She looked towards Galadriel and he gave her a thumbs up, so she exhaled and tried to breathe normally. And. It. Worked! And- it was amazing. Not only was she underwater and breathing like a fish, but the air she was breathing was like nothing she had ever encountered. The air tasted sweet, and with every breath Jewel took, she got hints of another wonderful flavor. Amongst the variety of flavors were honey, caramel, cinnamon, chocolate, coconut, and strawberry- each with just a little salty flavoring in the mix. Jewel closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the simple act of breathing. She looked over at Rain to see if she was having the same experience and saw that her friend was licking her lips with a goofy smile plastered on her face. Jewel shook her head and grinned. Some things, like Rain’s love for chocolate would never change.
Ambrosia darted past Jewel, effectively breaking Jewel out of her thoughts, and bringing her back to the here and now. A feeling of elation came over Jewel as she began propelling herself through the water, spinning around like a top, and diving back down to the depths. It was the most fun she had experienced in what seemed to be a very long time. And the temperature of the water couldn’t have been any more perfect- well at least from what she gathered since her body wasn’t actually touching the water, but nevertheless- Jewel was neither too hot nor too cold. And the water itself was not only a beautiful color, but it was also different than any Jewel had ever been in. Perhaps it was the bubble-like shield covering the entirety of her body, but the water felt lighter somehow which allowed her to move through it much more easily and much quicker.
Creatures of every size and type began joining the group, curious as to who and perhaps even what the newcomers were. The seahorses with wings were especially fun to swim with and they seemed to be the most good-natured of the creatures. The bulbous looking arachnids that joined soon after, however, gave Jewel the shivers and she made sure to stay further away from them. They looked like some cross between jelly fish and tarantula and those were two things, in Jewel’s opinion, that shouldn’t have been mixed. The terrifying creatures propelled themselves through the water using their long leg-like tentacles and had it not been for the fact that Sage still looked very much at ease, Jewel would have tried to evacuate the area and let the spider-jellies have it all to themselves. But as it was, Sage seemed to have taken a liking to the spider-jellies and the feeling must have been mutual, because they appeared to be playing some sort of game where they would swim to the bottom, and shoot themselves upward like a rocket ship, spiraling downward only to do it all over again. The other members of the group played for a while longer, some with other creatures, and some just enjoying the water by themselves.
The one thing that was for certain, however, was that each was having a great time. No more so than Jewel in fact, because she had become so preoccupied and fascinated with the Mermaid world, that she had completely forgotten to close the portal.
Thankfully, Frost might have been having a good time, but he hadn’t completely forgotten why they were there. He swam to Jewel and pointed to the open portal. Jewel said a quick thank you and glided through the water towards the portal. When she got there, she saw Winter, Dream, and Lyric peeking through. She quickly gave them a smile and a thumbs up, before remedying the situation. Jewel was impressed with her new handle on her Keeper of Tempus powers and found that it was much easier to close the portal than she would have thought possible. With just a little concentration and a few seconds, the doorframe began to swirl, becoming smaller and smaller with every spin, until it was barely visible and just popped right out of existence, leaving the water without a trace, almost as though it had never been there to begin with.
Jewel was thankful that her Keeper of Tempus power seemed to be unaffected on the Mermaid side of the portal and she quickly tested out her teleporting power as well. Appearing and disappearing in pockets around the group. She smiled to herself, thankful that at least during these times, her Immune status seemed to be more beneficial than not.
She felt someone grab her hand and looked over to find Rain mouthing something to her. With a start, Jewel realized that the bubble-exoskeleton surrounding their bodies was keeping their voices from being heard. It was keeping breathable air in but was simultaneously acting as a sound-proofed room. Jewel motioned to Rain that she couldn’t hear what she was saying, and Rain threw her hands upwards and rolled her eyes in frustration, moving her mouth in what Jewel could only assume was some sort of rant that she couldn’t hear.
We won’t be able to talk with the bubble-exoskeleton’s Raindrop, Jewel said to Rain telepathically. Jewel immediately knew when Rain had received the message because her blue eyes rounded, and she jumped ever so slightly.
Chocolate covered pecans, Spitfire, Rain said in her mind, cocking her head to the side as she did so. You should really give someone a head’s up when you’re going to just jump into their mind.
Jewel snorted. Yeah, okay, Raindrop. I’ll try to remember that next time we’re in the Mermaid realm, surrounded by a bubble-exoskeleton with air that tastes like chocolate and that appears to be soundproofed, Jewel smirked.
I know, right! It really does taste like chocolate. I promise you Spitfire, if we can figure out how to bottle this air, I’m going to have a whole case full.
I believe it. But what were you trying to tell me?
Oh, oh! Wow, I can’t believe I almost forgot. Rain shook her head. I wanted to see if you were able to use your powers here, other than your telepathy of course which is obviously still working.
Yeah, why?
Because mine aren’t working. I tried using my water and my wind and neither worked.
Jewel’s brow furrowed. That wasn’t good. Frost, Zephyr, and Rain would be defenseless if they couldn’t use their powers. Jewel turned away from Rain and flung her arm out in an arching motion. The water immediately began churning, so Jewel knew her water and wind powers were working, but just to make sure that it wasn’t a fluke, she added a little fire power to it- literally. She watched as the churning water began to blaze with a spherical blue-purple flame that appeared to feed off the water, growing bigger and bigger as Jewel watched.
Jewel turned to tell Rain that she could still use her Elemental powers, but she stopped short upon seeing the rest of the group gathering together in a more defensive stance. They appeared ready for a fight, and all their gazes and attention were not on the swirling underwater firesphere, believe it or not, but on something underneath it that Jewel couldn’t quite make out.
“Would you mind putting that infernal thing out.” A gruff voice from the depths said, making Jewel’s body tense up involuntarily.
Jewel immediately let the firesphere fizzle out and got into a defensive stance as well. Whoever the voice belonged to was not someone in her group and she had no idea if this meeting would be friendly or not.
“Well, thanks for that.” Another deep voice with an accent Jewel couldn’t quite put her finger on said. “That was quite a show you’ve put on for us.”
“Yes, well that’s all well and good, but I believe formal introductions are in order.” A third voice which sounded feminine stated.
Jewel searched the shadowy ocean floor to see if she could see anyone, but she didn’t have to search very long, because movement to the right caught her attention. Jewel craned her neck in that direction and a moment later she saw three forms swimming towards her and the group, flanked by at least a dozen more figures. It only took seconds for the forms to reach them, and Jewel knew it might be portrayed as rude, but she couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping her lips.
The forms that she hadn’t been able to make out, were Mermaids, and boy, they were nothing like what she had pictured- definitely solidified the fact that they were in a different realm or world, but nothing Little Mermaid-ish about any of them.
Well, here we go, Jewel sent to the entire group, as Galadriel and Frost positioned themselves on Jewel’s sides. Here we go.
Chapter Eight
Welcome to Aquatica
The three Mermaids in the front, or two Mermen and one Mermaid, had an almost ethereal glow to their skin which masked their auras much to Jewel’s disappointment, and they had patches of what appeared to be shimmery scales speckled here and there on their arms, torso, and neck which matched their long tail fins. They weren’t wearing clothes, per say, at least not in the traditional sense, but they were each covered from their mid-section up with a cloth that seemed to both cling to their fit forms like a second skin and flow freely within the water at the same time, and their eye colors, while all different, were so vibrant and piercing that Jewel had to force herself to hold their gaze.
The first Merman was very muscular, had short white hair, a caramel complexion, and eyes the color of lava. He was carrying something that resembled a walking stick or spear, but the tip of which was definitely made from coral. It was beautiful, but Jewel had no intention of allowing its noticeable razor-sharp edge anywhere near herself or her friends. It gleamed with the light that was penetrating the ocean’s depths and Jewel could tell that it wouldn’t take much to cut someone.
The second Merman was a bit leaner, but was very toned, nonetheless. He had medium length mocha-brown hair, a bronze complexion, and eyes that reminded Jewel of the greenest grass she had ever seen. He was also carrying a stick-like spear, but unlike his companions, his had two points on each end. He looked to be the more relaxed out of the two Mermen and seemed to almost be studying Jewel and her group, which was a relief and a concern, because he didn’t appear to feel at all threatened by their presence, and Jewel needed the Mermen to at least be a little wary, so they didn’t see herself and the group as weak.
The Mermaid on the other hand looked completely annoyed about the entire thing. She had two daggers, one on each hip donning pearl handles and sharp edges. The Mermaid brushed back her long, sapphire hair, and narrowed her bright, bubble-gum pink eyes in Jewel’s direction. After a few, drawn out, awkward moments, she pursed her shimmery lips and scrunched up her face as though confused and annoyed all at the same time. The two Mermen on either side of her seemed to be waiting for something to happen or for her to give them direction as to how to proceed.
Jewel’s brows knitted together as she tried to figure out what it was that they were doing or waiting on. Jewel could have easily slipped into their minds to find out, but she had no idea whether they would notice and the last thing she wanted was to do something that they would find rude.
After a few more moments of silence, and a telepathically sent ‘chocolate sauce, this is awkward’ from Rain, Jewel decided to try to speak with the Merpeople. “Um. Well, hello. My name is Jewel Drac-” Jewel started, but the Mermaid waved her hand in a ‘I’m not interested in that right now’ gesture which was baffling as she had been the one that had stated earlier that formal introductions were in order.
Jewel’s brow raised, and she could feel her power beginning to rise along with it. She tried to taper down her irritation so she could keep it under control, however. They had only just arrived in the Mermaid realm and her going all ‘green’ would probably not be seen as friendly.
“What are you?” The Mermaid finally asked, a perplexed expression settling on her face.
“That seems a bit rude, Coralia, don’t you think?” The leaner Merman scolded.
“It absolutely is. You did say that formal introductions were in order and you cut the Unknown off before we even had a chance to let her finish mouthing whatever it was that she was trying to say.” The Merman with white hair stated in an admonishing tone.
The leaner Merman approached Jewel slowly. He placed his fist over his heart and dipped his head ever so slightly. “Forgive my sister. She has been known to be a little less than cordial at times like these, which is why they sent my brother, Brine, and I.” He explained, his arm dropping back down to his side. “My name is Dune, and we would like to welcome you and your throng to Aquatica.”
Jewel dipped her head a bit as well, hoping that it would be taken as a sign of mutual respect and used her telepathy to communicate. It’s very nice to meet you. My name is Jewel Draconis. She began before turning to each member of her group. This is Frost. And Galadriel. Raindrop. Jade. Teagan. Ambrosia. Skye. Zephyr. And Sage.
“It’s a pleasure to make everyone’s acquaintance.” Brine said, “As my brother, Dune has stated. Welcome to Aquatica.” He said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes which were glancing back and forth between Jewel and the group. “Now. I know you are all eager to witness Aquatica’s wonders, but unfortunately that will have to wait. We were sent to retrieve you and bring you back to the palace. So, we should probably get going.”
“They’re not going anywhere until I know what that one is.” Coralia stated while making a thumbing gesture in Jewel’s direction.
“Again, Rae. That is no way to speak to our guests. Remember what Mom always says….” Dune paused, looking towards his brother as the two simultaneously said, “Rudeness is about as becoming on someone as a Merperson with no scales.”
The two brothers chuckled and even Coralia seemed to relax a bit. “Fine.” She said to her brothers. Turning to Jewel, she said, “Hello. My name is Coralia. Now, can you please tell me what you are.” Turning to her brothers, she asked, “There. Is that better? Are you two snagglefish happy now?”
“Yes. That was much better.” Dune smirked.
“Absolutely. But maybe next time you could also try to smile a little.” Brine jested, making Coralia’s pink eyes roll and her head shake.
“You two are impossible.” Coralia stated with a smirk before directing her attention back to Jewel. “Anyway, I would very much like to know what your intention is of being here, and why you are unaffected by my ward.” She said, one hand on her hip right above the top of her long fin.
Um. Well, I don’t know what ward you’re talking about, but we came here to seek help. We are looking for a few rare ingredients that we need and are also hoping to strike an alliance between my group and your world, Jewel stated, unsure as to how detailed she should be being with Coralia. She needed to speak with the leaders first, and Coralia, Dune, and Brine had been sent to retrieve them and take them to the palace. That was most likely where the leaders were, and until Jewel spoke with them, she had no intention of explaining everything fully.
“That still doesn’t explain what you are or why you were able to wield magic down here. My ward is very powerful so that shouldn’t have been possible. The rest of your throng seem to all belong to one of the magical races from the Otherworld, but you……you are an anomaly, an Unknown, and until you explain what you are- we will be going nowhere. Or you will be going to the palace as a prisoner and not as a guest.” Coralia stated threateningly, her hands beginning to move closer and closer to the daggers on her hips.
Jewel figured that she hadn’t been the only one to see where Coralia’s hands were moving, because out of the corners of her eyes, she saw Galadriel and Frost tense up. Jewel tried to remain relaxed, but when Brine and Dune began to regrip their own weapons, her power responded without her even meaning for it to. There was no doubt that her eyes were glowing brightly, as her skin was starting to emit that soft green glow as well. Coralia, Brine, and Dune immediately forgot about their weapons, and instead, the two brothers grabbed their sister and positioned her behind them, much to Coralia’s obvious chagrin. Brine and Dune’s facial expressions would have been amusing, had it not been for the fact that Jewel had not come to Aquatica with the purpose of scaring anyone. But what was done, was done. No unmashing the sweet potatoes at this point.
Chocolate covered barnacles, Rain said with a chuckle. Spitfire can sparkle on in this world too, she added, a hint of admiration and pride in her telepathic voice.
Jewel had figured out at this point how to connect the minds of everyone in her group so that they were still able to communicate with one another, but unfortunately that was where the communication for the group ended. Jewel, her
self, had been able to communicate with Coralia, Dune, and Brine, but hadn’t wanted to risk the three Merpeople being able to delve into the group’s unsaid thoughts. She didn’t fully trust Coralia and her brothers and aside from that- she had no idea what kind of powers they had, if any, so she wasn’t taking any chances.
Well, of course she can, but she shouldn’t be feeling threatened, Skye mentally said, irritation marring her mind’s tone and her beautiful features. She pushed her way past Galadriel and faced off against Dune and Brine, who were now looking even more perplexed since to them it looked like Skye was merely mouthing something nonsensical.
I demand to see your leader, Skye said, her chin jutted out, and her body language clear that she was serious. So even if her only moving her mouth with no sound might have been amusing, her stance was a more ‘try me if you want to’ which definitely wasn’t. I for one, have had enough of these games. Now, Jewel has come here with a very peaceful agenda, and you three reaching for and regripping your weapons now has her on high alert. Completely unacceptable, she stated with that scolding motherly tone that Jewel had only heard a handful of times since meeting the Sorceress. And even though Jewel was only hearing it telepathically, it didn’t make it any less forceful.
Jewel sent what Skye had said telepathically to Coralia, Dune, and Brine- explaining why the Sorceress was so upset.
Once Coralia had heard Jewel’s message, she pushed past her brothers to speak with Skye. “We are only trying to keep Aquatica safe, which you can’t blame us for. Especially since the last visit from the Otherworld didn’t go so well.”
The Council Page 11