Love Poison No Cure Needed

Making an Exit 3.12

Eddy raced against the current as he shot towards the surface. As the light grew he flattened his trajectory so his head breached the surface for him to gasp in a breath. He moved his flippers as he looked around. After getting his bearings he dove back under the water and headed off. He raced recklessly for the west third portal when the eerie echo of whale song swept towards him. He paused head swivelling to the north as he tracked the source. It was headed west but not precisely towards him.

Eddy turned his head a way and redoubled his speed. He needed to get back to check on Meg. He hadn’t seen any sign of Sorrel or Ned where he’d been dropped. However, the gates couldn’t have spread them too far apart, so they had to be in the west as well. Both the west third and fourth gates opened at the pool. A special circumstance arranged at Christian’s request.

Eddy had never been so glad though as it meant that Christian should have been able to come through and get Sorrel. As for Ned the stupid prick could handle himself if Eddy was lucky he’d get eaten by something. Though krakens weren’t on the menu for much around here. More the pity really.

As Eddy breached the surface for another breath he shifted and grasped the edge of the portal stand stone. Short work later and he activated the portal and dove through.

***

Ned crawled along the sand as he muttered to himself. The echo of whale song was defining and he wanted to get away from it but the closer he got to the west fourth gate  the louder it got. As the base of the portal stand stone came into view Ned looked up to consider whether it would be easier with the currents to climb the rock or if he should attempt to swim.

As he did so he watched a dark purple web spread out near the top of the rock. Ned turned his sight further and spotted the tale of a giant whale as it flicked in the water to precede the shallow dive of the actual beast.

Ned immediately abandoned his intention of taking the fourth gate and skullted off towards the third gate; it was slightly  farther away but it was not in the path of a pod of giant whales. He needed to deal with that sea dog and his snake. He might also have a go at the pretty boy since he was the one that activated the gate weed.

Behind him Ned heard the sound of shattering rock and entertained the thought that it had been Eddy trying to get through. Though the web wasn’t something he’d expect from the selkie so it was more than likely someone else. Ned dismissed the idea it was the pretty boy as he doubted the human, even if he was a magic user would have been able to operate in the mana sea. Though he wondered actually if the boy had even survived the landing.

Finally Ned reached gate three and went about the process of activating as he let his true form fade and pulled his seeming into place. He’d teach those brats what a real king of the sea looked like.

***

Kayad whipped his eyes away from his focused glare on the two unconscious humans as the gate Christian had entered an hour ago reformed. His gaze sharpened as the gate flickered and then a lilac sheen overrode the normal steel blue colour. On the other side of the pool another portal activated but maintained its normal colour.

As the colour of the portal darkened a long black serpentine head extended out her silver mane spreading out around her head as Sephy passed through back to the human realm. Sorrel was settled on her back, his silver hair drifting about his face conspicuously absent of its normal flowers.

Lastly, as Sephy’s tail pulled out Christian appeared dangling from the appendage wrapped around his waist. As the group hit the ground Sephy spun out of control. Her tail whipped around and released Christian to go careening into the pool. While Sephy tumbled to a stop on the lawn. Sorrel splayed out beside her as he fell from her back. At the same time the portal flickered and shattered.

From the other portal much more sedately emerged Eddy. The selkie looked around and after he noticed that Meg was fine and relaxed marginally. He visibly relaxed completely when he spotted Sorrel on the lawn as Christian surfaced in the pool.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a portal shatter before. It seems that this visit is getting more entertaining by the minute.” A deep voice commented from the entrance to the pool.