by Julie Cassar
The Queen spoke now, “As Challengers to the Grá mo Chroí Dúshlán, you both shall compete in three rounds. Whoever shall win two of the three shall be declared the Champion. If the Earthen Court prevails, Celestine is free to marry the Troll Bexin, subject of the Earthen Court. If the Water Court prevails, Celestine must end her ties to Bexin, or be forever banished and exiled. So say we.”
Then, everyone on the beach answered in unison, echoing the Queen’s last words, with Jeremy and me chiming in a bit late, “So say we.” Again, I felt the tingling energy of the magic swirl around our circle, as if bonding our agreement even further. Nervous energy started zinging around my insides, and I felt a tad queasy again. Oh God, please don’t let me barf right here on the beach in front of everyone. I shifted my weight uncomfortably, as sweat started beading on my brow.
The Queen (thankfully oblivious to my uneasiness) nodded, smiled and continued, “The Champion of the Grá mo Chroí Dúshlán shall be honored at the next festival and all present here shall celebrate with exuberance in their achievement. So say we.”
Again, we all echoed her sentiment, “So say we.” I didn’t really know what the hell I was saying or agreeing to at this point, but I figured everyone else was agreeing, so I better just follow suit.
The Queen spoke again, “The Grá mo Chroí Dúshlán is the Love of My Heart Challenge. Each of the three rounds represents how love should exist in our lives. The first round is a simple Love’s Speed Challenge. The competitors will swim out to the marked distance and back. This distance Challenge represents our desire to travel any distance, with as much swiftness as possible, to be with the one we love, but, in the chance that we are separated from our true mate, our love shall reach across that distance, keeping us forever bound.
The second round is the Challenge of the Rings. The ring is a circle that never ends, just as a Forever Love between two shall never end. Truth, honor, and love are of the greatest value to our Court. Hidden among the marked area shall be three golden rings, one for each of those values. Just as we strive to find and keep these values in our lives, so you must find the three rings.
The third and final Challenge is the Obstacle Challenge. This represents the challenges we face every day. We attempt to achieve harmony, look for peace and forgiveness, and work on compromise. We strive towards these with our Forever Love every day. Sometimes we find it, sometimes we don’t. Sometimes, it’s challenging and there are many obstacles to go through; but, in the end, what matters is the growth in our lives, and the strength of our love. In the obstacle course, the competitors will pass through each obstacle and race to the marked finish. A winner for each of the three rounds will be declared and the Challenger winning at least two of the three rounds shall be declared the Champion.
Challengers of the Grá mo Chroí Dúshlán, it is the beginning of Forever, so say we.”
I glanced over at Freya who was watching the Queen intently, and I tried to relax the muscles in my stomach that had been clenched in a tight knot since we joined the circle on the beach. We both replied, “So say we.”
I suppose there was just one thing left to do…it was time to sink or swim.
Chapter 24
The King and Queen directed us over to a point on the beach where we were to begin the first Challenge. The first round was, as the Queen said, “a simple Love’s Speed Challenge.” Ha. Simple my ass. I looked out to the buoy where we were supposed to swim to, circle around, and come back to the shore…It must have been a half-mile out into the water. I could barely see it, except the Merpeople had marked it with a bright beacon light, flashing on the top. We were required to start on the beach, running into the surf to begin our swim. At least I might be able to gain a few steps on Freya, who probably didn’t often use her legs. Well, I hoped she didn’t often use her legs. The knot in my stomach grew bigger and tighter, and my mouth felt like it was full of cotton. I tried to swallow, but it didn’t help. Too bad my tongue wasn’t long enough to lick the sweat that was dripping off my forehead…my mouth could use the moisture right about now. I shook out my hands and legs, sucking in a few deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves and get some air before I had to take off running. Jeremy clapped his hands twice, and began cheering me on with a little made-up chant. “Pork chop, pork chop, greasy, greasy, Ruby’s gonna swim this, easy, EASY! Come on Ruby! Swim girl, SWIM!” He pumped his fist in the air, and I cringed in embarrassment. I hoped he wouldn’t shout out a “Woot Woot!” while he was in cheerleader mode, but you never knew with Jeremy. The other people on the beach just stared wide-eyed at Jeremy and silently chuckled. It was all very reserved and quiet….except for my overly-enthusiastic friend. Just then, Anya stepped up to me. Leaning close to my ear, she quietly wished me her words of encouragement, “Just like in the drills, Ruby. Swim like a fish.” I nervously smiled and nodded my head as I silently sent her a Fairy thought, “I hate fish. Now I’ve gotta be one…” She rubbed my shoulder, gave me a quick hug, and then stepped back to join the others lined up on the beach.
The King spoke, “Challengers, take your marks. At the drop of my hand, you will begin.” He held up his right hand high in the air, gave us the countdown, “3….2….1 and he dropped his arm in one strong fluid motion. We took off running, kicking up sand in our wake. I splashed into the water, and… holy mother of all that is cold! It was frigid! I instantly felt my toes go numb as the icy chill worked its way up my feet, through my ankles and settled into my calves, freezing them almost to the point of pain. I tried to ignore it, moving on pure adrenalin and taking huge, running leaps through the water. I saw out of the corner of my eye that I was just a couple of steps in front of Freya. I dove down (thanks for making me practice all those surface dives, Anya) and cut through the icy water. It shocked my skin, seemingly freezing icicles on my eyeballs, and I felt the cold run through my entire body. Because I was faster alternating my strokes between swimming underwater and above the water, I used that method to propel myself through the frigid lake. Freya disappeared under the dark waters. She was gone from my sight. I tried to catch glimpses of her while I was under water, and soon realized that we were keeping pace with each other. She wasn’t as far ahead as I thought she might be! If I could just pull ahead on the loop around the buoy, I know I had a chance of at least staying with her on the way back to the shore…perhaps then I wouldn’t look and feel like such an ‘unworthy’ ass. After all, I was just a human. All of the drills that Anya and Brennan had pounded into my brain were surging through me as I rotated and used my arms to propel myself even faster through the water. That was one thing I noticed about the Mermaid…She almost never used her arms to move through the water…large swishing movements of her tail, but little or no help from her upper appendages. I seemed to have the advantage there. By using both my newfound dragon propulsion of swimming, and the swimming techniques enhanced by Anya and Brennan, I found that moving through the water with my arms seemed to be giving me a slight edge. We circled the buoy, and I seemed to be pulling ahead. Could it be? Do I actually have a chance at beating this Mermaid in a swimming competition? My heart was racing, pumping hard. The clenched knot in my stomach was now a ball of energy that was radiating out into every limb. I didn’t feel the cold water anymore; I only felt my limbs tingling as I pushed them as fast and as hard as I could. With a feeling of weightlessness, I felt as if I was flying. It was as if some deep-rooted, dragon-magic, animal instinct had kicked in. I actually glanced down the length of my body to see if I had suddenly sprouted scales because it felt as if I was sheathed in a warm wet-suit, protecting me from the cold water. Thankfully, there were no scales. It was as if the adrenalin had triggered the fight or flight response in me. All of my senses were heightened, and my skin burned with heat as I swam faster than I ever had before. I was hydroplaning across the top of the water, gulping air when I needed, and then diving underneath, extending my glide as far as I could before resurfacing again. I knew I was pulling ahead of the armless-swimming Mermaid.
As I got into shallower waters and found I had to run again, my body was suddenly warmed as the heat from the summer night sank into my skin. Out of the splashing water, my ears opened up and I heard the cheering from the beach. Everyone standing there, except the King and Queen, were whooping it up, clapping, jumping, cheering…especially Celestine and Bexin, who couldn’t seem to contain their excitement at the prospect of a potential win. Jeremy was the loudest though. He was screaming in a sing-songy chant at the top of his lungs, “RUBY BLUE! COMIN’ ON THROUGH! WOOHOO!! Ma’LADY BLUE! CHUGGA-CHUGGA-WOOWOO!” It was almost distracting actually, and I tried not to lose my footing while running through the surf towards the sand. Thank God I practically lived bare-footed. A smile escaped, and I couldn’t help but start to feel a little giddy when I realized that I was a full five or six strides ahead of Freya. I plowed across the sand like a locomotive, scrambling over the marked finish line and collapsing in a heap on the sand. I had won! I had won!
My friends came leaping and jumping around me in a celebratory dance, and if they could have, I think they would have hoisted me on their shoulders. With a huge smile plastered on his face, Jeremy whispered into my ear, “See? Fish. Fillet.” I giggled and saw Freya come running into the heap of people; her sister rushed to her side to hug her. Defeated, but not a poor sport, Freya walked over to me, “Excellent swim, dolphin girl. You were keeping secrets,” she smiled knowingly at me and raised her eyebrows. I never thought about it before, but I suppose I did probably look a little like a dolphin, swimming above the water. I wondered what my brother, Leo, would think about my newfound swimming abilities… For a moment I debated which was a worse nick-name, Scooby or Flipper. I shuddered. They were both horrible.
The King and Queen stepped up as well, and the King announced loudly and officially, “I declare the winner of this Challenge to be the Earthen Court.” Then, in a softer tone, he looked at Brennan and said, “You, Prince of the Earthen Court, held your tongue wisely I see. All is not as it seems.”
Brennan nodded, “I told no lies Majesty. But yes, the Lady Ruby Blue is also an extraordinary swimmer,” Brennan cleared his throat and cracked a small, cocky smile.
“Indeed, indeed.” The King nodded, sizing me up and down and looking at me as if seeing me for the first time, “I wonder, Prince Brennan, exactly how she was gifted with such abilities, hmmm? Why would Grobel choose such a human to compete in the Challenge? There were no spells cast upon her from the Earthen Court, no coercion from the Earthen Court to force some kind of allegiance from her?”
I was just about recovered from my swim now, and my breathing was almost back to normal. I looked at Brennan with nervous anticipation, and felt my breath quicken again. Would he tell the King that I had dragon magic in me? Would he tell the King of my debt to the Mermaid and the blackmail used to urge Grobel to choose me?
Brennan tilted his head and answered carefully, “Through a dragon bite, she developed her gift in the water. Through her connection to Fairies, the earth, and a pledge to myself and my Court, she has agreed to represent the Earthen Court so that we would have the best chance of winning. Grobel chose her. I did not. After all, it is a rare occurrence that someone outside of the Water Court prevails in the Grá mo Chroí Dúshlán…It was about time we had a shot at winning, don’t you think?” Brennan’s face perked up in a sly, cocky grin and he raised his eyebrows at the King, tipping his chin. I noticed he didn’t mention my debt to the Mermaid, nor the specifics of how I got the dragon bite. Brennan didn’t specifically address any spells or magic that bonded (forced) Grobel to choose me. He also left out the fact that he pretty much ordered and threatened Grobel to do so. Boy, those Fairies are good at answering questions without giving away too much information.
The King and Queen nodded, smiling politely, but obviously not entirely buying Brennan’s answer. In fact, the Queen’s smile was so sour that it almost looked like she was sucking on a lemon. I don’t think she likes losing. “So,” the Queen said, “if a dragon bite gave her such power in the water, it is conceivable that she could have chosen to pledge to our Court.”
Anya spoke now, “Could have. But did not. No coercion or magic was used to deter her.” The Queen directed a squinty-eyed, searing gaze at Anya and, even though she remained silent, you could see that she was thinking, “Touché…for now.” The Queen knew Anya was being truthful in what she said. I shifted nervously around, not wanting to make eye-contact with either Royal Water Court regent. I huddled closer to Jeremy, and he protectively wrapped a towel and his arm around my shoulder as we waited for the next Challenge to be announced.
The King spoke again, in a louder, more authoritative voice, as if he was dismissing the issue he and Brennan just discussed. He said, “Moving on to the next Challenge! Come. It is arranged out there,” and he pointed out towards another section of the lake. I couldn’t really see anything out there, and I looked at Anya and Brennan with slight confusion. How the hell were we supposed to get there? (Where ever there was.) Anya nodded her head down the shore, and I turned to see where she was gesturing. Ohhhh…they had a boat tied up just a little ways down the beach. I hadn’t noticed it before. It was so dark outside that I could barely see ten feet in front of me, let alone twenty yards down the beach.
Looks like we were going on a little cruise. Too bad I was going to end up overboard out there. I let out a big sigh. I felt the familiar clenching of my stomach as fear and anxiety swept through my body again while I stepped into the boat along with the others. There was no lasting victory celebration. It was on to the next order of business. We all climbed into, what appeared to be, a superfast speed boat. It was bright white with an obnoxious splash of color streaking the sides, and it featured luxurious white leather seats. Thank goodness it was a white boat and I was with a group of nine other people, otherwise I would have never found my way to it in the pitch-black dark. Brennan informed me that it was the Baja Islander 277. Well, whoop-dee-doo. Like I cared…or even knew what that was. The only thing that was on my mind right now was getting through the next Challenge. I tried to look interested when he told me this fact, but I probably just appeared indifferent. I couldn’t help it though. My nerves were on high alert and that dry, cotton-mouth feeling came back. My stomach felt shaken and twisted as the boat kicked into high gear and started off towards the unknown location in the Great Lake Superior. With all of us silently riding towards our destination to the middle of nowhere, the tension in the air increased. With each bounce of the boat against the hard waves, my insides madly churned. Bam! Bam! Bam! The boat slammed against the waves as we sped across the lake. Oh God. I feel like I’m going to throw up again.
Yep. I’m going to barf. I quickly leaned over the side and yacked up what was left in my stomach. Although, it wasn’t much since I had pretty much emptied it at the cottage before we left. Anya quickly hurried to my side and rubbed my back. I didn’t know what the others were doing, and I didn’t care. I dangled my head over the side of the boat, staring into the dark, cold water swirling past, and prayed that I wouldn’t royally screw up the next Challenge.
Chapter 25
The King tied the boat up to a large square wooden platform, about 20-feet across, floating out in the middle of Lake Superior. It had torches lining the edges that the Queen was now lighting. How she was lighting them, I don’t know. She didn’t have a lighter or matches or anything. I looked around the platform and out into the seeming abyss. Huh. This torch-lit platform was definitely not normally here… I suppose the Merpeople set it up at night just for the Challenge. As if to answer my thoughts, Anya leaned over and whispered, “It’s enchanted. Nobody can see this platform floating here…or us on it.” Ahhh. I nodded my head.
We stood around waiting for something to happen. When all the torches were lit, the Queen stepped to one side of the platform and swept her hands over the water while softly chanting words that I couldn’t make out. She continued doing this while walking slowly around the perim
eter of the floating platform. Suddenly, the surface of the water appeared almost clear. It was like we were looking through a brightly lit window, straight to the bottom of the lake. Although it was still pitch-black dark outside, and the only light was from the moon, the water itself appeared illuminated so that from above, where we were standing, you could see clearly all the way down. Jeremy and I sucked in a breath at our mutual surprise. “Wicked,” Jeremy whispered under his breath. I realized the Queen had lit up the water so that all on the platform could view the competition clearly. “Holy crap,” I muttered. It was endlessly deep. It was quite the illusion, to see the dark, murky waters of the lake illuminated so clearly like this. I saw all kinds of objects below, some were placed there intentionally for the Challenge, and some were natural things that forever lived on the bottom of Lake Superior. The wavy, dark water fluttered over the depths of the underwater cemetery of forgotten objects.
The King spoke again, breaking mine and Jeremy’s silent, stunned revelry. “The second round is the Challenge of the Rings. Hidden among the marked area shall be three golden rings. The first competitor to find, retrieve, and return with all three of the rings shall be named the winner of the round.” At this point, the King held up one of the rings so we could see what we were supposed to be looking for. It was a flat golden ring about eight inches in diameter. It was shiny and looked very much like the rings from the ring-toss game I used to play when I was a kid. They looked heavy, like they had some weight to them. Freya and I both nodded, and the King continued, “The sector in which the rings are hidden is marked with yellow flags. You must stay within the marked area. On my mark, you will begin. Competitors, ready yourselves.” We took our place at the edge of the wooden platform. My toes hung just over the edge, jittering with anticipation as I readied myself for the dive. We both squatted slightly, arms at our sides. My legs felt as though they were about to erupt with all of the contained energy waiting to take off of the platform and catapult ourselves into the depths of Superior. I blew out a few breaths. Every nerve in my body was on fire, as if waiting to explode. I. Can. Do. This.