The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus)

by H. B. Bolton

  “I’m glad you are on my side. I just can’t believe you were friends with Aegir.”

  “Good friends,” she said, turning away. “My best friend is one of his daughters, Himinglaeva. We haven’t spoken for a long time.”

  “Aegir has daughters?”

  “Yes, nine of them, each one is a wave. My name is Lazonia. I need to take you to the council.”

  “The council? Why do I need to—” began Evan before being taken hold of by Lazonia and then whizzed through water like a torpedo. She darted effortlessly between merpeople and fish, flipping and swishing her tail. Evan noticed the other merpeople did not have bubbles attached to their faces, and he wondered why.

  She swam up and along the side of a towering building. And as soon as they reached the top, she slid onto a balcony. Evan kneeled over and hugged the shiny floor. He could barely see through the rose-colored glass, but he guessed he must have been at least twenty stories high.

  “Father!” declared Lazonia as she streamed across the room.

  Edging closer to the open doorway, Evan peeked inside. Lazonia was hugging an older merman who had a short, light-blue beard. A strange sound came from the older merman. Lazonia screeched something and motioned toward Evan. The merman formed a large bubble around his mouth and throat.

  “My dear daughter, you have succeeded in your task,” said the merman, radiating energy and wisdom. “I knew you would.”

  There were other mermen and mermaids in the room. They floated in a circle. A unique symbol was beneath each council member. At least, Evan hoped these were council members and not prison guards, ready to take him away.

  Etched beneath Lazonia’s father was an image of a sea serpent, not Jormundgand, but a serpent nonetheless.

  “So this is Evan Jones,” said the merman, “the very same boy after which Aegir has sent his entire army?” Lazonia nodded and glanced toward Evan, giving him a reassuring smile. The merman continued, “Boy, do not be afraid. You will be safe here. My name is Ragnar. I am head of this council and father of Lazonia. It is also my duty to watch over the seas’ many creatures and serpents, including Jormundgand. From what I understand, he might soon be released. We must not let that happen,” Ragnar said with an edge to his voice. “Come and stand in the center of our circle.”

  “I am sorry for interrupting your meeting. I’ll be fine over here,” said Evan, shying away.

  “This meeting is about you. Whether you like it or not, you are a part of this story. Please, join us.”

  Evan shuffled toward the center of the room, and a brilliant-orange beam glowed beneath the floor. Light shot up and then poured out. A screeching sound occurred that reminded him of nails over a chalkboard, making him wince. Something was scratching right under Evan’s bare feet!

  Light diminished, and Evan’s body began to float. He hovered above the new etching. Quiet ramblings and astonished gasps ensued. After lifting one eyelid, Evan wished he hadn’t.

  “Why is everyone staring at me like that?” he wondered.

  Lazonia, who seemed to force a smile, pointed toward the floor. Etched into the glass below was the image of Jormundgand. The serpent was circling around to bite its tail. Suddenly, the image came to life and started to move. A small golden ring floated toward Jormundgand’s collar and attached itself inside a tiny recess. Jormundgand’s mouth opened, and his tail was set free! A current of ripples waved over and the image vanished.

  “It would appear Odin has something big planned for you, my boy,” said Ragnar. “We had better get started.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  WOODEN SHARK-PODS

  “WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, EXACTLY?” cried out Evan.

  A mermaid with long silver hair made a chiming sound, but Evan couldn’t understand her.

  “Remember council members, humans do not understand our language,” announced Ragnar. “You will need to form a membrane around your mouth and throat so he can understand you.” Bubbles formed over the mouth and throat of every merperson there.

  The mermaid with silver hair then regarded Evan. “Your symbol shows what you will face, and what could happen if you fail. If you succeed, then your symbol will complete itself and remain here permanently.”

  “But, what if I fail?” Evan asked; his voice shaky.

  A merman with a crimson-colored beard interrupted, “Then your failure will be etched into the glass. Of course, we will be here to see it. You, however, will not be.”

  “That is quite enough,” declared the silver-haired merlady. “Can you not see that he is already frightened?”

  “As well he should be,” shouted Redbeard.

  The two bickered about the value of mankind, and whether or not it was such a good idea to turn against Aegir. After all, what has mankind ever done for them except spoil their oceans and refuse to share land? Obviously, this wasn’t the council members’ first argument.

  “Silence!” roared Ragnar, who raised his arms. “Lazonia, please, show Evan our city. Apparently, we have some unfinished business to attend to in here.”

  As Redbeard proceeded to defend his stance, Evan was led through a tubular hallway. Evan could hear the outburst that followed Redbeard’s argument. And then the merpeople’s perfectly clear English transformed into wails and squeals.

  “You must be hungry,” said Lazonia, reaching for Evan’s hand. “You will be able to move around easier with my help.”

  Still too stunned to talk, Evan reached for her hand. She swerved around multiple loops. Occasionally, the tube split. Expertly, Lazonia chose which way to go, leading him along hallways lined with many oval doorways; some were transparent, some were not. Evan wondered if any of the doors led to offices, and whether or not there were cubicles inside. He laughed a little as he imagined a fish wearing glasses, typing on a computer.

  “Why are you laughing?” Lazonia asked, slowing her pace.

  “Oh, nothing. I’m trying to think about something funny.”

  “You are an interesting creature, Evan Jones,” she said and paused. She appeared to study him before continuing. “I shall introduce you to mermaid cuisine. This café happens to offer the best around,” she said sweetly.

  “Thanks. I’d like that,” he said, remembering how little he had eaten over the last few days.

  Long strands of seaweed grew up and along the walls and ceiling, coiling and looping the entire length of the hallway. At the end of each vine a cluster of underwater flowers illuminated both color and light. Up ahead, a glass archway lead to the “outdoor” café. Glass sculptures of shells and mermaids formed a wall around the terrace. High tables rested on top of a mosaic design made from glass and seashells. There were no chairs. Everyone floated in place, picking at their food and drinking from bizarre bottles.

  “So that’s how you drink,” observed Evan.

  “Did you think we drank seawater? Yuck. I happen to know what fish do in seawater.” She leaned closer to whisper, “And if I were you, I would not drink it.”

  Evan laughed and said, “Good point.”

  “We drink what is equivalent to your honeysuckle. It is very sweet and comes in different colors. We harvest it ourselves and have to bottle the liquid or obviously—”

  “Otherwise, it would float away,” interrupted Evan.

  “Yes. It might sound silly to you, but drinking from a bottle does a remarkable job of keeping saltwater out.”

  Lazonia pulled Evan over to a table near an open pathway. Mermaids and mermen swam between buildings, greeting each other as they traveled.

  “Would you like for me to order?” Lazonia asked, and Evan’s attention returned to her.

  “That would be great.”

  A green-and-yellow striped fish approached their table. Lazonia made some sounds like “click-click, eech.” The fish spun around, and swoosh, it was gone. Evan stared at her with his eyebrows still raised.

  “I know you will enjoy the food,” she stated.

  “I’m sure I will. What language we
re you speaking?”

  “That is how we communicate with other creatures of the sea. Every animal and fish has his own language. In fact, you should hear whales sing. It is very beautiful.”

  The fish returned with two glass bottles. A bottle of orange liquid landed in front of Evan and a pale blue one floated right into Lazonia’s hand.

  “Blap-blop, blup,” said the fish, and it zipped away.

  “He said our food should be here shortly,” translated Lazonia. “Are you going to try your nectar?”

  Evan reached for the bottle and lifted it toward his face. Carefully, he inserted it through his bubble and brought it to his mouth. It was a little embarrassing to drink nectar from a baby bottle, but he did it anyway. At first, a little seawater streamed in, and it definitely didn’t taste very good. He then sealed his lips tighter and managed to pull in the juice.

  “It tastes like orange soda. I had something like this at Dr. Irving’s house. He said it was called Fizzy-Whizzle,” exclaimed Evan. But Lazonia did not respond, she just fluttered her eyelashes and smiled behind her bottle.

  The fish waiter returned, holding two platters. Covering them were protective bubbles. Fish-waiter nudged them along; they floated down and landed onto the table. He clicked again, and then swam to another group of merpeople. Evan looked for silverware, but couldn’t find any. He watched as Lazonia reached inside her “food bubble.” She then removed a stick resembling a French fry. After biting into it, she grinned.

  Evan stared at his meal encased by a similar bubble. It looked good, but he hesitated. Again, he watched Lazonia claim another piece of food. He was amazed her food bubble didn’t burst. Gently, he inserted his hand inside his bubble, pinched some food, and then brought it out.

  “It didn’t pop,” he said with relief, and Lazonia giggled.

  Although it looked like a French fry, it clearly wasn’t. Evan nibbled on a small piece. It was kind of rubbery, with a lemony-fish flavor. Considering he had never been a fan of seafood, it was pretty all right.

  “So, what is this? Fish or something?” Evan asked, placing another stick in his mouth.

  Lazonia’s eyes widened and she gasped. “No, no, no. We never eat fish! What do you think we are cannibals?”

  “Sorry, I’m just not sure what this is.”

  “This is fried seaweed frisatta,” she said, relaxing her tone.

  “Well, it’s good,” he said, trying not to say anything else that would upset his one undersea ally. “So, what’s up with the bubbles on our faces? Do they help us breathe or something?”

  “Your bubble helps you breathe. I do not need one to breathe underwater.”

  “Why are you wearing one?”

  “So I am able to communicate with you,” she answered somewhat snootily. “Have you ever tried to talk underwater? It does not work very well. We merpeople do not use our mouths to speak to one another. We use our throats, making sounds much like dolphins.”

  For the remainder of lunch, Evan kept quiet, simply enjoying his seaweed frisatta and nectar.

  “Let’s go,” said Lazonia. “I want to show you our glorious city.”

  And with that, they were off. Lazonia led them right in the middle of other merpeople who were swimming along the avenue.

  “Lazonia, everyone is staring at me. I thought merpeople were used to seeing humans,” said Evan.

  “Never before has a human been down to our city. Ever since Aegir practically waged war against anyone who disagrees with him, we do not leave our protective dome. It is no longer safe for us out there,” answered Lazonia.

  Evan tried to ignore the onlookers; instead of staring rudely back at them, he studied the many drawings and symbols etched into glass buildings.

  “What are those?” Evan asked, pointing to a sign hanging above an open doorway.

  “Those are ancient Viking runes, similar to your alphabet. Those runes say ‘Porpoises Welcome’.”

  “They look pretty cool. Can you teach me how to read them?”

  “Sure. We can start with the basics. There is an old castle just outside the city. I shall take you there now. I have a feeling the symbols carved into the walls will fascinate you,” she said, grabbing hold of his hand.

  Although it made Evan queasy, he couldn’t help being impressed by Lazonia’s speed. In a few seconds, they must have traveled half a mile away from the city.

  “Evan, come over here and look at this,” she said, staring at a broken-down castle. Many pictures and runes were carved onto the stone walls. “A long time ago, these buildings were a thriving part of our world. Up until this century the merpeople built with blocks of stone. That was until we discovered how to melt down sand to form our glass structures. Merpeople used to carve pictures onto these walls. This image here tells a story about—” she began but was cut short by a loud crash.

  Evan and Lazonia didn’t have to travel far to see what made the commotion. On the other side of the fallen castle, two sharks were buried in the sand.

  “Sharks are forbidden to swim in here. This dome is protected. How did they find us?” she said nervously and reached for Evan. “We need to leave!”

  Evan moved away from her and traveled closer to the sharks. Funny thing was they looked like bull sharks, but instead of having vibrant colors on their skin, they had brown rings like a tree.

  “Wait a minute. Look at that tail; it’s broken off,” said Evan. “And both sharks seem to be made from wood.”

  “Sharks made from a tree? That is impossible.”

  Just then, the top fin of one of the sharks lifted and out climbed Sigurd.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ETCHED IN STONE

  “BLAPA!” SHOUTED CLAIRE, AFTER LIFTING the top of the other shark. “Bla-blen-blee!”

  “What did she say?” Evan said to Lazonia, who shrugged and rushed over to Claire. With the help of Lazonia, Claire’s face was encapsulated within a bubble.

  “Whoa, who is she? She has a tail,” said Claire. “And I can breathe.”

  “I know. I’m not sure what this bubble thingy is, but we can breathe in it,” Evan yelled while swimming toward his sister, a smile stretching his face. “How were you able to find me?”

  After helping Barfel out of his shark-pod, Sigurd rushed to Claire. And although Claire pretended to need his assistance, Evan knew better. His sister had been winning trophies in gymnastics for more than eight years. He watched as Claire accidently (on purpose) fell into the arms of her hero.

  Dunkle rushed to Evan’s side. “Evan, you are safe! Claire’s locket was not sufficiently clear about that part,” declared Dunkle, his face also encompassed by a bubble.

  “So, you must have figured out how to use the locket correctly,” said Evan, trying to gain his sister’s attention away from Sigurd.

  “I was unaware Sigurd the Dragon Slayer had joined your quest. Evan, you are lucky indeed,” Lazonia said, still studying the hero.

  “My days of slaying dragons have been over for quite some time now,” informed Sigurd, flashing his annoyingly bright smile her way. His face bubble seemed to magnify his large white teeth. Evan hurried to her side, wedging himself between Sigurd and the mermaid.

  “This is Lazonia. She rescued me from Ran’s net,” explained Evan.

  “Is Ragnar still head of the council?” Sigurd asked.

  “Yes, he is,” answered Lazonia. “I am certain he would like to see you again.”

  Sigurd looked at Claire and said, “I met Ragnar a few years ago. We had a very interesting adventure together.”

  “That sounds fascinating! I’d love to hear more,” said Claire, wearing a silly grin.

  “Listen, that’s great, but I have some important things to tell you,” Evan cut in. “But first, what exactly did the divining locket show you?”

  “Basically, the same thing you saw. The golden net pulled you under, and the flash of violet hair,” Claire said and looked at Lazonia. “I’m guessing that was you.”

  “Lazoni
a freed me from the net and brought me here. Isn’t this place great! I mean, just look at the city. It’s made from some kind of glass,” said Evan excitedly. “And I met the council. Something strange happened when I was in the center of the room. An image appeared on the glass below me.”

  Sigurd added, “I have heard there is a symbol permanently etched into the floor, one for each member of council. Supposedly, the symbols magically alter along with that merperson’s actions. But, I have never heard of a human having the ability to develop a symbol.”

  “No human has ever been to our city,” explained Lavonia. “Not only is the dome a shield, it camouflages our city, as well.”

  “Claire, how were you able to see the dome?” Evan asked.

  “We couldn’t,” she answered. “The locket guided us. It was like staring at a map.”

  “Well, I’m impressed,” said Evan, “and nice job on the shark-pod.”

  “The submarine was my idea, but disguising us as sharks was Sigurd’s,” she said and looked at her “hero” adoringly.

  “Sigurd, your enchanted ship is ruined,” realized Evan.

  Sigurd shrugged his shoulders. “It served its purpose. Perhaps, one day, I will come by another vessel of its equal.”

  “Didn’t you say the gods gave that one to you as a gift,” Evan asked. “I doubt you’ll find another ship like it, ever again.”

  “Life has a funny way of working itself out, often times for the better,” Sigurd said optimistically.

  “Over here! Over here!” shouted Barfel. He and Dunkle were standing by the ancient castle.

  “The imps must have found the prophecy,” said Lazonia, and then her tail swooshed, giving her speed greater than the others.

  A few moments later, Evan, Claire, and Sigurd reached the wall.

  “You were going to tell me something about this picture, just before they showed up,” Evan said to Lazonia.

  “Is that Evan?” Claire asked, placing her finger on the carved image of a boy.