by Amy Sumida
“Good morning indeed,” Gargo declared. “Today we take another step toward our goal.”
“By hunting a monster?” I played along. “Which one?”
Gargo led us through his rock fortress, gathering soldiers as we went. “Scylla,” he said crisply.
“Scylla?” I pretended to be shocked. Then I chuckled. “Good luck with that.”
“I don't need luck.” Gargo cast a snide look at Triton. “Now, put on your mask, Elaria.”
We were at the airlock room already. I slipped on my mask as instructed, fastening it until a hiss announced that it was pressurized, then stepped into the room beside Gargo. The door shut behind us with a sucking sound and the grates in the floor slid open. Seawater poured in, quickly rising around us while the air was sucked out. As the water rose, everyone except for Gargo and I shifted their legs into tails.
Triteia's skirt settled around her tail despite the water, its metal adornments holding it down. Her beautiful tail, shimmering with lavender scales, moved slowly to keep her upright. Her hair, the swamp-green color of all Tritons, was in its traditional braids but without the medals her father displayed. As I mentioned before, Triteia was dressed for war. The other tritons, however, were dressed in their water wear like Triton, their leather loincloths draping over their tails and their hair adorned with all sorts of baubles.
They weren't expecting a battle, just a nice jaunt outside to toss a monster a sacrifice.
I was the only one with a mask. Everyone else had gills just beneath their ears. The delicate flesh—previously flattened for air-breathing—lifted and began to move with the passage of water. It had always fascinated me how quickly a triton could shift from air to water, and I couldn't help staring, even now. Then the doors at the other end of the room opened, and we all swam out.
Sea Gods can speak underwater, but our group went silent as we exited the palace. A sleek, underwater carriage waited before the main doors, hitched to two hippocampi. The hippocampi—creatures with the front bodies of horses and the rear end of fish—pawed at the water with their forelegs and swung their majestic heads to toss their fin-manes about like flags. Both beasts were a striking, pale blue with scales that glistened like opals; impressive creatures that had doubtless been chosen both for their beauty and strength. Nothing but the best to pull Poseidon's carriage.
Behind the royal carriage were more hippocampi. Several of them were saddled but four were attached to a pod-shaped cage. Inside the cage were the other prisoners, all shackled like Triteia. It looked as if I were the only one Gargo trusted not to flee. How foolish of him.
Gargo waved me aboard the royal carriage. I swam over the side—there were no doors—and settled into the back seat. It, like the cage, was pod-shaped with a pointed nose. An engraving of a trident was the only decoration on its silver hull. A thick, flexible base, similar to rubber, lined the bottom of the vehicle, protecting the metal from the abrasive sand and whatever else it might scrape against. Inside, the bench seats were coated in the same substance; it provided some traction for the passengers. A slippery bench is never a good idea underwater.
Gargo joined me in the back while Triton and Triteia took the front bench. Triton secured his daughter in with a strap that came across her chest from right shoulder down to left hip. Right; I'd forgotten about the seat belts. It had been awhile since I'd ridden in a sea-carriage. I glanced back and saw my belt hanging from the bench's back. I slipped it on and secured it at my hip quickly. Gargo didn't bother with his.
Triton took the reins and gave them a light pull. The hippocampi reared then swam forward; legs churning as if they were on land and tails pumping powerfully. We surged up, off the sand, and into the sea, the lights set within the front of the carriage shining the way.
Soldiers mounted on hippocampi chased after us, several moving to take the lead. The ones in front flicked on huge lights that were strapped to the chests of their mounts and, suddenly, the ocean was revealed.
Large creatures moved ponderously in the murk around us, knowing better than to approach our parade. Beneath us, rocky formations jutted from the sand in jagged designs formed by the shift of continents and the passage of currents. Coral grew over them like moss, softening the stone in places while adding fuzzy branches in others. Giant tubeworms nestled in nooks, their bright tips retracting into their cylindrical homes as soon as they sensed the shift in the water. Massive, insectile crustaceans skittered across the sand ahead of us and eels with strangely pointed heads zipped from one tiny cave to another.
Vampire squid puffed around the shelter of stone boulders, their crimson flesh catching our light like spilled blood as their membranous lower halves opened and closed like umbrellas behind them. Most of the fish we spotted had teeth that belonged on monsters; long, needle-like things that prevented them from shutting their mouths completely. Ghostly fish eyes stared at us suspiciously and dangerous jaws hinged open as if hoping for a nibble.
All of that strange sea life started to peter away the further we went until there was nothing but sand beneath us and open water around us. The emptiness was far more frightening than the creatures of the deep. It meant that even they feared to swim here.
Water brushed my cheek with the strength of a hand, and I jerked away, glancing around myself in shock. There was nothing there. Nothing for as far as my eyes could see. It came again; a touch like a hand. It clenched around my arm this time and started to pull.
The ground abruptly fell away, and I was yanked free of the watery grasp. We dove down at an angle to a sunken seabed, protected by a bowl-shaped depression. In the center of this hole stood a small mountain, bare of coral and rounded from the water's caress. It looked like nothing more than a pile of rocks but as we approached, I noted a spot of darkness near the top that was too deep for our lights to penetrate.
We reached the bottom and straightened out. I waited for that touch to come again, but it didn't. What the hell was that? It would be just my luck that I get taken by some weird, carnivorous, invisible sea monster while on my way to another carnivorous sea monster. But this monster could unknowingly aid in my escape. Better to keep out of the grip of sentient water and take my chances with Triton's plan.
I refocused on my surroundings. Strange shapes littered the sand around us. I peered over the side of the carriage as we settled onto the seafloor. Bones; the shapes were all bones. Some might have been fish bones—from very large fish—but most looked to be human. Thick femurs, arced ulnas, pelvic girdles, and even cracked rib cages. A graveyard's worth of remains was scattered around the suddenly ominous mountain.
The hippocampi made distressed neighs that echoed through the water like whale-song, and the lead riders pulled back to circle around to us. No one spoke. The other soldiers brought their mounts up along either side of us in a line and the cage was swung around so the prisoners had a good view of the mountain. All of us focused on that dark cave, waiting for any sign of movement.
At first, it was barely anything. Just the tiniest glimmer. Then something undulated out of the black mouth, stretching across the rock like grasping fingers. Massive tentacles ringed the opening, oozing into cracks to find purchase. They pulled a body forth, and everyone tensed. Several of the prisoners whimpered.
Scylla. The stories say that she had been beautiful once; a naiad who had caught Poseidon's eye. Supposedly, my great-grandmother got jealous and poisoned the spring Scylla liked the swim in. The poison turned Scylla into a sea monster. She retreated to the ocean and began to take her rage out on unlucky sailors, feasting on their flesh to satisfy her ravenous appetite.
I never asked anyone if the myth were true. Honestly, I hadn't given much thought to Scylla until this moment. But as she slunk down her mountain gelatinously and gathered herself at its base, I doubted every word. What poison could do this? No, it would take magic to make a maiden into a monster. Evil magic. And I simply couldn't believe my great-grandma had ever been capable of such.
Out of
the mass of tentacles, a torso sprouted, thick with rolls of fat. Snarling, canine heads ringed the flabby waist, separating the torso from the tentacles. Even at a distance of several yards, the yips from those dog heads carried to us. Flat, limp breasts hung over her belly, nipples hidden within the rolls of fat. Above them, six snake necks extended from Scylla's shoulders, each one with a grisly, humanoid head attached to it. Each head had four eyes and a mouth full of several rows of shark teeth. I could only see the glint of them from where I sat, but I knew they were there. Her myths may not be accurate but the descriptions of her hideousness were.
“What do you want of me, Sea King?” Scylla's voice rippled hollowly to us with a slight echo; her heads spoke together but not in perfect unison. An enormous cat tail whipped around her tentacles in agitation.
“Your assistance!” Gargo shouted back. He rose from the carriage and swam forward with a glance at Triton.
Triton moved to unbuckle Triteia and as he did, he looked back at me meaningfully. I hurried to undo my restraint as well. If Triton's friend was going to save me, I'd need to be as accessible as possible. So, when my uncle escorted my cousin forward, I went with them.
As we exited the carriage, I said softly, “Guard your sister, he threatened her last night.”
Triton glanced back at me and nodded.
“I've already told you the price of my assistance,” Scylla shouted back at Gargo. “Have you brought me what I asked for?”
Gargo moved across the sand boldly, striding instead of swimming. Every step he took lifted sand and bones in clouds around his boots. Triton followed with Triteia, and I swam after them. Gargo didn't even realize that I had joined them until he stopped within five feet of the monster and glanced back for his sacrifice. His gaze widened when it landed on me but then he grinned. That asshole thought he was about to give me an up-close view of my cousin's death.
“Bring her,” Gargo growled at Triton.
Triton pulled Triteia forward, and she started to fight him as if she'd just realized what he was about to do.
“Father!” Triteia screeched. “Please!”
Gargo chuckled as he snatched Triteia's wrist. “Your father was the one who suggested we sacrifice a prisoner to gain Scylla's help. He could hardly refuse when I demanded that you be the sacrifice.”
“Father!” Triteia started to struggle.
Gargo punched Triteia in the face, and she went limp. Triton flinched, his hand jerking forward, and Gargo grinned viciously at him.
“It's a mercy,” Gargo said. “She won't want to be awake for this.” He undid her manacles and tossed them to Triton. “Waste not, want not. I'm sure we can reuse those.”
Triton's jaw clenched.
“A Triton princess?” Scylla asked in glee. “You honor me, Poseidon.”
“I expect your complete obedience!” Gargo snapped at her. “Do you agree?”
“For a taste of royal Triton flesh? Oh, yes, I agree.” Scylla slunk forward, all of her eyes focused on Triteia. “Give her to me.” Tentacles and hands reached for my cousin.
Gargo shoved Triteia toward Scylla, sending her gliding through the water, and the monster caught my cousin in her claw-tipped hands. She cackled, the sound even eerier beneath the water, and clutched Triteia to her body. Tentacles wrapped around Triteia possessively, circling her tail and throat.
“Send for me when you need me,” Scylla said and then turned to head back to her cave.
Before Scylla made it two feet, a roar vibrated through the water, strong enough to vibrate against my skin, and an enormous shape undulated around Scylla's mountain. Scylla shrieked and drew back. The hippocampi bolted, taking our soldiers, the prisoners, and Poseidon's carriage with them. Only Gargo and Triton were unaffected; the former cocking his head in curiosity while the latter jerked his head toward the approaching beast then widened his eyes pointedly at me.
Sweet stones, this creature was Triton's friend. The one who was supposed to help us escape.
Its snake-like body glowed like a meteor as it shot toward Scylla. Blood-red scales covered its body as if in warning, indigo whiskers flowed from the crest of its snout, and ebony horns curved back from its temples. A tail tipped in fluttering, sapphire fins waved behind it as its jaws opened, revealing deadly teeth as long as my forearms. Eyes the green of shadowed leaves flashed with magic as claws slashed toward Scylla. Ink and blood stained the water, hiding the fight from view, but those crimson scales shone through the darkness as the dragon snatched Scylla's prey right out of her tentacles.
I shot upward and forward at an angle; straight toward the roiling water. The Red Dragon was fearsome, but I had faith in my uncle. He wouldn't have handed his daughter over to the beast if he didn't trust it. Whiskers crackled with light as the dragon head lifted and turned to look at me. His gaze met mine, and I stretched my hand out to him beseechingly.
Gargo shouted, finally realizing what was happening. I kicked harder, straining toward salvation. Water moved behind me, warning me of Gargo's approach. The dragon—not just any dragon, but a Lóng—raced toward me, his body moving with heartbreaking grace and the speed of a missile. A hand wrapped around my foot. I kicked back. Gargo grunted but held tight.
Then the dragon was upon us.
The Red Dragon held my cousin in one of his powerful front claws. Its other foreleg extended and its talons wrapped around my waist. It lifted me, pulling Gargo along with me, then tumbled head over tail to swim back in the direction of Scylla's mountain. Gargo thumped against the dragon's belly helplessly but wouldn't let go. He extended a hand and Scylla's mountain began to rumble.
Rocks flew from the mountain and launched at us. The dragon ducked and swayed, swirling around boulders like a dancer. I kept kicking at Gargo but it did no good. He climbed his way up my body and wrapped his hands around my throat. I guess Gargo figured if he couldn't have me, no one would. The dragon was too busy dodging stones to notice that I was about to be murdered.
As my air was cut off and spots appeared before my eyes, I tried to remember that I'd likely come back from this. I could survive being strangled. But then I saw evil fill Gargo's eyes and knew he wouldn't stop at that. He was about to tear my head from my body and give me a true death.
I slapped at the dragon's belly, but when he tried to look back at me, a rock glanced his shoulder. He reeled and refocused on swimming. Gargo squeezed harder. I prepared for death. My chest constricted, longing for my lovers filling me, but I comforted myself with the knowledge that I would return to them. I'd find them again, even if it took me centuries.
Then the water condensed behind Gargo. I blinked as it took the shape of a man. The liquid man grabbed Gargo's wrists and snapped them. Gargo roared as his hands went limp, and he fell away, floating down into the dark sea.
I gasped for air, choking on the name of my savior, as the Red Dragon carried Triteia and me to safety.
“Darcraxis!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Red Dragon continued to shoot through the water at the speed of a missile. With my mask on it wasn't an issue for me, and Triteia has the undersea eyes of a Triton; no rush of seawater could affect her. After she woke, she gave me a triumphant smile and stared ahead eagerly. The dragon didn't speak, not that anything could be heard over the rush of water, but he did cradle us reassuringly as he headed toward a solid stone wall.
Triteia's eyes widened but she didn't cringe. I, however, shrieked and curled up against the dragon's chest in preparation for a crash, thoughts of dying in the claws of an insane dragon filling my mind. But we didn't hit. The wall was an illusion, one we sailed straight through, and we emerged into a glowing orb of light. I squinted against the glare, but we soon shot through the light and into warmer waters. I had a sneaking suspicion that we'd just taken a Dragon portal to another ocean. Hopefully, that ocean was on Earth.
I stared around myself in shock but there wasn't much to confirm my theory beyond the temperature of the water. Unlike Poseidon's
procession, the dragon didn't have lights strapped to his chest. Either he could see through the pitch dark or he navigated with something beyond sight.
In the silent murk, my thoughts turned back to my husband. In my mind, I saw him take form in the water again, and my heart lightened. Darc was alive; I knew at least that much for certain. But relief over his survival wasn't the only emotion I was experiencing. I was also shocked at what he'd been able to accomplish. Darcraxis must have used the water to find me—we were attuned to each other's magic so that wasn't so surprising—but then he formed a semi-solid body from seawater; a body that wore his face. That was the stuff of legends—of Gods—something that he shouldn't be able to do. Gargo had been right when he'd noted that my magic was growing. It was, and I wasn't the only one getting stronger. Darc's power was slowly rebuilding itself as well; that projection was proof of it.
Darc must have seen or sensed my distress through the water and rushed to help me. I just hoped that he knew I was safe now. That he wasn't worried about me swimming off in the arms of a dragon. And I hoped even more fervently that the other men were alive to be reassured by him. They weren't the only ones I was worried about either. Now that I was away from Gargo, I could let myself feel the knot of panic that had been building in my gut since the battle. Cerberus, the Spellsingers, the Terrencal brothers, Rath... Lucifer. There were so many people I cared about who had been in that fight. Then there were my family members who were still within Gargo's control. I nearly threw up in my mask.