by Amy Sumida
The thought of a puke-filled mask calmed my anxiety. I breathed deeply and told myself that whatever had happened was done; there was nothing I could do to change it now. But I could save the living. I had to focus on the fact that I was free and could fight Gargo now... as soon as I got this damn collar removed.
After a few minutes, the darkness began to lighten. The water warmed to indigo then golden-blue. The source of the light spread out before us on the seafloor. Triteia and I both gaped at it; an undersea city of a size and grandeur that I've never seen before. This wasn't just a palace or a fortress, it was the home of an entire civilization.
A gleaming, coral-red palace stood as a hub in the center of the vast city. Its main tower lifted from the keep in a stacked cylinder like an extended telescope with golden, layered roofs. A giant pearl crowned it, glowing like a beacon. Around the keep, shorter towers gathered with thick walls connecting them. The palace extended into several wings, all circular and set in a circle around the central keep with those thick walls branching off them. From the ring of the palace complex, more walls shot off like wagon spokes to lead to hundreds of squat towers, all exuding golden light that haloed the city.
The dragon spiraled down toward the palace. As we drew near, I realized that the walls were far too wide to be mere barriers. They weren't walls at all but building complexes; windows in their sides confirmed that. The tops of the outer towers were open to the sea and soldiers stood guard in them, watching over the city with spears held at the ready. They saluted the Red Dragon as we passed and in response, the dragon let out a short, snapping sound.
The tower of the central keep was wider than I'd originally thought. The lower portions were sealed, windows filled in with glass, but the topmost floor was open to the ocean and large enough for an airplane to land on. Or a dragon. The dragon did indeed land there, sinuously circling the tower once before gliding down to the marble floor. In the center of the platform stood a small construction with a door. The dragon released us and gently nudged us toward the door with his whiskered nose.
As Triteia and I swam toward the building, I felt the water roll behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and caught the tail end of a transformation. Literally. The Red Dragon was gone, replaced by a blurring form that condensed into the shape of a man; a naked man with long, crimson hair wafting in the currents around his sleek, muscular body. He swam forward, golden-brown skin catching the light that shone down from the domed ceiling of the tower. His almond eyes hinted at an Asian ancestry but they weren't quite right—having a crease in the lid and being a touch too large—and the rest of his features were too exotic to be of this world. Despite his red hair, his eyelashes were raven-black and their thick border made his soft green eyes seem to glow. That sharp stare fastened on me as the man's lips stretched into a smile.
Yeah, he'd caught me staring.
The Red Dragon reached past me and opened the door for us. Then, with a gallant nod, he waved Triteia and me inside. Triteia widened her eyes at me as we swam into a small chamber. I widened mine back with a childish grin. Yes, we'd gotten to ogle an undersea dragon hottie.
In a similar way to the airlock in Gargo's palace, the room began to drain through vents near the floor as air was pumped in near the ceiling. Triteia shifted her tail to legs as we lowered with the water level and by the time the room was drained, we were all standing on our feet. That's when I noted that the dragon's hair was longer than I'd thought. It clung to his body like flowing blood, all the way to his ankles.
Damn, that was some long hair. Brushing it must be a bitch. Hell, living with it must be a huge pain in the patootie. My hair was nearly to my ass and there were days when I considered cutting it all off because it was simply that annoying.
I started to thank our rescuer, but the room began to move downward and the whirring it made was too loud to talk over. So, I waited, keeping my gaze diverted from our host's nudity. One look had been enough, thank you. I wasn't dead, I could still appreciate a naked man, but when it came down to it, the only naked men I wanted to see weren't there. That thought really sobered me, and I had to take another deep breath to push the panic back down. I'd find out if they were okay soon; just a little longer.
We came to a stop, and the dragon opened the same door we had entered through but now, it revealed an air-filled room. A regiment of soldiers stood at attention before us in the room, all of them wearing red and gold uniforms. They shared the dragon's exotic features, if not his level of handsomeness or his coloring. Most of them had dark hair and brown eyes. They smacked the butts of their spears onto the floor and made a unified, guttural sound of respect as our rescuer stepped forward. Before the soldiers stood a man dressed in a silk suit. He came forward with a sapphire robe. He lifted it and the dragon slid his arms into the sleeves and shrugged it on. The man then gathered the dragon's hair and freed it from the garment, laying it reverently down his back like a cape.
“Welcome, Queen Elaria and Princess Triteia,” the dragon said in a deep, rich voice. “I am King Zhavage, the Red Dragon of Summer, and I'm honored to have you as my guests. This is my steward, Li Wei.”
“Welcome to the Cinnabar Court,” the robe-bearer said and bowed.
“Thank you.” I nodded to Li Wei before I addressed Zhavage. “And thank you for your help. Gargo grounded my magic with onyx.” I waved at my throat. “I was unable to free myself.”
“Gargo?” Zhavage asked.
“He's the god possessing my grandfather,” Triteia explained. “Elaria sang him to sleep when he tried to rise from his prison recently but then his soul escaped and took up residence in our grandfather.”
“Sang him to sleep?” The Red Dragon lifted a blood-red brow at me.
“It's a long story.” I waved it off. “But if what Gargo says is true, Poseidon welcomed Gargo's soul into his body in exchange for power.”
“He did what?” Triteia growled at me.
“That's what Gargo told me.” I held up a calming hand. “Who knows if it's the truth, though I suspect it is. I don't see how Gargo could possess Poseidon otherwise.”
“Then Grandpa was a fool!” Triteia snapped.
“Power seduces some men more than a beautiful woman could.” King Zhavage shrugged. “And it can make fools of us just as easily.”
“It doesn't matter how it happened, only that it has,” I said, ignoring King Zhavage's flirtatious grin. “I know we've just arrived and this will sound ungrateful, but we need to get back to the surface, and Gargo took my traveling stone. Could you help us once more?”
“When Triton asked for my help he also asked that I send word to the Hound of Hades after I succeeded and let your people know that you were safe,” Zhavage said gently. “Under my orders, Li Wei sent a messenger as soon as we were spotted. We will be leaving for the surface after we hear back from him and have a rendezvous location. I have sworn to give you my protection until I see you safely to your people, and I intend to keep my vow.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said with relief. Then his words sunk in. “Cerberus is alive? Do you know of any other survivors?”
Zhavage blinked. “I'm sorry. I assumed the Hound of Hades lives since Triton asked me to contact him, but as we've only just sent the messenger, I'm not certain. I have no knowledge of the losses your army may have suffered.”
“Of course.” I cleared my throat. “How would you? I'm sorry; I've just been a bit anxious to learn how our side fared.”
“As any leader would be,” Zhavage said gently. “I may not know of the fate of your army, but I can tell you that the Lóng armies will be joining yours, Queen Elaria. I've notified the other courts and all the Kings are in agreement. We will not allow this god to take control of Earth; neither her waters or her land. This planet is precious to us; it's our home. We will stand with you to defend it.”
“That's wonderful news; thank you.” I started to smile. “And, please, call me Elaria.”
“If you will call me Zhava
ge,” he offered.
“Savage?” I asked with a teasing grin.
“I can be.” Zhavage smiled wickedly. “But no, it's Zhavage with a zah sound. If you prefer, you may call me by the name the Chinese gave me; Ao Qin.”
“I think I prefer Zhavage. Thank you, Your Majesty; it will be my pleasure to use your given name.” I held out my hand.
King Zhavage took my hand but instead of shaking it, he lifted it to his lips. “A pleasure indeed,” he murmured against my skin.
Oh, great, the Red Dragon was randy.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“We went through a portal, didn't we?” Triteia asked as Zhavage led us down a corridor and into his palace, one of us on each of his arms.
“We did,” King Zhavage confirmed. “We are now in the Pacific Ocean.”
“I didn't know such passages existed,” Triteia said eagerly. “Are there many of them?”
“They are attuned to the Lóng,” he said apologetically. “You must be accompanied by one of us to use them.”
“That's a shame.” She sighed. “They would have been helpful.”
“If you mean that they'd be helpful in this war, then rest assured that we will gladly transport your people to the Atlantic if necessary.”
“That would be most appreciated.” Triteia glanced at me and grinned.
“It would,” I murmured.
“You have thought of something?” Zhavage asked me.
“Yes. Something that should have occurred to me sooner,” I admitted. “I have an alliance with the Water Fey of Tír na nÓg. I can ask them to fight for us as well.”
“And they will use their travel stones to reach the Atlantic?” He asked with keen interest.
“That would be the easiest way,” I agreed. “Although, I'm not sure if they have traveling stones.”
“I'd heard that all Shining Ones have such stones,” Zhavage said. “I wish I could have seen yours, but I suppose if you had been able to keep it, my help would have been unnecessary.”
“Your people can create portals but not traveling charms?” I asked in surprise.
Zhavage laughed before answering, “We most certainly have the ability to create tools to move us across the Realms. I was simply curious about those employed by Shining Ones. Dragons are notoriously curious creatures.”
“Yes, I dated a Drachen once, he was very curious indeed, but I'd thought the different Dragon races, especially those from other realms, would have unique qualities.”
“Oh, we do,” he confirmed. “But it's like the difference between predator cats; they may have unique traits on the surface but beneath their fur, they're all felines.”
“Interesting,” Triteia murmured. “That's how it is with a lot of sea gods as well.”
“I know.” Zhavage winked at her. “I happen to be a sea god.”
“Of course,” Triteia stammered as her bluish skin blushed a pretty shade of lavender. “I wasn't sure how you identified yourself.”
Before I could say something to save Triteia from further embarrassment, we turned the corner and entered a new corridor, this one lined with arched openings. The scent of ripe fruit teased my nose and sunlight spread warmth over my hand. I slid away from King Zhavage to angle toward the windows and fully immerse myself in the light.
The hallway was actually a bridge, extending over a lush garden. Fruit trees spotted the enormous space and exotic flowers sprouted around them. A path of crushed shells wound through it all, leading to a glassy lake where cranes speared sparkling fish with their beaks. One of them launched into the air with its prize and flew past us.
“Sweet stones,” I murmured. “How magnificent.”
The magic and physical effort that would be required to create this garden—without a god—was astounding. The Lóng must have been working on it for millennia.
“Thank you.” King Zhavage beamed. “We're very proud of our gardens. We are the Summer Court, after all. Those trees bear fruit all year round.”
I hadn't even realized that Zhavage and Triteia had joined me. I was that impressed by the undersea garden. In particular, the sunlight. I angled my head up to stare at the domed ceiling. At its apex, a blinding light took the place of the real Sun.
“I've seen many magical things, but a summer garden beneath the sea is at the top of the list.” I smiled at him.
“Just at the top?” He teased. “Not the top?”
“As I said; I've seen many magical things.” I started walking again.
“A woman who's hard to impress,” Zhavage noted as he and Triteia joined me. “I like that.”
“Well, she was a goddess,” Triteia muttered.
“Yes, my advisers have told me your story, Elaria.” Zhavage glanced back at Li Wei, who was following behind us. “A goddess trapped in the body of a spellsinger.”
“I wouldn't call it being trapped. In fact, I had the chance to be a true goddess again, but I chose to give it up.” I shrugged. “I like this life better.”
“I imagine that being a goddess can get lonely?” He offered.
“It can get... stressful,” I amended. “I didn't like who I was when I had all of that power.”
Zhavage's eyes widened in surprise. “Most people would sacrifice much for power. Poseidon is a perfect example of that. But you gave it up willingly?”
“Look at how power worked out for my great-grandfather,” I noted with a lifted brow. “It was a very similar situation for me; my Goddess soul had been split; its magic imprisoned while the magicless portion was put into a human body. I cycled through several lives before I became a spellsinger and received magic again. Those lives changed me; made me into a new person.”
“So, when you were reunited with your magic, you were also reunited with your old self?” He asked.
Triteia cocked her head at me, just as curious as Zhavage was.
“Precisely,” I confirmed. “And the new me didn't like the old one so much. Faenestra tried to subdue Elaria.”
“And Elaria won?” Zhavage whispered with awe.
“I had some help.” I smiled softly. “I'm lucky enough to have a lot of people who love me.”
“Husbands,” Triteia interjected pointedly.
“Yes.” Zhavage sent Triteia a knowing grin. “I've heard of them as well. It would seem that you didn't escape all of the bonds of magic, Elaria.”
“Some bonds I've grown to appreciate.”
“I can imagine.” He chuckled. “You must have some very understanding consorts.”
“Husbands,” Triteia corrected.
“Husbands,” Zhavage repeated with a sensual smile for her.
Triteia blushed again.
“And a Griffin mate and a Gargoyle boyfriend,” I added since we were being so precise.
“My, my,” King Zhavage murmured. “That is quite a lot of competition for a man.”
“No competition,” I protested. “I have no interest in adding another man to our family. I am more than content.”
“And probably exhausted,” he said it so casually that I didn't realize it was a joke until he winked at me.
Then I burst into laughter. “It can get a little tiring, keeping everyone happy. But the rewards outweigh the weariness.”
“And that is how all things should be judged.” Zhavage nodded sagely. “Ah, here we are.” He opened a door and ushered me inside a luxurious room. “Please use this space as if it were your own. There is a change of clothing in the closet and a bathroom beyond that door.” He waved into the room. “I'll send someone to fetch you in half an hour. Hopefully, we'll have heard from the Hound of Hades by then.”
“Thank you, Zhavage.”
“My pleasure, Elaria.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Before I changed clothes, I wanted a bath. Although most of my body was covered by the wet suit, my hair was not and it was sticky with salt. Plus, my tight muscles could really use the heat. I went straight to the only other door in the room, assuming it led
to the bathroom, which it did. I stood on the threshold of a hidden sanctuary.
Sea-green glass tiles lined the walls that sloped up to a central dome. At the apex, a collection of lush plants hung, waiting for steam to nourish them. The color and the plants would have created a jungle ambiance if the rest of the room hadn't been so exotically luxurious. The curving counter held a sink enameled with swimming fish. Above it, a round mirror, framed with more fish, hung from chains. It wouldn't have hung flat if it had been attached directly to the wall; the slope was that pronounced.