The Council

by Phoenix Willow

  A pit immediately formed in Jewel’s stomach, and she narrowed her glowing eyes towards Coralia. Wait. What other visit? Who was here?

  “It was a Sorcerer who was as crazy as a scuttlefish in the Deep, and a Sorceress whose evil was tangible. Our King and Queen were anything but happy with that visit, which is why we are here with a small portion of the Guard. They sent us to find out what your intentions are and to see who all had come. But you are definitely different from them for the simple fact that you came through a portal and then shut it yourself.” Coralia said to Jewel. “The Sorcerer and Sorceress just sort of appeared at the palace with no warning. They drank a type of green-brown liquid before they left and then just vanished. The King and Queen made sure, however, that they will not be able to come back without setting off our defense alarms.”

  Did they say what they wanted? Jewel inquired, feeling like she knew already who the two visitors had been.

  Coralia nodded. “They too, wanted an alliance, but with the intention of ruling the Otherworld together and creating a trading system between there and Aquatica. I sensed that they truly only wanted our resources, but they also asked a bunch of questions about the ancient Corruptible. Had we seen it? Was there anyway to track its whereabouts?”

  What is the ancient Corruptible? Galadriel asked.

  Is it a weapon?

  Is it a power?

  Is it an individual?

  Jewel pinched her nose between her fingers. Everyone in her group was asking what seemed to be a million questions, and her own thoughts were becoming jumbled. She held her hand up and everyone stopped talking or in this case, they stopped sending her telepathic thoughts. Looking at Coralia, she inquired, Is there anyway the soundproofing on these bubble-skeletons can be removed. Everyone in my group either has a question or will have a question at some point, and although I can hear what those are since I’ve linked my group’s thoughts together, communicating with you three still isn’t going to be able to happen unless they can speak directly to you.

  “Oh! Of course. Apologies.” Dune said, waving his hand towards the bubble-skeletons. There was a slight ripple effect, and a small popping noise that went with it.

  “Thank you.” Jewel said, before severing the mental connection she had created amongst her group. She could still tap into any one of their minds and have a private conversation if need be, but this way it would be more selective, and she could get her own thoughts together.

  “Maybe now you can answer my question.” Galadriel said, a bit more relaxed, but still looking as though he was ready for a fight if it came to that. “What is the Ancient Corruptible?”

  “A very evil weapon that is as powerful as it is vile.” Brine answered.

  “A weapon that consumes any good and any sanity it’s handler might have and replaces it with their deepest fears and an obsession to acquire the deepest, darkest desires of their heart. They lose their minds eventually and become a shell of their former selves.” Coralia explained. “And make no mistake, the Corruptible does not discriminate. It has the same effect on any individual, regardless of gender and magical race.”

  Jewel hand had moved towards the dagger on her hip at some point during Coralia’s explanation. Jewel somehow knew that the Corruptible the Mermaid was referring to, was the very same weapon that had poisoned her dad. She glanced at Galadriel who gave her a slight nod, and she carefully removed Slayer from the sheath on her hip and held the dagger up. “Is this the Ancient Corruptible?”

  Coralia, Brine, and Dune hissed and shrank away from Jewel with the rest of the Guard coming to the forefront, weapons drawn.

  Coralia said something in a language Jewel had never heard before, and after a second, she held her arm up and the Guard moved a few feet back, away from Jewel and her group.

  “That is the Corruptible.” Coralia nodded, before looking at Jewel suspiciously. “But I sense no evil from you. How is it that you have become its handler?”

  “It’s a very long story, but I think the two that visited you before are the same two that want this dagger, or Slayer as I call it, very badly. In fact, the only thing they want more than Slayer is my untimely death.” Jewel admitted with a chuckle that cause some raised eyebrows from Brine, Dune, and their Guard.

  “Strange.” Coralia muttered as she cocked her head to the side. Turning to her brothers, she said, “I think Mom and Dad need to speak with her. I sense no lies.”

  Brine and Dune nodded in agreement.

  “We will take you to the palace now. And please don’t be offended, but we will be having the Guard escort you and your throng. We simply can’t risk the safety of any of our own, and while my sister doesn’t sense any deception going on, we still can’t take a chance. I hope you can understand this.” Dune explained, a nervousness flashing through his eyes so quickly that if Jewel had blinked, she would have missed it.

  “Completely understandable. I would do the same thing.” Jewel said. “Please. Lead the way.”

  “Fan out.” Coralia ordered and the Guards immediately took positions to either side of Jewel and the group. Coralia, Brine, and Dune, however, took a position to the front of everyone.

  Coralia glanced behind her. “The palace is this way. Try to keep up.” She said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “If you can, that is.” She smirked. And they were off.

  Jewel had never been one to turn down a race or not meet a challenge so as soon as she saw Coralia move, she propelled herself forward as fast as possible. Coralia, Brine, and Dune kept looking back as they gained more distance and Jewel could hear them laughing which only fueled her desire to win even more. So, she did what anyone else would have done, and she used her Dad’s and Sage’s own motto- work smarter, not harder.

  “Hold on to your butts, everybody!” Jewel shouted to the group, because they were all about to go, really, really, fast. Sure, Jewel could have just teleported the entire group to beat Coralia and her brothers, but she wanted to actually pass them by. Would feel more like a win that way, and besides, Jewel wasn’t sure if Coralia knew that her teleporting ability was still working in Aquatica since the Mermaid hadn’t been specific about which powers she had seen Jewel use. So, if Coralia wasn’t already aware that Jewel could still teleport, she certainly wasn’t going to alert the mermaid to the fact that she could.

  Jewel wasted no more time as Coralia taunted her in the distance. She straightened both of her arms outward and slowly brought them together until her hands joined. All at once a huge rush of water propelled Jewel and the entire group through the water at a speed that surprised even Jewel. The guards were left behind, looking bewildered and wide-eyed, and she couldn’t even tell when they had passed Coralia, Dune, and Brine because they were moving at such an accelerated speed. The only unfortunate thing about the speed was that Jewel wasn’t able to enjoy the scenery. But that’s where the downside ended, because Jewel could somehow, even underwater, feel the wind on her face as she and her group shot through the water like jet planes, and it was nothing short of magnificent. And then when she caught a glimpse of the palace, her breath hitched.

  The palace was at least forty feet in height and twice that in width from what Jewel could determine from her current angle and vantage point. It appeared to be made completely out of a pearl-like material and was glistening in the light to the point where it almost hurt to look at it, but it was so pretty that Jewel couldn’t look away.

  “Uh, Spitfire. Are you going to slow us down anytime soon, or are you going to just have us crash through the palace doors?” Rain shouted.

  “Yeah, now would be a good stopping point, Girlie.” Ambrosia quipped loudly. “Or now. Or now. Or now!”

  Jewel looked back in front of her and realized with a start that they were about ten seconds away from the palace. Guards had formed a defensive line out front, and their pointed weapons were all drawn and ready to skewer Jewel and her group like a bunch of magical shish-ka-bobs.

  Jewel immediately unclasped her
hands and quickly waved her arms outward. The effect was instantaneous. The water that had been propelling them through Aquatica rushed backwards, and the group skidded to a halt, right in front of the guards who were now looking very confused and very much on the defense.

  “What in Aquatica was that!” Jewel heard Coralia screech, two seconds before she appeared with Dune and Brine.

  “You challenged us to keep up with you.” Jewel shrugged with a smirk. Maybe it wasn’t the best tactic and maybe she should have thought things through a little better before careening herself and the group through a foreign land, but hey, she had never been one to turn down a challenge. Why start now?

  Coralia’s eyes widened a bit, before she smiled broadly. “Yes, I suppose I did.” The Mermaid chuckled.

  Dune and Brine laughed heartily and shook their heads.

  “Is the Unknown always so unpredictable?” Brine bluntly asked Frost.

  “You have no idea.” Frost said with a small grin.

  “Well, I’m not sure where the rest of the Guard is, but I’m sure that Mother already knows we’re back, so we might as well go ahead and get everyone introduced.” Coralia said. Turning towards the guards lining the front of the palace, she said, “Lower your weapons, and make room for all of us to enter the palace.”

  The Guard still looked wary, but they did as Coralia said, and created a path for everyone to pass through.

  Jewel didn’t want to seem hesitant or nervous, so she made sure to keep up with Coralia, Dune, and Brine, holding her head up high with confidence and giving off what she hoped would be good vibes to anyone and everyone looking in their direction. The palace doors that were at least ten feet in height and shined like a black pearl opened wide as Coralia and her brothers approached, and when the group was completely inside, the doors shut. Jewel watched as Coralia, Brine, and Dune sat on nearby chairs. They seemed to be waiting for something to happen and right before Jewel was about to ask if they should sit too, something did.

  Tiny lights began to surround the tail fins of Coralia, Brine, and Dune but the three siblings didn’t seem to be alarmed or surprised for that matter. And little by little, their tails began to transform and before Jewel could even count to twenty, where the tails had been, legs had taken their place. They also no longer had the patches of shimmery scales across their skin which must have been why their skin somehow seemed less bright. Jewel’s jaw dropped as Coralia, Brine, and Dune stood up with amused smiles plastered on their faces. She had had no idea that Merpeople could form legs, as she had never met any before and the authors of The Worlds Around Us had either failed to mention it in their book or hadn’t witnessed it themselves.

  “Before you ask, no- not everyone can do this. Only members of the royal family and those that serve within the palace have the privilege.” Coralia explained, her aura now shining a bright aquamarine color that Jewel had not been able to see earlier due to the otherworldly skin glow.

  Jewel was busy studying the auras of Brine and Dune when Coralia snapped her fingers. The bubble-skeletons surrounding Jewel and her group instantly popped and fizzled out. Jewel instinctively held her breath as did the rest of the group.

  Coralia, Dune, and Brine started to laugh wildly.

  What are you three laughing at? We won’t be able to breathe without those bubble-skeleton things. Jewel said telepathically to the three Merpeople, her skin beginning to glow again as her temper and panic rose.

  “Calm down, Unknown. You will be able to breathe in here. There’s no water, only air. The palace is magicked so that no water can get in, you see, so it makes things a bit easier when we have guests from other worlds.” Coralia explained. “And our legs aren’t the only things that form in the palace, we also have lungs that can breathe in the same way that you do.” She explained, still giggling at the fact that Jewel and the entire group were now turning several different shades of blue as they attempted to hold their breath.

  Jewel rolled her eyes at the smirking Mermaid but decided that if there had to be a guinea pig to test what Coralia had said, that she would be said guinea pig. Coralia’s aura was a clear blue, and Jewel didn’t feel as though the Mermaid was lying which was a plus. And if Jewel found out that she couldn’t really breathe without the bubble-skeleton thing and Coralia had been tricking her, she would simply create the portal so her group could escape, and fling Coralia and her brothers through the opposing wall, all hopefully before passing out.

  Jewel exhaled and tentatively inhaled again, and what she found was the purest air she had ever breathed. It rivaled even that of the Lost Meadow’s. It was clean, and crisp, and her lungs felt rejuvenated with just the smallest of breaths.

  She breathed in and out a few more times before announcing, “You can breathe. Coralia was telling the truth.” She smiled. All at once, everyone took a much-needed breath and smiles formed on their faces when they realized how good the air really was.

  Jewel was sure that they looked ridiculous to Coralia and her brothers, inhaling and exhaling, laughing and smiling- but she couldn’t bring herself to care in that moment. All she wanted to do was to enjoy the air and enjoy the fact that they had made it to the palace which was even more beautiful and ornate inside as it was outside.

  While the outside, other than the doors, had been made of a bright white pearlish material, the inside was the opposite, but more beautiful still. The floors were a deep purple, almost so dark that it appeared black. It was smooth with a glossy sheen that matched the walls and ceiling that appeared to be made of thousands of shells, each of which had an opalescent quality about them. Scattered throughout the palace were giant shells that Jewel was certain could house several individuals and there were several different creatures just wandering the halls freely.

  “This is beautiful.” Jewel stated as she looked back in Coralia’s direction.

  The Mermaid smiled and opened her mouth to say something before her eyes widened just a bit and she snapped her mouth shut. All at once, she and her brothers bowed their heads just a bit and Jewel turned to see what had inspired the sudden difference in behavior.

  “Coralia, my dear. We have spoken about keeping your Father waiting before, have we not?” An older Mermaid said, as she walked into the room, but by no means did the age diminish her beauty. Her bluish-green hair was pulled up by the brightly colored coral reef shaped crown she was wearing, with ringlets spilling over in a messy but almost purposeful fashion. Her cerulean eyes sparkled like gemstones in fire, and her robe was as regal and extraordinary as Jewel could have imagined. It accentuated the Mermaid’s form perfectly. Fitted on top and cinched around the waist- billowing out like a cloud on the bottom, long enough to touch the palace floor, but not so long as to hide the matching pair of flats that looked as though they were made from crushed diamonds and that peeped out every so often. The robe itself shimmered and sparkled with every step the Mermaid took. The design of the material was intricate, and the material was silver and black with blue shimmers throughout. Jewel stole a glance at Skye, and she could see her chocolate brown eyes alight with wonder as she took in the sparkle masterpiece in front of her. Jewel had to choke down a giggle, because she knew Skye was thinking about making a replica as soon as they returned to the Meadow.

  “Yes, Mother. We have spoken, but you see-” Coralia started, but stopped abruptly as her mom held her hand up.

  “And you understand that you were under strict instruction to report to him immediately upon return, correct?” Coralia’s Mother inquired shrilly.

  Coralia merely nodded.

  “I see. Then why I had to track you down is really quite perplexing, but now is not the time. We will speak about this again later. You will follow me back to the throne room. Your Father awaits.” Coralia’s Mother said haughtily as she turned and walked away.

  Coralia nudged Jewel. “Come on. We can’t keep them waiting any longer. Just, whatever you do, make sure you are respectful and try not to be lippy or argue. They hate that.”
She advised before hurrying off to catch up with her Mom.

  “Chocolate sauce, Spitfire.” Rain said with a smirk. “I don’t think they’re going to like us very much if they don’t like lippy-ness or arguments.”

  Jewel snickered. “Probably not, Raindrop. But who knows, hope springs eternal and all that, right?”

  “Well, let’s go Girlie. Chop, chop. You heard the girl. We can’t keep them waiting any longer.” Ambrosia stated as she took the lead with the rest of the group following suit.

  Jewel took a deep breath and took her position towards the back. She wanted to make sure she had a good vantage point and although Ambrosia could hold her own in a fight, she wanted to make sure she could round everyone together and teleport them out of there if need be.

  Hopefully, her extra precaution would prove unnecessary but based on the guards who were now flanking her and her group- it might have been a smart move on Jewel’s part.

  Chapter Nine

  An Unknown and a Tentacor

  Now, in a perfect world, Jewel would have walked into the throne room with grace and perhaps even a bit of regality. But this was not a perfect world, and this was Jewel, and currently Jewel was focusing on a little of everything which never bode well for her. She was trying to keep an eye on the guards behind her, on her friends in front of her, on the direction they were going, and on getting her thoughts together for the task at hand- all while having to keep her powers at bay so that she didn’t accidentally do something that could be seen as aggressive.

  All of which proved to be one or two too many things for Jewel to concentrate on, because not only did she not see the little scorpion-crab creatures scuttling across the hallway in front of her, but she also hadn’t noticed that a leech-like, slug-looking creature had somehow climbed or slid in this case, all the way up to her shoulder. Nope, she hadn’t noticed the leech-slug that was a deep shade of mahogany and that had been busy leaving a trail of something that resembled the leftovers of someone’s boogery napkin until it was too late and it had its razor sharp teeth embedded into her flesh.