Chapter 8 Tricks
2023 Words
I swim back to the cave of Raiden and immediately report to him what we discuss. Master Xavion, telling me some tricks to free him, and I do disclose the same things to Raiden.
“Master Xavion says we wait,” I inform the dragon.
“The King of Forbidden Forest is not yet born. He has plans to free you,” I appease him.
“Plans? What is it?” Raiden is intrigued.
“He did not say to me either, but I can feel he is planning something great,” I animatedly sound thrilled.
Raiden coughs, and his claws scraps in the rocks. I notice the rocks near him have marks everywhere. I read panics in his eyes; he shyly turns his back to me,
“You can go home now,” Raiden’s voice is weakening.
“But,” I utter
“Go now!” He groaned
Since I met Raiden, he never yells at me, he is calm, and his voice is soothing when he speaks.
Raiden does not want me to see him, suffering and hurting, but my heart cannot take it, leaving him that way.
I held his head, let my palms touch his cold scales, his red glazing eyes stare at me deeply, but he is weakening. He seems sleepy.
Raiden is trying to scare me; he is maintaining fierce eye contact. He hisses as a warning, and that is not deadly. It is a mere sound of hissing, giving me a stop sign not to push my buttons.
I sigh, I cannot help but back down. I know Raiden is aching inside and out, but he does not want me to mend it.
“Leave,” Raiden booming voice echoed in the cave.
I hurriedly leave the cave; Master Xavion must formulate his plan to rescue Raiden for the dragon body slowly giving upon him.
In my new-found skills ignited by Raiden, it is easy for me to sneak in once again our house, swim beyond the borders of the Mermaid’s Fortress without anyone that can notice.
I swim fast as I hit the water above the Enchanted Fortress; surprisingly, Master Xavion is there expecting my arrival.
“I know you will come,” Master Xavion stare at me anticipating,
“Master Xavion, come with me now and free Raiden, his health is not getting any better,” I announced.
Master Xavion walks in the land as he taps his long wooden stick. A Kraken appears in front of him. The Kraken bows to him as he steps in its jelly body and takes a ride.
“Take me to Raiden’s cave,” Master Xavion orders me.
I smile timidly upon hearing his declaration. I swim down, and the Kraken starts to sink as the burst of bubbles creates by the water spreads.
Master Xavion, standing prominently in the back of the Kraken, with his long wooden stick by his hand. He builds a shield that protects him from the water. The water cannot pass through him, the water unable to enter his dimension.
The Kraken swims fast as I do, and we reach the cave in no time as soon as we enter the Maiden Fortress. The Kraken stop and wait in front of our school cave. Master Xavion walks with me inside the cave till we reach Raiden hideout.
Raiden is scrapping the stones when we arrive; the dragon is startled in our presence. Master Xavion is wearing a big black cloak hiding his face.
Raiden outrage upon seeing a stranger with me, his protective instinct awakens. He stands up straight, as his big, red eyes piercing through me.
I read Raiden’s movement well. The dragons are uncomfortable as he blazes an icy air through his nose. He hisses for warning. It is twice this day I heard him hissed. I am alert. I immediately calm him,
“Raiden, The man I am with, is Master Xavion,” I quickly appease him.
Raiden's eyes soften as he studies the man I am with; he is hiding his whole appearance by his cloak. Master Xavion stands up and lifts the hood off his head and reveals himself. Master Xavion smiles and greets Raiden.
“How are you, my friend? Its been a long time,” Master Xavion consoling voice.
Raiden frowned, he does not want to reveal his weakness, but he has no choice; his body is failing him. He coughs, and it echoed in the caves.
‘Free me, Master Xavion. It will take time for the King of Forbidden Forest to be born. I cannot wait any longer,” Raiden honestly expressed.
Master Xavion lightly put his hand on Raiden as the dragon close his eyes and feel Master Xavion’s touch.
“You are sick, Raiden. The Elf has a natural healing ability. They can heal you. Turn into your human form.” Master Xavion orders him
“I cannot,” Raiden confessed.
“Why?” Master Xavion seems confused as I am.
“My daughter Louverielle makes me drink a potion every day to keep myself in my dragon form. I cannot turn myself back in my human form. My oldest daughter knew that if I turn myself into a human. I can escape their Fortress with ease. My daughter is intelligent, she never gives me a chance to escape. She goes here every day not to visit me but makes me suffer by drinking that potion,” Raiden revealed.
“I understand,” Master Xavions seems thinking.
“Your daughter has resentment that she's incapable of yielding,” Master Xavion sadly voice affirmed.
“I know,” Raiden only answer.
“I still can free you. I can take that chain off you, and we can escape in your dragon form,” Master Xavion stated.
“I say to my daughter that the day I can be free is when the King of Forbidden Forest comes. She will doubt you.” Raiden warns both of us.
“I am a good wizard, and one of our power is to create illusions that a person would believe that happens in her very eyes, that illusions in her senses and view are true. No one can make her believe it is not until she is the one who wakes up from that illusions, discovering something on her own the truth that will break my illusions. The good wizard illusions are powerful. It is the power we use to humans; they forget about the trauma of the war that brought them. That illusion is still believing by humans because they choose to live, not believing that mythical creatures and other Worlds exist. Humans wanted to live in their World. They have the comfort of each other company and their high-end technology. The Human World embrace the illusions we made for them.” Master Xavion sadly revealed.
“Illusions,” I blurted out “, that is the reason the Humans live peacefully on their own now apart from us, and their World is not open for us anymore.” I give my opinion.
“Yes, my parents, Daphney, and Arcane notice the change of heart of their member Adeus to protect the Humans, we have no other choice but to use our power of illusions to them. Humans believe they are only those who live in the World, and they are peaceful and alone. Few humans believe in mythical creatures, and they mostly generated the energy in the specific place where there is an innocent, loving heart who believes in us. That place is the Wondrous Dreamy Land in the Human World. That place is the only place where the Passage of our World to Human World is open- the portal where the Gifted from the Human World will enter when it is time they have to go here.” Master Xavion declared.
“you will use the power of illusions to my daughter the same as what you did to humans?” Raiden confirmed.
“Yes,” Master Xavion confirms.
‘By this time, I can feel her energy is coming near. She detects my energy and picks it up, the reason she is coming,” Master Xavion smile.
“You did not?” I gasped. My eyes widen, and I freeze to where I am standing.
Master Xavion intentionally triggers Maiden Louverielle; she comes by her own accord. I am in big trouble when the Maiden sees me and finds out I know the secret of their family.
“Master Xavion,” I blurted out.
“Maiden Louverielle will kill me if she finds out I know about his father.” I eye him.
“Your wish is granted fear no more,” Master Xavion soothing voice trying to calm me, but it does not affect.
I can feel my heart beating fast as Maiden Louverille is near. I close my eyes unconsciously. I cannot imagine what will happen.
When I do not hear any commotion, I open my eyes, and I witness Master Xavion wooden stick is lightening with its radiant white.
Maiden Louverielle stands there, seems hypnotized by the light. Master Xavion taps his long wooden stick, and the light fades.
Maiden Louverielle stares at us with disgust; she is trying to get a grip of herself by strongly making a fist out of her both hands.
I admire Maiden Louverielle, and never want her to be mad at me, but the path that I have to take leads me no choice.
“You impudent, how dare you come inside this forbidden cave. I do not permit anyone to enter this part of the cave. You will take my wrath for breaking the Maiden’s rules. I make sure you will suffer,” Maiden Louverielle changes her form; her outraged reveals her sirens formed.
Her whole body emits a blazing blue aura; her fins show up in both sides of her neck, her scales in her faces show up. Her eyeballs widened in full dilated color green without any white. She is indeed scary; my body shivers as I am hearing her terrifying voice.
I jolt when I hear Master Xavion's voice, “, Maiden of the Forbidden Fortress. I am the Master of Ebony Hearts, the King of Forbidden Forest. I command you to heed in my power. You entrust the dragon and the mermaid to me; they commit a crime in your Fortress. As the King of Forbidden Forest, I request for their exile from your Fortress and let me take them,” Master Xavion announced as he activates the illusions.
“The King of Forbidden Forest, you are here to free my father. Why are you here to take him? He does not deserve to be free,” Maiden Louverielle stubborn heart still fighting the illusions, but Master Xavion's power is strong enough to win over her.
“The dragon is here for a long time; the amount of time he suffers is enough. His health is deteriorating. The dragons have safe heaven for them to stay. He has no longer time to stay in this World. He is sick, and only a few days he will die. If he dies here in your Fortress, it will cause a disturbance. Free him and let him die in peace with his kind.” Master Xavion exclaimed.
Maiden Louverielle trembles upon hearing the word “, die”, her aura quickly calms. The dragon's cough and scratches his claws instinctively in the rocks for the pain he feels inside.
Maiden Louverielle dumbfounded in what she witnessed. Raiden never appears to look weak in front of her daughter. The Maiden comes back in her beautiful self.
Maiden Louverielle glance at us “, I will never forgive you for telling a stranger about our family secret father,” her voice is scratched.
“You! I will exile you, together with my father, so you cannot reveal our secret. You will pledge with your life that the truth about our family is hidden, or it will cause your lives. I can hunt you down and can end you by my own hands,” Maiden Louverielle warns me.
After that deathly glare, she throws at me; the Maiden attention is on Master Xavion; she half halfheartedly bow,
“You can take him but do not expect me to turn him back in his human form. The potion he drinks will lose its effect since you have him by that time. He will regain his human form in no time. Take him for I do want to see him anymore,” Maiden Louverielle bitterly expressed.
The chain in his legs and feet automatically loosen as the Maiden said those words, and Raiden, at last, can move freely, but his heart still in the cage that his daughter locked for him.
Copyright:
This story is solely my ideas and creative thinking. Please do not copy, use, distribute, or reproduce.
© January Garneth.2020. The Mystery of the Mermaid Fortress
- Writer
