“But, now you remember something?” Jenny asked.
“Ah do. An’ it all be yer doin’! You bein’ human. Ah remember ‘specially bein’ ‘round humans afore this. An’ mermaids! Ah was ‘round humans and merfolk quite a bit afore me shunnin’.”
“You’ve met mermaids! I’ve always wanted to meet a mermaid! I bet they’re beautiful! My friend Finn - back home - he loves mermaids too! He draws ‘em great! I wish he was here.”
“Finn? Finn...” Footbe’s eyes looked off towards the horizon.
“I don’t expect you’ve met. Finn’s back home in my world. He’s best friends with my brother Jack. But, tell me about mermaids! The Wishermans said they were all gone.” Jenny was curious to know more.
“Well, ah can’t remember all dat much yet. But, der be two things ah do remember. First, de merfolk were bein’ sick somehow and I was sent ta get moss from de Mudder Tree ta help ‘em. But, after de shunnin’, I fergot ev’rythin’! She took me mem’ries! Ah don’t know if de merfolk still be livin’ or not. But, if dey are... somethin’ ‘bout de island here triggered me thinkin’ ‘bout de moss. So when I woke up dat mornin’, ah went off ta find it .”
Jenny reflected, “And, the Mother Tree knew about your mission! I didn’t know birds and trees talked! This is such a crazy world. Can I see it? The moss?”
The phooka pulled open the large burlap bag that was beside him and it glittered with lumpy sparkling moss. There was quite a bit.
“It’s beautiful. So, now what do you do with it?” Jenny loved how it shimmered in the late afternoon sun.
“Ah need ta take it ta de Island o’ Merfolk. It’ be in de Bay o’ mer’Rin.
“Do you think they’re still alive?”
Footbe blew another smoke ring. “Mebbe, if’n dey be alive, an’ if we can rescue ‘em, we’ll see.”
“Do you think they’ll help us?”
“Dey bear no love fer de Queen wot made ‘em all sick in de first place.”
Jenny thought about how long the Wisherman kids had been held by the Queen. Did they have time to save merfolk too? And the human kids! She’d almost forgotten about them! She was never going to get home!
Jenny scrunched her eyes. “You said you remembered two things.”
Footbe got a far off look in his eye. “Thar be magic we can use near de Island o’ Merfolk. Merfolk magic. Magic dat might help us get ta de Blue Queen real quick-like. It’s all a bit fuzzy in me memory ya see... but ah’ll know it when ah see it.”
* * * *
The Bay of mer’Rin was on the map. There was an island next to the Island of Merfolk called the Isle of Judgment. Nibs, the navigator, took readings with a sextant and reported that the bay was to the north-east. With good winds they’d be there in a day or so.
It was the first time that Jenny had seen a map of Frey and its surrounding territories. She could also see an island in the south-west which was newly marked as The Isle of Plants. Far to the north-east on the other side of the continent was a mountainous coast marked “Whisps”, and along the southern coast was an area marked “Bogfolk”, the northern mountains belonged to the “Frit”, but the bulk of the continent was marked “Frey”. She could trace her route down the OrangeRock Canyon with the Wishermans, the Riddle River, and the location of Loot’s End. It was interesting to see it all laid out on the map. Jenny had traveled quite a distance since she arrived in Frey.
* * * *
Jenny slept another night on the prow of the ship with a big pillow under a pile of cloaks and blankets that Gibbie pulled together. It was a warm night but not unpleasant. Jenny up front with the crew’s quarters below her helped to balance out the weight of the phooka in the back.
Jenny had never been an early riser at home, but the next morning she woke up with the sun. She might see a real mermaid today! The air was crisp. The layers of warmth dissuaded her from rising, until a shout pealed out from the crow’s nest.
“Land ahoy!” squeaked the little brownie.
Jenny sat up and looked over the edge of the boat’s rail. A distant shoreline opened into a bay.
But she only saw one island in the bay instead of two.
She jumped up and maneuvered her way to the back of the boat. (of course the front of the tiny galleon lifted a bit as she moved towards Footbe.)
“Footbe! There’s only one island!” shouted Jenny.
“No, thar be two.” he said lazily.
“I see only one! Where’s the other?”
“‘Tis an Island o’ Merfolk.”
“Yeah...”
“That island be underwater o’ course where merfolk be more comf’table.”
“Oh.”
* * * *
The small Palmer and its rippling Jolly Roger sailed up to a small island that was little more than a large rock. It wasn’t very impressive. Jenny figured the rock was about as wide as their house at home. The Isle of Judgment. Just a big irregular rock.
In the waters nearby, they could see the shape of a submerged island. They’d avoided sailing directly over it as it came quite close to the surface in places. There were mysterious shapes below the surface, but it wasn’t clear what they were.
The long boat brought Jenny, Gibbs, and Wishermans to the rock’s edge where there was a granite slab for a landing. Footbe swam the distance - he was too big to fit in the small boat with the others.
Jenny wondered how a creature with hoofs could swim. But he swam well enough.
He pulled his wet body out of the water. His dripping goat face and furry body reminded Jenny of a dog who’d just had a bath. He smelled a bit like a wet dog. She tried to position herself upwind of him.
“There’s nothin’ here!” whispered an exasperated Papy. “Ah told ya he was up ta no good!”
Footbe ignored him. After a moment of reflection, he found a gap in the rock which revealed a well worn path. He entered without looking back. Jenny and Gibbs followed and the Wishermans trailed behind. Their path spiraled down till it reached an elaborately carved stone portal around a dark cave opening.
“Jenny, don’t ya be goin’ in thar with that creature!” warned Mamy.
Jenny followed Footbe.
Six feet inside the cave the trail stopped at a solid wall of rock.
Footbe looked back at her with a goat-faced smile. He then turned back to inspect the wall in front of him. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
Jenny was uncomfortable. It wasn’t clear what Footbe was doing.
Footbe raised one hairy hand to the wall and after a moment of feeling about he pressed a finger into an indent.
“I had ta keep ‘em safe, so I locked the merfolk up ta hide ‘em from the Queen.”
There was a rumble under their feet, the sound of rushing water, and momentarily the wall rumbled to one side to reveal steps descending into blackness. Footbe stepped down. A dim light began to glow above a grid of sculpted seaweed patterns in the ceiling. Carved sea life swam through the rock with such great ingenuity it nearly felt alive. Marvelous coral patterns formed arches over their heads. Even the Wishermans couldn’t restrain their gasps. It was beautiful.
“When the merfolk were asked to arb’trate ‘tween the fightin’ o’ the landfolk,” Footbe paused momentarily to see if they were following. “There needed ta be a special-like place where the two folks could meet.”
“The Isle of Judgment.” whispered Papy. “Ah’d always hear’d of it, but ah never thought the outside would just look like a rock. It was supposed ta be fancy lookin’ up top too.”
“It be under a spell, Mr. Wisherman. I had ta keep the Blue Queen’s soldiers from findin’ ther way in.”
The staircase was wide as if created for large groups of people. Everything was wet, but it was now dry enough for them to descend. It reminded Jenny of a fancy subway staircase that she’d
seen once in a picture. At the base of the steps was a wide frieze across the wall which depicted strange land creatures meeting with even stranger sea creatures. A hole in the ceiling illuminated the chamber with natural sunlight and sparkled off the likeness of a silver leafed muscular merman. Metallic rays emanated from his scepter. The MerKing.
It was spectacular. It was exciting!
Below the frieze, wide steps turned to the left and right and descended deeper into the rock till they both met up again in a chamber patterned with stone sea flora stretching far over their heads. The floor was a checkerboard of blue stone, and before them was a window looking into the depths of the blue lagoon.
And there it was! Jenny could see overgrown towers and twisting shapes of the underwater Island of Merfolk. It was an extraordinarily alien underwater city designed for mermaids and mermen. There were no steps or bridges. She thought it looked like a city where everyone could fly. And they would have been able to fly... in a way... through the water.
But it was overgrown. The towers sparkled like ground bones glittering in underwater light. Seaweed and coral strangled empty doorways. The city was dead.
But, another sight upstaged the underwater city. At both ends of the chamber in which they stood, were rows and rows of tall crystal tubes sprouting like bulbs from a garden of marble flora. Some were empty except for black goo pooled at their bottoms... but most of the tubes held sparkling fluid and unusual sleeping creatures.
“What are those?” Jenny asked.
“Merfolk an’ assort’d mer-critters.” answered Footbe.
“Where’s the mermaids?” Jenny Those strange fishy creatures were not what she’d expected at all!
Chapter 38
Practical
Book-Keeping
Rip-One noticed the sensor go off immediately. It was probably just a seagull or something, but it warranted investigation and it would get the rest of the team out of the palace. He wanted more freedom to be able to track the missing boy, and he didn’t want Rudolfen or that disease-ridden Rubette to swoop in and steal his moment. Rubette was a reason in herself to not go whirling around the country in a mucous-filled mass of infections. Who knew what she was carrying?
She could never compete with the glorious and incomparable Sheela of the blue scales. That fan-headed goddess of paperwork. Rip-One would show Sheela that he was worthy of her notice! He would make an impression that Sheela could not ignore!
He yanked on the red rope, which rang a bell in the Redduns’ quarters above his office. He spoke into the tube.
“We’ve an intruder on the isle in the Bay of mer’Rin. Might be jest a seagull trippin’ the wires but ye should check it out. Mebbe some critter’s found an entry inta that place.”
And just for the fun of it, he farted into the tube resulting in a crescendo of screams back from below.
Rip-One was all powerful.
Chapter 39
Escape Gets
More Complicated
Jack shimmied down the stone hole that was slimed with years and years of poop. He seriously didn’t want to lose his grip and fall into the stinky darkness below him. His eyes adjusted to the phosphorescent lichen which apparently lived on smelly stuff. It dimly revealed disgusting streaks of brown and green yuck on the walls and in the gaps in the stonework that Jack used to climb downwards. Every handhold was slippery and disgusting beyond any measure of pure ick he’d ever conceived of in fifteen plus years of life.
About ten feet down, Jack found a dark hole in the side of the chute. His nose was still overwhelmed, but it seemed less smelly in that direction.
“Jackbe! In here!” called out a voice deep within.
“Lilbe?” He pulled himself into the narrow opening and crawled forward. Bilbe followed. The smell did seem to be improving, but he realized he was now wearing much of what he was smelling.
“Lilbe! Is there anywhere I can wash all this crap off? This smell is nasty. Guards will be able to smell me a mile away!”
“Dilbe scouted a spot up ‘head where we heard water! There be a quick-water that runs under the palace, and hot pools there.”
“Okay-” He gasped. “My nose is dyin’.” Jack wiggled his way forward, snake-like, as fast as he could towards a dim glow ahead.
Lilbe ran on before him with a giggle. “Yer mighty smell-some, Jackbe!” She waved her hand in front of her nose.
Ten more minutes of tight squirming brought Jack to the end of the tunnel. He looked out on a small cavern filled with the sound of running water, and conveniently lit by glowing orange fungi. The uneven rocky ground was about eight feet down. A series of steaming pools and smooth, orange rock filled the area below him. Beyond that seemed to be an underground river which tumbled around a bend to his right.
Jack could see Lilbe climbing down the rock wall below him. Dilbe was in the distance dipping toes in one of the pools.
Bilbe was behind him shouting, “Jack, don’t stop! It smells real bad and ye be blockin’ all the sweet air!”
Jack wasn’t sure how to get down without breaking his neck, as he was crawling out of a tight hole head first. There were quite a few pipes that indicated the castle above used this cavern as a hot and cold water source. He looked up.
There was a pipe going into the rock overhead. It crossed over to his left and ran down the wall.
He rolled over on his back and reached up and touched the pipe with the end of his fingers. It was warm but not too hot to touch. He skootched out a bit further till he could fully grab it. Hanging from the pipe he slowly pulled his crap smeared body out of the hole till his feet swung free.
And that’s when it happened. The diaper that had held together for so long, slipped down to his ankles and dropped to the ground far below. He hung from the pipe clothed in poop but otherwise – Jack was stark naked.
“He’s got a glowin pecker,” observed Dilbe.
“Wowee!” said Lilbe.
“Hmmm. That’s interestin’,” noted Bilbe, forgetting his rush to get out of the tunnel.
Jack felt his dirty face flush beet red. He hung there helpless for a second and then hand over hand he carefully reached the vertical pipe on the wall. He clung to it and the momentary privacy it afforded. Using the pipe he climbed and slid down till his feet touched the floor of the cavern. He immediately jumped into the closest steaming pool.
“AHHHH!” Jack screamed at the hot water and climbed out as quick as he could. “That’s boiling!”
“‘Tis not really boiling.” noted Dilbe. “But ‘tis pretty hot. That one o’er thar, be a bit cooler for ye.” Dilbe pointed to a really large one that was a few pools over.
Jack saw where Dilbe was pointing. He ran over and jumped in. He felt uncomfortable when the three puffballs jumped in as well. They were soon splashing and having fun, climbing out and jumping and he saw that they were naked too. Yes. They had parts as well, even if they were not quite recognizable under their wet fluff. They were definitely a different species. He tried not to look.
Jack ducked his head under the surface and ran his hands through his hair to clean the crap out of it. He scrubbed his body as best he could with his hands. There was a good bit of current that flowed past and poured into the river below. After a bit, the pond cleared of all the crap that he’d washed off. But, they all moved to a cleaner pool anyway. Dilbe knew which ones were okay to climb into.
He ducked under water again and back up and it was nice to be clean again. “Thanks for rescuing me,” he took a deep breath and exhaled. The heat of the water was comforting and enveloping like a warm comfortable blanket.
“No worries!” shouted Bilbe just before he dropped like a cannonball right next to Lilbe.
Around them, the cavern was filled with different varieties of mushrooms and strange fungi. Lots of them were gigantic and species he’d never seen before,
but here and there Jack noticed mushrooms he’d seen before. Oyster mushrooms which he knew were edible, and Reishi mushrooms which made people sleepy. They were a bit bigger than the ones in his dad’s cellar, but he recognized their distinctive reddish-orange crescent shapes growing among the rest.
It was weird to be sitting naked in a pool with other people. Oddly enough, he had to admit that it was the first time he’d felt safe in days. As if, Jack had been holding his breath for a long time now. A long time. Even before this whole adventure started. He was always trying to be someone else. Even pretending a little bit with Jenny and Finn. He was always filtering without even being conscious of it. Showing people what he thought they wanted to see. Maybe, he’d never really been naked around anyone else before. Really naked. Not just on the outside but the inside. If people really knew him, he didn’t know what they’d think of him. He had tried talking about stuff with his parents a few times, but it was complicated. He didn’t even liked to think about his secrets even to himself. Jack was always clothed in the Jack he thought the world wanted to see. Always. Holding his breath.
But here he was. Naked in a warm pool with three strange creatures who didn’t care that he was naked. And they liked him. Being naked was surprisingly freeing. It was just Jack in all his imperfectness with no apology. Not that he wanted to stay naked. He needed clothes! But, for the moment he was more comfortable without them than he would have expected.
“Why’s yer nubby-parts glowin’ gold?” asked Dilbe – startling him out of his thoughts.
Nubby-parts? Jack moved to cover himself, but then he realized that none of the others were even slightly self conscious about it. He looked down and there it was – slightly obscured but glowing under the water.
“That ain’t reg’lar fer humans... is it?” queried Bilbe staring into the water analytically.
“Uh, no – a giant wish and dove down my throat before I was captured. I was glowing all over, but I used up most of the wish when I sent a roomful of kids home to their parents.”
Olly, Olly, Oxen Frey Page 20
