by Katie Cherry
I lurch forward, my forehead on my knees, gasping for breath as the tears come faster and harder. My body still tingles, but it doesn’t hurt any longer. Again, the King levels the Trident at us. I flinch. “Heal.” I sigh with relief as a wave of calm washes over me. I relax and bask in the comforting feeling. It feels… like a cold shower on a hot day, a cup of hot chocolate when it’s cold outside, a warm blanket sheltering from the crisp cold, the feeling of being loved, of accomplishment and compassion, and more that cannot be put into words. “End,” I again hear, and it does.
I sit up, feeling refreshed. I instinctively wipe the tears off my face, which I then realize is pointless since we’re in water anyway. “You now have a taste of the Trident’s power,” the King says to us as we stand. “…Therefore, you will be able to use it in case of an emergency, but I would caution you to use it only as a last resort. I know that it works for mermaids, but I have never heard of a human using it. As far as I know, it may not even work,” he warns us as he hands it to me. As soon as his blueish skin is no longer touching it, the green glow fades until it is hardly visible.
“Good luck defeating the Dragon Hunters, Crystal Dragon and Nathan Anderson. I wish I could join you, but I would not survive on land. If you ever need help, do not fear to come and ask. I will order my mermaids not to harm you should they see you. And if you can bring the Trident back, then please do. Not only will it help us stay alive during this war, but we will need it to pick our next King if needs be.”
“Of course,” I reply. “If we can manage it, we will return it to you. Thank you so much!”
He inclines his head to me in a small bow. “You are most welcome, Dragongirl. …And even though we may not have a prophecy of you, I know that you will help us as well as the other races. Good luck!”
“Goodbye!” Nathan and I call back as we swim out of the castle. When we emerge outside, Gorg is there waiting.
“I am here to escort you back to where we found you,” he informs us. We nod.
“Oh, wait!” I say.
“What is it?” Nathan asks me.
I don’t reply, grabbing a clump of long seaweed strands instead. Putting the heavy Trident on my back, I use the seaweed to strap it into place. “Now I can swim easier,” I explain.
“Very well. Are you ready now?” Gorg asks.
“Yes,” I reply. We follow him through a towering wall of seaweed and past some over-sized jellyfish that seem to be guarding the exit. We swim for a few hours before we reach the cave where we fell asleep. Once we arrive, Gorg turns and bows to us, then swims back the way he came, leaving us alone once again.
We rest in the cave for about an hour before heading out again, back toward our little island. We reach it in about an hour. When we climb ashore, we have to drag ourselves out- I feel like I weigh more than twice as much as I had before. It suddenly hard to move my limbs, and the Trident feels heavier as well. I quickly undo the seaweed and let the Trident thud onto the sand next to me. We lie beside each other on the sand and rest fully for the first time in days. I hear the gun go off, signaling that we have won the Challenge. I look over at Nathan and smile. He smiles back. We finished! We’re alive! Not only that, but it seems that this really is the last Challenge! We’re done! Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m done with what I need to do here, but at least I’m no longer at Vlad’s mercy in these ‘Games.’
We wait, expecting to be tranquilized again, but nothing comes. We’re confused until we see a helicopter-like aircraft coming towards us. It looks like we actually get to be awake on the ride home. Well, we probably won’t be awake for long, but at least we get to sleep voluntarily. Our island isn’t large enough for both us and the helicopter, so it lands on the other island, and we swim over to it.
When we climb inside, we’re greeted by a relieved Thaddeus and an ecstatic Nehru. We sit down across from them as we take off. Nehru immediately starts asking us questions. “What happened after you went inside the castle? Our cameras that were following you went dead once you went inside! We didn’t see anything until we could send more out there, and by then you were leaving the castle- with the Trident!” she exclaims, staring at it as I lay it on my lap.
Luckily, Thaddeus comes to our rescue. “Now, Nehru, don’t you think that the big reveal should be at the winner’s ceremony tonight?”
She frowns but grumpily agrees. “Alright, fine. I guess if I were one of the citizens, then I would want to be the first to know. At least I will only have to wait for a few hours anyway.” After that, we are allowed to sleep, and sleep we do. We wake as we’re touching down in the Square. Luckily, no one’s there to swarm us. Nehru explains that the winners are always swarmed by people, but they wanted to save us from that for at least a little longer. Relieved, we thank her and start heading toward our house, wanting to eat and sleep, but we’re cut off by Vlad.
He scowls at us, obviously not pleased that not only are we alive, but in one piece- and with the Trident. “Well, well, well,” he says, glaring specifically at me. “Aren’t you two full of surprises.”
“Yeah, well, we like to keep things interesting,” Nathan replies sarcastically.
Vlad shifts his glare to him for a moment, then returns it to me. “Well, hand it over.” I raise an eyebrow at him disbelievingly. He sighs impatiently. “The Trident is what you were sent to recover, but that does not mean that you get to keep it. The Challenge is not officially won until I have the object of interest in my possession.”
I glower at him and hand it over. He seems surprised by how heavy it is. “Very good,” he says. He then turns and walks away without another word. I sigh.
“Let’s go home,” I say to Nathan. He nods and we head back to our house, where we grab something to eat and crash into bed.
Chapter Fifteen
The Dragon Hunters
My dream starts out like it always does- a random mix of things that I had seen and/or thought of during the day, except nothing is very clear. It’s all in color, but it’s fuzzy and out of focus. First, I’m playing on the playground with Kiki. Then her friends come over and they’re all suddenly little mermaid kids, biting each other. I yell at them to stop, but then Nehru steps up with the Trident and paralyzes me. Nehru then turns into Vlad, and, with an evil grin, he begins torturing me. It goes on and on like that. I fight to escape the dream, but I seem to be locked into place.
Until finally, it all fades away. The pain disappears, Vlad and the Trident are nowhere to be seen, and it’s just me. I look around and find that I’m once again at Dragon Mountain, but there are no toxic fumes to hurt me. How did I get here? I wonder. And why am I here?
I hear a familiar chuckle. I look around, but no one’s there. “Who’s there?” I call.
“Do not worry, child,” I hear deep in my head. I look around once more, and a massive golden dragon flickers into view just in front of me. “I have ended your previous dream so I could talk to you. Why are you so tortured as you sleep, young one?”
“Gale!” I gasp with relief. “I just… I don’t know. I can’t control it. I guess my brain just plays on my fears… thank you for stopping it.”
“Why do you fear? You are part dragon, and not only that, you have all of our support, as well as that of your own people- Nathan’s at the very least. You do not have to face this alone. What troubles you?” So I tell him. I update him on everything since I last saw him. It’s a long tale, but it doesn’t seem to take very long in the dream. My eyes are filled with tears by the time I finish.
“I… I don’t know that I will be able to help you, Gale. I no longer have the power of a dragon.”
“Hmm. Even if that’s so, you still have us to help you, and what more do you need than friends? It is possible for a few to overtake many, as the mermaid told you. I have also seen it many times over the years. It is what changes the outcome of a war. You can do this. Besides, being a dragon is a part of who you are. You may no longer be able to fully transform, but you stil
l have our power within you, even if it’s more difficult to reach. You have since before you were born. You can still change your eyes, can you not?”
“I don’t know,” I reply. “…If I try now, would it work like it would in real life?”
“I believe so.” I try switching my eyes out, and for the first time, they seem to resist. I push harder and they turn around. I look around and find that they work the same as they always have.
“You see, they cannot take away your entire identity. You are still one of us, for better or worse.”
“…Thank you, Gale,” I say quietly. “You don’t know how much that means to me. But how did you know I needed you?”
“I… didn’t. I was simply contacting you to inform you that the sapphire clan is planning something to convince you to help us. I was going to ask if you…”
“There’s no need for that,” I interrupt.
“What?” he says, obviously caught off-guard.
“Yeah… I decided… I’m going to do all I can to help you, the mermaids, and all of the other races destroy the Dragon Hunters.”
“Is that so? What changed your mind?”
“It was partially the mermaids, as well as the Dragon Hunters’ own fault. They brought the fight to me personally, and I can no longer ignore the harm they’re causing- to everyone. That, and I couldn’t take the guilt of leaving you all alone. It was eating me up from the inside out.”
“Oh. Well, I’m glad. I want to make sure you understand that we are all behind you on this. If you need our help, just call my name with voice and mind, and I will hear you and come to your aid with all the dragons I can rally. I’m sure the mermaids and Sohos would do the same. We also feel guilt for leaving it up to you.”
“Thank you,” I say, touched and reassured. Gale then starts fading before my eyes. “What… no! Where are you going?”
“It seems you are waking up. It’s alright, I will see you later. Goodbye, Crystal Dragon, and good luck…” His voice fades as his body does and I am alone on the mountain as the dream finishes wrapping up.
I open my eyes and see Dallas’s face looming over me. I blink as his face swims into focus. “W- what?” I mutter as I sit up, drowsily rubbing my eyes.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your sleep, but Thaddeus wishes to speak with you and Nathan before the ceremony tonight. He sent me to wake you as well as protect you.”
I groan a little, still drained from the last Challenge. “Thanks.” He nods, then leaves so I can get dressed. After I’m ready, I wake Nathan, then step outside for some fresh air. The sky is blue, with a few white clouds floating lazily by. A cool breeze dances through the trees, causing them to sing once again. It’s a peaceful day, and for once, my mood matches it.
I feel refreshed, although still a little fatigued. All of a sudden, the meaning of the winner’s ceremony actually hits me. “Whoa… wait a second… we won?”
Dallas looks at me, surprised. Then he smiles in understanding. “Yep. You are officially the winners of the Games this year!”
“We… we won… we won! WE WON! I… I can’t believe it! This… this means that the nightmare is finally over!” I laugh, feeling better than I have in a long time. This is astounding! This is spectacular! I… I can go home soon… But as I’m thinking this, I remember my promise to the dragons, mermaids, and Sohos. I need to first finish off the Dragon Hunters. I feel a sudden urge to run; just run back home and forget all about this freaky place.
No… I couldn’t do that to my friends. The Dragon Hunters would kill them and destroy this world if I don’t stop them… I have to do my duty. There’s no backing down. Somehow, this thought doesn’t hinder my good mood. The hopeful feelings I had derived from my dream still linger in my mind and heart.
When Nathan comes out, we follow Dallas to the hospital. Nathan and I go inside to check on our Familiars. They’re doing better, but they’re not up to full speed yet. Nora’s pleased and excited at the news that we won the Games.
“I’m not surprised,” she says proudly. “From the moment I met you two, I knew that nothing would be able to stand in your way.” I smile and tell her that I’ll be back to check on her tomorrow. “Could you bring a fresh mouse? The food here stinks!” I laugh and assure her that I will if I can catch one.
From the hospital, we head to the Square. Before we get there, Thaddeus catches up to us. “Congratulations,” he says, smiling broadly. “I knew you could do it! Now then, the ceremony will begin as soon as you two arrive.” He looks us up and down with a frown. “However, first you need a shower and some new clothes. Come with me.” We follow him to another building and take a shower. When I come out, there are some clothes laid out on the bed.
I slip on the dark purple sleeveless dress and put the silky black jacket on top. There are some high-heeled shoes and black necklaces and earrings as well. There’s a new watch on the bed, which is fantastic since mine wasn’t waterproof and was ruined in the last Challenge.
As soon as I’m dressed, two women I’ve never seen before come in and begin doing my hair. As they do, I admire my new watch. It’s the nicest watch I’ve ever seen. After inspecting it, I see that it is waterproof and tells the temperature as well as the time. I find when I push one of the buttons that there’s a map with both my location and Nathan’s as well. At the top of the map is the label ‘ZILFERIA.’
“That watch actually adjusts to whatever realm you’re in. I have one myself. They’re very useful.” I spin around and find Thaddeus standing at the door. My hairdressers slip past him as they leave, their duty done. “In fact, they actually programmed yours to be able to connect with Nathan’s and vice versa. You can talk to him. Go ahead, try it. Just twist the circumference of the watch, then lift it a little.”
I do as he says, and suddenly a picture of Nathan’s face is projected from it. I watch as he looks at me with surprise. “Whoa!” he exclaims. “How did that happen? Crystal? You have a watch too? Aren’t they cool?”
I laugh. “Yep, they’re pretty awesome. Hey, where are you?”
“Right behind you,” he winks. I turn as the door opens and he walks in. He’s wearing a nice black suit with dark purple lining, just like the rest of our outfits. His hair is done up for the first time since I’ve seen him. He looks completely different from what I’m used to.
“You look… nice,” he smiles. “I’ll have to get used to that!”
We both laugh. “Don’t get too used to it. I’ll be back to normal as soon as I can.”
“That’s good. It feels weird to be all dressed up like this.” I agree.
Thaddeus glances at his watch. “Oh, dear- we’re going to be late if we wait much longer! Let’s go!” He then hustles us out the door and down to the Square, where we are greeted by a thundering cheer from the crowd. My eyes widen. This is the most people I’ve seen in one place the entire time I’ve been here. There’s a path cleared right through the middle of them, so I assume that’s where we’re supposed to go.
Nathan and I walk side by side down the aisle, waving and smiling at the people with Thaddeus right behind us. After several minutes, we reach the stage where Nehru is waiting patiently for us. We climb the steps and stand on her right while Thaddeus stands on her left. The noise from the crowd is deafening, and it continues for a couple more minutes before Nehru can quiet them down.
When it’s finally diminished to a few catcalls and whoops, Nehru steps up to the microphone and clears her throat. The crowd finally goes silent. “Welcome, one and all, to the Games’ final Ceremony of Winners!” More cheers. “And a hearty congratulations to our winners… Crystal Shay and Nathan Anderson!” I just now remember that the majority of the people have no idea I’m their ‘lost’ Princess thanks to Thaddeus tampering with the video feed throughout the Challenges. As the cheers die down, I hear a sudden shout from four girls near the stage, “WE LOVE YOU, NATHAN!” I laugh as he smiles uncomfortably and waves at them. They swoon and fall over, and I snort from tryin
g to keep in my laughter.
“Now we will have the audience ask a few questions from either Crystal or Nathan.” Hundreds of hands immediately pop up. Some are even jumping up and down to stand out and get called on.
Nehru picks a random guy close to the stage. “Crystal,” he begins. “What happened after you went into the castle? Nobody knows- the cameras went out.” At this, there’s a bunch of boos- as if it was someone’s fault. I smile a little as I think that it was indeed, but they don’t actually know that.
“Well, when we went in there, the King came in and had his servants feed us. We asked him for the Trident, and he gave it to us.”
Another person from the crowd. “Surely it wasn’t that easy?”
I swallow. I can’t tell them the whole truth. “Uh, well the King just liked us, I guess. He said he saw how… how I was nice to the mermaid kids and he was impressed. Yes, he did take a lot of convincing, but he eventually decided to trust us.” This seems to satisfy them on the subject.
Nehru then picks a guy toward the back. “Crystal, will you marry me?” he asks, shouting over the distance. The crowd bursts into laughter and wolf whistles as I blush. Luckily, I don’t have to answer since he wouldn’t hear me anyway.
Next is a girl. “Nathan, do you love Crystal?” I look over at him curiously and find that he’s blushing a bright red. I am as well. He doesn’t answer, nor does he meet my gaze.
“Are there any serious questions?” Nehru asks. Most of the hands go down. Nehru fights a smile. She picks another person, saying that this is the last question.
“How do you think you two were able to win?” they ask.
I let Nathan take that question. “Um, I don’t know,” he says. They boo at his lack of response. “All I know is that it wasn’t really because of anything I did. Thaddeus helped us a bunch, but it was Crystal that got us through it all.”
“What?! No, it wasn’t!” I instinctively protest.
“Yes, you did pretty much everything. Remember the werewolves? If it weren’t for you, I would have died. And the Zyloff- you died and I couldn’t do anything, but when I died, you saved me!” I start to protest more, but he cuts me off. “And at the maze, I got knocked out pretty fast. I was worthless.”
