Бесплатный фрагмент - Lilophea-3: Queen of the Sea and Princess of the Ocean

Water Dragons

Lilophea was left alone in the azure garden. The paradisiacal place darkened in an instant. It was now as terrifying as hell.

Could the twins have deliberately lied to her, to make her frightened and disgusted? How did it feel to be related to monsters? Probably it is no better than being married to an underwater creature. It’s kind of scary, and you realize that you have to get used to it to survive.

Lirena had one of her tentacles tied with a scrap from Lilophea’s dress. So these girls really had been motionless, wooden statues a short time ago. Lilophea remembered perfectly well the first time she had climbed onto a mermaid ship and torn her dress there.

Could it be that all the other animated statues from the ship would come here, too? Only, perhaps, they would come no longer as guests, but with a declaration of war. They are from the ocean. It seems that it was the creatures from the ocean that the Morgens fought all the time. That’s the reason Seal might have been missing for so long: some powerful enemy was approaching its borders.

«Could you show me the way to the ocean?» Lilophea fiddled with the sun pendant around her neck.

Hearing the question, the sun instantly was alive right in her fingers, rounded her dainty lips, and chanted:

«Don’t!»

So it really is very dangerous in the ocean. Lilophea was more surprised that her fears were confirmed than that the pendant could also give advice, and not just point the right way.

What should she do now? Go back to the palace and rely on the power of the Triton guards and an army of water dragons who would jump off the arches and pillars to protect the queen of the sea from any attack. And an attack from the ocean dwellers might be just around the corner.

To sit at home was humiliating and unpleasant. If the kingdom of the sea was in danger, she must do something. But what?

Lilophea climbed out of the azure garden and swam downstream. The mere sight of the familiar creature on the anchor of the wreck frightened her so much that she almost turned back. But it had no intention to attack, only staring at Lilophea with multiple pairs of multicolored eyes. It was content. On the ship, which, by all appearances, it had recently dragged to the bottom, were gleaming chests of gold coins. Lilophea recalled what Seal had said about the creature. It clings to the anchors of ships, unsuspecting sailors pull it up, and once on board, it attacks them and sinks the ship for its valuable cargo. Such a creature can be called nothing less than a cunning parasite or underwater pirate.

Somehow it was able to see through the bottom to see if there was treasure on board a ship that had passed by. The bottom of the large ship was just visible on the surface. The creature winked at Lilophea with ten eyes, let out a long whistle, and suddenly, out of the blue, someone above ordered to lower the anchor. It is supposed to be thrown out only near the shore for the time of anchorage, but not in the open sea. But the rules were broken. The clever spy hooked himself to the anchor and whizzed off again. He was pulled up. The chain was quickly wound onto the winch above. The creaking sound reached even into the underwater realm. The men on board were unaware that they were pulling their doom from the sea.

Lilophea became curious as to what exactly was going to happen up there, so she decided to watch. Naturally it was from a safe distance. To do so, she had to swim a little away from the ship. This proved difficult. The short anchor chain never reached the bottom, so the ship kept moving forward. Lilophea was too far out. And the sides of the ship were too high. You couldn’t see what was happening on the ship no matter how you jumped out of the water.

«You would have been better off with wings than a tail,» someone scooped Lilofea up from behind and lifted her over the water. What was happening on deck was so terrifying that she wanted to dive right in.

«Hush! Don’t move so much!» A woman’s offended voice sounded.

Lilophea found that she had been helped by the same morgena with snow-white, multi-layered, flower-like wings and white curls. It was the one she had seen once before floating on the sea in a palanquin. This must be the white fairy or the sea fairy. What was her other name?

She had a face in relief, like a morgena. But the patterned wings suggested the legends of snow fairies.

«Your mother has wings!» The white fairy put webbed fingers to her lips. «Don’t say anything! But you could have saved them. Just pull your train!»

Lilophea only now discovered that the fairy was no longer supporting her. Her feet are held on the water by themselves, as on solid ground. Only it was softer and more pleasant to tread on the waves than on land. She moved a little and the train of her dress spread like foam over the surface of the surrounding waves. It was as if the sea was her train! Lilophea tried to do what the fairy had advised her and pull the train. It turned out something like a small storm. Foamy waves rose along with the train. The ship was already sinking. If only she had intervened earlier, it would not have sunk, but the spy would have been thrown from the deck by the tremendous jolt.

«I wish I’d had another doubloon of his profit,» the fairy opened the white marrow fan in vexation. But no! It was not a fan, but one of her webbed hands. There were pairs of hands-one holding the hem of a lace dress that seemed to rise from her own pale skin, one pair correcting her hair, one pair gesturing. All of them had openwork webs that made a normal hand look like a fan. She seemed to have more than five fingers. Standing there with her mouth open and counting was uncomfortable, so Lilophea turned away.

«What would one do with doubloons at sea?» She wondered.

«Have you ever been to a fish market?»

«Yes, in Aquilania. There’s a main square there, and there’s a market.»

«Not the one where they sell the fish, but the one where the fish put out their own goods.»

«I’ve never been there. What interesting things can the fish sell that you can’t get for free on the bottom?»

«Well, the fish scientists offer a large assortment of things you can’t invent without their help.»

The fairy looked greedily at the bloody splash and the wreckage of the ship in the distance.

«You are able to tread the waves, and my wings are tired,» she apologized, and was so. There’s a reason her wings are layered! Even birds don’t fly at that speed.

Her newly discovered ability to walk on water was so unusual that for several minutes Lilophea enjoyed it. The ripple of small waves under her feet tickled her skin pleasantly. It was sheer pleasure! The train, merging with the sea, did not weigh her down or slow her down at all. If one tugged it, the whole surface of the sea would be stirred by the storm.

You could only feel so good in a dream. Dinny Shea flew over the water. Usually these tiny faeries gather in a flock near fishermen’s boats and vigorously offer the fisherman favors if he’ll do their bidding. For example, if he refuses to fish for good. Then they will make him rich. They must have some sort of agreement with the Morgens.

Only she couldn’t see any of the small fishing boats in the vicinity. No one had even had time to lower the lifeboats from the sinking ship. So what were the Dinny Shea looking for here? They glittered like a scattering of stars over the water.

A stroll forward across the surface of the sea made it clear who they were waiting for. The luxurious boat was sailing slowly downstream, uncontrolled by oars or rudder. The same painter in the boat was painting a morgen with a brush in the air. He must have run out of paper. Is it possible to take off and take with you the picture painted on the empty space? Or would such a picture come to life as soon as it was finished?

For some reason the Dinny Shea were wary of hovering directly over the rook, so they hovered in the air at a safe distance.

The painter frowned. Obviously, he was failing to recreate exactly what he intended. But when he caught sight of Lilophea treading the water, surrounded by a trail of foam, he nearly dropped his brush in surprise.

«Don’t move! I’ll paint you!» He shouted from a distance, but Lilophea didn’t want to pause for a pose. So she copied the gesture of the white fairy — elegantly put her fingers to her lips as a sign of silence. Let the artist know that the queen of the sea, walking directly on the water, should not tell anyone, or there will be a storm and the sea will not survive. She straightened her train a little as she passed by, just for showmanship’s sake. The boat shook on the waves so much that it almost flipped over.

White foam flowers bloomed right on the water. Lilophea spotted the body of a drowned woman with a large pearl sprouting right into the flesh in her chest. The sight was beautiful and frightening.

The silhouette of a large merchant caravel loomed in the distance. Was it not headed for Sultanite? Lilothea remembered how easily Seal had carried her aboard the ship. Would she be able to climb onto the caravel? As soon as she moved her train, a wave so high formed under her feet that it swept her directly aboard the caravel. Those on board must have thought she appeared out of thin air. Grant, obviously the master of the caravel, immediately fell to his knees.

«Do us no harm, your majesty!»

He knew unmistakably who she was by the crown. He must have had a road with the Morgens himself. How to sail the seas and feel safe without a non-aggression pact from the underwater inhabitants?

Is this the same Grant that once gave Seal the ring of fire? Or was it the wrong one? Lilophea tried to see if the living pearl was sprouting right in his forehead.

«I’m not going to sink the ship,» she hastened to calm his panic. «All I want is one small favor from you and your crew.»

«Anything you command!»

Grant trembled.

«I must get word to Sultanite. Are you sailing the wrong way?»

«I will change course for your sake,» he hastened to oblige. «It is almost on the way. It is but a little detour.»

«Will you be received at the royal court?»

«I think so. I have good trade relations with the King of Sultanite.»

«Now it is the queen.»

Grant was a little taken aback.

«The king died recently,» Lilophea felt it her duty to explain. «Sultanite is ruled by his daughter Ornella.»

«Didn’t her brothers all die too?» Grant was astonished, but covered his mouth as he noticed her hem splashing frothy sea water all over the deck.

«Apparently matriarchy reigns in the Sultanate. There is a woman on the throne. All the brothers obey her. That’s why you must speak to Ornella in person. You can arrange that.»

«She always comes personally for the silks I bring. Her brothers prefer tobacco and spices.»

«You’re a noble man, and you trade with the Sultanite? It is astonishing!»

«It is better to trade with the Sultanite than to fight. It is a dangerous power!»

«It is good that your caravel is equipped with more cannon,» Lilothea estimated. «If the Griffins attack, that’s the end of the trade, and you can fire every gun in the ship without thinking twice. But if you do manage to get to Ornella, tell her that the underwater queen reminds her that it is not delicate to go to war with blood kin.»

«Is that all?» Grant was relieved. He’d thought he’d have to take a report of the attack on the Sultanite. And such news could get him killed.»

«That’s all!»

«I can send her that message right now. I have a cage of carrier pigeons in my quarters.»

«You’d better give it to her in person.» Lilophea wondered what she could give him to make Ornella understand that these were not empty words. All she had with her was a pair of amber bones and a shell she had found at the bottom. Moralla mentioned that if you want to send people messages, you have to whisper the words right into the hole of the empty shell and, once in the right hands, it will speak itself. Lilophea decided to check it out. She brought the shell to her lips and whispered into it:

«You cannot go to war with your own family!»

The shell, as if mesmerized, immediately emitted something that sounded like a whisper, and a second later the same words echoed from the empty hole. The shell repeated them several times and wouldn’t have stopped if Lilophea hadn’t mocked her:

«The message is only for Ornella!»

It is of no use to the princes to say all this. They are under their sister’s thumb. An exception is the younger Prince Condor. But he’s hardly capable of deciding for himself whether to go to war with Aquilania or not.

«Tell her!» Lilophea placed the glowing shell in the trembling hands of Grant. He was afraid to hold it. «Do not break it! Here’s something for your trouble!»

Lilophea also gave him a pair of amber stones.

Probably it was necessary to put some kind of sea seal on him, so that he did not dare to disobey her orders and accurately fulfill the order, but Lilophea did not know how to do it. She merely ran a damp hand across his swarthy forehead, and something resembling a seal of runes such as those on Seal’s pectoral appeared on his skin all by itself. Grant wrinkled his nose, tried to brush the skin against his forehead, but there was nothing he could do. His gaze became somewhat hypnotized.

«I obey you, Queen of the Seas!» He bowed gracefully and pressed the shell carefully to his chest.

There was a servility and subservience in him. It seemed to be the work of a spell. Lilophea glanced at him to the door of his quarters and slipped back out to sea.

Somewhere far out in the depths of the water came trumpet sounds. They mingled with the murmur of the waves and seemed at times inviting, at times threatening. Such was the sound of the wondrous horn that summons the sea-dwellers to attack the mortals who are vulnerable by the moon by the shores of the sea. All night long they may attack before the sea calls them back. They will leave, but only corpses will remain in the towns near the coast.

Such are the usual rules! But today the horn heralded war between the underwater races. The human tribes scattered along the coasts remained in the background for now.

Lilophea walked farther across the water. Shallow waves lay before her like a blue desert. Everywhere she looked there was nothing but the sea. It was more interesting under water than on the surface. Lilophea was about to dive back in when she noticed a whole flotilla ahead. Dozens of ships hurtled forward at full speed. There were no Sultanite’s flags flying over the unfurled sails, but Lilophea was alarmed all the same. Passing between the ships would be difficult. If she didn’t dive underwater, they might crush her.

She’d barely had time to think about the danger when blue scaly reefs emerged from the sea. They looked like humps on a smooth surface. After a moment it was clear that they were moving, too. They were water dragons!

The sentries on the ships had spotted them too and already panicked, but it was too late. The blue sea dragons appeared in flocks and surrounded the fleet. There was no use shooting them with crossbows, or even cannons. Their azure skin was as impenetrable as magic armor. The dragons, on the other hand, after listening to the chorus of screams, opened their mouths and pounded the flotilla with such a torrent of water that the ships sank. The crackle of splinters and the screams of those drowning were mingled into one cacophony of sounds. The whole fleet was sunk in a matter of minutes. Those that sank more slowly, the dragons circled their blue tails and began crushing them like hazelnut shells. There was a deafening noise from the cracking of the breaking boards.

Lilophea watched the mayhem from a distance. She wondered why the dragons had done that. They hadn’t eaten anyone. They had only amused themselves. Perhaps Seal had told them to destroy one particular fleet. Maybe they were talking about breaking some kind of treaty with the Morgens. After all, as far as Lilophea had learned, no one sailed the sea without making a special pact with them. And all who do not agree with the underwater people, become victims of an attack and eventually drowned, never reaching land from their first voyage. The Morgens have everything under control. In addition, the sunken ships are profitable. How much wealth will sink with the wreckage and become the property of Seal.

One of the water dragons glanced back at Lilophea. In its open mouth could be seen, along with sharp incisors, each the size of a dagger, pearl teeth. Would you think that water creatures could even have teeth made of pearls?

The dragon tilted its horned head, paying homage to the underwater queen, whom, of course, it noticed even from a great distance.

Lilophea even thought that the dragons had sunk the fleet only because it posed a threat to her, strolling carefree on the waves.

Only there was no one else to ask. The dragons soared over the water, nodded their spiky heads at her one by one, and dove into the water, leaving fountains of spray on the surface.

The ring of fire

Had someone warned her that Morag wasn’t the only one to be wary of? The water dragons turned out to be many! Lilophea’s heart was pounding hard after her encounter with them. Of course, she didn’t seem to have anything to fear. They all have no right to harm her. She is, after all, their queen after all. But what if something happens to Seal? Then they’ll all turn on her and poor Aquilanía, of course. Not to mention the rest of the other neighboring states.

Seal was merciful. For the sake of his bride, he did not attack her homeland. Would the creatures of the ocean be as humane if they were victorious?

How hard it is to feel helpless! Even if Seal is at war now, there is nothing she can do to help him. Except to abuse her power and summon a militia of water dragons to move to the ocean. And fight her family there again?! According to Morena and Lirena, her maternal relatives are the rulers of the ocean. And she herself is not strong enough to believe that packs of sea dragons are subject to her.

While she pondered on the move, Lilophea reached the small rocky island. If it were not for the many tall rocks in which the faces of sinister mythical creatures were carved, the island could have been called paradise. It had picturesque waterfalls and palm groves that couldn’t be counted. And the colorful tropical flowers that grew here in whole clumps, Lilophea didn’t even know the name.

The yellow sand was not dotted with magic shells. So it was safe here.

She should have thought so! On the sand you could come across bones and skulls of some non-human creatures. Not human, not animal, not even morgen. Some skulls had the walls of the back of their heads shaped like shells. These could be the skulls of sea creatures.

«So you went back into the depths to your tribe after all?»

The voice was familiar, but the dark-skinned woman in gorgeous silver jewelry was not immediately recognizable to Lilophea.

«Harisi?»

The black woman nodded in response. In flowing silk robes and with colored bird feathers in her hair, she looked like an exotic island queen. She probably was. Lilophea noticed that the tips of crude spears and arrows gleamed in the thicket. There’s a whole warrior tribe hiding out there.

«They don’t like morgens here,» Harisi confirmed, «but I remember you were kind to me.»

«Are you in charge here?»

She nodded.

«And you know enough about us to keep us off your island?» Lilophea noted that the tips of the local warriors’ weapons were silver. «When you fled from Sultanite, did you take much silver metal with you? It was a good defense against Seal’s warriors.»

«It is not good enough,» Harisi sighed. «Once he turns his vigilant attention to our island, we are lost. But Sephora is around.»

«Sephora? You mean the dragon goddess? What’s her connection to your island?»

«Oh, it’s a long story,» Harisi wanted to take Lilophea under her arm, but she nearly burned the silver bracelets abundantly strung on her black wrist.

«I’m sorry!» She apologized at once. «I do not wish to insult you, so that you come to our island with your magic harp and flood everyone here.»

«I will not!» Lilophea promised. Perhaps prematurely! The weapon pointed at her still glared from behind the bushes. What a way to welcome guests here!

«So what is it with you and Sephora?»

«Her ring is shining on your hand, too,» said Harisi, her eyes gleaming with envy. «So she has taken you under her wing because of your feud with Ornella.»

«It’s not that Ornella and I are feuding,» Lilofea hesitated, remembering that this very Ornella was now preparing to attack her home kingdom.

«Even after her griffins had started attacking merchant ships from Aquilania and bullying captains to death?»

«I did not know that!»

«Birds put seals on people. It is like the seal of the morgen. The human mind weakens under their influence, yielding to the will of the one who set the seal. Those who resist perish. I saw a handsome young marshal whom Ornella had so branded kill himself to avoid becoming her slave.»

«She was always capricious and spiteful.»

«And she always disliked you.»

«I don’t even know why.»

«You’re a morgen. She doesn’t like all morgens.»

«But why is it? What have they done to her? There’s never been a flood in Sultanite, or I’d know.»

«She’s probably jealous that you keep control of all the ships and little boats that sail on the sea. You take tribute from people and collect sunken treasure from the bottom. And Ornella is very greedy. All she talked about was how rich the underwater king was. She and Sephora were friends, but they also quarreled over greed. Ornella started cheating at dice to win Sepphora some of her treasure. Sepphora caught her at it. That’s when they became enemies. You should have seen the magical tournament that ensued between them after another dice game. The whole sultan’s castle nearly collapsed. The floor, walls, and ceiling were cracked. Sparks were shooting out of the fire. Inside the cramped quarters a dragon against a griffin is a terrible force, but Ornella survived. But my entourage and I managed to escape. Right on the backs of dragons! Sephora called her pack and freed us in spite of Ornella. She easily broke all the magical slave collars and now has custody of us. I’ll tell you honestly, being under the patronage of a dragon goddess is sheer heaven.»

«At least everything worked out well for you,» Lilophea agreed.

She and Harisi walked along the sunny shore. The island was a very picturesque place. But what were the creatures carved into the surface of the rocks? Did they still inhabit the island today?

«There used to be a lot of morgens’ invasion,» Harisi lamented. «And there were pirates. Our simple tribal magic could not withstand their firearms. We were taken prisoners, sold in the markets of Pion, the largest slave marketplace in the land. Your admirer Morrin was going to make us a colony of Aquilania, and make himself viceroy of the island.»

That was something Lilophea could safely object to.

«No, he would be not a viceroy. He was going to make you a separate independent kingdom, and proclaim himself your ruler. He boasted of that. Only first he had to drive out the Morgens, who lay siege to your island at night.»

«That’s right! We all jumped out of the huts we were sleeping in at the sound of the underwater horn and hid in the rocks. But not everyone was able to do it. Many of my tribesmen died from the blows of the steel gills. Even my father, he was the head of the tribe. I’m the head now. And Sephora flies in the clouds above us. I am so afraid of one day do not please her and seeing my people eaten alive again by lizards from the sea.»

«I will ask Seal not to touch you again. What is the name of your island?»

«It is Tropic Circle.»

Clever! The island is shaped like a circle, and the faces of the supernatural beings carved into the rocks seem to wash over the land in the circle once more. They must be local gods and goddesses.

«Ask Urun better for us! He is the one who attacks at night most often. He’s the king’s pet, so there’s no use complaining about him. But in case you are closer to Seal than he is.»

Lilophea noticed a creature galloping along the rocks, very similar to those whose images are carved inside the rocks themselves.

«Tell me, are only humans living on the island?»

Harisi was cryptically silent.

«In any case, I’ll support you in any way I can. I don’t want us Morgens to have the reputation of usurpers and tyrants. My earthly father accustomed me to generosity.»

She would probably have given up and told her the myths of the island, but a pack of dragons roared in the sky.

«Sephora had arrived!»

She must have been attracted by the ring of fire. It was too late to take it off. She should have met Sephora and apologized for accepting it as a gift from the hands of a thief and crook. For some reason Lilophea had no doubt that Grant that Ceal had almost frozen was cheating on everyone and everything. A high title does not always guarantee nobility.

«I’ll go to her,» Lilophea saw the silver dragon turn into a girl before she landed at the top of the cliff.

«Don’t!» Harisi tried to restrain her, but Lilophea slipped out of her grasp like flowing water. For a moment she seemed to herself to be made of water. Her body became almost weightless as she climbed the stairs carved into the rocks. Some creepy creature with a beautiful horned head came beneath her feet. It squealed and quickly ducked into a crevasse.

Sephora waited at the top of the cliff. Her colorful flock of dragons hovered over the cliffs like fireworks.

Though the island itself was sunny, the sky above the cliffs was gray and gloomy. The mottled bodies of dragons were the only decorations here. They zigzagged across the sky, curling their tails around each other, shooting jets of fire directly into the sea below. It was dangerous to be near them, but how good they were! Red, yellow, purple, orange, green like malachite, and pinkish like corundum. Their scales sparkled like jewel armor. And they all resembled a flock released from a magic box.

Sephora herself was dressed in brocade and lace, like the ruler of the universe. A long train followed her over the cliff, like a living dragon’s tail. Curls of rich golden hue were arranged in a high hairstyle and intertwined with chains of sapphires and emeralds.

As soon as Lilophea approached, Sephora opened her dainty lips and exhaled a whole jet of fire into the sea. She managed to fry a large shark that was just surfacing from the waves, grinding its teeth on the critters floating in the clouds.

One bright scarlet dragon dived down toward the cliff, spotting the water woman, and tried to grab Lilophea with its claws. Defensively, she put her hand with the ring forward. The attacking dragon was immediately struck by such a powerful fire bolt that it flew several meters away and fell into the sea. He survived, but his chest was badly burned.

«It’s okay. He’ll recover quickly,» Sephora watched the pantomime indifferently. It’s how aristocrats watch a performance in a traveling circus or a floating theater. «Dragons have the ability to heal themselves. Did you know that crafty sorcerers hunt us down and make healing elixirs from our blood and innards?»

«No, I didn’t know that.»

«But your father does. He wanted to use the scales of one of my dragons to make an invulnerable armor against morgens, but his knights were not strong enough to wear such armor. He also wanted to make a potion out of a dragon’s liver that would turn two morgens into humans. It didn’t work either. But they vomited a lot afterwards. Now they drink only human blood.»

«Are they Morena and Lirena?»

«That’s right!» Sephora turned to her, pulling back her train, which turned out to be a living dragon tail. «You don’t look anything like them, by the way.»

«So they say! Why did you let me burn your dragon? You command them. Couldn’t you have told him not to attack?»

Or did Sephora want a feud?

«Now you know how it works,» she explained, pointing to the ring. It still sparkled where it had touched the dragon’s scales.

It was hard to be around Sephora. She herself was white as ice, but she reeked of flame like a furnace. Besides, her majestic beauty was so overwhelming that one wanted to bow down before her.

Did Sephora want the ring of fire back?

«Is it really yours? Did that nobleman, who reports to my husband, steal it from you?»

«Let’s just say, through repeated machinations, the ring fell into the wrong hands as it was meant to. But all is well now.»

«Shall I give it back to you?»

«Keep it! I want it to be yours. You could use a little fire at the bottom of the sea to warm you up after the cold embrace of the waterman, couldn’t you?»

Sephora arched an eyebrow slyly.

«I’m not complaining!» Lilophea did not go into the explanation that her love for the water king had so clouded her mind that she did not feel the cold.

Sephora read her mind herself.

«I have never understood creatures in love! They become naive and weak. Love is definitely not for me!»

«But one day it may arise without asking your opinion.»

«And a strong sorceress is able to pluck it from your heart like a thorny rose from the root.»

«Even in case you fall in love with that legendary lord you dream of seducing?»

«That is another matter!»

Sephora’s face was as frozen as a statue and unexpressive. It was impossible to tell from her facial expressions how she felt. But she reeked of both flame and anticipation of triumph. How sure of herself she was!

She gave a command in an indecipherable old tongue, and the dragons all flew as one massive mechanism. The multicolored swarm moved farther and farther away, like a fireworks display over the sea. Sephora, too, was about to fly away.

«Beware of your cousin Ornella,» she advised her goodbye.

«Thank you! But the warning was long overdue.»

«No, it isn’t! She’s plotting something against you.»

«Why is it against me? For Ornella, all the women in the world are rivals and competitors. Why does she have a special grudge against me alone?»

«What do you think?» Sephora gracefully moved her golden eyebrows, shaped like wings. «What have you got that she would want almost madly?»

Lilophea wondered.

«Only treasures from the bottom of the sea, but they are not mine, but Seal’s.»

Sephora could hardly contain a chuckle.

«Consider it as you wish!»

The beauty stepped away from Lilophea, dragging a long train of green brocade behind her, turning now and then into a serpent’s tail. Sephora’s slender body was surrounded by a puff of shimmering mist. And now it was no longer the girl but a magnificent silver dragon soaring over the rocks.

Lilophea clutched her cherished ring in case the dragon suddenly shot fire at her, but nothing of the sort happened. Sephora flapped her wings and flew toward the dawn.

The white fairy of the waves

Harisi saw her off with such a sad look, as if she were watching a sacrifice. A queen voluntarily going out to sea might indeed appear suicidal from the outside. But Lilophea knew for certain that she would not drown as soon as she sank beneath the water. She knew for sure now! Not long ago she had doubted it. She wondered what charms might have helped her breathe under water for a short time, but if she really was a descendant of the Oceanids, then she had nothing to fear.

Fear of meeting her kin is the only thing that should grip her. Her kin started a war with her husband.

Once deep in the water, Lilophea listened. She listened for the sound of Seal’s horn nearby. It was quiet. And even the sharks weren’t swinging at her like they did with Sephora’s dragons. Either they sense the queen of the sea in her, or the blood of Oceanids is not something they want to taste.

Is there ordinary human blood inside her? When she hurt herself on the mermaid ship, some murky liquid came out instead of blood.

It seems that her blood used to be red, like all earthlings. Could it be that after sinking to the bottom, she began to change, returning to her normal underwater nature? Would this have happened to any descendant of Oceanids or Morgens who were born of humans and lived on land for a long time and then returned to the water again?

There is one way to check. Lilophea hoped that in case of danger, her fiery ring would strike the hungry shark with lightning as well. A pair of sharks were just swimming nearby, but were in no hurry to attack. Probably the smell of Lilophea did not excite their appetite. But as she beckoned one of the sharks toward her, she willingly swam up, almost joyfully opening her mouth, which was full of sharp teeth. Lilophea touched one of its teeth deliberately to hurt her. From the shallow wound came not blood, but a bluish, watery liquid. Its taste almost made the shark vomit. The ravenous fish shrieked like a battered one and swam away hastily.

Apparently, the taste of oceanids is destructive to sharks. If you eat an oceanid maiden, you will be poisoned.

Lilophea would have liked to question her so-called sisters about many things, but it was frightening to meet them again. She would have to look at them while they talked and try to keep her cool. It was better never to see them again. Even thinking of their ugliness was unpleasant.

As luck would have it, another unpleasant object of observation came into view. A skeleton strapped to the anchor of a shipwreck was staring at her with vacant eyes. The same amulet as the entire Sultanite’s dynasty had on its bony neck dangled limply. How ridiculous that thing looked on him! He was certainly not of Ornella’s family. So why should he wear it?

Lilophea tore the amulet from the skeleton, and the restraints immediately burst. The dead man sprang to life, and the bones began to grow a kind of flesh mixed with slime.

«Thank you, Princess of the Ocean,» he bowed low to her.

«So you’ve been alive all this time?»

«It was no more than a dead man in a coffin,» the creature, which resembled either a morgen or a laird, looked closely at itself. «It was like, when the crew found out I was a werewolf, my sailors drowned me themselves. Don’t become a bird yourself because of that thing.»

His hand was half still of bone and pointed to the amulet.

«You were a privateer in the service of the King of Sultanite? Why else would you have their amulet?» Lilophea asked, but the revived dead man was no longer listening to her. As soon as he discovered he was free again, all interest in his only companion disappeared.

«Well, farewell! Rokuela’s waiting for me,» he paddled toward the gap at the top.

Lilophea wasn’t even sure who he meant. It seemed that all sailors on land had some lover they hurried to on their return from a long voyage. The dead man might have been no exception. Except that his chosen one might have died long ago, or become the wife of another.

Except that he said a very familiar name. Rokuela was the name of a sea fortune teller. So he was in a hurry to see the sorceress for what? Is it for some kind of ritual for complete resurrection? Or was he the man she had loved when she was young and who had died at sea?»

She’ll have to watch her lodge in the observer mirror later. It wasn’t right to peek unceremoniously into someone else’s private affairs, but Lilophea was curious. Besides, she was still holding the amulet. It was the same as her uncle the King’s. It had more feathers. It seemed to be intertwined with strands of someone else’s hair.

«Throw it away or burn it.»

The painfully familiar voice, alternating with a bird’s croak, seemed almost like an obsession at the bottom of the sea.

Lilophea had never expected to see Seneschal here. The peacock swam in a dignified manner, fluttering the tips of its wings. His paws did not resemble those of a fish. He wasn’t an underwater bird, that’s for sure.

«You’re here, aren’t you?» It seemed like a dream to Lilophea. She touched his luxurious tail to be sure.

«I ate a nasty weed that grows on the beach, and gained the ability to breathe underwater for hours,» he boasted. «I am clever. I know how to find such grass. It often grows in the sand. All you have to do is pick it up with your beak. It tastes disgusting. But I did the heroic thing for you. I ate the whole bundle. Now I won’t suffocate.»

«So you missed me?» She petted his crest happily. «Wouldn’t you think so?»

«Well, I haven’t got a heart of stone,» said Seneschal proudly. «I am capable of love and longing, just as humans are.»

«And the watcher’s mirror told me you were happy with Baldwin. I must have agreed. One mermaid says they sometimes lie.»

«No, they don’t!» Seneschal grunted. «I needed someone to take care of me while you were away. So I tried to make myself useful to everyone I could. But I’ll betray them all when you get back to Aquilanía.»

She didn’t want to disappoint Seneschal right away and tell him she wasn’t likely to come back.

«By the way, how did you find me at the bottom of the sea? It’s a big bottom, and I’m not at the palace where I should be.»

«Well, you know, I’m an unusual bird,» boasted the peacock. «And I sing like a siren, and I speak like a man, and I know all the languages of the animals. And also…»

«It is a stone in your forehead!» Lilophea guessed. It glowed in a way that made everything clear. «It’s imbued with some kind of magic.»

«That’s right! You’ve gotten a lot smarter since we parted,» Seneschal flapped his wings, creating fountains of spittle. «It was sad to see you kidnapped by a waterman. I’d say it was the most tragic day of my life when my mistress was taken from me. Now I’ve even begun to understand how grooms feel when a bride is taken away from them right at the altar.»

«Don’t be so dramatic.»

«I didn’t mean to be. There’s a silver lining to everything. I used to be your favorite. Since you’ve been gone, all the attention has been on me as the princess’ only friend. I am spoiled!»

Seneschal breathed underwater, not thinking of the time when the effects of the wonderful herb would wear off.

«It’s a good thing I’ve managed to get a foothold in Aquilanía. I can’t go back to my former benefactors,» Seneschal admitted.

«And who are these former benefactors?»

«They are the White Fairy and the Sea King. At first Ariana was my mistress, and then she lost me to Seal. They played shells (it’s a dice kind of game). I like a chump, watched and gave advice to both of them. Mistress Ariana got mad and purposely lost me to Seal. And he sent me to you with a portion of gifts from the sea. He didn’t need me underwater anyway. I’m not even a water bird, but I’m beautiful. I was a fine gift for a princess.»

Seneschal fluffed up his tail with importance.

«So you were sent here from the start to persuade me to be with the water man, not the Sultan! And you, on the contrary, warned me.»

She thought the opposite.

«I’m honest! I didn’t like being soaked in Seal’s claws, either. My former Mistress, the Sea Fairy, had been nicer to me, and she never sent me to dangerous tasks. She should have lost me to him! And it’s not the first time it’s happened to me. My first mistress also lost me to Ariana. I fly from hand to hand like a bargaining chip!»

«How unlucky you are.»

«That’s right!»

«I certainly wouldn’t have betrayed you to pirates or sold you to merchants, but I was lured under the water myself.»

«It is bad luck to have a foolish mistress,» he agreed. «Your carelessness is reprehensible.»

«You talk like a governess.»

«I could be your tutor and lecture you every day instead of singing songs,» Seneschal eagerly volunteered.

«You don’t have to do that.»

«But you’ve got to be saved from the next mistakes. You will surely make them. That’s why I came back. You can’t leave a naive girl alone.»

«I’m not a girl anymore. I’m the wife of the Sea King now.»

«It won’t be for long. I’ve made arrangements with Morrin. He’ll help you escape to the nearest island. He has a plan.»

«No, you don’t understand! I like him.»

«Who is it? Is it Morrin?»

«No. It is the Water King.»

«Are you joking? He is a tyrant!»

«He…» «Lilophea felt herself blushing, and the water did not cool her flushed cheeks. «Sometimes he’s so gallant. And I find him handsome.»

The peacock almost fainted.

«Don’t joke about that! He has blue skin and coral gills and webbing and pearls growing right in his forehead and a trident that can strike lightning.»

«His eyes are the color of the sea. The features of his face are beautiful. Even the sculptures in the galleries of Aquilania have no such exquisite beauty. He has the golden eyebrows, and the lashes, and the skin the color of ice…»

«Darling, he has bewitched you.»

The peacock was really worried.

«Wake up, Lilophea! He’s the water king! Do you know how many naive girls like you he’s sunk? He’s not a sultan. He doesn’t recruit beauties for his harem. He drags them into the abyss and drowns them by seducing them with sweet talk, like you.»

«But he didn’t drown me.»

«Sweetheart, you live underwater. The fact that you can, as it turns out, breathe in the water is your fault, not his. I swear he didn’t know when he dragged you out to sea that you wouldn’t die in the deep.»

«He said he did.»

«All watermen are big liars and cheats.»

«That’s what you said about privateers. But you liked Morrin.»

«Morrin is a rare exception».

«Probably the sea king is an exception too.»

«You don’t know him,» muttered the peacock resentfully, as if that said it all.

«Well, I’ll get to know him if I’ve been here long enough. By the way, there are so many wonders in the royal palace. Let me show you around!»

«No! Don’t!» Seneschal was frightened out of his wits. «Not to the palace! They will lock me up in a cage on purpose, so that I will drown.»

«There aren’t even cages!»

«But there are wicked mermaids. They’ll pluck my tail feathers.»

«Ow!» The peacock’s eyes went red and rolled up. He frantically began to catch air with his beak, which, of course, was not under the water. The miraculous herb must have worn off. Without thinking, Lilophea picked up Seneschal, forced her own legs to join together as a mermaid’s tail, and sprinted upward with all her might. It didn’t take long to swim. She emerged in the open sea, with no sign of the island or the ships. But there were a number of large circles about the size of shields, sticking out from the water like flat stones. There were many of them.

«What were they?» Lilophea lowered Seneschal onto one of the stones. «It looked like a shell.»

Seneschal still couldn’t come to his senses. Water was pouring out of his beak. Apparently, he almost drowned. He shouldn’t have gone underwater just to see his mistress for a moment.

Lilophea touched the edge of the shell with her fingers. It was as hard as a rock. If she hadn’t been so flat it might have been a reef.

Curiosity got the better of her. Lilophea climbed on top of the shell. The mermaid’s tail became her legs again as she wished to rise. The surface of the shell did not slip beneath her feet. This is astonishing! After all, the shell itself lay in the middle of the sea, washed by the waves.

There’s a whole road of big shells. She wondered if each shell is supported from below by any columns. We’ll have to dive in later and check it out. In the meantime, Lilophea decided to walk along the path of shells that zigzagged through the water.

«Stop it! Don’t go!» It was Seneschal who came to his senses. He panted and howled hysterically. «There is danger!»

«What danger is it? I can’t see anything!»

She had to step over the short distance between the shells. She had to step over the little space between the shells, and it felt as if she were stepping on water boarded warrior shields. But it was not a risky thing to do. After all, if she fell into the water, she still wouldn’t drown.

«There’s a fairy’s mansion up ahead,» Seneschal said in a mournful tone.

«And that’s all!» He was understandable. The peacock did not want to see the fairy again, who had so heartlessly given him up to the Sea King.

«I have much to thank her for. I think I’ll go and see her.»

«Please don’t go!»

But Lilophea boldly moved forward. If it hadn’t been for Ariana, she would never have learned how to use her powers. To know that your train can cause a storm is a great power! Only it is better not to explain all this to Seneschal. He’s frightened enough as it is.

The peacock hovered above the road of shells as he watched the small island of crystal form looming ahead. On it were many white pinnacle-shaped plantings. From afar it looked as if the entire island were made of ivory. Only closer it became clear that it consisted of shells of different shapes and sizes. The shells were piled one on top of another. The tiny hulk itself appeared to be the back of some rare white fish. It moved slowly through the sea like a floating theater. And it housed a marvelous bird house without a single cage. All the birds were free, not chained, not locked up. They flew back and forth like servants.

The sweet, multi-voiced singing of the birds poured over the water. Sometimes human speech was heard in it. Birds could not sing in the language of men, could they? Lilophea knew one peacock that could. He probably wasn’t the only one.

The sea fairy was more like a white fairy because of the color of her hair, skin, and clothes. It was as if she had been bathed in milk, which colored her eyebrows, eyelashes, lips, even her eyes creamy white. The dress, composed of white petals, really grew right out of her skin. The petals themselves moved strangely. One shoulder was bare, but the elbow and wrist were full of floral flounces. White curls flowed from under a silver hoop. She couldn’t call them gray. The fairy’s pupils were blue, but her eye socket was white, too.

There wasn’t much room on her island, because the place was filled with all kinds of tools for making elixirs. There were bundles of seaweed, a mortar to grind small seashells in, and retorts of sorts through which frothy liquid flowed. Not an island, but a kind of marine laboratory! Shell-necks shone at the bottom of the flasks, which they could not burn through. Wise multi-headed fish made talking scarecrows. Ariana experimented as best she could. Her pairs of hands moved incessantly, filling vials and vials with something.

But the wretched cloak, made from a scrap of sail, was clearly not meant for experimentation. It was only for camouflage.

«So you followed me here in rags, pretending to be a beggar or a fortune teller?» Lilophea took the cloak and examined it. Yes, this is the one. «It takes time to compare a lady in a palanquin to a beggar at a wedding.»

Ariana was not upset that she had been rebuked.

«I wanted to foretell your bad fortune and keep you away from the Underwater King, but I suddenly realized that he himself will not let you go. So my plan to survive you by deception failed.»

There was nothing to reply to such straightforwardness. She didn’t want to quarrel with the fairy, so she simply kept silent.

Lilophea looked around. Ariana had so many birds that could breathe in water. They scurried in and out of the water, running errands. Ariana named each of them by their duties. There were Maid, Chambermaid, Gatekeeper, Messenger. Yes, the Seneschal is definitely from here.

The Siren bird looked at her guest with royal arrogance. Ariana herself, on the other hand, was trying to be polite. Either she pretended or actually had good manners.

«I wanted to be a queen of the sea,» she admitted, «because I am the most magnificent creature on water. But Seal did not appreciate my qualities.»

«You had little to lose by not being queen, or you would have had to put up with a harem of nymphs and mermaids.»

«Do you really think they’re rivals? How arrogant the earthly aristocrats are! They don’t even know what a disguise is.»

«I beg your pardon?»

«It’s all for the Sultan of Etar. He sometimes took a tincture to breathe underwater and descended into the underwater world. Seal felt ashamed that with all his wealth he couldn’t have a harem. Earth women would not live long on the bottom, so they hastily assembled a harem of mermaids. In fact, they do considerable work, but the Sultan will never know about it.»

«So Seal has never been with them?» Lilophea was relieved.

«So have I, but when the Sultan comes to visit, I have to go to the court and play the role of one of the chief wives. Nereida does the same.»

«Is showing off that important?»

«Seal and the Sultan are almost friends. And in Etar, the ruler’s wealth is determined by the size of his treasury and harem.»

«Are you also a subject of Seal?»

«Let’s just say I am one of the few who have managed to remain independent. My magical tinctures can rot the whole sea if I pour them into the waves. And some of the Morgens and the people of the coast depend on my elixirs. My talent has given me the right to sovereignty.»

Such an answer was to be expected. The sea fairy looked very arrogant. She practiced her magical craft with great pride. She certainly thought of her little island on the back of an outlandish fish as a whole independent state.

«And whose side would you be on in case of war, say, with the ocean?»

«I would remain neutral. There’s already a war going on! I hear it,» the white fairy said. «The waves bring me all the news. I love to talk to the waves. They just whisper everything they see, and never ask for an answer. You can ask them about everything that happens in the depths or on the coast, and they will deliver everything in detail.»

«So says Katharina, a noble captive of the whale. Curiously enough, from the rustling of the waves, both fairy and prisoner can hear about everything that goes on in the world.»

«You’ll have a chance to escape soon,» Ariana wizened a little over the cube-shaped vessel and drew out a handful of water droplets. In her hands they didn’t clump together, but clung together into a necklace. It didn’t melt, even after Ariana put it around her neck. «Think about what you will choose. Where is the way out of the nets, and where are the nets themselves, in which you are entangled: on land or in the depths?»

«You speak as if you no longer claim the title of ruler of all the seas.»

«I have long ago accepted that the throne is not for me. My whole strategy in the war for possession of the king of the sea has failed, and the foolish peacock sent to you failed to inspire fear of the terrible creatures that come from the waves.»

«After all, it was you who taught Seneschal to sing a song about how dangerous were for mortal girls relations with watermen,» reproached Lilophea.

The sea fairy did not raise an eyebrow.

«For mortals, yes, but you’re not a mortal. I didn’t realize it at first. I thought you were born ugly, like the other two.»

«Morena and Lirena. You mean them?»

The vial she held in her hand cracked. The blue liquid, which looked like water, spurted out, and burned her fingers badly. The white leaves of her outfit hissed in pain as if they were alive, began to shrivel, covered in ash, even bleeding. The white fairy urgently sought out a jar of some ointment to correct the oversight. She managed to heal the burn, but the leaves growing out of her skin didn’t heal immediately.

«Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you were born ugly,» the fairy apologized. «I call those who aren’t born the way nature intended, ugly. But that’s the way it is with humans and non-humans. In your case, the anomaly is that you were born normal, human-like. No wings, no thorns. I thought you’d live a little and then die like all humans. But now, I see, I was very wrong about you. Not everything is on the surface. In all your predecessors, you could tell all their abilities at once.»

«What do you mean?»

«They are descendants of the union of humans and higher beings.»

«Did my mother also come from Heaven?» Lilophea recalled the stories of the fall and war of the celestial races in the heights above.

«She is not from heaven. She is from the depths.»

«I don’t believe you. Seal says you all lived in the heavens in the beginning. And then there was war.»

The sea fairy merely jerked her shoulders, and her lacey white wings flapped gracefully.

«But about the forerunners…» «It was embarrassing to even bring it up. «I was dreaming about twins. They were creepy twins. Two girls who looked exactly the same, but one had a human body, and the other had morgen-like growths all over her body and tentacles under her dress. And then they came to me in real life and began to assure me that they were my own sisters.»

The white fairy dropped some sort of vial again and cursed quite like the tipsy pirates of Morissa’s company. She must have heard them swear when they passed her islet on their ships, mistaking it for a mirage. Fortunately, this time there was no mishap. The potion in the vial proved harmless. It merely produced a palm tree with blue leaves and blue fruit. They didn’t look like coconuts or bananas. Lilophea reached for one, but the fruit burst, and a blue winged creature emerged.

«I was saving it for a special occasion,» complained the fairy. «Now I have to make a new one. Everything in my fighting arsenal must be kept in stock.»

The word «warrior» made Lilophea uneasy.

«Who are you fighting?»

«There’s no telling who will attack from the ships that pass by.»

«They’ll mistake the island for a fata morgana.»

«Not all of them. Besides, there’s a threat from the sky.»

«You mean the eagles from Sultanite?»

The fairy pretended not to understand her, and Lilothea clarified:

«It is the crowned eagles.»

Ariana bit her colorless lips sadly.

«I have recently seduced a dashing pirate captain to protect my home from them,» she admitted. «He had a very fine crew of crossbowmen. They didn’t miss. It worked for a while. Gryphons are enchanted, but you can hurt them if you grease the arrowheads with a solution I made. The gryphons charged and flew away in a hail of arrows, and then their leader found some means of making her feathered armor irresistible. Her flock mauled my pirates and sank their ship. And I was left alone.»

«Perhaps you could find a use for this.» Lilophea gave her the amulet taken from the skeleton.

«You think I have to be an eagle to hold them off, don’t you?» Ariana made a grimace.

«Well, maybe you could make the most of it. You’re a sorceress!»

«And you’re not?»

«I’m a novice and you’re a professional.»

Ariana liked the flattery. She accepted the amulet. Lilophea was relieved when she parted with it. Perhaps it was too evil for her to control on her own.

The Empty City

Seneschal was still hovering over the shell road, waiting for her. He should have flown back to Aquilania right away. Lilophea wanted to raise a scandal with him, but what was the point. There was no way the liar would be convinced. It was now clear why Seneschal was so reluctant for her to visit the sea fairy. Unlike him, Ariana proved too proud to degrade herself to a lie. It was one thing to send an agent to someone and another to lie face to face. Good thing the fairy accepted defeat with dignity and didn’t sharpen her claws at her rival. Seneschal, on the other hand, was yet to be dealt with.

The talking peacock lied all the time. Even in the underwater kingdom, where everything is saturated with magic, he had the strength to tell yet another deception.

Lilophea looked at Seneschal with condemnation. Was it possible that her rival had deliberately sent him to dissuade her from marrying the Water King? She thought he was helping her, but his aim was to drive her from the throne of the sea to make room for his mistress. And she, by the way, lost him, a living and reasonable creature, as a soulless purse of coins. Where do servants get their loyalty to their cruel masters? If only the peacock can be called a servant. He’s more like a pet.

«So it was Ariana you wanted on my throne and in the arms of a water king? And what profit was it to you? You can’t even breathe underwater without magic grass.»

«I would have stayed in charge on her island,» Seneschal realized it was no use lying anymore. He was exposed.

«Not you! There is a very assertive Siren there.»

Seneschal bowed his crested head.

«Did you or did Ariana make up the hymns about the dangers of dating watermen? Don’t tell me you learned them from Seal himself when he sent you to me as a gift.»

«I reworked the songs I heard on the ships that passed by. They sang to beware of sea robbers, and I replaced them with water robbers.»

«You are a wise liar.»

Seneschal took on a very guilty look.

«Forgive me, Lilophea.»

«Perhaps you would like to go back to your mistress?»

«Having a friend is better than having a mistress.»

«What does that mean?»

«That I want to stay with you.»

«So you can spy on me again and talk me out of my fate?»

«I said I was sorry.»

«But have you made amends?» Lilophea hesitated.

«That’s what Minister Baldwin told me at first. Then I convinced him I could be indispensable to him. Now he sends me to the ambassadors. I pretend not to speak, listen carefully, and then tell him the whole story. One feathered spy is better than the whole royal scouting party.»

«You are the meanest magic bird!»

«How many magic birds do you know? By the way, I can use my meanness to your advantage.»

«Prove it!»

«I’ll do anything you ask,» Seneshal flapped his wings cheerfully.

«Go back to Aquilania and tell everyone at Court, especially Baldwin and Father, that I have more comfort here than I have at home. Tell them that you have seen for yourself how much treasure and servants I have, and that I am quite happy here.»

The peacock bowed his head.

«You have no use for me at Court. If I were to come back, you would have to pay attention to me again and give up your important position as a royal spy. Even a magic bird doesn’t have enough energy to be both the princess’s companion and a clever scout.»

«Do you think so?» Seneschal hesitated. «I would even bring you flowers from the garden in my own beak if you came back.»

«And look how many beauties there are at court. You’ll carry them. And ask Baldwin for payment for his services. He has a right to pay them from the treasury, since you work for the good of the state.»

«That’s right,» Seneschal didn’t think of it himself. «You’ve really gotten wise. The Sea King must have taught you the tricks of the trade. You wouldn’t have thought of it on your own. I remember how charmingly simple you were when I flew up to you in the garden. So you’re telling me to demand ringing dough from Minister Baldwin. Then I’ll start playing a little. Even the ladies play cards in the evening.»

It would be a fantastic spectacle! But Lilophea held back a laugh.

«Maybe you’ll start drinking wine too.»

«I am. I’m given a choice of glasses of spirits and a bowl of coconut juice. I’m an unusual bird, so I have an unusual menu.»

He must have done Baldwin a lot of favors to be taken care of like this.

«Go on, fly!» Lilophea walked the rest of the way down the shell road. The only thing to do now was to dive back under the water.

Is there really a war on the borders of the ocean? At the bottom of the sea it is so nice and calm. Jellyfish and stingrays swim around, spreading their fins like hoods. Sometimes the voices of mermaids can be heard from afar. But there is no echo of the battle. Lilophea closed her eyelids and tried to listen to what was happening in the distance, many thousands of miles away. As a Morgana, she was bound to have super-sharp hearing. For a moment she thought she heard battle cries, the clang of weapons, and the crushing force of blows. All the noises of battle blended into a cacophony. Suddenly it was cut off by a roar, as if a giant was at the bottom of the sea and had decided to tear the place apart.

All the menacing sounds quickly faded away, as if someone had plugged her ears. Lilophea swam forward a little. She was lost again. It was time to ask the sun pendant again which direction to swim in.

A gate with golden faces showed up ahead. This was the same place Seal had dragged her to after her kidnapping. The gate leaves were closed. Bas-reliefs of beautiful and ghastly faces squinted unfriendly at the Queen of the Seas. Did they not recognize her?

«Behind!» suddenly one of the faces sang out. It was crowned with twisted horns and had snakes instead of hair.

«What do you mean?» Lilophea expected some new stream of confused phrases like prophecy, but the shouts of the faces sounded more like a warning.

«It is behind your back!» They shouted in unison. Their musical voices cut into her ears with a continuous hum.

Lilophea knew she had to turn around. She didn’t want to believe the faces. Their expressions were very sly. If someone was behind her, they’d be better off letting her pass into the gardens beyond the gate rather than warning her in vain. Even with a whole regiment of enemies behind her, what could she alone do against them?

But there was only some ragamuffin huddled behind her. Probably the madman Seal had spoken of. Had he really been tortured by the whaling ship’s trappers? There were tentacles and tails sticking out from under the cloak. There were no wounds or injuries to be seen.

«Give me the key!» The tramp held out a webbed paw to her. It had black claws, each one resembling a stiletto.

«What do you mean?» Lilophea looked back at the locked gate. «I don’t have one myself. There’s probably another way into the gardens beyond the gate.»

«I need the key from under Seal’s skin. I know you were able to get it. I could feel it from a distance. I felt my tentacles shake as soon as the key was retrieved.»

He spoke of the key as if it were a living thing! A madman indeed! Lilophea backed away, but there was nowhere to retreat. There was only the golden gate behind and the faces on it so wildly squawking that it became frightening.

«Why do you need the key?»

«Just hand it over and that’s it!» The tattered hood slipped slightly off the insolent man’s forehead, revealing sores and horns. Angry red eyes stared at Lilophea. «You don’t even realize what an important thing you hold in your hands. It’s been so long and you haven’t even used it.»

«What’s it for?» Lilophea tried to stall for time. In case a company of newts or mermaids swam by. They would have to intercede for her, but there were no swarms of fish near the golden gate. The squirming and screaming bas-reliefs on the gate must have scared them all away.

«It is the key!» They gloated. «Who wouldn’t dream of possessing the key to the secret?»

The wretched creature squirmed unhappily.

«Were you the one who shouted at our wedding to Seal?» Lilophea remembered him. The voice was exactly the same, hoarse, rough and unpleasant. She believed Seal had called the creature a rebel. Judging by its demeanor, it was a rebel.

«Never before Morgens married Oceanids,» it hissed angrily. «It is a violation of our sanctity. Even for the sake of a forced truce with the queen of the ocean, Seal was not willing to accept such mesalliance. And so he was bewitched by a modest, quiet half-oceaniad, half-mortal. It is an Assambra!» He exhaled the last word like a swear word.

Up until now, Lilophea had thought it was Seal who had bewitched her. Suddenly someone was assuring her otherwise! It would have been worth a laugh if the situation hadn’t become threatening. The creature was definitely going to attack. Should she give it the key? But what would it do with it?