by Amy Sumida
“We wouldn't starve our visitors,” Zhayu laughed. “We may prefer our seafood but because of this, our seafood cuisine is the best in all of Fairy.”
“Now I'm looking forward to the next dish,” I chuckled.
“Do you hunt, Princess?” King Chaofeng asked.
Chaofeng was the king with dark hair cut super short, like a marine. Come to think of it, he was a marine, just not the US Military version. So I guess he gave a new meaning to the hairstyle.
“Hunt animals?” I asked just to be sure and all the kings laughed. Queen Daiyu smirked.
“Yes, animals,” Chaofeng nodded. “In particular; sea creatures.”
“No, I don't enjoy killing things,” I admitted.
“She doesn't even like seeing them caged,” Uisdean made a pained expression. “She released a cage full of kuperi when I wasn't looking.”
“The little glowing things?” King Beixi, of the long face and ruby eyes, asked. “Your version of finnai fish?”
“Yes precisely,” Uisdean sent me an annoyed look. “My niece is ever trying to free the imprisoned, be they seelie or kuperi.”
“Admirable,” Iku-Turso noted.
“Yes, until it's your prisoners she rescues,” Uisdean shifted his look to Iku-Turso.
“Do you have prisoners here?” I asked.
“And so it begins,” Uisdean sighed.
“No,” King Taotie scoffed. He was the one who wasn't so attractive. “We're dragons, we don't imprison our enemies. Why bother with the care and feeding of prisoners when they can become food for us?”
“No wasted space,” King Pulao of the crimson hair added.
“Ah,” I blinked and then tried to be diplomatic. “I suppose that's more merciful than keeping them alive to torture.”
“Merciful?!” King Haoxian nearly shouted. His deep sapphire eyes, the exact same shade as his hair, flashed with anger. “You take that back!”
“I meant it as a compliment,” I defended myself.
“Take it back,” Zhayu growled low in my ear.
“I take it back,” I said immediately. “Obviously, I don't know what I'm talking about.”
“Obviously,” Haoxian settled back into his seat, as did several other kings who were rising to... well I'm not sure what they were planning on doing but I am sure it wouldn't have been pleasant.
“There's a hunt in honor of you, our royal visitors, later tonight,” Zhayu went on before anyone said anything else. “But don't worry,” he gave my hand a pat and I lifted a brow at him. “You can watch from the perimeter.”
“Watch from the perimeter?” I scoffed and then caught Uisdean's subtle head shake in my peripheral vision. “That sounds lovely.”
“Good,” Zhayu nodded. “We'll be hunting the beisht kione. Iku-Turso will make sure you have a good view.”
“The Irish sea monster?” I asked with surprise.
“The fairy sea monster,” King Bixi, who had a round face and a scholarly demeanor, corrected me.
“Of course,” I conceded. “It's just that the Irish myths don't give a lot of description on beisht kione, just that they have large, black heads.”
“Well that's the direct translation of the name,” Bixi noted. “The beast with the black head.”
“Yes,” I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “What I'm trying to say is that I'm excited to catch a glimpse of the creature.”
“After we kill it, you can get a very close look,” King Suanmi added helpfully.
“Yay,” I said sarcastically. But dragons weren't big on sarcasm and they all nodded in approval of my delight.
Chapter Twelve
After dinner, Iku escorted me to my guest room. It wasn't far from the dining hall and I was even starting to get my bearings. I was pretty sure I could find my way out of the court. At least from my guest room. This was a huge relief and not just for the obvious reasons. As an extinguisher, I prided myself on my memory, especially my memory on paths into and out of possible enemy territory. I'd never had a problem finding my way around until I'd been faced with the tangled tunnels of the Court of the Nine Sons.
My guest room came equipped with the standard round doorway, though mine was silver instead of gold like Zhayu's. Iku showed me how to open it by simply touching a panel next to the door. The door rolled into the coral wall and revealed and air-filled room. I rushed forward, stepping through the wall of water that pressed up against the air as if it were a solid piece of glass.
“Thank Danu!” I exclaimed as I looked over the dry room.
“We like to make our guests as comfortable as possible,” Iku chuckled and followed me in. He turned and touched a panel on the inner wall to shut the door. “Most land fey find it difficult to sleep in water and several have almost drowned.”
“What; even with the breathing spells?” I asked.
“People have less control over their bodies while asleep,” he shrugged. “And they often yawn before bedtime.”
“Right,” I blinked as I thought over the ramifications. “I see your point. Well, I'm grateful that your court is so considerate.”
He burst into laughter, clutching at his long, Santa beard.
“Why is that so funny?” I frowned at him.
“You think the Dragon Court is considerate?” He hooted.
“Yeah, okay,” I chuckled. “But honestly, you've treated me far better than I was led to believe you would.”
“Your status as both a royal and an ambassador requires it,” he shrugged. “If you had wandered into our court without such protections, it may be an entirely different situation.”
“Iku-Turso, I don't believe anyone willingly wanders into your court,” I said dryly and he laughed more.
“Very true, Princess.”
“By the way,” I waved a hand towards the panel to open the door. “Does that thing lock or do I have to worry about anyone with hands slipping into my bedroom at night?”
“Tap this button above the panel and the door will be secured in place,” he showed me a red jewel set into the porcelain wall. “You may do so now,” he bowed to me. “I must leave you, so you may rest and change for the hunt. I'll be back for you in two hours.”
“Okay, thank you,” I gave him a grateful smile. “I can't tell you how much I appreciate your escort.”
“It's my pleasure, Princess Seren,” he bowed, opened the door, and then stepped out into the water.
The door closed and I hurried across the slatted wood floor to press the locking button. A whirring noise assured me that it had done its job. I know Iku had vowed to protect me but I still had this awful feeling that I was alone down there, in a court full of enemies. The lock wouldn't keep out a dragon but it would at least give me some time to prepare. I sighed and leaned back against the door.
Then I got a good look at the room. As I mentioned, the walls were porcelain, painted with cobalt designs of undersea life. The floors were smooth wood slats with small gaps between them to allow any water, from say dripping clothing, to fall through to the sand below. The bed was built out from the wall, from the same porcelain, as if the whole thing was a piece of pottery made for a giant. There were no posters near the head of the bed, just a headboard painted onto the wall itself, but there were two columns at the foot. Fairy lanterns topped those posts and floated around the woven cream coral ceiling. More porcelain furniture completed the feminine look; a vanity set, a sitting area, and an armoire already full of the clothing I'd brought. But I was more interested in another porcelain piece of furniture.
I went in search of the bathroom.
It was behind a curtain of stringed pearls. Done in a mosaic of sea glass, the walls has a soft, pebbled look. The sink, tub, and toilet were ironically not in the traditional porcelain. They were all carved from a soft blue stone. I chuckled over both the irony and the fact that this was yet another aspect of my trip which I hadn't considered. How would I have relieved myself without an air-filled environment? And as far as showers were co
ncerned, I would have thought the undersea court didn't need them. But for us land fey, showers were both a luxury and a necessity. I wouldn't have been able to sleep with salty skin.
After I used the facilities and had a nice hot shower, I wandered over to the armoire and picked out a slick catsuit with a detachable skirt. I left the skirt off and climbed into the bed to have a nice nap. I had a feeling I'd need it.
Chapter Thirteen
Iku's knock woke me. I stretched and yawned, grateful for the air-filled room which allowed me to do so. I almost wished I hadn't slept; two hours was too long to be a power nap and not long enough to be a full rest. It left me groggy and a little lightheaded. Grabbing my skirt, I stumbled to the door and pushed the red jewel to unlock it, then touched the panel. As the door slid open, I buckled my skirt on.
“A perfect hunting outfit,” Iku nodded in approval at the slate-gray suit. “It's a shame we'll only be spectators.”
“Things often go wrong when hunting such creatures as the beisht kione,” I shrugged. “I'd like to be as unhindered in my movements as possible.”
“The fabric is spelled to keep you warm?” He peered at the long sleeves.
“Oh yes.”
“Good, because we're heading into colder waters,” he fished something from his pants pocket and knotted it around my belt buckle. It was a tiny fey lantern. “You'll need your own light out there.”
“What about you?” I looked him over but he didn't have any mini lanterns hanging on his person.
“I'll be fine,” he gave me a patronizing look.
“Oh, of course,” I cleared my throat in embarrassment.
“Shall we?” He gestured to the door.
I nodded and followed him out into the tunnel. I was a good swimmer but Iku was an expert, so I took his hand and let him lead me through the court again, and out into the open sea. Tiernan would probably have been disappointed in me for not attempting to use my water beags but he wasn't there, was he? At least there was one good thing about his absence.
Out in the courtyard before the soaring coral construction, hundreds of sea fey were gathered. There were several carriages waiting to convey them; shining, silver, gravy boat shaped things with rounded bottoms and high backs which curled behind them. Swirls of silver at both front and back held caged fairy lanterns, the light spreading in hazy halos around the carriages. At the front, the carriages' silver swirls flattened into a ledge for the drivers and beneath those ledges were large hoops, where reins led out to teams of hippocampi (horses with fish tails). The hippocampi tread the water with pawing hooves and flapping tails, bobbing the carriages behind them.
“This way, Princess,” Iku led me through the throngs of sea folk to one of the carriages at the front of the line. At the very head of the formation were the dragons kings and queens, in all their unusual dragons forms.
Uisdean was already sitting high in the back of the carriage Iku had led me to, a strap holding him to the back of the bench. It seemed that seatbelts were very important in regards to underwater transportation. Uisdean gave me an annoyed look when I sat on the opposite side of his bench. Iku sat between us and Uisdean's Guard filled the tiered benches below us.
A vibration rippled through the water, some kind of horn, and our driver, a merman with a deep purple tail, smacked the reins down and sent our team of hippocampi rearing. They flung themselves down and forward, their frothy tails flowing out behind them as we raced over the seabed. Ahead of us, the dragons swam at a relaxed pace, probably so they wouldn't leave us in the dust, or sand rather.
The dragon royals were a glorious sight, their brilliant colors flashing in the light of the fairy lanterns as their bodies writhed through the water. Long whiskers fluttered back from them and dangerous claws clenched in anticipation as they scraped their horns against each other, sharpening those natural weapons like hunters with their knives. Their exuberant roars carried back to us and I shivered. It was a thrilling but fearsome sight; the dragon monarchs in all their strength and splendor.
We lifted a bit, following the dragons higher in the water, and it soon became evident why. There was a massive wall of coral up ahead, manned with fairy troops. We swam above their heads and I peered over the sides of the silver carriage to see barracks hidden within the coral wall. The troops shouted encouragement up to their rulers and the dragons roared back.
Then the dark thickened and I squinted out at the sea uneasily.
“This is still the domain of the Nine Sons,” Iku assured me. “But it's also considered open water, an area we don't bother to patrol.”
“The Abyss,” Uisdean murmured.
“Yes, King Uisdean, exactly,” Iku nodded. “The Abyss, where the most majestic of our monsters make their homes.”
“And here we come to kill them,” I sighed.
“It serves a purpose,” Iku-Turso chided me. “We don't hunt just for the thrill, though I admit, the dragons need a release for their aggression. The sea monsters cannot be allowed to overbreed or we will have serious problems, the least of which would be the death of water fairies.”
“I understand,” I nodded. “It's just the thought of killing for pleasure which bothers me.”
“We cannot change the way we are born,” Iku shrugged. “And this is perhaps a better outlet for our violent tendencies than say; war.”
“Point taken,” I held my hands up in surrender.
“Don't worry, Princess,” Iku smiled wickedly. “After you've seen a beisht kione, you won't feel so much regret over its death.”
“That's supposed to make me relax?”
Iku and several of the guardsmen laughed.
“No, just alleviate your guilt.” Iku waved ahead of us, “Look this is my favorite part of the journey.”
I searched the dark depths but the carriage lights barely made a dent in it now. I saw the bright forms of the dragons angle down suddenly, snake-like bodies curving and then disappearing entirely. It was some kind of crevice.
I clutched the side of the carriage just as we went over the edge. In roller coaster fashion, we went nearly vertical as we cleared the lip of a deep ravine. The dark became impenetrable for a moment and then a glow began to lighten the water. Climbing the walls to either side of us were glowing patches. I strained my eyes as we passed by. They seemed to be domed barnacles the size of dinner plates. They gave enough light that I could see the dragons ahead of us, tinted an eerie green, as they swam eagerly through the ravine.
Suddenly, the crevice opened up into a vast stretch of sand. The clearing was punctuated by spires of coral which stretched far above us and tiered rock formations with strange, bobble-headed crustaceans scurrying over them. A school of massive fish swam by us, their scales glittering silver in our lights. Then a tentacle shot out of the mouth of a yawning cave and snatched one of the fishes from its school. The survivors fled as the poor victim twitched helplessly against the tentacle, its scales sparkling as it was pulled into the cave. I had a horrible feeling that I should flee as well, that the fish and its faceless killer had been some kind of warning, but I stayed belted to my seat. I looked up just as the beast we pursued was revealed.
Munching happily on its meal was a monster easily three times the size of the largest dragon king. No wonder they hunted it in a pack. This was the king of sea monsters, stalked by the kings of the sea fey.
It knew we were there but paid us no mind. A confidence which is found only at the top of the food chain. This guy didn't care if his next course wanted to sit by and watch him consume the last. He probably thought it was his lucky day.
The beisht kione's head was indeed black and was covered by thick smooth skin all the way to its neck, where a ruff of tentacles sprouted. Each tentacle ended in a spade shaped appendage which the beast used to grab things. From what I could see, the main reason for the beisht kione to grab something was to then put it into its mouth. And that mouth could have easily fit our entire carriage.
Its body was shaped vagu
ely like a dinosaur; a brontosaurus to be exact. But it didn't have legs. Instead, there were giant flippers extending from the spots where its legs should be, and at the end of each flipper was a pair of pincers, big ones. Behind it, its long tail ended in flat fins like a dolphin.
The beast finished its appetizer and set bulging black eyes upon us. Slowly, it lowered its face into the line of dragon and let out a muscle-clenching screech. The dragons roared back as one.
The carriage drivers took this as the sign to get their vehicles out of the way and we were all turned towards the protection of various rock formations. As soon as the hippocampi were settled, Iku undid his seat belt and urged me to do the same.
“We need to get you to a vantage point,” he smiled at me, grabbed my hand, and swam us upwards, leaving Uisdean behind.
He pulled me to the top shelf of the rock formation and eased us back inside a cave where we could safely watch the battle. And it was a battle not a hunt. The beast wasn't going down easily, if at all. It sent dragon after dragon reeling into the rocks as it batted aside the spears cast in its direction by water fey.
The screeching was terrible but not as terrible as the whimpers of wounded dragons. Blood began to cloud the water and I strained to see if the dragon kings (and queens) would survive this hunt. I had to hand it to them, at least they didn't hunt creatures less powerful than themselves, who merely ran away. These dragons liked prey who fought back.
Suddenly, Iku grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the darkness. A hand to my chest sent me sprawling against the smooth stone and I stared in shock at Iku as he pulled a curved sword from his belt. The light from my little lantern cast dramatic shadows across Iku-Turso's menacing face, glinting on his sharp hair and pebbling over his mottled skin, before flashing across his blade.
“What are you doing?” I floundered off the wall and spread my hands out as I tried to work out the best form of underwater defense.