Heart of The Trident

One

I must find a way to save the Kingdom of the Sea.

I dash forward, the water rushing through the slits between the scales of my tail and leaving behind a trail of bubbles, which thankfully, disappear by the time I’m behind the boulder.

“Where is the witch? I thought I saw her just a moment ago,” a low voice booms a few feet away.

A Xyraean male. Their low voices are their curse. Though loud, they are empty and can be heard from only a few feet away while our high-pitched voices, though soft, can travel for hundreds of miles like the ocean current and affect everything and anyone in its path.

The fact that I can hear this one means he’s close. Too close that my tail turns black in fear.

“She better not be using her tricks,” another joins in, prompting me to press my body tighter against the boulder’s rough surface. “Come on. Let’s find her before the Commander learns of this.”

I hear the grunt of their seahorses and then, nothing. Complete and utter silence.

Thank goodness.

I let out a sigh of relief, my tail turning back to its usual red and gold hue as I push myself away from the rock, only to gasp as I bump into a pipefish, which stares at me with wide eyes.

At first, I panic, my tail turning dark again, knowing how the creatures of the sea can communicate with the males and come under their control. This one can easily be a spy. Even if it isn’t, it can still divulge my whereabouts.

I throw it a pleading glance, holding a finger to my lips.

It leaves, not after the men but in a different direction.

I heave another sigh of relief.

Good. At least, some creatures in these waters still have some respect, more so than the men.

After quickly looking around to make sure there are no other males nearby, I keep swimming.

Tonight, I’m on an important quest. I must search for a Balmora, a pearl dark as squid’s ink. It’s rare, I know, so my chances of finding one are thin but right now, it’s the only way I can send a message to the surface, and I must, so I have to try.

I open another oyster, frowning at the ivory orb it holds.

Its gleam reminds me of the Palace before that despicable Draxen who calls him King and his band of men and monsters took over. Pristine. Radiant. Beautiful.

But it’s not what I’m looking for and now is not the time for being sentimental.

I haven’t got a moment to lose.

If Queen Alyra still ruled, it would have been easy to send a message above. I would only need to swim to the surface, blow a few bubbles, and the message would surely be delivered. But Draxen has banned us from going to the surface and fearful of our magic, he has forbidden the use of it, our amulets, staffs and potions all taken away, the Sacred Temple of Amphitrite shut down.

That is not the worst. He has commanded all males to serve in his army, those who disobey fed to his monsters. And the females are being commanded to bear his soldiers sons to make his army even bigger, the eggs bearing females destroyed.

It is because of all these perils that my message must be conveyed.

I must find a black pearl.

My gaze rests on a nearby cave. My friends have told me to avoid such caves since they are homes of the creatures who spy for the men, if not the men themselves. But tonight, I must take the risk.

As I head into the cave, the glow from my scales illuminates the walls, letting me know I am its only occupant.

That’s good. But I cannot stay long. Sooner or later, someone is bound to recognize the glow.

I look behind a bush of seaweed. Nothing.

I lift a rock to look under it. Still nothing.

Where is it?

“Looking for this?” a low voice calls my attention from behind me.

Quickly, I turn around, so quickly my tail whips against a nearby rock and sends a jolt of pain up my spine. I ignore it, focusing on the man in front of me.

Hair like a clump of kelp. Eyes like the azure sky they’ve never seen. Tail with scales the same color as the sand. Translucent skin, a brand in the shape of an anglerfish on the middle of his chest.

The symbol of the Bottom Dwellers, Draxen’s army. And if that is not enough to strike fear into my pounding heart, the ghastly creature beside him, which looks like an eel with claws, is.

“I believe I asked you a question, witch,” the male hisses, the glowing slits on the side of his neck enlarging.

“I am no witch,” I snap back, my tail turning crimson at the insult. “None of us are.”

“That does not answer my question.” The male comes closer, along with his companion. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

He unfolds his fingers and I see the Balmora resting on his palm.

“No,” I lie, tearing my gaze away from it. “I was searching for food. Or is it also one of Draxen’s clever designs to starve us all to death?”

“Silence!” The male clutches my throat. “You lie. Your tail turned silver when you saw the Balmora.”

I frown, cursing how my tail gave me away. Then again, there is nothing I can do about it. Just as our bodies allow everything to pass through, our tails let everything out, changing color with each emotion.

“Why?” the Bottom Dweller asks. “What message are you going to send? Who are you going to send it to?”

“No…one,” I croak, barely able to speak.

He gives a roar of laughter.

“That’s right. There’s no one who can help you. Or is there?”

He lets my neck go but pulls the long tendrils of my coral hair. My scalp stings.

“Is there?” he repeats.

I shake my head.

He hurls me at the wall of the cave. If I still had my bones, they would have shattered.

He points a spear at my chest, right above where my heart is visibly pounding.

“Tell me who you were trying to send a message to,” he demands. “Or I’ll have your life here and now.”

I shake my head again.

I would rather die than reveal what I have learned, the secret that can spell the difference between the doom or the salvation of all Xyraeans. But first, I have to fulfill my task.

No matter what the cost.

Grabbing the shaft of the spear, I pull its sharpened head into my heart, ignoring the pain that spreads to the tip of my tail. As my blue blood swirls around me, I unleash my final song, the most powerful song of all to the cast one last spell.

And hope that it’s enough to keep my daughter away.

Nia.

--

Two days later…

~ Nia

“Ouch!”

Pain shoots up my shoulder as I hit the wall, the boat rocking even more violently now than before as the wind and the water rages outside. A clap of thunder sounds like a chorus of gongs against my sensitive ears.

Around me, all the decorations from the birthday party earlier – the confetti, the party hats, the balloons – are now scattered all over the place.

I frown.

Why? Why does my twenty-second birthday have to be like this? Just an hour ago, the skies were clear and the stars were out. Now, the storm is threatening to break us to pieces.

This is not at all how I envisioned spending my most important birthday or my last few hours above the surface.

“Nia!” my friend, Lani, calls out to me from above deck. “Come on! We have to go!”

“Coming!”

I make my way up the stairs and out on the deck, slipping as the wind whips my hair all over my face.

“Hang on!” Jessie, my other friend, reaches her hand out to me.

I take it and she pulls me up to my feet, both of us hugging the railing. Lifting my head, I stare out into the horizon, a flash of lightning revealing towering waves and nothing else.

The drops of water, both from the sea and the rain, splatter on my face. The chill seeps through my clothes and I shiver.

“It’s not exactly a warm welcome, is it?” I shout above the howling wind.

“Maybe the sea is just so eager to have us!” Lani shouts back. “I can’t hold on any longer! I’m letting go! See you below!”

As a wave crashes over the deck, she lets go, letting it sweep her out to sea.

I brush aside strands of my hair and squint into the darkness, holding my breath. Moments later, I see a glow beneath the water.

“She made it!” I exclaim. “Good job, Lani!”

“I’m next,” Jessie says, jumping overboard with a huge splash.

Again, I wait for the glow and again, I see it.

Now, it’s my turn.

I prepare to jump but a large wave tosses the boat again. This time, it turns upside down and I fall into the water.

I let myself fall, fingers wrapped around the pendant of my necklace as I wait for the glow of my own transformation.

Come on. Come on.

But it doesn’t happen. Instead, I feel pain explode through my chest and my throat as breath leaves my lungs, my body continuing to sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Am I…drowning?

As my strength leaves my body and my eyelids fall shut, I hear a song, the most heart-wrenching and beautiful song of all.

And then nothing.

--

When I wake up, the first thing I hear is the trickle of water, one drop at a time and the sound of a machine buzzing, a pump staggering.

Out in the hall, I can hear frantic footsteps and rushed conversations, orders being barked and wheels skidding across the floor. In the distance, a child cries and someone hums.

Slowly, I force my heavy eyelids open, squinting at the bright light above me.

The sun? No. This light is far less radiant. It’s…artificial.

A light bulb.

As my vision clears, I look around the room.

Yes, I’m in a room, white walls and ceilings around me. What kind of room? I don’t know. This is definitely not my old bedroom, the one at the orphanage. That one had blue walls and white curtains. It was pretty. Cozy. This one is almost bare.

And it stinks.

What is that horrid smell?

I lift my hand to cover my nose and as I do, I notice two things – one, there’s some mask covering nearly all of the lower half of my face and two, there’s something attached to my hand – a wire that goes up to the bottle suspended above me, the one that’s dripping.

I wrench them both off as I sit up, noticing one more thing – that I’m not in my own clothes. Instead, I’m wearing a pale pink robe. Not my favorite color.

Worse, I have legs, the sight of them causing my memory to rush back.

Legs. I have legs. I didn’t get my tail and obviously, I’m not in the ocean.

What the hell happened?

Breathing heavily, I clasp a hand over my tightening chest, fingers trying to wrap over the pendant of my necklace as I always do when I’m scared.

It’s not there. My necklace isn’t there, the realization magnifying my fears.

Quickly, I look around, relief washing over me as I see the gold chain piled up on a table, the locket shaped like a scallop shell atop it.

At least, that’s one mystery explained.

Tossing my thin blanket aside, I get off the bed, only to have my legs collapse under me.

Great. I don’t have a tail and my legs don’t work.

Is this all a nightmare?

But no. The cold, hard floor seems all too real beneath me and my hand still stings from where I pulled out the needle, a smear of blood above the spot.

If this all real, then am I cursed?

Why am I still here?

Suddenly, the door opens and my sight falls on a pair of dark brown loafers entering the room. Lifting my head, my gaze travels up a pair of khaki pants held around the waist by a black, leather belt. A dark blue shirt is tucked into its waistband, shrouded by a white blazer. I follow the buttons up until finally, my eyes rest on a face with a chiseled jaw covered with a gossamer beard, thin lips, the upper lip slightly thicker than the lower and protruding stiffly, a sharply pointed nose and chestnut eyes peeking behind a veil of golden hair.

A man.

A human.

Seeing me on the floor, his eyes grow wide.

I scream.