Onboard the fishing boat, Zavier, Aaron and April’s attentions were instantly drawn to the wave that was surging towards them on the otherwise still ocean. As they looked closer, they could see Lettitia being carried to them and realised that this wasn’t a wave at all and that she had indeed done what she had set out to do, she had found the ocean’s Berthold, the elusive Pelagia. As Pelagia reached the boat’s bow, he gently lapped at its side and then placed Lettitia on the deck.
“She almost drowned and has gone into shock, you must keep her warm,” Pelagia said, in his authoritative, deep, booming and powerful voice.
April grabbed a couple of blankets from the boat’s wheelhouse, she placed them around Lettitia and sat with her, wrapping her arms tightly around Lettitia’s shivering body to help keep her warm. Mateo had swum to the boat and was circling around it, leaping in and out of the water, searching the minds of those onboard, trying to find out what had happened to Lettitia and checking to make sure that she was okay.
Pelagia boarded the boat like a wave breaking against it and then fluidly changed his shape and size to that of a regular man.
“Thank you for returning Lettitia to us,” Zavier said gratefully. “Did she explain the reason for our visit to you?”
“Her hair had become entangled within the old wreck and she was very close to drowning. She was in no fit state to explain anything, she is lucky to be alive!” replied Pelagia.
“Well, we are extremely grateful to you for her safe return. I think that we should take her back ashore where we can care for her properly. But Pelagia, it is of great urgency that I speak with you tonight regarding the Nomeds. Are you able to join us ashore?”
“Certainly,” answered Pelagia. “I will gather the rest of the Water Warriors and we’ll meet you there.”
The fishing boat headed back to the beach house, guided ashore by the brightness of the beach fire. The fire was a beautiful, glowing mixture of reds, oranges and yellows. The Fire Fairies danced around euphorically within its flames and they sporadically shot out into the night sky, fizzing and sparkling, providing a dazzling firework display.
Back on the beach, the others had gathered around the magnificent fire that Tobias had built and were sat on logs, eating Jazmine’s delicious mana-eesh pizza. Ezekiel was now feeling much better, just a little sore following his earlier encounter with Fala, but his appetite remained unaffected and he proceeded to devour his fourth piece of mana-eesh. Jazmine and Hazel had been growing concerned about the length of time that the others had been out on the ocean. Their relief could clearly be seen in the expressions on their faces as they spotted the starfish-lit fishing boat heading back ashore. Once the fishing boat was safely moored to the pier, Aaron and April began to offload the starfish lanterns. Zavier carried Lettitia up to the beach house so that she could change into some warm clothes and rest a little before joining the others around the fire. Jazmine ran as fast as she could down the length of the pier and leapt onto Aaron, who was unable to embrace her as he was carrying a starfish lantern in each hand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, then began showering him with kisses. “What took you so long?” she asked.
“Well, we nearly lost Lettitia to the ocean, she almost drowned!” Aaron replied.
“What? Where is she, is she okay?” Jazmine asked.
“Yeah, she’s fine, just a little shocked. Zavier has taken her up to the house to get warmed up and recover before dinner.”
“Did you find Pelagia?” Jazmine asked, as Aaron began walking toward the beach with her still tightly wrapped around him.
“Pelagia found us,” he replied. “He rescued Lettitia and returned her to us. Now, he is gathering the rest of the Water Warriors and then they are coming ashore to speak with Zavier. What about Zek and Francis, have they returned yet?” asked Aaron.
“Yep, but that’s a whole other story. I’ll tell you about it later, but first let’s get you sat by the fire and fed,” she said, before showering him with more kisses.
“Sounds good to me,” Aaron said, as they neared the others that were sat round the fire. “Hey, Zek, you’d better have saved me some of that mana-eesh!” he called out to Ezekiel, but Ezekiel was unable to answer as he ploughed into another mouthful of the delicious pizza, so instead he just grunted and gave a cheeky grin.
The group were reunited around the fire and despite the perils that they had already encountered up to this point of the journey, they were all in remarkably good spirits. With their bellies full and their souls comforted by the warmth of the fire, the group were enjoying each other’s company, laughing and joking. Chester was rolling around on the floor almost crying with laughter, his little wings clutching his wobbling red tummy as he laughed so much that it was really beginning to hurt.
“What are white, circular and laugh lots?” Tobias asked.
Chester tried to say, “What?” but he could barely get the words out for laughing.
“Tickled onions,” said Tobias. “A group of frogs walked into a bar… the next one ducked!”
“Stop it, stop it, you’re killing me,” cried Chester but Tobias continued with the lame jokes.
“Why did the car cross the road…? Because the chicken was driving it!”
Tears of laughter rolled down the little robin’s face, but his laughter was soon interrupted by a loud roaring sound that was coming from the ocean. As the roar grew louder and louder, its source soon became evident. A huge wave was surging towards the shore and as it broke against the sandy beach, it dispersed into the most amazing sight, a band of running water people. These people were formed from the ocean, they were the Water Warriors and they were led by their commander, Pelagia.
Chapter 13
The Water warriors… keepers of the Heart
Very little was known about the Water Warriors. These magical beings were elusive, to say the least, and the ocean in which they resided was vast. They rarely came ashore, there was no need, for the Nomeds seldom ventured anywhere near to the beach or ocean. In fact, the last time that the Nomeds had been seen there was probably over one hundred years ago, when the grand ship was sunk. It is said that the Nomeds risked damaging their slug-like skins in the salty and corrosive ocean air, in search of the legendary Heart of Gold that is said to hold immeasurable power for the one that it is meant to belong to. Who this is, isn’t known, but it is thought to be one of the Berthold. The Nomeds were keen to find the Heart of Gold and destroy it, thus preventing it from falling into the hands of the one that it was truly meant for. For, if the Heart were to find its rightful owner, the power of good that would be unleashed would probably mean the defeat and demise of the Nomeds for good!
The Heart of Gold was taken to the ocean many years ago aboard the grand old ship by one of the Halfses’ elders and bestowed upon the Water Warriors for safe-keeping. The Great Prophet had told of a time when the Heart of Gold would find its way to its rightful and deserving owner and that this time would be when the Heart’s powers were most needed. Nahla, a young female Water Warrior, was given the Heart of Gold and asked to protect it and hide it somewhere safe until such a time.
Neither Nahla nor the legendary Heart of Gold had been seen since!
It is said that there are a total of eight Water Warriors, each of them formed from the ocean itself but each still individually distinguishable. Immortal beings that spend most of their time in the darkest depths of the ocean; they are able to dwell on land but the longer that they are away from the ocean, the weaker their powers become and so they remain submerged in the darkness of the vast ocean, retaining their powers until such a time that they are needed to fight on land. All of the Water Warriors have the immense power and strength of the ocean and the ability to change their size, shape and form at will. Pelagia, their Berthold, has the additional ability to produce power orbs. When these magical glowing orbs of water collide with their intended target, they increase that target’s power and strength greatly and are therefore
used to enhance the powers of others, rather than acting as a weapon themselves.
Pelagia is the commander of the Warriors. He is an older male with long, flowing hair and a thick beard and moustache composed of sea spray and foam. His huge and powerful body is an assortment of turbulent currents, torrents, sprays and waves. He is strong and forceful, with a loud, powerful, booming voice that commands respect.
Nahla is the protector of the Heart of Gold, a young female Warrior who has not been seen for many years. She is very lean and sleek with long, smooth, flowing hair and a smooth body of water.
Una, the eldest of the female Warriors, is a large, portly woman, with a voluptuous body of water and wild, white, wavy hair comprised of ocean spray and foam.
Thoosa is a young and curvy female Warrior. She has a sinuous body of swift currents and a light spray of flowing hair.
Galene, the last of the female Warriors, is a youngster with a smooth and still body of calm water. She is easily distinguished from the other females as she has no hair.
Then there are the male Warriors, all of which are composed of turbulent and changeable bodies of water.
Aphros, as his name depicts, is distinguished by his thick afro hair of sea foam.
Jaladhi has huge muscular swells and finally there is Dorien, a young male identified by his beautifully smooth, defined and toned physique. Dorien’s turbulence remains hidden within and his true strength only becomes apparent in times of conflict.
Although the Water Warriors are elusive, they are very well respected throughout the whole of Liberty and those that are fortunate enough to meet them are very honoured indeed.
* * *
At the beach, Zavier informed Pelagia and his Warriors of the quest to collect Liberty’s Berthold and then take them to the Great Prophet. Pelagia was already aware of the Nomeds’ growing strength, but Zavier filled him in on the recent attacks and the possibility that some of the Nomeds may have escaped into the Human world.
The Water Warriors were a united force and they did not like to be separated from one another, so it was therefore decided that they would all accompany Zavier and the rest of the group on the remainder of the journey. All except for Nahla, that is; her loyalty remained with the Heart of Gold and in order to keep it safe, she remained hidden.
“My group are exhausted,” exclaimed Zavier. “We will rest at the beach house for the night and continue with our journey in the morning. Pelagia, you and your Warriors should return to the ocean for the night, maintain your power and meet us back here on the beach at dawn. We shall leave for the next stage of the journey at first light.”
And with that, Pelagia and his Warriors rolled back down the beach and into the ocean waves, disappearing for the night.
The Fire Fairies had returned to their beach poppies and all that remained of their earlier dazzling spectacle were the smouldering embers of the fire as it gradually fizzled out. The group of Halfses, Francis and Chester retired to the beach house and soon the only sounds to be heard were those of the waves breaking gently on the shore and the loud rumbling of Aaron snoring.
Chapter 14
Departing the serene
Abigail gently patted down the sand around her nest and then tamped it down lightly with her plastron. Then she carefully disturbed the sand around the newly-made nest with her flippers in order to camouflage it, hiding her precious and newly-laid clutch of eggs. She then headed back down the beach to the shoreline. The ocean was calm, almost still, dawn was breaking and the fishing boat was very gently bobbing up and down on the tranquil ocean water, its shape forming a dark silhouette against the beautiful, burnt orange dawn sky. Laying around one hundred eggs was no small feat and Abigail decided to stay in the warm shallows of the calm ocean and feed on the lush green seaweed for a while before returning into the ocean’s depths. As she grazed on the weeds, her expressive face wore a smug smile, a smile that was plain and clear for all to see. She would have to wait a couple of months before meeting her offspring, but the mere thought of one hundred tiny green sea turtle hatchlings, making their way down the beach to the ocean that would be their home, filled her heart to bursting with happiness, pride and joy.
As discussed the evening before, Pelagia and his Warriors roared ashore that morning, disturbing the large green sea turtle mama as she grazed.
“Now what d’yall think you’re doing, disturbing Mama Abigail’s grazing like that? What y’all doing, coming ashore anyhow? What’s up?” Abigail asked the Warriors, with her neck and head outstretched. The smile on her face had now been replaced by a frown and a disapproving sucking-in of her cheeks and pursing of her beak. She was not in awe of the elusive beings, she did not care that she had spoken to the Water Warriors in such a rude manner. She had just laid a clutch of one hundred eggs, for goodness’ sake, and all she wanted to do now was bathe in the warm shallows and graze. Was that really too much to ask?
Una apologised for the disturbance and then explained that the Warriors were accompanying Zavier and the others on a journey to complete a quest for the Great Prophet and she also explained the urgent reasons for this journey.
“Wha… what about my babies? Will they be safe here?” a very concerned Abigail asked Una.
“Of course they will. We will be returning soon enough and the other inhabitants of Serenity will be looking out for you all,” said Una.
“Well, alrighty then, but y’all hurry on up now. Y’all got an important job to do, best you get on your way and hurry on back now, ya hear me?” said Abigail.
The Halfses, having woken early, had eaten their breakfast, hung up their robes and were now back in their horse form, waiting on the beach. All except for Jazmine, that is. She remained in her Human form so that she could pack the other Halfses with the equipment required for their journey. She placed blankets on each of their backs and then loaded each of them with starfish lanterns, a few food and drink supplies and some Fire Fairy pods. The Fire Fairy pods were very similar-looking to small bird houses and were used as dwellings for the little Fairies. The Fire Fairies used these pods if they needed to travel anywhere that was far away from their poppy homes.
Zavier had been telling the group that they must travel through the east side of the meadow and then make their way on up to the East Cabin in Winter Forest. They still had three more of Liberty’s Berthold to gather; Ice, Berthold of Winter Forest and also the Berthold of the East and the West Fishtail Mountains. They already had some equipment at the East Cabin but they would need to take the starfish lanterns for light and the Fire Fairies for warmth and cooking. Before their departure, Zavier asked Chester to quickly tell a few of Serenity’s inhabitants about the Warriors’ departure and to also ask them to spread the word that they, the inhabitants of Serenity, would all need to look out for each other while Pelagia and the Warriors were gone.
“Be quick though, Chester, we will leave in five minutes, with or without you,” said Zavier.
“Sure thing, boss,” replied Chester and he started to spread the word straight away. First, he flew over to the rocks that surrounded the beach house, where he informed the Little Terns, Itzel and Lani, who in turn flew off across the shoreline to spread the word to the inhabitants at the far south end of the beach. Then Chester flew down to the fishing boat where Mateo was happily leaping in and out of the ocean.
“Weeee-oooo-wittt!” Chester whistled loudly at Mateo. “Will you please be still for just one second?”
“Why are you wasting your time telling me this when I already know what it is you are going to say?” said the cheeky young dolphin. Then he turned and slapped his tail fin on the surface of the water, splashing and drenching Chester, who was perched on the side of the boat. Mateo continued leaping in and out of the ocean, laughing.
“Oh yeah, very mature,” shouted the very wet and very disgruntled little robin, then he shook himself off and flew over to the water’s edge to tell Abigail.
“Why are you telling me, fool? Una has already
explained everything. Now get going, be gone with you,” she said.
Chester huffed loudly and flew back, returning just in time as the group were about to set off.
“We shall take up the same formation as before,” said Zavier. “Chester, you travel with me up front. Francis, you travel at the rear with Aaron.”
The moody black stallion was about to moan and groan, but was stopped in his tracks by Jazmine who had now transformed into her horse form for the journey. As she knew him so well, she had predicted his disapproval at having to carry Francis, so she gave him a cautionary nip to put him in his place and to remind him of his manners.
“We now have the added support and protection of Pelagia and his Water Warriors; they shall travel at our flanks. This means that we shall be protected from all angles. We will collect some of the Fire Fairies from the beach poppies at the beach’s border with the meadow on our way and then commence with the next stage of our journey.
“Are you all well rested and ready?” he asked and the reply was a resounding and confident, “YES!”
They were all most determined to complete the task that they had been set, but as they reached the beach poppy border and filled their pods with Fire Fairies, they were all very quiet and you could even say a little sullen. Serenity Sunrise Beach really was a lovely place that totally lived up to its name; it was truly serene, peaceful and magically calming. They all knew that they were going to face many more challenges and dangers on their journey and that it would be quite some time before they would feel such serenity again.
And so they departed the serene seascape, with the calm ocean waters shimmering behind them in the newly-risen sunlight, heading off to what they knew would be much darker and much more dangerous times.
Chapter 15
Preble and prayers
As the group entered the east side of the meadow, they were instantly greeted by Preble, the jumping meadow mouse. He leapt up and down and in and out of the meadow grass and colourful meadow flowers.
Hidden Magic Page 6