Many divers found diving at night to be more relaxing, but to Matthias, it had always been the challenge that appealed to him: once-familiar landscapes loomed out of nowhere, local fauna was utterly gone, replaced by other, stranger creatures. He never knew just what he was going to find, and that was why he loved it.
Of course, this danger only got worse - or, as he thought of it, better - when in a new location. Having his first dive in Ciceros Strait be at night was risky, to be sure, but he and Jean-Eric were confident in his skills. Besides, Matthias hated tourists.
"Heading for the south now," Matthias reported as he navigated through the rock formations. Several times he had to stop and turn around, having hit a dead end. But he thought he was getting the hang of it.
"Keep me informed." Jean-Eric's voice crackled over the radio. He'd elected to stay on the boat with his nautical charts, keeping an eye from above. They'd been reluctant to leave their boat unattended in unfamiliar territory, but as it was just the two of them - Oceana was staying with Hailie, who'd remained a faithful family friend - both had felt it best for Jean-Eric to stay behind.
Matthias continued his dive in a leisurely fashion, stopping to inspect rock formations and shipwrecks, identify fish species, and sometimes simply drifting and admiring the dark-shrouded beauty Greek oceans were so famous for. There were remarkably few fish out this night, and he was largely content to simply drift along. After all, there wasn't any hurry. The thing had been missing for centuries - a few more hours wouldn't make much difference.
He was searching for the famous Valka Castle. Officially, anyway. Jean-Eric had set him to the task, saying he needed something to distract himself. Of course, a discovery that big wouldn't do the business any harm, either. Matthias had agreed, if only because it had lined up beautifully with his own research, and the real reason he was here.
Anaximander. Greek philosopher, poet… and mapmaker. It was this last trade Matthias was interested in. Specifically, a legendary map of the circular Earth, designed by Anaximander and lost to history. The map rumored to be kept in Prince Valka's personal collection. It was this that had tempted Matthias here, far more than the castle itself. Whispers of legends, mad theories, that's all any of it was, but lately, that was more than enough for him.
The flute he'd found - or at least, the pieces of it - had been what had started it. The patterns carved into it had been so distinctive, so unusual, he'd taken them to expert after expert, looking for a match. After enduring countless lectures over defacing ancient artifacts, one had pointed out that the ridges and furrows closely matched the best idea of what Anaximander's map may have looked like.
He'd left there with every book he could buy or borrow about the map, and about Valka Castle. And if Jean-Eric had seen the name on his desk and decided to go looking, it was simply a happy coincidence.
Matthias was nearing the southernmost end of the strait. Following one edge of a group of formations led him to the east. Turning around a corner, the landscape changed. The rock towers were exchanged for an open expanse. A beautiful ship lay at the edge of a small drop off. And above the ship…
"Sharks," he whispered. Not one, not two, not even five. More sharks than he could easily count. Great whites, he was certain. Whipping about, teeth glinting, tails thrashing… it was beautiful. He understood why a group of sharks was called a shiver. "The first fish I properly get to see, and they're out to get me." He grinned. "Welcome to Ciceros Strait." They'd definitely noticed him, and a few on the edges were starting to wander in his direction.
"What was that?" Jean-Eric asked, concern evident even through the poor connection.
An eerie melody echoed through the water. "The song of dragons," Matthias breathed. The Road to Truth is the Song of Dragons. The Cyclades suffer under the shroud of Poseidon's curse. As the waves crash and the battle cry rises, Valka Castle shall sink beneath the waters. The poem that had led him here… it couldn't be a coincidence.
As if on cue, the sharks parted and a huge mass of muscle and teeth emerged from behind the ship. The newcomer seemed to be another great white, but Matthias could hardly reconcile its size. The beast was twice as big as the largest of the his comrades, and twice as angry.
"Matthias, what's going on?" his father demanded. He was very much regretting his decision to let his son dive alone.
"Sharks... a lot of them. And they're not happy."He shook his head, backpedaling. "I gotta get out of here." Matthias turned and swam as fast as he could, choosing the narrowest gaps. He turned right, then left. Through another shipwreck.
"Where are you? I'm bringing the boat."
Matthias laughed breathlessly. "Don't. This thing could tear it apart, and it just might. They'll lose interest soon enough."
"And if they don't?" Matthias said nothing. "Matthias, I'm coming. What's your location?"
"I... I don't know." Matthias looked around. He was in a depression of the seafloor. The ground was littered with broken down walls and columns, swallowed by the sea. Above the ruins, a North Atlantic right whale drifted with the current. Thresher sharks swam through the arches - a pleasant sight after the great whites. "They're gone, I think. Either that or they're way smarter than any sharks I've ever met."
"Thank goodness you're safe. Now tell me where you are."
"Ummm…" He glanced around, looking for the most defining feature. "Well, there seem to be a lot of ruins around. Big pillars. Any ideas?"
"You must be in the Triton Village area. I'll be there in a moment."
"Okay." Now that he had a minute to breathe, his thoughts kept returning to the eerie echo he'd heard only seconds before the massive shark had appeared. The Song of Dragons. It had to be. And it certainly wasn't a coincidence.
A.N. Hello again! Sorry for the long wait, but Forever the Optimist and I were having some problems agreeing on what would come next. That's kind of a lame excuse, but it's all I've got. Anyway, hope you enjoyed Matthias' little adventure! He's getting farther on his road to truth.
PS: Please leave a review if you like our story! Hearing from you motivates us to write more!
Ward Orphan