by H. B. Bolton
“I think I know what to make,” Claire said and wandered over to some gold.
She circled around and around a humongous pile of coins. Then, she paused and threw out her arms. The mound rattled and coins flew into the air. A thousand golden objects hovered for a moment before slamming together. A loud BOOM echoed, hurting Evan’s ears. Each coin melted together, molding into the shape of a humpback whale. Sea glass melted and molded into dome-shaped observation windows. More circular windows lined the body. On the tips of each fin were golden paddles, and at the tail was a rudder. Evan could only imagine what it looked like inside.
“Wow,” he said and rushed to peek through one of the windows.
Chapter Twenty
TWIRLING AND FLIPPING
EVAN USED HIS POWERS TO lift the whale-pod. It hovered for a bit, and then traveled out of the grotto, down the tunnel, and back to the open undersea cavern. Once the whale-pod was submerged in water, Evan rushed over. He found an open latch and climbed inside. Lazonia was right on his heels, followed by the imps, and then Sigurd and Claire. The whale-pod was big enough to hold the entire group.
At the front, the whale’s mouth formed a massive window-bubble. It served as the operation deck. Below the thick glass were old-fashioned steering wheels and levers; two golden swivel chairs were attached to the floor; and in the center of the pod sat two stationary bicycles with long chains attached to both fins. Evan had a sinking feeling he would soon have to pedal a bike.
“How are we going to breathe once we’re underwater?” Claire asked. “I don’t know how to make oxygen.”
“Leave that to me,” chimed Lazonia. “All I have to do is seal all the windows with a similar casing to our bubbles. It will work the same way, bringing oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.” Lazonia hurried around the sub, sealing off each window.
Thankfully, the imps seemed delighted at being able to ride stationary bikes. And since Sigurd was busy organizing his newly acquired collection of shields and swords, Evan was left to steer. He raced to the front and sat in the captain’s chair. Claire instructed him on how to operate the levers and knobs and wheels.
“Are you ready to see what this machine can do?” Evan asked as he began to take command of the whale-pod.
Evan submerged the vessel under the water and started traveling back down the long tunnel. Unfortunately, Sigurd returned sooner than expected and sat next to Evan. To Evan’s surprise, Sigurd didn’t try to take over. Instead, he simply helped navigate through the dark tunnel.
The whale-pod maneuvered rather well, considering its massive size and rudimentary construction. It didn’t take long to return to what Evan now referred to as Mertopia. Lazonia directed Evan on where to park, leaning ever so slightly over his shoulder. A strand of her violet hair brushed his face, and he could swear he smelled lavender—a pleasing scent.
The group exited through a primitive diving hatch. Instantly, like dropping water on a sponge, Lazonia’s tail returned. She briskly recreated bubbles on everyone’s faces and throats.
Lazonia rushed over to a towering yellow building and entered through the swiveling doors. Once inside, she approached another mermaid. They spoke for a minute before Lazonia returned to the group.
“Good news—the council has arranged for each of you to stay in your own suite,” she said excitedly.
“Oh, I hope there are actual beds. I’d love to have a good night’s rest,” sighed Claire.
“The beds might be slightly different from what you are used to, but I believe you will sleep well,” said Lazonia. “I will accompany you to your rooms. We can meet back here in an hour, and I will take you to dinner.”
The group was led by another mermaid through a lobby of sorts. Evan looked up and was reminded of a nautilus shell. There wasn’t a ceiling, and Evan could see all the way up and through the building. A sloped balcony wound its way along the walls, swirling up higher and higher.
Below the lobby floor was an aquarium, but instead of holding water, it was sandy and dry. Air was sealed inside the pocket where crabs scurried around and burrowed holes.
Lazonia and the other mermaid swam up the balcony, round and round. As soon as they reached the top, they paused. Dunkle and Barfel were each led into their rooms, as were Claire and Sigurd. Finally, Evan reached his suite. The door had rounded corners, a slightly bulged out center, and a starfish design etched into its surface.
“I will wait for you in the lobby. See you in an hour,” Lazonia said and before swimming away added, “After you shut the door, press the round button.”
“Okay, thanks,” said Evan, entering his room.
Lazonia was right; this room was nothing like he was accustomed to. Evan shut the door and looked for the button. It wasn’t difficult to find being that it was at least the size of a baseball. He hesitated for a second before pressing it. What was going to happen? He shrugged his shoulders and pushed it. Suddenly, he heard a clunking sound and tiny holes opened beneath him. In one instantaneous movement, water disappeared, draining through the floor. The room was filled with oxygen and Evan’s face-bubble collapsed. He inhaled the salty air, held it in his lungs, and then let it out.
Everything in the room was translucent yellow and orange with veins of pulsating colors laced throughout: the egglike chair, the turtle sculpture, and even the bathroom in the corner. He stared at the seahorse-shaped tub and shower, but why would he bathe after having been in water for an entire day?
“Where’s the bed?” he wondered out loud.
Across the room was a large dome-shaped window. It too was yellow, but unlike the walls, he could see through it perfectly. As he wandered over to check out the view, he felt something squishy under his feet. He looked down and discovered he was standing on a bed. It was level with the floor and although it was difficult to see its edges, he was relatively certain it was circular in shape. He went to his knees and felt the mushy surface. It was like being on a waterbed, except its center was filled with some sort of foam. Each time he pressed down and lifted his hand, his impression remained into its surface. Evan knew he’d sleep well.
An hour passed, and Evan was ready to rejoin his group. When he tried to open the door, he discovered it wouldn’t budge. He nudged and pushed, trying not to panic. Finally, he remembered the round button. He pressed it, the room refilled with water, and the door slid opened. A bubble appeared out of a hole next to the door and stretched over his face.
Down in the lobby, Dunkle and Barfel crawled around, tapping on the floor-aquarium. Crabs followed their movements, twirling and flipping along with the imps.
“Are you ready to eat?” Lazonia asked.
“Yes, I’m starving,” said Claire.
Lazonia led them to a tube-shaped hallway. They walked inside, and it lit up yellow. The color slowly melded with orange and then purple. By the time they reached the restaurant, the entire room was blue. The design inside was simple, but when put with ever-changing wall colors, it was mesmerizing.
A fish waiter greeted them and led them to a circular booth. Of course, Claire rushed to sit beside Sigurd. They were then sandwiched between the two imps. Evan and Lazonia were forced to sit on either end. Lazonia ordered food with her clicks and clacks, and Evan watched his sister’s reaction with glee. He realized that only a few hours ago, he had worn that same look of confusion.
In minutes, six individual meals, enclosed by bubbles, came to their table. Instead of sticks of seaweed frisatta, there were round nuggets. Evan wasn’t sure what they were, but one thing was certain, they weren’t fish.
Claire poked at the bubble with the tip of her finger a few times and inquired, “How are we supposed to eat this?”
“Don’t you know anything?” Evan said sarcastically. “Watch and learn from the master.”
Effortlessly, he dipped in his hand and retrieved a white nugget. He tossed it up and then caught it in his mouth.
“What is it? Some sort of fish?” Claire asked, still poking at her plate.
Lazonia’s eyes constricted, and Evan jumped in. “Claire, how could you even suggest these merpeople would eat fish? I mean really, do you actually think they’re cannibals or something?” Evan said smugly and leaned back against his seat, trying to conceal a faint smirk. Yeah, he enjoyed embarrassing his sister.
“By the way, what is this?” Evan whispered to Lazonia.
“It is a salad made with shoo-shoo and seaweed,” she said.
“Well, I don’t know what shoo-shoo is, but it’s good,” Evan said and continued to enjoy his dinner.
“Shoo-shoo is a little like your tofu,” said Lazonia.
“I’ve never been a fan of tofu, but this shoo-shoo is good,” said Evan, eating another piece. “Where do you find all of your food? Do you have a farm on land or something?”
“No, silly. We have an underwater greenhouse,” said Lazonia, waving a piece of shoo-shoo around as she spoke. “Mostly, we use hydroponics. Where do you think land dwellers learned how to cultivate plants without using soil?”
“I don’t know. I never really thought about it,” said Evan.
At which Claire added, “Or cared.”
“Claire, I care about hydroponics,” interjected Evan. “In fact, I want to grow tomatoes. Wasn’t I saying, just the other day, how great it would be if we had fresh tomatoes?”
Claire laughed, “Whatever, Evan.”
“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Evan said to Lazonia. Feeling his face burn red, he tried to casually eat a strand of seaweed.
That night, Evan fell into a restless sleep. Dreams came to him again, and he found himself standing on the edge of a rocky cliff. The waves grew bigger and bigger, crashing just below his bare feet. Sharp rocks cut into his soles. He ignored the pain and focused instead on the giant waves.
Colorful bull sharks swam, and a stingray, the size of a small plane, emerged from the deep blue. Various shades of yellow and green spun together, creating an intricate design along the stingray’s wings. Sharks circled in slow and calculated movements, while the stingray swished between, moving rapidly. Sea creatures merged together, forming militarylike ranks, as if gearing up for battle. Evan reached his hands back and ran them along the cliff’s jagged surface. He looked down the rocky mountain, wondering how he ended up there.
After lifting his head, he stared at the wall of sharks and stingrays. He would have to fight. All of his energy went into the center of the wave, creating a spiraling vortex. Sharks and stingrays swirled around the whirlpool. Evan intensified his stare. Back, back, back … he focused and pushed. To his surprise, the sea did as he commanded, edging away in defeat.
“That’s it!” shouted Evan. “I can do this!”
With all of his strength, he drove back the giant wave, and the smaller ones followed. The wind disappeared. Slowly, Evan opened his eyes. He was no longer on the cliff. He was safe on his orange, squishy waterbed—at least for the moment.
The next morning, after an interesting breakfast, it was time to start their journey. Lazonia escorted them to the whale-pod. Claire swam next to her, gloating about the good night’s sleep she had. According to her, the bed was amazing, and the shower was heaven. Evan realized he hadn’t bothered with the shower, now he wished he had.
They entered the whale-pod through a diving hatch at the bottom. As soon as they were in the dry compartment, Lazonia’s tail returned to legs covered with amethysts and sapphires.
“That is so cool,” Claire said and followed Sigurd to the front.
“I guess this is goodbye,” said Evan, reaching for Lazonia’s hand. “Thanks for everything.”
“What do you mean goodbye? I am coming with you,” she said flatly.
“No, you aren’t.”
“Yes, I am,” Lazonia fired back.
“Your father never said you could come with us. It’s too dangerous. I can’t let you.”
“Unfortunately, you have no choice. I am coming,” she said in a tone that not only matched Evan’s, it was far sterner. “I have a feeling you will need me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
GOLDEN WHALE-POD
DUNKLE AND BARFEL TOOK TO their bikes, peddling vigorously and leaving Evan and Claire to man the front. After Lazonia instructed them on which way to start, she and Sigurd went to the next room to discuss their direction and strategy. For the first time since leaving Terra, Claire and Evan were alone.
“So, what do you think Mom and Dad are doing? Do you think they’re worried?” Evan whispered.
“Panicked is more like it. Do you remember the time you went to the bathroom at that water park and didn’t tell anyone? Mom had the entire lifeguard staff searching the pools for you,” Claire said with a slight laugh.
“Yeah. That was really embarrassing. Funny thing is that I miss them. I wish we could see them.”
“Maybe we can,” said Claire, pulling out her locket. “We want to see Mom and Dad.”
Colors changed into fog. The view traveled through clouds and back to Greenfield Village. There, in the center, was the clock tower. The time read 11:59. The scene showed Evan’s parents, sitting on a bench. His dad anxiously tapped his foot and continued to look at his watch. His voice was muffled, but Evan could make out that he was asking Mom where Claire and Evan could be.
Mom looked equally concerned but told him not to worry. Finally, Dad’s foot stopped tapping. The image pulled back and scanned the clock. It read 12:00. Abruptly, the oval mirror returned to a mixture of colors, and then back to a steely gray mirror.
“That was when we were supposed to meet them,” snapped Evan. “What happened next?”
Claire continued to ask questions about their parents, but nothing further was revealed.
“That’s it; that’s all we’re going to see,” rationalized Claire.
Dunkle and Barfel cheered as they pedaled their bikes. Not that Evan was lazy or anything, but he didn’t want to ride on a stationary bike if he didn’t have to.
They had traveled for a few hours when Lazonia returned. She pointed toward the empty sea and said, “Pretty soon, there will be a large rock formation, shaped like the profile of an old man.”
“What are we going to do next? I mean, did you and Sigurd come up with a plan?” Evan asked.
“We decided we should travel underneath the island, to an opening in the rock formation. It is not used very often, and I believe we will be able to arrive, unnoticed,” explained Lazonia.
“What about once we are in there? What do we do then?” Evan asked anxiously.
“We have not figured that part out yet,” said Lazonia. “Evan, please do not look so worried; we will come up with a plan.”
“Right, even if it develops as we go,” added Sigurd, after entering the chamber.
“Great,” said Evan, slouching down in his seat.
“Look, there it is,” exclaimed Lazonia.
Dunkle and Barfel’s little legs moved so speedily they became a blur. The whale-pod tore through water, straight for the “Rock of Terror.” At least, that was what Evan now called it.
“I can see an opening over there,” Claire announced excitedly.
“There’s no rush. Really guys, it’s not like we have to wear ourselves out trying to get there,” said Evan, but everyone just stared at him.
They entered a foreboding tunnel, and Evan wasn’t certain, but he thought he saw a few human skeletons here and there. Of course, he could have been imagining things. But the farther and deeper they traveled, the more Evan’s stomach twisted and turned. He wondered how he could get out of this mess. He tried to remember what Lazonia had said about Aegir not being such a bad guy. But what if she was wrong?
The water had an eerie glow, and up ahead, it fizzed and popped and gurgled. Unfortunately, they were heading right in that direction. It didn’t take long for the entire whale-pod to become engulfed by fluorescent-green water.
“We need to go up to where the cavern opens,” directed Lazonia.
Evan’s he
art pounded in his chest, beating in his ears. His head felt light, as if it were becoming detached from his body. Gradually, everything went dark. Evan struck something and pain radiated all the way down to his toes. He could feel someone shake him.
“Evan, Evan, are you alright?” Claire’s voice cut through the darkness.
A pinpoint of light appeared far away, and then slowly enlarged to include the entire room. Evan had to shield his eyes. He sat up and realized he had been lying flat on the gilded floor. He was still in the submarine.
“Are you all right? You just fell over,” said Lazonia, trying to help him stand.
“I’m not sure,” strained Evan.
“Yuck! You’re all clammy,” said Claire, wiping her hands off on his T-shirt.
“Hey, I’ve been under some pressure here!” blurted Evan defensively.
“Sorry. You must be scared to death,” sympathized Claire.
“Well, I’m not exactly looking forward to taking the Serpent’s Ring back from Aegir,” said Evan.
“You’re going to have to pull it together. You can’t pass out when you are face to face with Aegir,” reminded Claire.
They emerged up inside a square, metal room, lit only by a greenish glow. Sigurd maneuvered the whale-pod beside an embankment and stared out through the glass bubble. It looked like they had entered a bank vault, with perfectly lined corners.
“Are you ready?” Lazonia asked.
Evan nodded, and with feigned confidence, walked up the circular staircase. While holding his breath, he lifted the hatch. He climbed down the outside of the wet whale-pod carefully and landed on a smooth stone platform. The ground was slick, and he slipped. He fell back and let out his reserve of air. Immediately, he felt a rush of spearmint enter his mouth. Mist came off the water and clung to his skin, making him shiver. His lips now tingled and tasted like mouthwash. His eyes burned and watered up.