They crawled forward on hands and knees and peered into the water, spotting something that had previously escaped their notice. There was a small hole in the pool’s exact center. From far below this hole, a ball of light was speeding towards them, coming closer by the second.
They scrambled back and huddled against the wall, sitting there with mouths agape as a naked young woman rose from the surface of the water. She was the source of the light, and she was incredibly beautiful. Her skin shone like the dawn. Her eyes glinted like sapphires. Her hair glittered like gold. And her lips, her lips were as red as ripe strawberries.
“How wonderful,” she said in a wind-chime voice, clapping her little hands together. “I have not had visitors in such a long time.” Her smile lit the room, literally, and her laugh was like a chorus of angels.
“Who are you?” Andaris asked, sounding as stunned as he looked.
She laughed again, sending a thrill up his spine. “I am Marla, silly. Who were you expecting?”
“I…I don’t know. No one, I guess. I mean…we don’t even know where we are. We were in a blizzard, there was an avalanche…then we found our way here.”
Her eyes filled with sympathy. “Oh, you poor dears, how awful for you. How may I help? I cannot stand to see others in pain.”
They gawked at her a moment, not quite trusting their eyes. “Well,” Andaris managed, “do you know how we can get back to the surface?”
“The surface?” she said with distaste, crinkling her button nose at him. “Personally, I do not see the appeal. Are you sure that is where you wish to be?”
Andaris nodded. “It’s very important that we get back.”
She copied his solemn expression, held it for a moment, and then started to laugh. “You Landwellers are always so serious. I do not see how you stand it.”
Andaris smiled, just to show her that he could. “If you had seen us before you might not think so. We drank some of that water and, I don’t know what was in it, but we started to laugh for no reason. We couldn’t stop.” Andaris licked his lips, remembering the taste with perhaps a bit too much fondness.
She smiled back at him and, with an air of abundant innocence said, “I like you.” Her voice was matter of fact. “You are funny, but do you not know anything? This is a special pool, silly. You have to build up your resistance. You are lucky you did not jump in without me. If you had, you might be laughing still.”
Gaven and Andaris exchanged a dark look.
“So, what about the surface?” Andaris asked. “Do you know how we can get out of here?”
“Well…yes,” she admitted with a pout. “But are you sure you do not wish to stay with me? You would never grow old and…and you would always be happy, forever…and ever…and ever.”
Andaris was so taken with her that he was ready to agree to just about anything. Whatever it took to make her happy. “Really?” he heard himself saying.
But Gaven sensed something Andaris did not. Marla didn’t just want them to stay—she needed them to stay. If things are so great down here, he thought, then why is this so important to her? Gaven tapped Andaris on the shoulder. “Hey, remember me?” he asked. “Remember Trilla and Jade? Do I have to remind you of our duty to them?”
Andaris turned from Marla and looked at his friend, eyes glassy and unfocused. After a moment, the veil of confusion lifted, and he nodded. “Sure, Gaven, of course, I know. I…didn’t forget.”
Marla eyed Gaven like he’d just eaten the last cookie, heaved a little sigh, and stuck her tongue out at him. “I was just having some fun, topworlder. You need not worry. I would not have hurt him.”
Andaris turned back around. “Believe me,” he began in a shaky voice, “if things were different, I just might take you up on your offer.”
“Oh, that is sweet of you,” she said. “Hmmm…too bad for me. Poor Marla, always unlucky in love. It is very sad, being so plain looking, you know? Well, no…I suppose you do not. How could you? Two dashing humans such as you. Oh well, I will survive. Do not fret for poor Marla. Now, where on the surface is it that you wish to go?”
“As close to Rogar Castle as possible,” Gaven answered.
She crinkled her nose again. “Oh, you do not wish to go there. There is a war there.”
“That’s why we have to go,” the big man growled. “To try and stop it.”
Marla sighed. “All right, if you must. But you have to promise to come visit me after you are done killing one another. I get lonely you know…very lonely. It is not fair.”
This time they both heard the need in her voice. “We promise,” Gaven assured her.
Andaris had wanted to ask who built this place, and where they had all gone. He had wanted to find out how many rooms there were, what the symbols above the doors meant, and why it was so hot, as well as a number of other questions. But now, suddenly, he just wanted out. Now, there was only one question that mattered.
“Which way?” he blurted.
She looked at him like a child—her child. “I will take you there, silly.”
“But how?” Gaven asked, fingering the hilt of his hunting knife.
“Do you truly not know?”
Gaven and Andaris answered her with blank expressions.
“All of the topworld is linked by waterways,” she explained. “They go everywhere beneath the land. All the lakes and oceans are connected by them.”
“The subject has been widely debated,” said Gaven. “Some believe as you say, but even if this is true, we can’t breathe under the water as you can, how are we supposed to—”
“A single kiss is all that is required,” she interrupted.
“A kiss?” Gaven repeated. “Don’t you think I’m a bit old to be kissing —“
“I am a mermaid,” she snapped. “I am older than you could possibly imagine.”
Mermaid? Gaven thought. Why didn’t I see it before? He’d felt kind of dazed since drinking the water. Now his mind snapped into focus. Beautiful young girls don’t just come rising out of underground pools, glowing like the dawn, he thought. What else would she be, if not a mermaid? He’d heard stories about them when he was a boy, but never, not in his wildest dreams, did he think he would ever meet one. Only now did he notice Marla’s blue tail shimmering beneath the surface. I only see it because she wants me to see it, Gaven realized, trying to recall what he knew about merfolk.
Most people believed they were a myth created by superstitious sailors who’d spent too many days at sea. They were said to be magical creatures that had been around since the beginning of time. They were practically immortal, possessing innate magical power, as well as eternal beauty and intelligence.
More was known about the mermaids than the mermen, mainly because, reportedly, dissatisfied mermaids had the tendency to stray from home in search of human males. The mermaids were said to be extremely mischievous, and more fickle than a teenage girl, using their charms to twist a man’s heart and mind into knots, sometimes until he went mad. It was said they often did it just for the fun of it, out of sheer boredom.
And that wasn’t the worst Gaven had heard. Seafaring folk believed mermaids had the power to swallow ships and flood entire cities. They weren’t evil—just highly emotional and unpredictable. Of course sailors were given to exaggeration, but even if half the stories were true, Marla was not nearly as innocent as she appeared.
“Uh, well,” Gaven stuttered, flashing a crooked smile, “I guess that’s all right then. Don’t upset her,” he whispered to Andaris. “She’s dangerous!”
Marla grinned at him.
Did she hear, he wondered.
“You two had better come back to see me,” she said. “I forgot how entertaining your kind can be.”
“Oh, yes, of course we will,” Gaven assured her. “Isn’t that right, Andaris?”
Noting the sweat beading on Gaven’s forehead, his strained smile and anxious tone, Andaris nodded emphatically. “Absolutely,” he said. “Without a doubt, we’ll co
me back just as soon as we can.”
The light being emitted by Marla’s perfectly sculpted body had begun to dim, but now lit as brightly as before. She clapped her hands in excitement, floated to the edge of the pool, held her arms out and said, “Kiss me and you will understand. There is nothing to fear.”
Gaven didn’t want to make her angry, yet hesitated anyway. If they allowed her to kiss them, what would happen? Would they go mad like the men in the stories? If they made a run for it, could she stop them, or was she bound to the pool? Surely if she could swallow ships and flood entire cities, she could stop them.
Andaris took a step forward. Gaven grabbed his arm.
Andaris turned his head and, with surprising calm said, “It’s all right. I don’t know how I know, but I do. She won’t harm us. I’m sure of it.”
Gaven held onto his arm a moment longer, saw that Andaris believed what he was saying, then nodded reluctantly and let go. “You’d better be right,” he whispered. Although even if he wasn’t, it probably didn’t matter. If they resisted, who knew what she might do? Their only chance was to play along and hope for the best.
Andaris patted Gaven reassuringly on the shoulder, turned, and walked to the edge of the pool. Gaven followed, keeping his hand on the hilt of his knife. Marla leaned down until her face was only inches from Andaris’ and, very gently, pressed her lips to his. The kiss was full and sweet, filling him with perfect joy. For an instant he forgot where he was, who he was, forgot everything except the touch of her lips against his, the beating of her heart, and silky softness of her skin.
When she pulled away he felt…abandoned, cold…and empty. For that brief moment, he’d been riding high on a wave of absolute bliss. All the worry and pain to which most men cling, the animosity and regret, had been replaced by peaceful innocence. His soul had been clean, as unsullied as an infant’s, and now, one by one, his burdens were returning, heavier for their absence, each like a stone against his heart. It was odd—to be choked by despair while the sugary taste of her lingered on his lips like a blessing.
As she leaned towards Gaven, Andaris felt a mixture of envy and sympathy. Gaven shut his eyes and pressed his lips together as though someone were about to feed him cod liver oil. After she pulled away, he stood there with shaking hands and distant, wonder-filled eyes. Andaris saw the elation on his face…then the inevitable despair.
“Now,” she said, “each of you take a hand. As long as we are touching, you will be able to breathe.”
Andaris and Gaven did as she instructed. Andaris felt a modicum of relief. Holding her hand wasn’t the same as the kiss. His burdens were still there. They just weren’t quite so heavy.
Marla brought them smoothly to the center of the pool, feet hovering just above the water, supporting their weight with the most casual of grips. The light grew brighter. A tingling sensation ran down Andaris’ back, and then, in one fluid motion, she plunged them beneath the surface. Gaven and Andaris held their breath as, with only a few flips of her powerful tail, she took them deeper…and deeper.
Breathe, she told them, speaking directly into their minds. It is okay. Breathe.
Hearing her voice echoing in his head startled Andaris so much that he let out his air in a sudden burst of bubbles and took a breath. It was amazing, and delightfully strange. He took another breath, just to be sure, drawing it far into his lungs. Remarkable, he thought, to be surrounded by water, to feel it against my skin, and yet to be breathing as naturally as if in the open air.
Gaven could see that Andaris was alive and well, but still refused to take a breath. Another full minute passed before his lungs forced him to do what his mind could not. Marla sped them through the vast aquatic world, chatting casually to them about what they saw. They passed over valleys and mountains, over fields of coral that stretched as far as the eye could see, and even within a hundred yards or so of a sunken ship, the center mast of which was broken in two, the prow of which had smashed into the ocean floor long ago.
Andaris wished they had time to explore. Who knew what treasures lay hidden within her split hull? If it were anything like The Satisfaction, a ship from one of his books, it would be stuffed with wood casks full of spice and spirits. And there would be a journal, depicting, with all the eloquence of Captain Studeren’s native tongue, many harrowing escapades, some set against the undulating backdrop of tropical seas, others against the frigid calm of forbidden ocean.
Fish of all varieties swam around them, darting this way and that through the crystalline water, flashing and dancing like little mirrors of light. In the far distance, encircled by a soft yellow aura, Andaris caught a glimpse of what looked like an underwater city, a cluster of towers and domes rising between two mountain ranges.
But then the water rippled, he blinked, and it was gone. As they drew near to the spot, he saw that what he had taken to be a city, was actually just a group of boulders, arranged in such a way that, from a distance, they had fooled his eyes. Yellow moss grew on the sides of the boulders, reflecting Marla’s light as they swam past.
That would account for the glow, he decided, feeling a stab of disappointment, for what he had imagined had been truly remarkable.
Marla stopped talking in mid-sentence, glanced at Andaris with an inquisitive half smile, then just as suddenly looked away and said, I am taking you to a shallow pool of water that has formed beyond a fissure in the foundation of the catacombs beneath Rogar keep. We will be there in a few more minutes. I am sorry it has taken so long. I can travel much faster when I am alone. I must go slower to keep from injuring you.
You mean you’ve taken us all the way to Rogar? Andaris thought, feeling somewhat awkward about communicating without the use of his mouth.
Very good, Andaris. What a special boy you are. It usually takes your kind longer to adapt to this form of communication, like poor Gaven here.
Gaven gave her a withering look.
I sense he is capable of it; she went on, which is better than some. Some cannot do it at all. They can hear me, but cannot answer me directly into my mind. I have to pull the thoughts from them myself, which, let me tell you, can become quite tedious. Oh, and yes, to answer your question, I have brought you straight to Rogar castle as you requested. Distances are not the same down here. What would take you a week to travel above ground, I can manage in a matter of minutes. Call it magic if that makes it easier for you to understand. Now, she asked, do you see where the topland slopes ahead, like the belly of a great whale, with the fingers of rock extending down to the sea floor?
They nodded.
That is Rogar. We are going to swim around to the other side, pass through a series of connecting tunnels, and surface into the catacombs below the keep. It will be dark down there, so I will give you two of my scales for light. Do not worry. They will grow back. Once you leave the water and enter the catacombs, you will be on your own.
A couple of minutes later, as promised, they surfaced into a small square room, somewhere within the forgotten depths of the catacombs. The air in the room was stale and muggy, reeking of dead fish. Spider webs hung from cracks in the stone walls. Moss hung from the ceiling.
Marla crinkled her nose. “And you are sure this is where you wish to be?” she asked aloud.
They both nodded again. Yes, Andaris thought, forgetting for a moment that he could now use his tongue. “Yes,” he said aloud.
“This is where we must be,” Gaven agreed.
“Very well,” she said. “I do not think I will ever understand your kind, but if you will not change your minds…then here. Take these.” She released their hands, reached down, pulled two scales from her tail, handing one to Gaven and one to Andaris. The scales were about the size of Andaris’ palm, smooth to the touch, glowing with a bluish hue.
“There is a small bit of my life force in these scales,” she told them. “They will glow as long as I live, and should help to ward off the creatures that make their homes down here.”
“What…
sort of creatures?” Andaris asked, closing his fingers around the beveled edges of the scale, taking comfort in the fact that it was part of her.
“Dark, soulless things that live deep underground,” she answered. “Most are as harmless as they are mindless, but there are some that are especially wicked, and clever too. They burrow through the earth, living off insects, worms, and whatever else they can find. They take from the land and give nothing back. They are parasites of the worst kind, and have been around since the world was made—old as the mountains, old and twisted with evil. So please, be careful, for I am sure they would be happy to destroy you and feast on your remains.”
Andaris found it disconcerting to hear someone so innocent speak of something so ghastly, especially in such a casual tone.
Marla tilted her head to the side, as though listening to a distant voice, and said, “I am sorry, I would like to talk with you some more, but I must leave now. I have been absent for too long as it is. If there ever comes a time when you need me, just go to the edge of any body of water in the world, put in your head, and think my name. I will hear you. May fortune smile upon you and yours. And remember, come back to visit me. I know you are curious about the lost city. It holds many wonders. But come alone and tell no one. The Watcher within the Stone allowed you to enter because your hearts are true. If you tell, he will know.”
Before they had a chance to thank her, she dipped beneath the surface and, with a single flip of her tail, was gone. If not for the pale light of the scales, the room would have gone completely dark.
The Watcher within the Stone, thought Andaris. Was it just an amazing coincidence, or was this more proof that his people had come from this world? Could it be, despite all his protestations to the contrary, that the Watcher within the Stone actually did exist? At this point, he couldn’t discount anything. He’d seen things that, just a month ago, he would not have believed. He had so many questions. The archives, he thought. Maybe now I’ll find some answers.
The Eight Walls of Rogar: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Series! (The Lost Kingdoms of Laotswend Trilogy--Book One) Page 30
