flicking in the dark water. I gasped. Sovannmacha was swimming by the ship under the moonlit sky.
"Sovannmacha?" I whispered.
The mermaid emerged and looked at me. She smiled. I went over to the ramp and lay down to talk to her.
"What wave brought you over the broad swelling sea?" she asked.
"I'm on a quest to find the Rainbow Fish as I told you," I said.
"This part of the sea is too dangerous for you," she said. "And now you're closer to even more dangerous place."
"So we're almost there?" I asked, realizing we were indeed on the right course.
"In the surge across the ocean there lies a certain island which no mortal ships dare to pass."
"Is it where the holy fish hides?" I said.
"Indeed," she said. "In two-day time, that's where you shall arrive."
"We only need a scale from the holy fish," I told her.
"Then you must get through its fierce guardian first."
"Yes, I know of the ancient monster of the sea," I said. “But I think my avatar friends can manage it.”
"I came to warn you of the holy fish's trick," she said. "Once you see it, you must hold it tightly. The scales will turn to freezing ice and flaming fire but do hold still and unflinching then you shall succeed."
"Thank you for your advice, my lady," I said.
The mermaid queen swam to me. Her eyes never left mine. A strong compulsion surged through me when she reached her hand over and touched my face.
"I have missed you terribly," she said. "Did you miss me too?"
I couldn't find a word to say, but she understood and looked away.
"After the quest, you won't be seeing me again," she murmured in a sad voice. "You have your life on the shore and someone else's heart to tend."
Her f
ace looked grimmer.
"My lady, please, don't think I have forgotten about you!" I said, and with a desperate need to console her, I got off the ramp and into the outstretched sea with the maiden. Water rushed up to my neck, cold like melting ice. The taste of the sea was salty on my lips.
"I remember everything," I said and swam over to the sea queen. "Please, tell me what I could do to ease your sorrow."
Sovannmacha thrust her golden tail forward and closed the distance between us.
"Oh, sweet girl," she sighed. "How can I even name to you, much less describe all those feelings inside me, so sudden and new since the day you have found me?"
With that said I reached out and encompassed her body in my arms. Her skin was smooth and sleek like that of a seal's. I planted my kiss on her soft cold cheek, and she turned and joined our lips. Her tongue was sleeker against mine.
When we pulled away, she gave me a look of yearning that burned passion in my veins.
"I need to show you one place, come with me," she said then she took my hand before I could say a word.
"My lady, wait!" I cried, but we dived beneath the water, and I was already towed away by the golden-tail mermaid. The water was dark and cold.
Her golden tail glowed undersea while she flipped it swiftly. I kicked my feet in the water, but then my lungs threatened to explode. I needed to breathe; Sovannmacha spun around and gave one stroke of her tail to come back to me.
"Calm down, it's alright!" she said. Though we were underwater I could hear her words.
"You can talk underwater!" I gasped.
"So can you!" she giggled, sending bubbles to the surface. I later found my body surrounded by an aqua-blue light. I felt like a feather in the wind. My mind no longer struggled in a frenzied panic. Even when I lost my breath, the air seemed to fill my lungs again like I had grown gills.
"The Pearl," I breathed in astonishment. Sovannmacha nodded with a smile. Then she came to kiss me again, gently and softly.
That night the mermaid queen and I swam around to the other side of the small island. We dived under the water and resurfaced inside a cave which had white fine sand and marshy weed as its bed. Two springs quite near each other jutted out translucent water, each with its own garden plot. The soft lawn was starred with flower blooms.
Daughter of the Naga Page 36