by Sam Bennett
“Maybe,” Taisiya boldly stated, “she hasn’t done that good of a job. Maybe I’m just innately able to grasp the things you nymphs do…”
“Maybe,” Aitia smirked. “One thing is for certain…if it were the boy I dragged over here, he would be needing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I couldn’t risk putting such temptation in front of my daughters.”
Taisiya cackled and when she began laughing, Aitia joined in. Despite being a bit frightened of the old nymph at first, she found herself coming around to the woman’s sense of humor. They then swam back to the shore (Aitia allowed Taisiya to swim above the water) and joined the others.
It was decided that once the sun had risen and everyone had enjoyed a hearty breakfast, the three visitors could venture deeper into the island and request council with the Elder Nymphs. Aitia explained that while she, the Elder Sea Nymph was more than happy to help them, her other sisters may not be so willing. They could explain their situation to the other Elders and hope for the best.
The sun began to show itself, and so Aitia and her daughters swam off to look for breakfast. Taisiya, Zara, and Lahara went back on the ship to eat the food supply they had left. Zara saw to the preparation of the meal, Taisiya set the table, and Lahara holed up in the captain’s cabins going through the rest of their belongings. They ate a modest meal that had little flavor but still satiated their hunger.
Lahara thought it would be best if Zara and Taisiya changed into new clothes before meeting the Elders. After all they had been through getting to Ethnymphai, they had to agree that their current clothes weren’t in any state to impress. Lahara had picked out a dark purple cloak and matching tunic for Taisiya, explaining that it was a feminine color and also showed wisdom and power that the Elders would appreciate. For Zara, Lahara fancied a white tunic with a dark blue cloak. She reasoned that the Elder nymphs would, by nature, distrust Zara for being male. The light and purity symbolized by white combined with the dark blue symbolizing knowledge and integrity would help to win them over.
“The Elders are very wise,” Lahara said, adjusting Taisiya’s cloak to fit better. “They know things you would not even fathom to ask. Little things like this will matter greatly to them.”
Neither Taisiya nor Zara questioned Lahara’s instincts. They knew she had their best interests at heart. Just after they had changed into their new clothes, a thwack! against the side of the ship sent Lahara out to see what was up. She returned a few moments later, poking her head into the room but not entering.
“That was Nereid,” she explained. “It’s time for us to head out to meet with the Elders. I’ll leave you two alone for a couple minutes to compose yourselves.” With that, the door was closed, and the room was silent.
Breaking the silence, Zara took a deep breath. “Are you ready?”
“No,” Taisiya answered honestly. Her eyes darted around the room in frustration as her mind raced thinking of all the possibilities that awaited them.
“Look,” Zara said directly, putting his hands on Taisiya’s shoulders and looking her straight in the eye. “Remember what Adrasteia has done…what she continues to do as we speak. Be strong.”
Taisiya’s lip quivered, “I…I am strong.”
Zara smiled, “I know you are. Just don’t you forget it. Now, come on. Let’s go talk to these old nymphs and get them to help us. The one we’ve met seems to like us well enough; it’ll be easy. I have a feeling the hardest part will be looking at their old wrinkly faces.”
The pair laughed and began to feel the tension slip away. As they joined Lahara and began to set out to meet the Elders, it felt as if the long, hard journey was finally coming to an end rather than the reality that it was just beginning. Taisiya and Zara were both confident that what lied ahead would be easy... They had no clue just how wrong they were.
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SAM BENNETT is a 20-year-old American author.
You can learn all about Sam online at:
sam-bennett.com
Twitter: @TheSamBennett
Facebook.com/TheSamBennett
KATE WIEBE is a Canadian Artist and Illustrator. You can visit Kate online at:
katewiebe.batcave.net
Twitter: @DuskNightmare
Facebook.com/KateWiebeArt