by Amy Sumida
The coral forming the reef was the biggest I've ever seen, bigger even than those making up the columns we'd just passed. They were obviously encouraged by magic to grow into roughly architectural shapes. Branches formed the curves of windows and doorways. Glass panes were set within those natural window frames and polished metal discs served as doors. There were no spires sticking up from its sprawling formation, no flags waving in the current or crenelated wall surrounding it. But there was a plethora of underwater plants decorating the surface, some of them even seemed to be crawling around of the own accord. They filled every crevice, every nook and loop of coral, so that the whole of it seemed alive, swaying with the current.
The coral columns had stopped at the dragon gate, forming a roughly circular border around the reef, and creating a sandy courtyard. Light flowed from the Coral Court's windows, adding to the columns' glow and illuminating all sorts of crawling creatures and schools of fey fish. Here on the seabed, the water was clearest and the colors of the marine life were vibrantly apparent. They were stunning but it wasn't the fish or even the coral reef which had me staring. It was the subjects of the Dragon Court.
Hippocampi, selkies, mermaids, kelpies, it went on and on. Every sea fairy I could think of swam in and out of the coral court. Seals undulated around horses with fish tails, barking at the neighing aquatic equines. Women with the skin of jellyfish propelled themselves along by inhaling water and expelling it through gills on their backs. Fins spread like peacock tails, claws snatched at swimming snacks, and needle-like teeth gleamed in greedy mouths. I was dumbfounded.
A mermaid swam up to Iku and leaned in to speak to him, her golden hair swaying seductively around them. Iku nodded, glanced back over his shoulder, then turned the turtle into a curve. He maneuvered it down in a circular dive and landed us on the sand before what I assumed was the main entrance of the reef... er court.
I undid my belt and got to my feet immediately but the motion sent me surging up towards the ceiling, my skirts swirling around me. I angrily pushed them down and doggy-paddled my way over to the door. I flung it open and confirmed my worst fears. All of my Guard, including Tiernan, were gone.
“Your Highness,” Lewis' voice was muffled by the water but I could still hear him pretty clearly. “Your men... um, and the lady, they couldn't breathe. Their spells must have failed. They had to go back to the surface.”
“Are they okay?” I grabbed the man's shirt. “Did they make it?”
“I'm sure they're fine, Your Highness,” Lewis sputtered. “They're all fey and so they are immortal. They can't be drowned. At the most, they would momentarily pass out until they floated to the surface and revived.”
“Okay. Thank you, Lewis,” I let him go and angled my head over to glare at Uisdean.
“Don't look at me with such accusation,” he huffed. “You were the one who sprung them on me at the last second. Can I be blamed if the casters rushed through the spells and did a poor job?”
“Yes you can be blamed,” I growled. “Because you told them to fail, didn't you?”
“Seren, why would I do that?” Uisdean shook his head and undid his belt, floating elegantly to his feet.
“Because you have some kind of evil plan to kill me,” I accused him.
“What's this?” Iku-Turso had joined us in the room and Uisdean's Guard began to crowd the doorway.
“I don't want to kill you, Seren,” Uisdean growled. “You know what would happen to me if I did.”
“But you could manipulate a dragon into doing it,” I cocked my head at him. “Then your hands would be clean. And without my Guard here, I'd have no one to defend me against such an attack.”
“King Uisdean,” Iku-Turso narrowed his eyes on my uncle. “Have you brought a murderous plot into our court?”
“No,” Uisdean said simply to Iku and then narrowed his eyes on me. “Seren, tell him I'm not trying to kill you.”
“I just find it convenient that all of my Guard were affected, even Tiernan, who was enchanted at the same time as I,” I swam back over to face him. “Yet my spells worked fine.”
“That does seem suspicious,” Iku strode forward. He had claws on his feet which dug into the crevices of the wood planks and kept him stable. “Princess Seren, you'll be under my protection for your stay. The other courts may view the dragon courts as barbaric, and perhaps we are, but we are not murderers. And we are definitely not assassins.”
“Thank you,” I nodded to him, my racing heart starting to settle.
“It would be my honor, Your Highness,” he held his hand out to me and I took it. “This way,” he pulled me along to the front of the turtle, guiding me through the water with ease.
I shot a look at Uisdean over my shoulder and he was glowering at me like he could obliterate me with his eyes.
“Do you truly think he would attempt to manipulate a dragon into killing you?” Iku asked casually, his large, fishy eyes staring at me unblinkingly.
He was truly terrifying to behold, his face bulging grotesquely and his skin darkening to a mottled, diseased black in places. His numerous rows of sharp teeth were needle thin and difficult to stop staring at. But in that moment, he looked like an angel to me.
“I wouldn't put it past him,” I grimaced as he lowered us to a porcelain platform. “He's tried it twice before. He sent the Sluagh after me.”
“The Sluagh?” Iku-Turso lifted one white brow. “And you obviously lived.”
“I had help with that.”
“Help or not, your survival is impressive,” he seemed to consider me. “My king will want to hear of this. Allow me to take you to him.”
“What about my uncle?” I looked back to where Uisdean and his Guard were slowly making their way down to us.
“A steward will help them to their rooms,” he waved a hand and a kelpie swam forward, his thick hair clumping like swaths of seaweed. “Now, would you like to meet the most powerful dragon in this court?”
“I believe I would,” I smiled at Iku.
“Then follow me, Princess Seren,” he waved me forward into a gleaming hallway of polished coral and gold.
Fish swam near the curving ceiling, their bodies shining with inner light. There were so many of these glowing fish, their light reflecting off the coral and gold, that it was glaringly bright within the halls. I squinted as my eyes adjusted but even when I was able to focus, I was overwhelmed by the gaudy, intricate, mind-numbing beauty before me.
“Welcome to the Court of the Nine Sons, Princess Seren Firethorn,” Iku-Turso said proudly.
Chapter Eight
The jewels sewn into my skirt's hem did their job well, keeping me from dealing with billowing fabric around my face. The forward movement helped too, especially since Iku-Turso was propelling me through the water with the speed of Michael Phelps. But he did pause along the way to give me a quick tour of the court.
The walls, as I mentioned, were formed of polished coral and gold. Without their outer layers, the true hearts of the multitude of coral species were revealed. Vivid magenta swirled beside streaks of marmalade and marigold. Pistachio spikes reached for pineapple blossoms. There was every shade of pink found in nature; watermelon, flamingo, rose, salmon, and of course coral. But what was really surprising were the vibrant violets, from lavender to deep plum, and the variety of blues, from robin's egg to ultramarine. Then the soft shades of white; cream, alabaster, linen, and coconut. And amid them all, set within the gold mortar, were jewels. Stones of all sizes and colors sat beside pearls in peacock blue, dusky amber, and purest porcelain. It was like a Klimt painting made into sculpture.
The floor seemed plain in comparison but the sand, which was the cleanest and brightest I'd ever seen, was necessary to give the eye some relief. Because set over this mind-boggling backdrop was a collection of the most curious of curiosities. There was quite a lot of human items; suits of armor, paintings, clocks, and even a canon sitting off to the side in an alcove. But then there were the fey items;
weapons of unusual sizes and design, glass orbs holding suspended fairy land flora, and sculptures of creatures I'd never seen before.
“Um,” I pointed to a painting. “How do you keep them so well preserved?”
“We are fey,” Iku laughed.
“Right. Magic,” I joined him in laughing at myself. “A preservation spell, I assume.”
“What would life be like without magic?” He mused and then nodded to a passing selkie.
She smiled shyly and swam away, her seal eyes looking sad and sweet in her round face. It seemed that Iku-Turso was liked by the ladies. I admit that surprised me but I suppose looks aren't everything. Power has its own appeal and Iku-Turso was obviously powerful, both in physical strength and position.
We passed social rooms where water sidhe played pool (I suppose billiards would be a less confusing word), a dining hall with a kelp garden in the center of it (and a kelpie munching on the kelp, which I found absurdly amusing), a ballroom lined in mother-of-pearl and mirrors full of dancing mermaids, and even a library where I saw a nuckelavee reading. Now there's a sight I won't soon forget. Nuckelavees are horrifying to look at; a sort of skinless water horse with a man's torso attached to its back. But here's the thing; the torso has no face so the nuckelavee was reading with its single, fiery, horse eye while the arms attached to the torso held the book for it. I hadn't thought a nuckelavee could get more bizarre.
Iku-Turso angled us upwards and we entered a vertical hallway. Well, I suppose it wasn't entirely vertical, it sort of curved. Here of course, the sandy floor was gone, replaced by the coral, so that we were swimming through a shiny tube of multicolored, woven, coral branches. A very large tube actually. Big enough for say, a dragon to swim through. Fish and fairy creatures swam by us and there were numerous times when I craned my neck to get a longer look at something as it passed by.
Fish with claws clung to the walls while fish with long tentacles for tails undulated by slowly. Something which resembled a whiskered goat with fins for feet, nestled in a cubbyhole and stared serenely out at us while it munched on a clump of seaweed. There were lots of little turtles but their faces were different from ones I'd seen in HR (the Human Realm). There were several varieties but the one which stands out in my memory most is the one with a human face. Very disconcerting.
Within in the curving tubes there weren't any of the glowing fish. I supposed they liked to hang around the main areas where they could swim together as a school. So to make up for the lack of light, there were fey lanterns set within nooks on the walls. Are they still called walls when they're cylindrical like that? I'm not sure but those lights were placed all around us sporadically, giving off a gentle glow. I preferred it to the glare of the main rooms. The Court of the Nine Sons was easier to admire in softer lighting.
My hearing was improving the longer I was underwater and I wondered if it was yet another aspect of the spell kicking in. Iku's voice carried over to me easily but I could also hear other aquatic fey speaking as we passed them. I even caught the strains of fairy music a few times and when there wasn't music to hear, there was the song of the sea; a haunting melody of the echoing cries, chirps, and clicking. It became surprisingly soothing after awhile and since the threat of Uisdean's betrayal had been alleviated, I started to relax and enjoy myself.
I just hoped Tiernan and the rest of my Guard were okay.
“Is there anyway we could send someone to check if my Guard made it to the surface?” I asked Iku.
“Lewis has already gone, I'm sure,” Iku told me gently. “It's protocol in such situations.”
“You've had fairies nearly drown before?”
“Not as such but accidents have happened,” he stopped, pulling me to the side of the shaft so we'd be out of the way. “I saw your fairies swimming up to the surface and we weren't that deep yet, Princess. Plus, as Lewis pointed out to you, they're immortal and it's very difficult to kill an immortal by drowning.”
“Wait,” I pulled back. “Difficult? I thought it was impossible?”
“Nearly,” he shrugged. “If the fairy is kept submerged for long enough and not given the opportunity to repair his or her lungs, death is possible. But I'm sure your Guard is fine since we were still in the shallows. If their spells had malfunctioned in deeper water, it might have been a far different situation.”
“I hadn't even thought of that,” I felt my face fall into horrified lines.
“Are you alright?”
“I was beginning to give my uncle a chance,” I shook my head. “Danu asked me to try and understand him, so I have tried, and I even thought I'd glimpsed some good in him. But now, I see that I was mistaken.”
“We don't know for certain that he was behind the mishap.”
“Don't we?” I gave him a grim look.
“Well, evidence is definitely indicating that he most likely is the culprit,” Iku conceded. “I don't see how so many spells could malfunction, not if they were cast by professionals. But we don't truly know for certain if it was Uisdean who was behind the failures.”
“You think someone else wanted me down here alone?” I scoffed.
“Perhaps,” he shrugged. “Or perhaps it was your uncle but his only motivation was to have less witnesses to his meeting with the Sons.”
“Why? Is he doing something criminal with the dragons?”
“Honestly, Princess, I don't know if it's criminal,” he smiled. “But even if I did, I would not betray my court by confessing it to you.”
“Alright, I see your point,” I grumbled.
“But, Princess you must understand; crime down here is different.” He took my arm and started us swimming again. “We abide by the laws of the dragon kings of this court, nothing else.”
“Not even Danu?”
He stopped and several fey swerved around us, muttering angrily.
“Danu has been silent for thousands of years,” he whispered viciously. “I thought you were speaking spiritually when you mentioned her earlier but you weren't, were you?”
“No, Danu has returned to us,” I smiled gently. “In fact, she never left. It was the fey who stopped listening.”
“She speaks to you?” He asked more pointedly as his eyes focused on me intensely.
“Yes, she's taken me into her grove and revealed herself to me,” I confessed. “She's saved my life and spoken through me. I know without a doubt that Danu has returned to her children.”
“Not these children,” he declared.
“Perhaps that's the real reason I'm here,” I blinked as I realized the implications. Had Danu worked through Uisdean's malicious machinations to bring me down to her sea fairies? “To bring Danu back to your court.”
“Truly, Princess Seren, that would be miraculous,” Iku started us moving again. “But I will believe she has returned only when I hear her myself.”
“Fair enough,” I gave in and hoped that Danu had heard him.
“We're here,” he pulled up in front of a golden door.
It was round and had beautiful carvings of sea creatures covering its surface. In the center was a symbol that I didn't recognize, a sort of curling yet somehow intimidating design. Iku knocked and announced us. The door rolled aside, right into a slot within the coral wall, and a voice flowed out to me.
“Come in, Ambassador Seren Firethorn, Princess of the Twilight Court.”
In my head I added; said the spider to the fly.
Chapter Nine
“Princess Seren, may I introduce you to His Majesty Zhayu Sin-Eater?” Iku waved me forward.
“Come closer, Princess,” the voice seemed to be emanating from everywhere.
I stared around the gleaming room, eyes straining against the glare of glow fish reflecting off the golden walls. I blinked rapidly and finally settled my gaze on the oversized silk screens which hid the back end of the chamber. At least they weren't so bright, just a nice matte beige with pictures of elegant women painted on them. There was movement behind the screens, shado
ws of a massive shape undulating and coiling over itself. Then it seemed to shrink.
The voice spoke again but this time its speech was more of a sound than an actual word, like the song of the creatures I'd heard earlier. The vibration of it rang out through the chamber with an almost visual radiation. After the vibrations stopped, the water began rushing out of the room and air filled the space. Iku and I floated gently to the floor. I immediately sucked in a deep breath of salt-tinged air through my mouth, enjoying the feel of expanding my lungs and throat. It's amazing how restrictive it feels to only use your nose to breathe. Imagine not being able to yawn. That alone was a feat of willpower and endurance. Being able to breathe through my mouth again was a huge relief.
A man glided out from behind the silk screens and strode confidently down a short set of steps. He was draped in long, crimson, silk robes but a pair of black trousers showed through the slits. His ebony hair was braided down his back and his arms were folded across the end of the braid behind him. A slim but muscular physique bulged against the silk and power radiated from him like heat waves in the desert. He had cashew-colored skin and a distinctly Asian cast to his face but amid those distinctive features, brilliant blue eyes shone and settled on me intently. Blue dragon eyes.
“King Zhayu,” I nodded to him.
“Princess Seren, I've been looking forward to meeting you,” he smiled and it seemed just a touch wicked but my impression may have been influenced by the mustache trailing down the sides of his chin.
“You have?” I lifted my brows.
“Of course. Join me?” He brought one elegant hand forward to wave towards a collection of gold seats. There were no pillows to add comfort, just the metal.
“Of course,” I sat on one of the benches.
Iku-Turso sat beside me and the dragon king sat in a chair across from us.
