“No and yes; although the blood is finally clotting from my shoulder wound, the poisonous venom is beginning to work on my body. It is quite painful,” King Titan said as he doubled over.
Scelestus saw Prince Tristan and was in shock, “Prince Tristan, we were told you were dead!”
“No Scelestus, I am sure that you were told a great many things that are untrue. King Titan and his people are a loving pod where all are equal and kind to one another,” he said in anger, but also mixed with a bit of pity for the former things he knew of that Kingdom.
King Titan looked upon the sorrow of her expression and said, “I forgive you my child, you were deceived.”
She looked to Tristan as if to plead her cause and then she died.
“Quickly Prince Tristan, there is no time to lose, command the guardsmen to bring forth the throne of Queen Horaios and place it next to my own. I want King Titus to rule wisely with the loving temperament of the Queen Lana beside him.”
“Yes my King, but I do not wish to leave you,” Tristan said torn between saving him and being with him when he died.
“You must go, it must be done quickly!”
“Yes my King,” said Tristan as he swam out the home and rallied the guardsmen to do their King’s dying wish. Then he swam back to King Titan and gave orders to send a message to Prince Titus that he must hurry.
~~~
Prince Titus did not know why his King had changed his mind and now summoned him ahead of the pod. He had Prince Makoa called to the front so that he might lead the pod home and then he swam quickly to the King.
Prince Makoa was honored to lead the pod, but more so because of Rose swimming beside him; he tightly guarded his thoughts about her and the concern he had that Prince Titus was summoned ahead of the pod.
Before Titus even entered the home of the King, he was filled with sorrow as he sensed the pain of King Titan. He could barely stand to look at his King; he seemed so near to death. He reverently went beside him, “I am here my King.”
“Titus, you must listen, I do not have long to live now. Please do as I command you this last time,” he could barely speak it.
“Yes my King, whatever you command, I shall do,” Titus said, but could not help but to begin to weep for his grandfather of old.
“I do not wish you to avenge me! Do not do it! It is what King Thaddaeus wants you to do and it will cost the lives of our people if you should fall into his trap.”
“It is a hard thing you ask my King, but I will obey your command.”
“You will need your Queen ruling beside you as my Horaios once did. She will guide you from her heart and not from your head,” the King let out a chuckle and then winced from the pain.
“Grandfather, I will do all that you have shown me,” Titus said as he gently embraced him and wept some more.
“Now, now my grandson, it isn’t as bad as all that. I have known for some time that it was nearing my time to leave, have I not told you so?”
“Yes Grandfather.”
“You must remember that the Seas have increased for the fourth year; when she has increased for the sixth year, you will know that the time is near for the Leviathan. Remember all that I have taught you Grandson, our people are dependant upon you for their survival. It is the most important thing I can say to you.” King Titan began to spit up blood.
“Yes Grandfather, I will always remember all you have taught me and I pray I will do as you have done.”
“Always remember to love your Creator, love your people, and love your Queen. Long live the great and mighty King Titus!” said the King in one last effort and placed his golden forked staff into Titus’ hands and then he died.
Titus could not keep from crying as he held onto his dead King and loving grandfather of old.
Prince Tristan had been watching beside them, but did not interfere. He called for a double guard around the city, but first they were to help the pod as they returned. He asked that they not tell anyone of their fallen King; it was the duty of Titus to tell them in his time. He had them remove the body of Scelestus before Titus had arrived.
~~~
After Lana and her children swam through the entrance of their home, they were relieved to finally be there, but also concerned because of Prince Titus being summoned to the King so quickly. Lana hoped that there wasn’t any bad news, but she knew Titus would tell her if there were soon enough. For now all she wanted was sleep.
Tarrock and Rose also began to sleep. The trip had been harder than ever, there were only half the stops as usual. They knew their father was partly to blame because of him leading the pod himself; they guessed it was because of the appearance of the others that had caused him to swim faster.
Servo and Salvus began to swim nervously in and out of the home.
“Knock it off you guys, we’re tired,” said Tarrock half asleep.
The dolphins swam back into the home and rapidly nudged Tarrock.
He finally looked up to see a large merman with dark hair pulled back into one long braid behind his back and the darkest eyes he had ever seen entering their home.
The Dolphins tried to ram him, but he only knocked them against the wall. They retreated from him and went behind Lana and Rose to the back of the home.
“Mom, Rose…” was all Tarrock could say as the merman pointed his long white spear into Tarrock’s chest, barely piercing his skin and blood droplets began to float upward.
Lana quickly grabbed Tarrock by the arm and flung him behind her with Rose as she pulled out her whale bone knife and held it out to the merman. “Don’t you come any closer!”
“Princess Lana, we do not wish to hurt your family, we were only commanded to get you and to take you to our Kingdom.” He smiled, showing a missing tooth in front. His body was scarred and muscular.
Lana saw two others behind him that looked just as ruthless. She knew they’d not go without a fight. “I will go with you…”
“Mother you cannot!” screamed Rose behind her.
“NO!” Tarrock yelled.
“Yes,” Lana said to her children with a stern expression. She looked to the merman again, “I will go willingly, as long as you promise not to harm my children or my husband.”
“How do we know that you will keep to your bargain?” he chuckled.
“Because I said so.” Lana had a mixture of anger and fear, but mostly the protecting instincts of a mother. She removed her crown of pearls and handed it to Tarrock.
“No Mother, please,” he had tears fill his eyes.
She gave a look of love and sent her thoughts to them both saying it was the only way. Then she removed her emerald necklace and placed it in Rose’s hand.
“Mother, I can’t let you…” Rose tried to say.
“It is done! Tell your father that I will love him forever and always.” Then Lana removed the belt that held the sheath for the knife and also gave it to Rose. She held the knife out to the merman once more.
“We will keep our bargain!” The merman yelled angrily.
“Not my children or my husband?” she asked defiantly once more with the knife pointed towards them.
“Agreed,” he said between gritted teeth.
Lana quickly placed the knife in Rose’s hand and swam forward.
Two of the mermen swiftly grabbed Lana’s arms and swam away.
“NO!” yelled Tarrock and tried to go to her.
The third merman used his fist and came down hard on top of Tarrock’s head and he was knocked out.
“Father! Father! Father!” Rose screamed again and again.
In all of the exhaustion and confusion, the others swam Lana out the entrance with little notice.
Prince Ulysses heard Rose and swam to her home, but it was too late to stop the others. He went inside and grabbed up Prince Tarrock in his arms and swam him and Rose to their father in the King’s home.
Prince Terrance was at the front of the Hall near the entrance of the King’s home and his face w
ent red with anger when he saw them. He read the thoughts of Rose and he wanted to send the guardsmen to retrieve Princess Lana at once.
Titus came out holding his staff and saw his crumpled son in the arms of Prince Ulysses and the look on Rose’s face. “Where is your mother?”
Rose couldn’t speak, but only wept.
Prince Terrance told him all he knew of what he sensed and Rose nodded in agreement.
Tarrock was coming around.
“We must send many guardsmen quickly!” said Prince Terrance.
“No,” was all Titus could say, even barely above a whisper.
“My Son, you must….”
Titus looked sternly to all of them and said, “NO! It is exactly what the King told me not to do!”
All fell silent and Rose continued to cry.
Prince Makoa swam to the Hall after he sensed some trouble. He saw Titus holding King Titan’s staff and then his heart nearly beat out of his chest as he looked into the King’s home and saw the dead body of King Titan and he saw Rose crying and sensed it was about her mother and Ulysses holding Tarrock. It was all he could do to not give comfort to Rose, he yelled, “What has happened this day?”
“It has been an evil day indeed, our King has been murdered by the mate of Darious and my Queen has been taken to the city of Tiselius with the others. They must have hidden within Tullius before we arrived, knowing we would be too tired to realize it.”
“What do you command my King? I will lead an army to retrieve her!” said Makoa anxious to get going.
“No! King Titan has asked that we not avenge him. He said they would be waiting to fall upon our people and destroy them.”
Prince Terrance took Tarrock and Rose to his home where their grandmother Princess Cassandra could look after them.
“Then what is it you wish my King, I will do all that you command?” said Makoa ready to fight to the death to save his Queen.
“Now, we mourn,” was all Titus could say and then he returned inside the home of King Titan and wept.
~~~~~
CHAPTER 14
A TIME TO MOURN
Lana was taken the quickest route which led through a small channel just above South America. King Titan had chosen to only travel through large bodies of water with the pod. The mermen didn’t stop once and she was lightheaded and ill by the time they reached their city of Tiselius near the Bermuda Rise in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The others led her through a series of underwater caves that led down beneath their city and eventually came into a dark and murky place where she saw bars like that of a dungeon and knew exactly where she was; Sirene had told her many times about how the others kept their most disloyal subjects in the dungeon far below their city. She had lived there for three years before Tristan helped her and her parents to escape; only they hunted them down until her parents gave their lives to protect their daughter knowing that Tristan loved her and would see her safely to Torbist.
Lana was roughly shoved into a tiny cell with iron bars and was left alone. She tried to look around, but it was difficult through the brown and greenish water. All she saw was a piece of plastic tubing along the wall that released air bubbles into the tiny cavern. When one of the mermaid servants finally brought her a few herring to eat, she was beyond that; she refused it and then instantly fell asleep.
~~~
Titus felt like his heart had been cut out of his chest. He was numb and now only went through the motions of carrying out King Titan’s funeral.
The Fijian brothers made a blanket of palm leaves and flowers to wrap around the body of King Titan. Micah and Andrew had been sure to ask Titus if it would be proper; they did not wish to insult the King, but only show their respect.
Titus said that he knew King Titan would have accepted such a beautiful gift.
The tomb of Horaios was unsealed and Titus had gone earlier with Prince Makoa, Prince Tristan, Prince Ulysses and his father Prince Terrance into the small cavern to make things ready. It had large white columns within to insure the structure of the cavern. They marveled at the beauty of the marble boxes that King Titan had his craftsmen build after the death of his Queen. He had made it known to all that he was to be placed there beside her.
All of the mer wept as the body of their dead King was slowly swam from the Hall and to the tomb.
Prince Terrance spoke to those gathered in the Hall, “This has been a doubly sad time for us. We know that King Titan has gone from us, but has been gathered with his people of old and his Creator. He is now reunited with his Queen Horaios. Let us remember his dying wish that we not avenge his death and let us honor his final words; long live the great and mighty King Titus!”
Cheers rang out within the Hall as they had all grasped one piece of joy out of such a somber day.
Titus followed after the body of King Titan and was allowed a moment with him alone within the tomb. “I can hardly believe it has come to pass. I know all the things you taught me Grandfather, but the hardest was how to live without you. I shall try and be a good King. I will try and honor your request, but I also pray that I will soon have my Queen beside me. Oh Grandfather, how did you ever survive without Horaios? I am not sure that I could do it.” Then Titus wept and said one last goodbye.
The guardsmen came in and covered the marble box with the matching lid, sealing it shut. They also sealed the tomb once more.
Titus went back to the Hall where his people waited for him. When he got to the front of the Hall he said, “There shall be one day more to mourn the death of the great and mighty King Titan.” He then turned and entered the home of the former King once more and wept and prayed like he never had before.
~~~
A few hours after Lana had fallen asleep; she woke to find a sentry with his back to her. She couldn’t help but read his thoughts that were mostly about how he hated his job. She knew to guard her own thoughts carefully; Titus had always told her to guard them around the others so they would not have an advantage. She pretended to be asleep, but peeked and saw his beautiful dark green tail; she had never seen such before.
The guard let out a slight chuckle.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen such a beautiful tail,” she said in earnest as she knew he had read her thoughts.
“Thank you,” he said as he turned and looked at her and then quickly turned away.
Lana couldn’t believe it; his eyes were distinctly Asian.
The guard could not help thinking about his human mother.
“Your mother was a human?”
The guard was shocked to find that Lana could read his thoughts, “Yes, she was a human captive who died shortly after I was born. My grandmother told me that she thought that I was beautiful and she gave me the name Midori, which she told my grandmother, meant green.”
“What a lovely name, my name is Lana, I’m glad to meet you.”
The guardsman was taken aback by her friendly attitude.
“Sorry, it’s just that I think that’s such a beautiful story, my mother was killed when I was only three. I didn’t even know that I was half mermaid until I was seventeen.”
The guard could not believe such a tale.
“No, seriously, my dad is also part mer from a long history of merwalkers.”
“Until this day I have never seen a merwalker.”
“I’ve never seen an Asian mer.” She smiled and understood that he really couldn’t understand why she would smile at such a time.
“You are not the usual sort of prisoner that I guard in the dungeons of Tiselius.”
Lana giggled and said, “No, I suppose I’m not. Do you know what they want with me?”
Midori’s face grew sad and said, “Do you not know?”
“No, not really.”
“They were trying to breed my mother for a merwalker, but no human has ever survived and only a few children. Every child that did survive has been an outcast when they were born with a tail. They have long desired a merwalker to do
their bidding.”
“Then my father was right.” Lana shuddered to think of what they might do to bribe her into submission.
The mermaid servant came once more to bring Lana food, only this time she brought her a lobster. “Quickly, eat it before they return.”
Lana wasn’t going to refuse it this time. She offered it to Midori so he could open it for her.
Midori and the mermaid looked to each other in shock.
Legend of the Mer II THE NEW GUARDIAN Page 13
