by Eric Vall
“Is that what happened to your advisor?” I asked.
“Well, no, and that’s part of what’s so upsetting,” Ariana told us with a frown. “My advisor wasn’t involved in any of the mass poisoning attacks, so I suspect Morgar might have gotten to him through a different source. I’m worried maybe our crops have been compromised, so I’m afraid things are going to get worse. At least we can tell where the other attacks are coming from.”
“Are the crops your citizens’ main source of food?” Jessamine asked the red-haired princess.
“They do a lot of fishing, of course, but there are farms on the city outskirts that do supply food to my people,” Ariana replied. “The palace has its own food supplies to prevent this kind of thing, but my advisor, Marinus, must have eaten something from an outside source. I want the three of you to promise that for as long as you are here, you will not eat anything outside of what the palace chefs provide for you.”
“Of course,” Cienna agreed. “But how do you ensure the palace’s food supply is protected?”
“I raised it for a moment to let you in, but the palace currently has a magical barrier in place that won’t allow access to our fields or fish,” the redhead explained. “It’s almost like a large dome that surrounds the palace and keeps Eudora and her minions out.”
“Wow,” Jessamine marveled. “We really could use something like that in the desert to protect my palace. I’d feel a lot better knowing a protective shield was in place.”
“Hmmm,” Ariana mused and narrowed her aqua eyes. “The shield has only been used under the water so far, but it’s possible it could be adapted for use on land. It’s definitely something to consider, if things are as bad up there as you say. I have to admit I may not be as aware of things going on up on the surface as I should be.”
“It’s totally understandable,” I reassured her. “You certainly have a lot going on down here.”
“Yes, we do.” The redhead nodded. “But listen, there’s one more thing you need to know about Eudora. Joe, you in particular need to pay attention to this.”
“I’m all ears,” I replied. “What’s up?”
“So, I used to be able to sing really well,” Ariana told us with a shrug. “It was even how I met Prince Aaron. This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but he really, really liked the sound of my voice.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Jessamine reassured her. “Singing well is a wonderful talent!”
“Yes, it was nice,” the red-haired princess responded, and she smiled faintly. “But then one day, a few months back, my father and I were traveling through the kingdom, talking to commoners and soldiers, assessing the situation, when Eudora suddenly appeared.”
“Shit,” I said, and our encounter with Jamar flashed back into my head. “What happened next?”
“The witch didn’t seem too interested in my father at first,” Ariana told us. “It was really me she was staring at, and I could feel her evil eyes boring into me. It was as if she could see into my soul itself. And then… she asked me to sing for her.”
“Did you do it?” Cienna asked, and I could tell the blonde was as totally entranced by the story as I was.
“It was like… I had to,” the redhead replied with a frown. “I couldn’t resist her powers. She was too strong for me at the time, though I have been practicing my magic a lot more since then. So, I sang for her, and the strangest thing happened. She repeated my tune right back to me, in my own voice.”
“Wow, that’s crazy,” Jessamine muttered.
“But that wasn’t the worst part,” Ariana continued. “When I looked over at my father listening to her sing, it was if he were in a trance. I know this is going to sound crazy, but it looked like there were black whirlpools in his eyes, and I don’t think there is any way for my science to explain that. It must have been some sort of horrible spell. And then, even stranger, she didn’t let it go on for long. I think she just wanted to show us her power over him, because then she stopped singing and disappeared. But…”
“What is it?” Cienna encouraged her to continue her story.
“But ever since then, I haven’t been able to sing anymore,” the redhead said with a catch in her voice. “I open my mouth to sing, and nothing comes out. I haven’t run into Eudora again since then, but I think she stole the power of my voice. And Joe… I’m worried she can entrance men with it. My father is incredibly powerful, and she was able to bring him under her spell.”
“I’m not worried about it,” I said in as strong a voice as I could. “She can’t be worse than Jamar, and the princesses and I made short work of him.”
“Well, thank you for the reassurance,” Ariana sighed. “I’m so glad you’re here now, although I hate to take you away from what you’re doing in your kingdoms.”
“We were traveling anyway, of course, and from what I’m hearing, it sounds like you may be able to help us in our fight against evil, as well,” Cienna responded. “I think we mentioned earlier the princesses on the surface have realized we need to come together to fight an evil demon known as Chernabog, and I suspect you may be part of that fight, as well. But the details aren’t important right now. Is there anything you can show us today that might help us better understand your struggles?”
“I can take you down to see the palace’s crops,” Ariana told us with a weak smile. “Are you interested in seeing the food from our kingdom? At least it might help you see what we are going to eat is safe. I even trust you enough to show you the magic barrier around the palace after what I saw Joe do with his sword.”
“Sure, let’s swim down there,” I agreed. “This magical barrier sounds pretty cool.”
“Let me just grab my weapon first,” Ariana replied, and she swam over to pick up a large silver trident from the corner of the room. “And the three of you can just flip the switch on your armor to float.”
Jessamine, Cienna, and I did as instructed with our armor and followed Ariana out of the chamber. I thought it was pretty cool how the palace didn’t have any internal corridors so we had to swim everywhere, which gave me an amazing view of the kingdom.
“Let me show you the magical barrier first,” Ariana told us. “I want you to feel safe here.”
It appeared the redhead was starting to relax a little now that she was on her home turf, and I was glad to see it.
“How far away is the barrier?” I asked.
“It’s hard to tell since it’s invisible,” Ariana informed us, “but I think I know a way I can show it to you. Here, stop swimming for a moment and get out your sword, Joe.”
I pulled out Genie’s Wrath and showed it to her.
“Wow, I’d really love to hear more about this sword and its powers someday,” the redhead told me as her eyes studied the golden blade. “But for the time being, try to do what you did to the pirate captain by pointing your sword in front of you.”
I held out Genie’s Wrath and focused my thoughts for a moment, and, as I’d come to expect, a blast of purple sparks shot out from the tip of the blade. Instead of blasting out into the water, however, the purple energy came right back toward us. I instinctively ducked and tried to cover the princesses, but the sparks passed right through us harmlessly.
“Woah!” I exclaimed. “It’s almost like there’s a wall there in front of us.”
“Exactly.” Ariana nodded.
“This is incredible,” Cienna said with an amazed look on her face. “It seems like some of your magic is much more powerful than what we have up on the surface.”
“Yes, there are elements of our magic that are very strong,” Ariana agreed. “But we haven’t been able to figure out a way to beat Eudora and Morgar, which is concerning.”
I glanced at Cienna and Jessamine, who seemed to be sharing a meaningful look.
“Well, there’s probably a way we can help you with that,” Cienna told her. “Joe has been very successful so far in battle, and Jessamine and I actually have powers that may be able to
assist you, as well. In any case, I’m very impressed. Who cast this shield?”
“I have to admit I had a big part to play,” Ariana replied, and I saw she was blushing again. “I had some support from my father, but I have been working hard on my magic for many years. In any case, I hope this brings you some assurance that the palace’s food supply hasn’t been contaminated.”
“Where do you get your fish now?” Jessamine asked with a furrowed brow. “That is, if you can’t fish out on the open waters.”
“I’ve been breeding some fish myself here on the palace grounds,” the redhead replied. “We don’t get as much variety, but at least we know they are healthy and safe. Here, I’ll show you our crops, as well.”
The red-haired princess led us down through the maze of spires that made up the palace to an internal courtyard where I could see neat rows of plants in a rainbow of colors.
“What kind of food do you eat down here?” I asked.
“Well, we have various varieties of kelp--”
“Kelp?” Cienna interrupted. “Isn’t that like… weeds?”
“Not the kind we grow,” Ariana laughed. “This is all kelp in this row, but I bet you’ve never seen anything like this before.”
She gestured toward a row of plants whose brightly-colored leaves were streaming through the water, and I had to admit it was better looking than any other seaweed I’d seen.
“Wow, that is beautiful,” I admitted.
“I’d break you off a piece, but it tastes better cooked or in a salad,” Ariana informed us. “My chefs also use these herbs, in this next row, to season all of our food to perfection. You’re going to love eating at the palace, I promise, even if it’s a little different than what you’re used to. And these, over here, are seaberries.”
The redhead pulled off a stem of small, round berries that grew in different shades of purple, blue, and pink.
“Can we try those?” Jessamine asked, and Ariana passed us each a small fruit.
I popped mine into my mouth, and, even though it was a little salty from the water, it still tasted like a cross between a cherry and a plum.
“These are delicious,” I told her with a grin. “Even better than some of the fruit we have back home.”
“Thank you, Joe,” the red-haired princess said and looked downward shyly. “I’ve been trying to grow the most delicious varieties, and my cooks will make you the best desserts out of seaberries. I’m looking forward to sitting down for a meal with all of you later.”
“Us, too,” Cienna assured her. “Ariana, you’ve been more than hospitable, and that’s even after you saved Joe for us. What can we do right now to thank you?”
“Hmm,” Ariana said with a furrowed brow. “Would you mind leaving the palace grounds for a little bit? I was hoping to show you the commoners’ farms to see if you had any ideas about what might be happening.”
“Of course,” I told her with a smile. “Whatever we can do to help.”
“Thank you so much,” she responded. “I’m going to lift the barrier for a minute so we can swim through.”
“Would it feel like hitting a wall if it weren’t lifted?” Jessamine asked.
“No, it’s soft, but you would just kind of bounce off like the energy from Joe’s sword,” Ariana explained. “Luckily, it only takes a brief spell from me for us to pass right through it.”
We swam up a little further toward the barrier, and I saw Ariana mumble a few words to herself. She gestured us across with a nod of her head, and then she followed us back out into the open sea.
“It’s so beautiful here right now, it’s hard to believe these terrible things are happening,” Cienna commented. “The fish, your kingdom, just everything is gorgeous. How often is Morgar attacking your people?”
“One of our main troubles is the attacks are so random, they are impossible to predict,” Ariana told us, and she looked like she might even cry. “I feel so badly for our people. He will attack two days in a row, and then not again for a month. Things will go back to normal, as if everything is safe, and then he strikes again.”
“Oh, Ariana, that’s so awful,” Jessamine lamented, and her voice trembled a little. “And you haven’t figured out a way to gather any information about upcoming attacks?”
“No, we’ve been trying to figure out a way to gather more intelligence, but we’ve been unsuccessful so far,” the redhead sighed and frowned. “Maybe that’s one of the things you could help me with, since I’m still so new to ruling on my own. My father will return one of these days, but he truly depends on me now to keep the kingdom going. And so I will continue to research, and fight, and whatever else I need to do.”
“You’re so tough,” the dark-haired princess complimented her. “Just like a princess should be.”
“Yes, well, I also have several older sisters, and they are all concerned about the kingdom, of course, but they are married now, with children and families of their own, and that’s really why my father left me in charge,” Ariana explained. “Although, I hope he sees some toughness in me, as well.”
“I’m sure he does,” I told the redhead. She was one of the most impressive women I’d ever met, and I thought again that I couldn’t believe how strong all the princesses were.
“Well, thank you again,” Ariana said with a small smile. “I want to be able to bring you back to the palace for dinner, like I promised, so let’s try to take a quick look at the farms.”
We swam away from the palace in the opposite direction from which we entered the kingdom and into its outskirts. The red-haired princess led us down toward the sea floor and over fields of the same colorful crops we’d seen in her palace courtyard.
“So, this is more kelp, I suppose,” Cienna commented.
“Yes, it’s the main leafy vegetable we eat down here.” Ariana nodded at the blonde. “We also have root vegetables, and the berries I showed you, and there is even a type of fruit tree that bears something like the apples you eat on the surface. If Eudora and Morgar have started to poison crops, it may take a lot of research to figure out how they are doing it.”
“Well, we might not be able to do research with you, but we can definitely fight with you,” I told her. I pulled out Genie’s Wrath again and held it out in the water, and I was amazed when Ariana actually giggled.
“Thanks, Joe,” she said with a smile. “And thank you, Cienna and Jessamine, for everything you’re doing for me and my kingdom.”
“No problem,” Jessamine replied. “We’re so hap--”
In an instant, out of nowhere, a gigantic flash of light appeared.
“Oh, my gods, I think it’s Eudora,” Ariana groaned from what strangely seemed like far away.
I thought the princesses were still talking, but suddenly all I could listen to was the most beautiful singing voice I’d ever heard.
Chapter 9
The singing voice was intoxicating, and I couldn’t resist trying to move closer and closer to the sound. I thought I could hear the princesses trying to call me back, but they might as well have been on the moon. The voice sounded like an entire orchestra playing the most beautiful song I’d ever heard, and although the song wasn’t in a language I could understand, I could feel the power of the music reverberating throughout my entire body.
My eyes adjusted to the bright light that had flashed through the water, and a beautiful mermaid now appeared about ten feet in front of me. Her long black hair was at least as long as her entire body, and it streamed out behind her through the sparkling waves. It almost looked like it was strung through with diamonds, and I had to put my hand up to my eyes for a moment to shield myself from the light glinting off them. Her tail, which was equally entrancing, was covered with similar jewels that refracted a series of rainbows into the water.
The mermaid’s top was barely a slip of white fabric, and her breasts were entirely exposed, other than her nipples, which poked through the thin cloth as if they were begging to be rubbed and pinched. When I f
inally managed to raise my eyes to her face, I saw it was angelic, with wide blue eyes staring at me with intense longing. I could feel in my loins that she desperately wanted me, and it seemed I couldn’t help but move forward toward her.
“No, Joe!” I thought I heard a shout, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. All I could pay attention to was the mermaid’s incredible singing and her powerful blue eyes.
Suddenly, though, her eyes changed into deep, black whirlpools, but I still couldn’t look away. I could also see her incredible, diamond tail had turned into that of a slimy black monster, and it stretched out at least twenty feet behind her. However, even as her body changed into a monster, the beautiful voice continued to emerge from her mouth.
Then the long black hair I’d admired turned into a nest of sea serpents, still as long again as her body. The snakes grew outward from her head, and each one had a gaping mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. The snakes swam toward me now and were almost close enough to bite me with their horrible mouths, and I put up my hands to protect my face.
The witch stopped singing suddenly, so I dropped my hands, but it was impossible for me to tear my eyes away from her, even as she morphed into a hideous hag. Her beautiful visage melted away, and her true face was exposed, which was more terrifying than any other woman I’d ever seen. She was greenish, like the Wicked Witch of the West, but her face was more monster than human, and her skin almost seemed to be part of the water itself as it melted and reformed in front of my eyes.
Then Eudora opened her mouth to hiss at me, and I could see a series of teeth which ended in points like daggers and were set into several rows like the mouth of a shark. She snapped out at me like one of her snakes before her mouth opened into a hideous grin.
“Hello, hero,” she somehow both hissed and screamed at the same time, and her voice was dripping with sarcasm. “The sea is no place for you. Run back up to the land where you came from, and bring the princesses with you before you are all destroyed.”
