The pressure that had been crushing him to a pulp was gone.
He opened his eyes, which had been screwed tightly shut as he wept. Blue was floating nearby. But Excalibur was no longer extended toward him. The sword hung limply from her fingers. Her eyes, even though rocky and alien, were staring at him with clear confusion.
“Who was that?” she gasped.
“Who was who?” Billy finally managed to sniffle, still half-held by the power of the visions, by the destruction wrought when someone had killed his deepest hopes and desires.
“The man. The man in the rain,” whispered Blue.
“It was… it was my father,” Billy finally managed.
Blue flapped her tail in agitation. “No,” she whispered. “It cannot be him.” She turned her gaze upon Billy. “He cannot be your father.”
Billy was still coping with what had just happened. They were just dreams, he told himself. They weren’t real. It helped, but only a little. Blue’s words almost bounced off him without sinking in.
“He’s my dad,” Billy affirmed finally.
Blue shook her head with disbelief, and Billy finally had enough possession of his mind to ask the obvious: “You know him?” He didn’t see how that could be possible. How could Blue be aware of a normal guy? Mr. Jones was just a paramedic for the Los Angeles Fire Department, so how was it that this mermaid, this queen of the Deep, could be so shocked at his existence?
Blue was staring at Billy slack-jawed. Then, amazingly, she started to weep. They were already underwater, so Billy saw no tears, but the mermaid’s body shook as great sobs wracked her. “It has been so long,” she cried. “And we have given so much. So much.”
Billy didn’t know what was going on. “What have you given?” he managed.
Blue didn’t answer. Just kept crying. Then, abruptly, she straightened up. She looked at Billy with her strange eyes. She smiled. “You look so much like him,” she whispered.
“Like who?” Billy said. He felt cold all over. Something important was happening, but he didn’t understand what it was.
“Blue does not know,” said the mermaid. “We have given up that knowledge. We have lost that time. That place is gone. And true it is and true it must be that we cannot say what has been, or what was forgotten.”
And with that, her fingers opened. The Sword of Earth – Excalibur – fell from her hand, drifting gently to the sea floor below her, landing with a puff of white sand.
“It is yours,” she said. “I give it to you. For him.”
And then she turned… and was gone.
Billy was alone, a solitary figure floating dumbfounded in the ocean’s depths.
What just happened?
Blue knew his father, but at the same time she didn’t know him? How could that be? His father was just a normal guy, just a dad. A hard-working dad, a dad who had sacrificed tremendous amounts for his family, it was true. But that was hardly something that would attract the attention of a half-insane sea creature.
Billy swam down to Excalibur and picked it up from the sandy ocean floor. The sword felt good in his hands. It felt right. He slipped it into the scabbard that was still tied to his waist. Then he realized that he was no longer alone.
Mordrecai was staring at him. Again, Billy was struck by the fact that the Black Power had hair that looked much like his own. He felt like he was looking in a dark mirror, as though he was seeing a version of himself that could have been.
“You think you’ve won?” said the man. “Not yet. Not ever.”
And then, with a powerful thrust of his legs, he swam up and disappeared in the water above Billy’s head.
Billy hung motionless in the water, his thoughts awhirl. He had been thrown into so many situations that were beyond his understanding, but this was perhaps the strangest thing that had yet happened to him.
What now?
He didn’t have an answer to that thought. He supposed he would have to go find Blue again, though he didn’t know how well such a meeting would go. He was no longer worried about the waters that had threatened the lands above; he could feel somehow that the tidal waves had subsided – when Blue had relinquished Excalibur, the madness that had gripped her had run its course, he suspected. But he still had to find whatever of the weapons it was that she held. Spear, armor, shield. Which one was still in Blue’s control?
He was about to start swimming in the direction she had gone, when he realized that a large form was coming toward him. Artemaeus. The whale was gliding toward Billy, and if Billy didn’t know better, he would have suspected that the whale was actually smiling.
The whale hovered in front of Billy, then turned and began swimming away. He turned his head and looked back, and the boy understood that he was once more supposed to follow the whale.
He looked back the way Blue had gone. Should he try to find the mermaid first? He hung motionless in the water for a moment, then decided that he should go with Artemaeus. He had as much chance of finding Blue again after going with the whale as he did now, so he might as well find out what the Old One of the Deep needed from him.
Billy tucked the Dagger of Flame into the other side of the scabbard’s belt, freeing both hands, then swam powerfully after Artemaeus.
The whale swam quickly, and sang as he went. Billy did not understand the whale’s singing, but he got the distinct impression that Artemaeus was happy. All is well, all is well, he seemed to be saying. As though he knew that things had been restored to the way they ought to be.
If only that were true, Billy thought. Though the waves had calmed, and though he had the sword and the dagger, he still had no idea what he was going to do next. The Greens were still dying, and Billy had no idea how to stop that. The Darksiders were clearly on the move, unraveling plans that he had yet to fathom, but which could only mean trouble. Not to mention that he still had the DeathBlade’s wound, and had a feeling that if he didn’t fix that problem, none of the others would mean much to him, because he would be dead.
As though on cue, he suddenly felt an icy hand gripping his chest, squeezing his heart. He lifted up his shirt, and saw that the blue tracks that came from the wound had widened and deepened. Much of his chest looked blue and bruised, and the discoloration was starting to spread to his arms, and even went below the waistband of his pants.
What happened when it completely covered his body? Billy didn’t know. But it couldn’t be good.
He thrust the thought out of his mind. Nothing he could do about it right now. One thing at a time.
He followed Artemaeus for a long time, swimming over coral, over white sand, through waters that were as clear as mountain air. Untouched by humanity, unscarred by the fighting that was going on in the world of the Powers. As Billy swam, he almost felt as though all was right with the world. It was a pleasant fantasy, and he indulged in it, pretending that he was just swimming with a friend, and that the future of humanity did not depend on what he did next.
His rest was short-lived. Soon he saw something in the distance. He and Artemaeus were currently swimming over a featureless white plain of sand. They were so deep that there was no current, so everything was perfectly flat, the sand utterly untouched for Blue-only-knew how long. But off in the distance he could see strange outcroppings in the sand. They looked like teeth sticking up, like vast, curved tusks. But for some reason they did not strike Billy as dangerous. Instead, he got a strangely peaceful feeling. It surprised him. Partially because he had felt safe so rarely in the past hours. And his contentment seemed even stranger when he realized what the white structures were.
They were bones. Great, curving bones that stood silent and morose in the dim Deep. At first, Billy couldn’t determine what kind of bones they were, but then he remembered something that Blue had said to him, the first time he had visited her realm. “I watch the oldest whales go to their graveyard to die,” she had said. And sure enough, the more he looked at the bones, the closer they got, the more he thought they looked like
whale bones.
What’s going on? he thought. Why is Artemaeus taking me here?
Suddenly, there was an explosion of movement. The sand around the bases of many of the bones shifted, and fish swarmed up from where they had been resting, or hiding.
Billy recognized the fish from a family trip to an aquarium. They were lionfish, highly venomous creatures whose spiny fins hid hundreds of razor sharp stingers that could cause extreme pain if touched. Though Billy didn’t think that most lionfish grew to twenty or more feet long, as these had.
Within a second or two, Billy was surrounded by the mammoth creatures, all of whom had mouths large enough to swallow him. They completely encircled him, and Billy couldn’t move more than a foot or two without bumping into the spiny monsters.
He felt his hand drop to the hilt of Excalibur, and wondered if he could draw the blade fast enough to stop the lionfish from attacking him, as they were clearly intending to do.
Then he heard Artemaeus sing out, a quick burst of melody that sounded like both warning and command. The lionfish glared at him, but moved off, allowing Billy to continue swimming. He realized that they must be the guardians of the whales’ burial grounds. He wondered if any other human had ever been here before. He doubted it.
As he swam among the remains of the great creatures, animals as ancient as any on the earth, he felt humbled. He felt like he was in a sacred place. Even for the Deep, it seemed a quiet region, untouched by time or tide.
The lionfish swam alongside him for a time, as though they didn’t quite trust him to behave no matter what Artemaeus might say, but one by one they peeled off and disappeared below the surface of the sand, somehow managing to bury themselves… remaining in wait for any others who would threaten this holy place.
The graveyard went on forever, going so far that Billy soon lost track of where he was in relation to anything else. The only things that seemed to exist were him, Artemaeus, the water and sand, and the great bones of past leviathans.
At last, Artemaeus slowed, then stopped swimming. Billy drew even with the great animal, and looked around. Though there were still bones in every direction, the area they were now floating over was bereft of the skeletons. It was just a flat, undisturbed circle of sand. The only thing that broke the featureless expanse was a rock in the center of the area. Artemaeus looked down at it, and Billy figured this must be what the whale had brought him here to see.
He swam down to the ocean floor, and realized at once that what was below was not, in fact, a rock. It had seemed a dull gray from a distance, but as he came closer he saw that it had color – a subtly shimmering display of hue and tone. It reminded him of mother of pearl, the way it was every color and none at the same time. It was a shell of some kind.
Billy reached out and touched the shell. His fingers felt the subtle waves and dips in its surface. He reached the edge of the shell, which was about three feet in diameter, an almost perfect circle, and dug his fingers under it. Then, moving carefully, he pulled it away from the sand.
The shell came up easily, seeming to weigh nothing in his hands. He flipped it over. There were two loops attached to the underside of the shell. They appeared to be made of the same thing as the rest of the shell, but when he touched them they were pliant, feeling like the softest leather. At first Billy couldn’t figure out what the loops could possibly be. Then he realized what they were.
He looked at Artemaeus, in shock. The whale nodded. Billy slipped his left arm through the loops. Though they appeared to be much larger than his own less-than-muscular arm, when he inserted his arm in the soft material, he discovered that the loops had somehow fit themselves tightly to him. As though he was the one person on the planet who could possibly wear the item.
It was the shield from the prophecy!
CHAPTER THE NINTH
In Which Billy Flies, and sees Life Die …
Billy couldn’t believe what he was seeing, what he was feeling on his own arm. “But how…,” he began.
Artemaeus sang out, and this time, Billy understood the great animal’s words, as though his thoughts had projected themselves to Billy’s mind.
Blue wanted you to have it. The Shield of the Sea is yours.
Billy looked at the shield. It must be the thing that allowed him to understand Artemaeus.
“Why?” he said.
She was ashamed. She had been changed, which is a thing she had not thought possible. She wanted to give you the shield as an amends for her mischief. And also….
“Yes?”
She said it was a gift for your father’s sake.
There it was again. What was it about Billy’s father that Blue had responded to? Why was she doing this?
But no matter. Billy wanted to decipher the mystery of what Blue had done, but he knew that he had more important things to attend to.
“Will you be okay?” he asked.
Artemaeus dipped his huge head. Things are returning to order. Though there are whispers of other problems to come.
“Like what?”
The life that flows through the plants of the Deep is waning.
That must be the problem with the Greens, Billy thought. It must be getting worse.
Out loud, he said, “What can I do?”
Hurry on your quest. The White King’s time is near. The world must be prepared for his return.
“What do you know of the White King?” Billy asked. “I thought he was something that would only concern the people above.”
The White King is of concern to all on this world. Blue has told me much of him.
“She knows him?”
Who Blue knows is something I cannot tell. I only know she has spoken of him, though whether from personal knowledge or from legends whispered in the waves, I cannot say.
“The waves,” Billy repeated. That had reminded him of something. “She’s not going to try to destroy the world again, is she?”
This time, the whale’s thoughts seemed to be accompanied by an undercurrent of laughter. No, Billy Jones. Such is not her way. It was the corrupting influence of the sword, mixed with the even worse influence of the Darksider, that set her on that path.
“What can you tell me about Mordrecai?” asked Billy. He knew he had to get moving, but also welcomed a chance to learn something about his new enemy.
Not much. He is an enigma to me. And I did not get much chance to observe him before Blue cast me out of her domain.
“For fighting her plan to destroy the world?” Billy guessed.
Again, the great whale’s forequarters slowly dipped in a nod.
“Thank you, Artemaeus,” said Billy. “I have no greater friend in the Deep than you.”
So it is, Billy Jones. And so it must be.
“What now?” Billy said. He was mostly thinking aloud, but Artemaeus answered him.
The shield will help you return to your friends.
“How?” Billy asked. He wondered if the Shield of the Sea would give him some limited command of the Water, just as the other weapons had given him certain control over their respective Elements. He momentarily pictured the Water propelling him forward.
And that was enough. The instant the thought crossed his mind, he felt himself rocketing upward, faster than any marine animal, faster than the fastest speedboat.
Fare thee well, Billy Jones. Be careful, but be bold. Much rests on your….
And then the rest of Artemaeus’ thoughts were lost in the distance. Billy kept picking up speed, moving faster and faster until the blue seas were a blur around him. He was moving faster than any current, faster than sound, the water behind him crashing shut as he passed through it at speeds that left a void behind. He was like a bullet shot from the most powerful gun. Like a harpoon slicing through the water.
Up, up, up he moved. And though he had no idea where the whales’ graveyard was – suspected, in fact, that he would never be able to return there without Artemaeus leading him to that secret place – he was somehow certain
he was returning to the white cliffs of Dover.
But would his friends still be there? Would they have waited for him?
No matter. He had to start somewhere.
Of course, there was also the question of how he was going to scale those mammoth cliffs, and get back to the top of them to meet his friends if they were still there.
Soon he saw the feet of the cliffs in the water before him. And still he rose. Up, up, higher, higher, faster, faster.
Suddenly, he broke the surface of the water, slashing through the crashing waves like the sharpest knife, the shield on his arm breaking the surface with the force of an explosion. But he didn’t stop rising: he had been going so fast that he hurtled into empty air, flying up in an almost perfect parallel to the cliff face.
He had only a moment of fear, a thrill of terror when he realized that he was slowing down, the force of his upward trajectory almost spent. But then he drew even with the upper edge of the cliff, and he found that he had shot out of the water at exactly the speed needed to carry him to the top of the cliffs, and no higher. He reached the top of his flight, and in the instant before he began to fall again, in the moment when he was utterly weightless, he simply put out his foot, and stepped to the solid ground before him. It was as natural a movement as stepping off an escalator.
He stepped away from the edge of the cliff and looked around.
“Billy!”
Billy looked to his left, and saw Vester running toward him, leaping over the crags and crevasses that interrupted the smooth flow of rock beneath their feet.
Then the Fire Power stopped suddenly, shock in his eyes as he saw what Billy was holding. “Is that…?” began Vester.
“It’s the shield from the prophecy, the Shield of the Sea,” said Billy with a smile. All he still had to find were the spear and the armor! They were going to win this race against the Darksiders.
His elation was short-lived, however, dying quickly under the force of Vester’s expression. “What’s wrong?” said Billy.
“Can’t you tell?” asked Vester.
Billy looked around. Nothing seemed any different from when he had jumped into the ocean below, other than the giant tidal wave being gone. The land was still rocky. The air….
Billy: Seeker of Powers (The Billy Saga) Page 12