by S. E. Smith
“Yes… This is my first time here… in this world,” Jenny said, stepping up onto the walkway.
“Who’s your new friend, sweetheart?” Boost asked, brushing a kiss across Cyan’s lips.
“A newcomer,” Cyan replied.
“A newcomer. She looks different.” The Minotaur bent forward and sniffed Jenny before straightening. “She smells funny, too.”
“Meir, be nice,” Cyan warned, shooting her friend a stern gaze.
“No offense. It isn’t a bad smell,” Meir said defensively.
“What kingdom are you from, Jenny?” Boost asked politely.
Jenny gazed at them as they paused to hear what she had to say. She wasn’t sure if she should make something up or tell the truth. It wasn’t likely they would know where Yachats or Portland was and she highly doubted that this world was going to invade the Earth if she told them where she came from. Heck, she didn’t even know if it was possible to get back to her world anyway.
“Yachats, then Portland, but I still consider Yachats my hometown,” Jenny replied.
Her statement was greeted with puzzled silence. Jenny watched as her new friends glanced at each other with confused expressions on their faces. Cyan shook her head at Boost, who shrugged.
“Never heard of that kingdom,” Meir finally said, breaking the silence.
“We’ll have to drink to this Yachats, then Portland hometown,” Boost said.
“Sea Gully Tavern?” Cyan asked with a hopeful look.
“Of course,” Boost replied.
Jenny wasn’t sure what was happening, but she was swept along with the three strange but very nice mythical creatures that towered over her. She wondered what her friends and co-workers would say if they could see her now. Hell, she wished she could share this with her students. It would totally blow their minds and capture their attention faster than any video game.
“What is so funny?” Cyan asked, glancing down at Jenny.
“You’d never believe me if I told you,” Jenny chuckled.
Cyan tilted her head and looked at Jenny with a curious expression. “Try me,” she replied.
“Where is she?” Orion demanded.
“I ordered every available guard to search the palace and gardens,” Coralus grimly replied.
“I’ve sent word to the isle guards here and above to search for her,” Kapian stated.
“She said she was going for a walk in the garden. I saw her there earlier,” Kelia added.
Orion lifted his hands and ran them through his hair. He should never have left her alone. What if the magic that brought her here took her away? What if Magna somehow returned and….
His mind refused to believe that Jenny had disappeared. His meeting with Kapian and the other officers of the realm had been interrupted by a long and detailed request from the Isle of the Pirates. Ashure was asking permission to race the sea stags and happened to mention at the end of the meeting that the Isle of the Elementals had vanished. Well, it did not necessarily vanish but, in Ashure’s usual ‘graceful’ words, perhaps floated away due to all the hot air the King of the Elementals tended to blow. It was causing navigational issues with the currents. Ashure was hoping Orion could do something about that. Oh, and the pirate king hoped Orion would entertain the idea of selling his favorite stag, Sea Fire, for a reasonable price.
“Bloody pirate. I should have listened to Drago during the war and sent a tidal wave over the isle to wash all of them away,” Orion muttered.
Orion closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He had used the momentary break to see if Jenny might like to explore the kingdom later this evening. That had been nearly an hour ago. He opened his eyes and stared back at Coralus and Kapian.
“Find her,” he bit out.
“Your Majesty,” a man said behind him.
Orion turned and watched a guard hurry toward him. He recognized the man as York, Shamill’s former personal guard. The memory of the last time he spoke to the man flashed through his mind, and his stomach clenched. He waited impatiently for York to come to a stop.
“What is it?” Orion demanded.
“A vendor believes he saw the Queen slip through the gate at the end of the garden,” York replied.
“Did he say which way she went?” Orion asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty. She was last seen walking toward the market. I’ve sent someone to inform the other guards and to inquire with the local merchants who may have seen which way she went,” York added.
“Kelia, stay here. If Jenny returns….” His throat tightened.
“I will notify you the moment she returns,” Kelia promised.
Orion silently cursed. The word ‘if’ struck him hard. The fact that Jenny was seen wandering along toward the market helped relieve some of his fear. He had forgotten about the door at the end of the garden. There was no way to re-enter once you walked out unless someone let you in. As a child, he had been locked out on more than one occasion when he slipped through it to escape Kelia in search of some great adventure.
Pushing past York, Orion strode through the open rotunda that connected the many sections of the palace and out through the covered patio to the gardens. Kapian, York, and Coralus followed closely behind him. He was almost at a run by the time he reached the door and pushed it open.
Pivoting to the left on the walkway, he began cutting through the crowd of merchants and patrons who parted when they saw him coming. His gaze swept over the heads, looking in vain for a glimmer of fire-coral red hair.
Chapter Twelve
“You are saying this place you come from has carts that move by themselves?” Meir asked.
“The Isle of Magic and the Isle of the Elementals have carts that do that,” Boost noted, lifting his tankard of beer to his lips.
“Yes, but they use magic or one of the elements to move them. She said her home’s carts move mechanically,” Cyan pointed out.
“Do you really have creatures that create lightning to power your airplanes—I mean, airships?” Jenny asked in awe.
“The Isle of the Monsters has some of the fastest airships in the Seven Kingdoms. Empress Nali can handle the thunderbirds better than anyone. She raises the chicks for all of our fleets,” Boost explained.
“So, what exactly is a thunderbird?” Jenny asked in curiosity, sitting forward and resting her chin on her palm as she fiddled with the handle of the tankard of beer in front of her.
“A thunderbird has sleek blue-green feathers and several long, wispy tails that it snaps in the wind. You can hear the sound for miles. You know they are about to create a strong current when they do that. If you look closely, you will see the small bolts of lightning that interconnect them. It is always better to keep your distance when they are powering up. Each thunderbird has four translucent wings that fold back against their bodies,” Cyan explained, drawing a vivid verbal picture of the flying power stations.
“I love how you can see the lines of electricity running through the veins in their wings,” Meir added.
“You have to be careful around them even when they are not powered up. They have long, narrow heads and beaks filled with razor sharp teeth,” Cyan said.
“Only the Cyclops are good at handling them. We can see the heat in their veins before anyone else,” Boost interjected with a wink.
“Not only that, Cyclops only have one eye, so it is harder for the thunderbirds to pull them out,” Meir chuckled.
“Ew! Are you serious?” Jenny asked, sitting back with an expression of distaste on her face.
“No, he is not serious,” Cyan retorted. “They can pull one eye out just as easily as two or more.”
“Okay, I’m staying away from the thunderbirds. If they don’t fry you, they pick you apart,” Jenny replied with a scrunching of her nose.
“Then cook you and eat you,” Boost said with a nod.
Jenny was about to reply when a dark shadow passed overhead. She glanced up to see if it was a pod of whales. A frown creased her
brow when she saw a dark shape spreading over the dome. It looked more like the ink of an octopus with the long tentacles radiating outward to cover the entire dome.
“Jenny!”
Jenny started in surprise when she heard her name called. Turning in her seat, she scanned the crowd of people who had stopped what they were doing to look up as well. Her gaze locked with Orion’s.
“Orion! What are you doing here? I thought you were in meetings all day. Did you see the black stuff above the city? It looks like the ink of an octopus.” Jenny said, standing up and pointing to the ceiling.
“Squid… and no ordinary one. This one can only be Architeuthis,” Orion stated in a grim voice, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close as he gazed up at the growing darkness.
“What is she doing out of the depths?” Coralus asked.
“She would not be here unless something disturbed her,” Orion responded.
“The same for the Megatooth that attacked you,” Kapian said.
“What did you see when you searched Magna’s lair for the Eye of the Serpent, Kapian?” Orion asked.
“It was strange, the water was unusually cold and the bottom littered with dead and decaying creatures, but that isn’t what surprised me,” Kapian reluctantly admitted.
Jenny saw Orion turn his sharp gaze to the other man. A shiver ran through her at the troubled expression on Kapian’s normally cheerful face. Kapian glanced at the two Cyclops and the Minotaur before his gaze swept over her face and settled back on Orion. Kapian’s mouth tightened.
“What was it?” Orion asked in a quiet voice.
“The Eye of the Serpent was right where you suspected it would be. The cave was unprotected and the trident’s gem lay on a small shelf with a collection of items. Some of the pieces were treasures from sunken ships, but mixed with them were things I remember Magna collecting when we were younger,” Kapian said in a voice that sounded slightly haunted.
“You must be mistaken,” Orion said with a wave of his hand.
“No. Remember the silver and ruby comb you bought from Ashure to give Magna for her birthday when you forgot and needed a gift?” Kapian reminded him.
“They weren’t real rubies. They were polished glass that had been painted red. Ashure couldn’t even be bothered with finding red glass to use,” Orion retorted at the sting of duped by the pirate.
Kapian nodded. “She had that, along with a tortoise shell clip that your mother gave her and the crystal globe I brought back from the Isle of the Elements that contained the ever-snow,” Kapian insisted.
“If Magna is behind disturbing Architeuthis, then she will be close by. From what you’ve just said, there are some things that Magna still values. Perhaps we can use her sentimental attachment against her. Regardless of whether we can or not, we have to stop Architeuthis. It is a remote possibility, but Architeuthis may be strong enough to crack the dome over the city. The destruction would be devastating, even to those of us who can survive under the water,” Orion grimly said, turning and pulling Jenny with him.
“But, what about everyone else? Cyan, Boost, and Meir? Can you evacuate the city?” Jenny asked anxiously as Orion pulled her behind him.
“No vessel can leave without risk of being attacked. Kapian, gather the elite guard. Coralus, secure the city and initiate emergency procedures. As soon as it is safe, begin evacuations to the surface,” Orion ordered.
“What are you going to do?” Jenny asked.
Glancing from him to the dome with a mixture of awe and horror. She stumbled on the uneven pavement of limestone when she saw several long tentacles roll down along the center of the dome. She focused on where they were going so she wouldn’t fall or hinder Orion.
They rounded a corner, and she saw the entrance to the palace. Even in their panic, people moved out of Orion’s way as they ran past them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman clutch a little girl to her before fading before her eyes.
“Orion… that woman and child…,” she gasped.
“They are Elementals,” he replied as if that explained everything.
“Oh,” was the only thing Jenny could think of as a response.
Picking up speed, she ran beside Orion as they passed through the gates. Kelia stood on the front steps with Dolph and Juno. They ran along the road leading to the steps. Jenny glanced over her shoulder when she felt the ground shake. She was half afraid the city was experiencing an earthquake on top of a colossal squid attack!
“Kelia, make sure that Jenny and the boys are in the emergency pod. Get them to the surface,” Orion ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kelia said with a swift nod.
“What are you going to do, Orion?” Jenny asked, drawing in a deep breath.
Orion turned and cupped her face. He ran his thumb against her cheek. His eyes were dark and full of regret. Jenny’s lips parted on a protest, but he bent forward and captured the words before she could voice them. Only when he had kissed her breathless did he release her and take several steps back.
“Keep her safe for me, Kelia,” Orion said before turning and running toward the large red stag galloping toward him.
Jenny watched as he swung up onto the back of the stag as it passed by. Raising his hand in the air, he shouted a loud command. Jenny’s lips parted when she saw a flash of light. When it faded, a trident like the one from the picture books she had read to her students was in his hand. More than a dozen men on sea dragons swept by where Kelia, the boys, and she were standing.
“Where are they going?” Jenny forced out despite the emotion threatening to choke her.
“His Majesty and his warriors will try to drive the creatures back to the depths of the ocean where they belong,” Kelia said, bending to grip the boys' hands.
“What… What happens if they can’t?” Jenny asked, glancing upward.
“Father will fight the creature,” Juno said.
“Do not worry, Jenny. Father is very powerful. No one can defeat him as long as he has the trident,” Dolph added.
“Yes, but…,” Kelia started to say before she shook her head and turned away.
“But, what?” Jenny demanded, reaching a hand out to touch Kelia’s arm.
Kelia looked up at the dome, then back at Jenny. “The trident is not at its full power. Orion and Kapian were able to retrieve one of the Eyes of the Sea Serpent, but the other is still lost. I can only pray to the Goddess that Magna has not found it,” she said with a regretful shake of her head.
“What do the Eyes of the Sea Serpent do?” Jenny asked.
“They give the king the power over the sea and the creatures who live here. Only he can control the power,” Kelia quietly replied.
Jenny was silent as she followed Kelia and the boys into the palace. She glanced up at the crystal dome when they passed through the rotunda. Her breath caught when she saw a flash of red as one of the tentacles rose off the clear ceiling. She stumbled when the squid struck the dome, causing the ground beneath her to tremble.
“Hurry! We must get to one of the escape pods,” Kelia urged.
“I thought Father said that it would be too dangerous to use them until they could draw the creature away,” Dolph said.
Kelia nodded. “Yes, but we will be safer inside one of them if the dome should crack. While we might be able to breath underwater, not everyone can,” she reminded the boy.
“Like Jenny?” Juno asked.
Jenny caught Kelia’s worried glance when the older woman looked over her shoulder. Neither of them said anything. Jenny bit her lip, thinking about Cyan, Boost, and Meir and the hundreds, if not thousands of other people who were like her.
“Coralus and the other warriors have trained for such an event. Most likely, the dome will hold. It has withstood many forces over the last thousand years,” Kelia assured Jenny and the boys.
Jenny remained quiet. She was surprised when Kelia paused on the other side of the great rotunda. Kelia laid her hand on a panel near a
golden door.
Glancing around, Jenny saw that there was a similar door in each of the twelve pillars that held up the curved arches of the rotunda. At first glance, the doors looked almost like the elevator doors back home, only these had clear windows in them. She had passed through the rotunda only once since her arrival and had been so fascinated by the openness of it that she hadn’t paid close attention to the pillars.
“In you go,” Kelia said, stepping to the side when the door slid open.
Jenny and Juno stepped into a small, clear, oval-shaped vessel. Juno quickly climbed up onto one of the seats and sat down. Jenny glanced around the escape vessel. The seats were lined up two by two with enough room for ten people.
The first two seats had controls, one that looked like the steering for an airplane and the other the toggle switches. The clear globe sat on two long tubes with propellers. Jenny was about to ask where she should sit when she heard Karin call out to Kelia.
“Grandmother!”
“Karin,” Kelia said, her face tightening with concern when she saw her granddaughter struggling to carry one of her younger sisters. She hurried forward to help them. “What happened?”
“Mina fell down the stairs when the ground shook,” Karin said.
“I sprained my ankle,” Mina groaned.
“Dolph…,” Kelia’s voice died when the ground shook violently again.
Jenny had started forward to help Kelia and Karin when the dome shuddered again and a loud shriek rang throughout the underwater city. Jenny fell back against one of the seats and pressed her hands to her ears. Juno released a whimper and pulled his legs up in the seat with him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dolph start to fall. He shot his hand out to steady himself and inadvertently touched the control panel. They all watched in horror as the door closed, sealing Jenny and Juno in the escape pod and Dolph and the others outside.