by H. J. Cronin
He stood in that position for the rest of the night, full of sadness after hearing the news that his son was dead. How many other people’s sons had died since the war started? How many more would die before it ended?
1
City under the Sea
It had been three weeks since the ship had left the coast of Wilmurin. The sea had been kind to the travellers; not one storm had occurred, which was rare whilst travelling on the vast ocean. It took two days for the coast of Wilmurin to fade completely out of view, and now just the calm, blue sea greeted them.
Ardag smoked a pipe he had found on the ship as he leaned over the railings, the white smoke he puffed vanishing into the fresh sea air. He heard the sound of familiar footsteps behind him and turned to see Johan approaching him.
‘Fine morning, my old friend,’ Johan said as he gazed out over the horizon.
‘Indeed it is young Johan, we have had a fortunate voyage over the sea,’ Ardag said, and patted Johan on the back.
‘Ardag,’ Johan said after a brief pause, ‘what do you think this Lone Druid will have to say to us?’
‘Hopefully he knows a way to stop Count Darkool.’
‘And if he doesn’t?’ asked Johan.
Ardag paused for a moment before replying, ‘Then we will find another way.’
‘How do you propose we do that?’ Asked a female voice from behind. The two companions turned to see Bry walking towards them, her long brown hair swaying in the breeze.
‘Let us see what this druid has to say before we make assumptions,’ Ardag said holding his hands up.
‘For a moment forget about this Lone Druid,’ Bry now said, lowering her voice. ‘We must be wary of these elves. I tell you, they will be the death of us.’
‘Enough of that, Bry!’ Johan interrupted, ‘Your hate will lead us to confrontation. They saved us from that count and his friends, can you not see they are friends of ours?’
‘Friends? They will show their true colours before this is over, Johan.’
It was Ardag’s turn to interrupt, ‘Bry, that’s enough, these elves saved us. I welcome their aid.’
Bry looked down at the deck and sighed, ‘I do not mean to be negative, friends. But I hold little trust for the race that saw the druids in chains.’
‘An opinion you should keep to yourself, Bry,’ Johan said and put his hand on her shoulder. ‘I thank Drugar you are on our side and not the enemy’s,’ he said with a wink.
The three of them felt a presence behind and turned simultaneously to see the elf, Lady Lalo, standing behind them. ‘May I speak with the Night Hunter alone?’ she asked in her mellow voice.
‘Sure,’ Bry replied instantly, and eyed the pale green-skinned lady. She then turned to Johan and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘You know where I am if you need me,’ she said, as if Johan was likely to have trouble, and walked off with Ardag.
‘Lady Lalo, it is a pleasure to see you again,’ Johan said bowing. The companions had kept to themselves on the voyage and the elves had decided to give them space.
‘It is always a pleasure to see you Johan,’ she replied in her seductive voice.
‘How may I be of service to you my lady?’
‘Tell me Johan, do you know anything of Jotun?’
‘No my lady, only what I have been told. What do you know of it?’ he asked curiously.
‘My kin never took to the sea. Wilmurin is our home and we dwelt there until our race perished,’ she began with a small hint of sadness. ‘Jotun, I understand, is a dangerous and inhospitable land covered in snow and ice. You must be on your guard there for we do not know what we will encounter. It is said that the giants of Wilmurin came from Jotun – you will need your friends with you to face whatever it is we come across.’
‘I am lucky to have two invaluable friends who will do anything for me, as I will for them.’ Johan paused for a moment and gazed into the beautiful green pools of Lady Lalo’s eyes. ‘And we have the elves on our side. That must count for a lot.’
‘Our numbers are too few now Johan, we cannot make a difference in this struggle. I do not know what task you are meant to fulfil to bring down Count Darkool. The fate of Wilmurin, no, the world, is in your hands, Johan. If you fail then the world will fall.’
‘If I may speak honestly, my lady, I am scared of what is required of me,’ Johan remarked, looking down at his feet.
‘All beings are scared of the tasks that life bestows upon them. It is the strong and the willing that prevail.’
Johan looked up at her and smiled, ‘Do you think I have that strength and will, my lady?’
‘You have overcome many odds already, young Night Hunter. I believe that we have yet to see your true ability.’
‘Your faith in the boy amazes me, Mother.’ They both turned around to see Lady Lalo’s son, Larko, coming towards them. He then looked at Johan as he stood in front of them. ‘The fate of our world lies in your hands Night Hunter, I should hope that you have the will and the strength to succeed.’
Johan wore a puzzled expression. ‘You heard our conversation Larko?’
‘Every word,’ he replied with a smile.
Lady Lalo laughed out loud; she put her hands over the rail and stared out to sea and said, ‘Our ears help us hear even the faintest and most distant sounds Johan, you have much to learn.’ She looked at his slightly irritated expression. ‘Do not worry Johan, we do not usually listen into your conversations, Larko was just curious,’ she reassured.
For a moment Johan scrutinised the male elf; he had pale green skin and dark green hair with what looked like twigs protruding from it. Johan felt uneasy as the golden eyes of Larko stared back at him. Larko then turned, faced his mother and spoke to her in the elven tongue.
Johan looked on, frustrated because he did not understand. After finishing what seemed like a heated exchange Larko took one more look at Johan and then returned to a group of elves standing by the mast in the centre of the ship.
Now Johan and Lady Lalo were alone again Johan took his opportunity, ‘What did he say to you my lady?’ he whispered to her.
‘Nothing too major. Do not worry yourself, he is just concerned about the task at hand.’
‘Concerned?’ asked Johan
‘Larko has seen a lot of death in his time. His father died during the First War of Wilmurin as well as his brothers. His trust for outsiders is fragile – he feels that we should find a new place to live rather than help you and your companions.’
Johan sighed, ‘Maybe that would be for the best my lady. Your numbers are small, even smaller since the battle on the beach. I do not want to be responsible for more deaths of members of your race.’
‘Once again you prove your chivalry Johan,’ Lady Lalo said with a smile. ‘Our fate is tied in with yours Johan, Count Darkool’s reach will extend far beyond Wilmurin in times to come.’ With that chilling sentence Lady Lalo left Johan to his thoughts.
Johan looked down at the waves of the calm sea and reflected on what Lady Lalo had said. He knew that they needed help from the elves and was grateful. But after that slightly hostile glance from Larko, Johan felt a trace of anxiety about the whole situation. Maybe Bry was right about the elves. No, he thought to himself, Larko is just looking after his race’s interests. Like any living being he does not want to see the destruction of his people. A blue face staring up at him from beneath the waves suddenly distracted Johan’s thoughts.
‘What you gazing at?’ Bry called over to Johan, who was looking over the wooden rail of the ship down at the sea.
Johan looked up and saw her approaching, ‘I thought I saw something – a face looking up at me.’
Bry laughed and hit Johan on the back. ‘Why do you look so startled Johan? It was probably just your reflection, let’s go and eat something,’ she said.
‘I don’t know,’ Johan muttered and turned to walk back to the ship’s mess room.
Bry stood back for a moment and laughed to herself at Johan’s inse
curity. It was at that moment that she felt a firm grasp on her shoulder; she looked down to see a blue, webbed hand firmly grasped on to her shoulder. Before she could call out she was dragged over the rail and down into the cold blue water. All she managed to utter was a screech.
Johan heard the screech and quickly spun around to see that Bry was no longer standing where they both had just been. He quickly ran over to the rail and looked overboard. He couldn’t see anything.
‘Bry! Bry! Bry!’ he repeatedly called out. There was nothing, just water. I must raise the alarm, he thought to himself. He ran over to the middle mast of the ship, the largest of the three, and started rapidly pulling on a rope to ring the bell.
Suddenly the deck was alive as the elves took up their positions. Ardag immediately ran over to Johan who was now standing back at the rail staring out at the ocean. ‘What’s going on Johan? Why was the alarm raised?’
‘It’s Bry, she’s vanished!’ was all Johan could say as he stared down at the sea.
The elves held their positions anxiously, some stood by the rail of the ship whilst others took up positions along the stern, stem, and centre of the ship. Their shiny green armour glistened in the sun and their breath turned to mist in the cold air.
Johan drew his sword as he looked, searching, down into the sea; Ardag drew his katana. Lady Lalo approached them with her beautiful hair swaying in the gentle wind; the sun accentuated her pale green skin, making her differences to the humans obvious.
‘What’s happening?’ she asked, and before the others could reply, suddenly, bursting from the sea, came a creature that appeared to be from the abyss. It was a little taller than an average human, its bottom half the scaly tail of a fish and its upper body appeared to be that of a human but its skin was blue.
‘Mer people!’ Ardag managed to call out.
The creature flew over the deck using the momentum from its leap. It grabbed one of the elves on the far side and dragged him down into the sea. More of the mer people began leaping out of the water, grabbing at the helpless defenders and taking them overboard, including Lady Lalo and Larko.
The elves began firing arrows above them in attempt to strike down the creatures but the mer people were so fast that many of the arrows just flew past harmlessly. Johan and Ardag had no better luck with their swords so they began to make their way to the store below deck to acquire some aerial weaponry.
One of the elves managed to hit home with an arrow, instantly killing one of the creatures. It landed with a thump in front of Johan and Ardag. Johan could now see the creature’s features more clearly; it had a blue body with distinct muscle definition, and a blue head. It had no hair, but what appeared to be a bone protruding from its skull running from the forehead to the back of its head. Its face was humanoid with pointed ears, and gills were obvious on the neck. The scales of its tail were a mixture of different shades of blue.
Suddenly, from right beside him, Ardag was grabbed by the shoulders by another creature and taken down into the sea. Now Ardag was gone, Lady Lalo and Larko were also taken, and there were only a small number crew remaining; it wasn’t long before they too were taken. With only four of the mer people dead and none of his companions around him, Johan stood alone on the deck and waited for his own end.
It came quickly.
He felt a strong grip on both of his shoulders as he was lifted into the air and then down into the sea. He gulped in as much air as he could, intending to hold his breath for as long as possible and trying not to panic. Then something happened which Johan did not expect. The creature blew into his face, forming a bubble around his mouth; now suddenly he could breathe and see the water world around him.
Dragged deeper and deeper, the creature took him over a huge underwater cliff and down even deeper. They were now swimming above a vast sandy plane, and Johan could see what appeared to be glowing tips of giant bubbles in the distance.
The domes were huge and glowed orange. As they got closer Johan saw that there were dozens of them surrounding an even greater central dome. Each of the smaller domes connected to the larger one. The smaller ones were easily the same size as a city on Wilmurin.
They swam down to a smaller dome that Johan had not initially seen. They passed through a bubble-like wall and, to Johan’s amazement, the inside of the bubble was as dry as land. Even more astonishing, the creature had transformed its scaly tail into human-like legs and now it stood upright, a foot taller than Johan. He stared at his captor.
‘Come,’ the creature said simply, in a deep voice which sounded male.
‘Where are you taking me?’ asked Johan.
‘Come,’ the mer man said again, and led the way through a narrow arch. Johan followed, wondering what had happened to his companions.
They walked from the first dome, which Johan realised was some kind of entrance foyer, through a long tunnel towards another entrance. The ceiling was bubble-like and Johan could see out into the sea; schools of fish were swimming above them and every now and then he could see mer people swimming around, their bronze looking armour and tridents making it obvious that they were guards. They continued walking until they reached the first of the larger domes.
Johan paused for a moment and marvelled at the amazing sight – thousands of blue mer people wandered the paved streets of the city; it was just like any other city he had come across, there were bazaars, restaurants, inns. Dotted about the underwater city were many dwellings and large towers, which glowed orange at their tips thus lighting the city beneath them.
The mer people around them stopped and stared at the stranger that had been brought into their city; many children ran up to him, talking to him in an unknown language – maybe they had never seen someone from the surface? Johan thought to himself.
They walked for some time through this part of the city until they came to a large archway, and then through a tunnel which obviously led to the large central dome. There were guards at the end of the tunnel dressed in bronze armour with bronze helmets, holding spears and large shields made from shells; they questioned Johan’s guard and the two were allowed to pass. This dome was very different from the other one; it had very impressive stone built dwellings compared to the crude ones in the smaller dome. Towers could again be seen, and Johan had the impression that there were just as many mer people here going about their daily business; one thing Johan could not miss was the giant fortress of stone and coral dead in the centre of the bubble-like dome, prominent and overshadowing everything.
The guard led Johan through the city, all the way to the fortress where familiar faces greeted him.
‘Johan!’ a friendly voice called out. Johan smiled as Bry ran over to him, followed by Ardag.
‘My friends! Where are we? What is going on?’ Johan asked, full of joy to see his companions and, behind them, all of the elves. Not one was missing. Bry immediately embraced him.
‘We're in the grand city of the mer people,’ Ardag said, ‘I imagine we are possibly the first surface dwellers to have come here – mer people don’t usually take prisoners – they threaten or even kill.’
There was a brief silence and then, ‘It’s beautiful here though isn’t it?’ Bry said.
‘Do not let the beauty fool you, Bry,’ Ardag warned. ‘We must stay vigilant.’
‘If they wanted to kill us they would have done it by now,’ Johan said, and then thought for a moment. ‘They must know something. I do agree though, we must be wary.’
‘Great – just as we’re on our way to Jotun, this happens,’ Bry said with a sigh. ‘This is the last thing we need, stalling our journey.’
‘Good to see you Johan,’ Lady Lalo said, walking over to them.
‘My lady, do you know anything about what is going on?’ Johan asked the elf.
‘I do not know, but whatever it is, it is keeping us alive,’ she replied, and then looked over her shoulder as she heard approaching footsteps. ‘I guess we are about to find out.’
A guard walke
d over to them. ‘Elf lady and humans come with me, all others stay here,’ he said, and the companions started to follow, constantly wary of where the guard would lead them.
‘Mother!’ Larko called out, and one of the mer men pulled him back.
‘Do not be concerned my son, no harm will come to us,’ Lalo replied; she then looked back at the guard, ‘Lead the way.’
In the centre of the huge bubble stood the great fortress, a very dark and unwelcoming sight. Johan felt a creeping anxiety as they began ascending the stairway leading to the door of the fortress. Surrounding it were many dwellings similar to those Johan had already seen. Even the great fortress, as unwelcoming as it looked, glowed orange in places from some kind of magical light.
Up they walked until they reached the doorway; the guard that had escorted them spoke in his own tongue to the two door guards, who opened a door that looked as if it had been constructed from salvaged wood of a wreck. The interior of the fortress was far from the grim appearance of its exterior – it was beautiful; glowing lamps lit up the inside, the floor looked as though it was made of gold, the pillars were golden with carvings of various underwater sea creatures. Hundreds of mer people were drifting around in lavish white robes not even the kings of Wilmurin would be accustomed to. They walked through the hallway and up another golden flight of stairs, to a door also made entirely from gold. Gold must be in good quantity here, Johan thought to himself.
They now entered a grand throne room, where the floor, pillars and furniture were made from sapphire, which brought a regal aura to this room. In the centre of the room was a throne made from a variety of coloured gems; green, blue, red, purple made the throne glisten. Sitting upon the throne was a mer man dressed in golden robes, wearing a golden crown upon his blue head. On either side of him were large tanks full of sea creatures.
