Discoucia

by Nicholas Lovelock

  “Where did you spring from?” she asked.

  “I was down by the river, to see those fish that were laying in the dirty water dying,” he said. Jo held out her hand, and the smoke, and the piece of paper floated down.

  “Have they got you hypnotised?” she read.

  “No, not really,” he replied.

  “Puff of smoke, letter appearing out of nowhere, like I said before, any of this odd to you?” asked Jo.

  “Like I said before, no,” he said.

  “Right, well, I’m going to take this, and go back in there,” she said, picking up a large stick.

  “You’re going to use a stick against the Sea Hag?” he asked.

  “You got any better suggestions?” she asked angrily.

  “No no, carry on princess,” he replied.

  Hylele watched as Jo walked up again to the lighthouse. He waited at the bottom of the hill and heard a load of hammering and crashing sounds coming from the first floor. He then saw a window smash and the stick flew through it, sailed through the air and landed on the floor. A puff of smoke appeared above him and he read it aloud. “’I told her it wouldn’t be this simple’,” he said.

  Jo ran out of the lighthouse and back to Hylele.

  “I have one question, the entrance to the Blue Coven is right as you enter, and it’s a trapdoor, why didn’t you just go in and avoid the Sea Hag all together?” he asked.

  “Listen Hylele, when you get older, you’ll understand that as a matter of principle I have to capture the Sea Hag and find out who she really is,” she explained.

  “She’s a Sea Hag, why would you possibly think that she’s anyone else,” he said.

  “Real Sea Hags don’t have glowing green eyes and cover themselves in rotting seaweed,” she replied.

  “Ah, that makes sense, so what’s your third plan of attack?” he asked.

  “Usually I would point a gun at her, but for three reasons I won’t. People may find it offensive, it doesn’t convey a good message to children like yourself and because where’s the fun in it?” she explained.

  “What people?” he asked.

  “The people who find it offensive,” she said.

  “You’re being patronising,” he said.

  “No I’m not, child,” she said, and ruffled his thick brown hair. She walked off again for a third crack at the Sea Hag.

  Jo decided this time she was going to climb around the back and surprise her. She made the shaky ascent and reached the first floor. The Sea Hag had gone, and she climbed higher to the second floor. The Sea Hag was not there either, and she decided to climb to the lamp room on the third floor, and surmised that the Sea Hag must be up there. She reached the top and saw that she was, and she was looking through some of the boxes that littered the place. She found what she was looking for, a blue key, and she walked down the stairs.

  Jo vaulted over the wooden banister and sneaked to the stairs. When the Sea Hag was on the second floor she walked over to a safe. “Finally, the treasure!” it shouted, and unlocked the safe. Jo slid down the banister as fast as she could, and smashed straight into the Sea Hag. She knocked her out, and she lay in an undignified pile on the floor.

  “So Artie, what is it you wanted to keep me away from?” she asked, and saw that the safe was full of platinum bars.

  “Jo? What is taking you so flippin’ long?!” said Arthur, climbing up the stairs.

  “I’m solving the mystery of why you disguised yourself as the Sea Hag” she replied.

  “Solving the mystery of the what now?” he replied. Jo turned around and saw that Arthur was standing at the top of the stairs with Hylele.

  “What are you doing there? You’re supposed to be knocked out on the floor over here” she said.

  “Well, who have you got tied up on the floor?” he asked.

  “I haven’t tied her up yet,” replied Jo.

  Arthur ran over to the Sea Hag and tied her up with some rope that he found. “Rule number one, Jo, always tie up the bad guy, and then find out what they are doing,” he said.

  “Right, now let’s find out who The Sea Hag really is,” said Jo, who pulled off The Sea Hag mask, and Hylele was the one who spoke up.

  “Father!? What are you doing?” he asked. The all looked at the stricken form of Lord Aquatine, with his long moustache and his grey goatee beard.

  “Okay, well I’m at a loss here,” said Arthur.

  “I caught a fake monster, I’m happy with myself,” said Jo.

  “The worst thing is, we can’t do anything, and it’s his city, so he can do what he wants,” said Arthur.

  “I’ve got an idea, but only if Hylele doesn’t mind,” she said.

  Aquatine woke up, to find that he was tied to a chair, and that his son was sat on the first step of the stairs, and either side of him was Lady Josephine and Sir Arthur Pageon. “I got caught, didn’t I?” he asked.

  “Oh yeah, I got you good,” said Jo.

  “Well I rule this city, so you can untie me,” he said.

  “One question, why did you want those bars of platinum? You’re rich enough to not need them, right?” asked Arthur.

  “I’m a very greedy person,” he replied.

  “Ah, in that case Hylele will sort you out,” replied Arthur, and Jo followed him downstairs.

  Arthur and Jo walked over to the trapdoor and climbed down to the spiral staircase that led beneath the cliff. Hylele walked through the streets of Cesta pulling a small cart, with the Sea Hag tied up behind him. He was running as fast as he could to his home, considering it was his father that he was pulling behind him.

  The Blue Coven

  The spiral staircase led down deep under the lighthouse, and the two descended down, illuminated by torches that hung from the blue walls. “OK, so have you been down here the whole time?” she asked.

  “Mostly, I heard that there was a Sea Hag haunting the lighthouse, but I didn’t expect you to go for it, I thought you would come down here straight away,” he said.

  “Yeah, some things got in the way, but I found it quite fun solving a mystery,” she replied.

  “It’s why I started travelling,” he replied.

  They reached the bottom of the spiral staircase, and entered a blue corridor, which was about 10ft long. They heard the sound of running water, and Jo emerged on a beautiful scene. They were about 50ft below ground, and the main entrance to the Coven was built inside a natural cave. The water was coming out of holes in the wall and flowed into magnificently carved pools. It was the crystals that were growing out of the walls that caught Jo’s eye. They were red, blue, green, yellow, orange, violet and white colours, and Jo found them far more beautiful than the gems that she had a surplus of in Evermore. There were also some flowers growing out of the rock walls, and Jo felt as though she was in a dream, and nearly drifted away to the soothing sound of the slow flowing water.

  Arthur took her hand and led her along another corridor, and Jo looked above and saw that she was below the Sky River, and her dream had come true. The River was so large, that she saw huge fish were swimming gracefully through the water, and she saw salmon that were swimming upstream against the current and she thought the whole scene looked achingly beautiful.

  They reached the end of the corridor and the whole of the Coven opened up in front of them. The place was sparsely lit, but the main source of light was the huge glass screen that looked out onto the ocean scene outside.

  Geographically they were beneath the city harbour, and Jo saw that either side of the screen was the two stone harbour walls. In the centre of the floor was the symbol of Seashorelle, and it was illuminated by the pale light coming through the screen. “This is amazing, how on earth did they build it?” she asked.

  “Well, when they knew that there was about a foot of rock between the wall of the Coven and the harbour floor, then they basically built the screen first and then broke the wall down,” he explained.

  “It really is a miracle of engineering isn�
��t it?” she asked. A puff of smoke appeared by Arthur, and he caught the piece of paper that floated down. “’You’re welcome’,” he read.

  “She was sending me those when I was upstairs,” said Jo.

  “Did she say anything interesting?” he asked.

  “She made me laugh,” said Jo.

  “No easy task,” he replied.

  “I want to get closer,” said Jo.

  They walked up to the huge screen, and there were other people standing with it, and they all looked rather important. Jo put her hands on the glass and stared out at the majesty of the ocean. She saw what she saw in her dream, only it was thousands of times more beautiful now, because she was actually there. The walls of the harbour were covered in coral formations that were all the colours of the rainbow. It was beginning to get dark, and the whole picturesque vision was lit up, and all the multicoloured fish were swimming around the safe reef, while the bigger fish were swimming between the seaweed covered rocks in the centre. A shark swam close, and all the fish hid. It swam away and they all returned to normal.

  “I shudder to think what Lilia will do here if she invades the kingdom,” said Arthur.

  “For the sake of everyone who can experience this, she needs to be stopped,” said Jo.

  “Or convinced to take a different outlook on life,” said Arthur.

  “I know she’s your sister, and you love her, but if we can’t convince her, then we have to face reality,” said Jo.

  “Have a little faith,” said Arthur.

  “So what else do they have here?” asked Jo.

  “There’s the Tidal Rock Pools, and they are pretty spectacular,” said Arthur.

  “Then let’s go,” she said.

  They followed the floor pattern that led to a large blue arch that in turn led down a corridor that descended down to a wide open space. The Tidal Rock Pools consisted of a large flat area which was peppered with rock pools, and water was slowly rising. The pools were home to hundreds of tiny sea creatures, and Jo saw a lobster clamber from a small pool into a larger one.

  “The tide is coming in, so soon the door will be locked and the room will fill with water,” he said.

  “This place really is amazing,” said Jo.

  “All the covens are different, and since this one is dedicated to the sea and Seashorelle, I think they’re doing a good job,” he replied. They returned to the main room, and decided to walk back to the other entrance, and on the way they would see some more wonders.

  “So what does Seashorelle actually look like?” asked Jo.

  “I have no idea to be honest; we might bump into her on the way to Harrha, and then you can find out for yourself,” he said.

  “I doubt that will happen,” said Jo, who didn’t know what Arthur knew. They passed through another tunnel whose floor was made of a metal grate, and beneath a river flowed.

  “That’s part of the Sky River; it flows all the way from Evermore, and picks up more water from Fina and ends up here,” explained Arthur.

  They reached a small room that had a glass panel in the floor running through it. “I suppose that this is part of the river, running underneath the room” said Jo.

  “Like you said, miracle of engineering,” said Arthur.

  “Where are we going after this?” she asked.

  “I’m taking you out for dinner at the best seafood restaurant in Cesta, ‘The 5,000 Fish Fingers of Dr Sea’,” he said.

  “Umm, that’s the strangest name I’ve ever heard,” she said. A puff of smoke appeared and Jo read the note that fell down.

  “I couldn’t say ”The Crab-net of Dr Calamari”; otherwise Hanna-Barbera would sue, not that I’m saying they definitely would, but it’s an in-the-event-of,” read Jo.

  “Does she ever listen to herself?” she asked.

  Jo turned the paper over, and read the next bit. “’I drift in and out’,” she read.

  “I agree, she’s quite funny,” said Arthur.

  “So lead on,” said Jo.

  There was a set of stairs at the end of the corridor, and Jo walked first, and Arthur followed her. They walked up for about five minutes, and came to a well lit room with a pair of ornate polished oak doors on the other side to where they came in. They opened the doors, and were met by Hylele.

  “Welcome to my home, Princess Josephine” he said. The room they had entered was so beautifully furnished and so filled with things, from globes to a telescope, a desk with various measuring instruments on it, and a bookcase that was locked with a glass cover.

  “Umm, where is your father?” asked Jo, keeping in a laugh.

  “He’s in bed, convalescing from a bash on the head,” replied Hylele.

  “I see. Well we’ll be on our way unless there’s anything else,” said Arthur.

  “Nope, I’ll keep an eye on the house,” he said.

  “You don’t have to boast and order people around you know, it doesn’t make you any real friends, and doesn’t make you a better person,” said Jo.

  “And what if I like it?” asked Hylele.

  “Your father dressed up as The Sea Hag because he liked platinum, so where do you think you’ll end up?” asked Arthur.

  “I’ll bear it in mind, have a nice time wherever you’re going.” he said, and disappeared through a door to the right.

  “We’re going left, so follow me, and when we get to the Sky Port the ship should be ready,”. They left the magnificence of the mansion of Lord Aquatine, and made their way to the ship, so they could get changed for dinner.

  “You know Artie, I just had a thought, Lord Aquatine saw you, and he’s going to Harrha too, so I need to be seen with Alex,” she said.

  “I hate it when you’re right,” he replied.

  “So, were going to have to put off dinner, since you’re not ready,” she said.

  “If I can’t fool a restaurant full of people then what chance do I have with my own sister?” he asked.

  “I hate it when you’re right as well,” she replied.

  “Anyway, I practised my voice while you were running around in the lighthouse,” he replied.

  “Prove it,” she replied.

  “How’s this sis?” he asked in a perfect impression of a girl.

  “Okay that has got to be the creepiest thing I have ever heard,” she said. “Is it that bad?” he asked, still in the same voice.

  “No, it’s perfect, that’s what is so creepy and you sound just like my sister,” she replied.

  “Oh good, then let’s get changed and go to dinner,” he replied, in his normal voice this time.

  They climbed the stairs to the Sky Port, and the ship was waiting, painted white with blue stripes. “It looks like one of my father’s ships, and soon his two daughters will be travelling on a peace mission,” said Jo.

  “If your sister ever finds out about this then she’s gonna kill me,” he said.

  “Oh I don’t know, for all her faults she has a good sense of humour,” replied Jo.

  “OK young princess, turn off your mind and relax,” said a monk in orange robes. Alexandra then began to slowly levitate when she felt like her ears were on fire.

  “Arrgghh!” she shouted and collapsed on the floor.

  In the ships wardrobe Jo was putting makeup on Arthur’s face, and he wasn’t keeping still.”Look all you need is some chalk dust and you’ll look perfect,” she said.

  “It’s not my fault that I tan well you know,” he replied.

  “Right, look in the mirror,” she said. Arthur looked in the mirror, and he saw that Jo did do a good job, and that he now looked like the picture she had showed him of Princess Alexandra.

  “Oh god has it really come to this?” he said.

  “Oh don’t look so sad, this way even I have trouble recognising you,” she replied.

  “I suppose so,” he replied.

  “Stand up and walk around, how does everything feel?” she asked.

  “Surprisingly comfortable to be honest,” he repl
ied.

  “That’s the spirit; I mean you can enjoy this whole little experience if you want, it’s not every day you get to wear the most comfortable underwear in the kingdom,” she said.

  A puff of smoke appeared about a foot away from Arthur, and he tried to grab the falling piece of paper, but fell over when he tripped on his new shoes. “OK, I need some more practice with that, but what does Archie say?” he asked rhetorically.

  “’She’s right you know’,” he read aloud. Jo laughed at this, and she had begun to form a completely different opinion of Archie altogether.

  “I just want you to know that I don’t want to take this up as a full time thing. Then again if I seem to be acting totally normal, you know like a female and all, then don’t be surprised,” said Arthur.

  “There are certain things that happen on assignment that need to stay on assignment and this is one of them. I won’t think any less of you and I’m much more comfortable with you now that you’re slightly incapacitated,” she replied.

  “There’s something I want to ask you Jo, sister to sister,” said Arthur, looking into Jo’s eyes.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Would you do me the honour of untying my corset just a little bit, I feel a rib just popped,” he said.

  “Oh, yeah, sorry,” she said, dazed.

  Jo then set up a blackboard in front of Arthur, who was sat on a chair staring at it. “So your father is Thomas Olandine, which you only call him when nobody is around because it’s one of those closely guarded secrets that makes no sense. Secondly you were born where?” she asked.

  “In Adlin hospital, not really sure if someone’s going to be asking me about that but hey,” replied Arthur.

  “Correct, next question, what is your favourite colour?” she asked.

  “Tangerine orange,” replied Arthur.

  “Correct, who was your first love?” she asked.

  “Umm, Sir Arole, until I became the head of The Order of the Tangerine,” he said uncomfortably.

  “You are annoyed by one thing, just one little thing, what is it?” she asked.

  “People calling me Ally,” he replied.

  “You’re ready,” said Jo.