The Sea Monster
Floating Palace Pt: 3
Why did I make Lydia into a Manta Ray?
Because I wanted to steer from the generic transformation. Mermaids are fun, but a Manta Ray made sense for a princess striving to be different. Cedric got turned into an Octopus thing as homage to Ursula. Besides, Evil Manta from the Little Mermaid Series was my favorite sea creature.
Moving on.
xxx
A spotlight illuminated a a blank wall. Clover marched on scene. A general's dome smushing his ears, and a horse crop slanted to his shoulder. He stopped and clapped his heels, right faced and stood at attention. Bubbles inflated from the toy pipe balanced in his teeth.
"Listen up! This information may very well save your life!" He reached up and unrolled a crayon drawn diagram depicting the infamous seagull snagged in a fishing net. Operation: Bird Season. "Phase 1," He slapped the crop to the seagull hoarding the berries, "We lure the seagull in with a bowl of blueberries from the kitchen! Phase two," Eezeyal flying Clover carrying a net over the seagull, "While he's distracted, you and I will fly in, get in low, and I release the net! Phase three," The most important and final phase. The seagull dangled in the net, and Clover celebrating with the berries in paw. The crop ripped the diagram it was so important, "We string that menacing bird up," Clover drooled dreamily, hungrily rubbing his stomach, "And I get my lunch back. IT'S-FOOL-PROOF!" He thrust two fingers in the air.
"Ignoring the part where a fool is leadin' this circus." Eezeyal gruffly flicked the lights on. The storage closet looked a lot better in the dark. "Clover, the ship has an entire kitchen of blueberries. Why not snack on those?" He implored him.
"Those berries aren't a snack! They're my lunch!"
"Lunch was two hours ago."
"My after after pre-lunch!" Clover roared. Bubbles from the pipe curdled in response. Eezeyal gave up. There's no reasoning with this rabbit. "Are you gonna help me or not?"
"To be honest, I'd rather not. Seagulls don't bother me." Clover's jaw dropped. The pipe rolled under a shelf. Eezeyal waddled solemnly to the door. It wasn't closed so he was able to push it open.
"Oh come on!" Clover shouted. "You'd go along with this if Lydia was in on it!"
"You think too highly of our friendship." Eezeyal refused to be goaded by such a cheap stab. Lydia can't force him to do anything she wouldn't do herself. That includes helping a bunny, whose eyes are bigger than his stomach, play secret agent and steal back fruit. "Seriously, Lydia. Where'd you and that book get off to?"
Eezeyal tried to get in some shut eye before anymore excitement dragged him away. Clover's incessant badgering about that seagull barely let him closed his eyes for five minutes at a time. He went to the swimming platform in hopes Ubos or Lydia would get the bunny off his back. But when he got there, Lydia and Ubos were gone. He hid it well. He's going nuts trying to figure out where those two might have gone. And without telling him.
xxx
Sea turtles casually paddled on their languid way, lavishing in the gentle sways of the current. Two speeding bodies spun them like pinwheels. The turtles swung on their backs. their beady eyes rolled dizzily.
"SORRY!" Sofia, Ubos, and Lydia chimed. They couldn't afford to stop and offer a proper apology. Time was of the essence. Oona was kidnapped by a horrid sea monster, and they were at a loss on how to find her. Sofia proposed going to Queen Emmaline, Oona's Mother, for help.
Sofia made a long story short by explaining to Lydia she helped Oona get back home after hurting her fin in the net. That's when Cora, Oona's older sister, showed up and helped her heal it. Then she met Sven, Oona's paranoid seahorse friend, and he showed her the wonders of Merroway Cove.
When their floating palace coasted by on the surface, the dropped anchor frightened the merpeople and Queen Emmaline called everyone to the palace. Sofia met the Queen's Aide, Plank, who wasn't shy about showing his true feelings about humans. Sofia wasn't going to sugarcoat it by saying he disliked them. Plank hates humans. Queen Emmaline shared a similar resentment towards human due to an incident involving sailors who attempted to capture mermaids a very long time ago. With the arrival of Sofia and Lydia's family, Queen Emmaline and Plank both feared a repeat of their dark history was afoot.
"No wonder Corra was so hostile towards me!" That tail of hers was still pummeling her. He face still hurt. "She's been raised to be on guard near humans. Not that I blame her or Queen Emmaline."
"How'd you meet Cora, anyway?"
"She was trapped on the rocks by the beach and sharks were about to eat her."
"Sharks?!" Sofia shrieked.
"I managed to reach her in time and turned them into anchovies. But Cora thought it was a trick, and swam off."
"It's horrible." Sofia hung her head sadly. "To think one bad incident has can make a whole colony close themselves off from the world."
"Once bitten, twice shy." Ubos recited as a harsh fact of life. Lydia's able to understand Queen Emmaline's feelings. Sofia and Lydia rose and dove past a group of manta rays, and a small school of fish. "If someone hurts you once, you close your borders so they won't do it again."
"But I don't plan to create storms to deal with them!" Sofia snarled.
"Create a storm?" Ubos repeated grimly. His pages were tingling.
"Plank tried to convince Queen Emmaline to use her trident conjure a storm that would blow the ship out of the cove."
"A bit drastic." Ubos groaned. Lydia and Sofia suddenly split apart, swimming a pod of playful dolphins.
"I told them I'd get the ship to move..." Sofia moaned with sorrow, hugging her elbows, "After that, Queen Emmaline made me swear to never return to the cove."
"I'm guessing Oona followed you home and said goodbye." Lydia gravelly concluded.
"And now she's been taken who knows where by that monster!" Sofia sobbed, sniffling to fight the tears. Lydia swam over and wrapped her in a comforting hug. "This is all my fault. Oona wouldn't be in danger if she hadn't met me."
"You don't know that! And I don't want to hear that talk!" Lydia stroked the tears away. "If the sea monster wanted to hurt Oona he would have done it. Instead he kidnapped her, which means he needs something." They have to find Oona before he gets it.
xxx
The encroaching afternoon elevated the rushing tides. Cliff side rock drowned. The crashing waves drenching the land. Water rushed into the cove's caves, drawn by an invisible vacuum. The Floating Palace Lifeboat bobbed languorously. The dropped anchor mounted it in place, preventing it from escaping.
Oona wrestled in vain with the bars of the cage the sea monster - Cedric - locked her in. He would emerge from the water to check on his pretty captive, and fawn over her enchanted comb. Before capturing her, he chased Oona throughout the cove, desperately wanting to have her magic comb for himself. Oona may not know what the comb is capable of, but she wasn't about to break her promise to her mother and let the horrible monster have it.
"LET ME OUT!" Oona roared, finding courage to challenge the smirking monster. "You...ugly...Sea Monster!"
"Not until I find a way to remove your mermaid comb." The tip of his tentacle stung from his first attempt at removing the comb. A powerful, and rather fussy, protection charm repelled him. No matter. He is a master sorcerer. It is only a test of time before the comb is his. As for her ugly comment, "And let's not get personal."
Cedric hid within the water, moving under the boat so the little mermaid wouldn't be able to eavesdrop. He was burdened by irksome matters he didn't want her catching wind of. Removing that comb, miraculously, is not his number one concern. "Removing that comb will be difficult as it is. Especially now that there is a new piece on the board." It involved a pesky sorceress...and her talking book. "Unbelievable..." He ground his teeth. "All this time...that book..." Lyndor, the ship, the palace, dinners, his magic show - everywhere he turned, Lydia was clinging to that book for dear life. Yelling at it, cursing it, and carrying conversations he assumed were with Eezeyal. All this time, she's been in the company of an enchanted spellbook. Completing her training, and matching Cedric's via an instructor with 40 some odd chapters.
A thought lit in his head. "Now that I think about it," Cedric's suckers kissed his chin moving side to side, "Around the time she received her book in the mail is when she started resisting and recuperating from my memory charm!" He punched the boat. Oona and Wormwood let out yelps. "And I bet he's the reason her teleporting is improving! And why she and Sofia are aquatic hybrids!" THAT BOOK is the key to Lydia's success. And it will be because of that book that not only will the Mermaid Comb be pried from his grasp, but Lydia will become wise to him and will undoubtedly clue the King into his subterfuge. "I can't let that happen!" He declared. Obtaining the comb, and ridding himself of the book. Two top priorities that must be completed without fail. "Princess...you're going to hate me for this...aren't you?" If she doesn't despise him already. "So be it. Nothing will stop me from ruling the Kingdom, and the ten next door!"
xxx
Lydia wasn't able to revel in the undersea palace as she and Sofia came to the gates. Oona's life was too important to geek out. Ubos hid amongst the sea plants. Sofia and Lydia alone are going to raise suspicions. His presence might cause them to shut down, and cast Sofia and Lydia out.
"HELP! HELP!" Sofia's cries turned the colonies heads. "Someone, help us!" She and Lydia charged in, blowing a couple merpeople out of the way, sliding to a stop before Queen Emmaline.
Cora shot up from the crowd, mouth gaping at Lydia's form. Her mind exploded. She told herself it couldn't possibly be the same girl that saved her. That girl was human. So many questions from her, the Queen's attendant, and the muttering colony arose in abundance. The Queen allowed Lydia and Sofia a moment to catch their breath. By how exhausted they were, it must be important. Suspicious and curious murmurs of Lydia rumbled in the crowd. By the sounds of it, half manta beings are a rarity...and not very popular. The name Evil Manta caught her ear.
Sofia's poor little frame was too tired to speak just yet. She handed it off to Lydia. "We apologize...for the...abrupt entrance, Your Majesty!" Lydia placed a hand at her pounding chest. A long breath in, and long breath out gained her another wind to speak properly. "But something terrible has happened! And we need your help!"
"Before you ask anything of my, Young Lady," The Queen aggressively stalled her, erecting from her throne. Her floating there idly commanded respect, "It is proper to introduce yourself."
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Lydia curtsied. She's in such a rush her manners eluded her. "My name is Lydia." Cora went rigid. That is her! "I'm Sofia's older sister." Aghast whimpers echoed from the attending colony. Merpeople huddled close, panicking over Lydia's relationship. The crowd spread apart, retreating in fear of Lydia and Sofia. "Why are they so afraid?" She leaned to Sofia.
"They kinda, sorta, maybe know that I'm not a mermaid." Sofia added a weak giggle at the end. Lydia rolled her eyes. The merpeople put two and two together, and concluded Lydia must be human as well. Understandable they'd be scared. It raised the risk of other humans being capable of this feat too.
"No way!" Cora interjected, darting to Lydia. "No way you're the same girl!"
"You?!" Lydia gasped. She was angrier than before.
"THIS HAS TO BE A HUMAN TRICK!" Cora boomed. "Tell the truth! Who are you?!" Her jabbing finger came close to bruising Lydia's shoulder.
"Hate to break it to you, but everything I've said is true." Lydia used a flat palm to move her hand away. "My name IS Lydia, and you and I met near the beach."
"You can't be! THAT GIRL was a human! As in, she can't breath underwater!" Lydia sarcastically breathed in and out, and shrugged her hands. She's doing in now. "How are you a manta? You were human hours ago!" Cora couldn't wrap her head around it. How are these humans weaseling their way into their colony? For that matter, how are they all growing fins.
"A new trick my teacher showed me." Lydia showed off her twirling skills, spinning her wand on her thumb. The Queen and Her attendant gasped. Sorcery truly was behind Sofia's transformation. Cora blinked reminiscently at the wand. It's the same thing she used to fend off the sharks. "It's nice to see you again. I'm glad your fin's doing okay." Cora growled, biting her lip. Her tail curled behind her back.
"You know my daughter?" Queen Emmaline inserted herself. Cora froze like a statue. She was breaking down in sweat. Lydia recognized that look. The big sister's fear of being caught.
"I was deep sea diving and saw Cora trapped between some rocks. I helped free her." Cora lifted a shocked brow. That wasn't at all how it happened. Lydia left out the hungry pack of sharks wanting to have her for breakfast. And the fact that she was near the surface. "How is your tail feeling...Cora, was it?" She pretended to forget.
"Yes! And…" Cora puffed her cheeks. It would never cease to bug her. Being saved by a human child. She folded her arms, resentfully facing the other direction, "My tail is just fine, thank you! I really didn't need your help!" She snapped bitterly.
"Looked that way where I was standing. Ergh, floating."
"Enough." The aid thrust himself in the middle. Lydia, due to habit, extended a protective arm and edge Sofia back. "Your selfless act for Princess Cora is noted!" There is a catch to his praise. "That does not elude the circumstance that you say you are this girl's older sister!" He viciously attacked. The hatred in his eyes would kill flowers.
"I am." Lydia answered simply, floating tall to match him. She wasn't about to be bullied lying by man with a jerry curl.
"That makes you human as well?" The manatee in the ocean, in place of an elephant.
"It does. Does that make you Plank?"
"It does." He snarled.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Lydia sardonically curtsied.
"Likewise." Plank shifted stares to Sofia. Lydia isn't the type to start fights. But he makes one wrong move, and Plank will be served on a skewer. "Why have you returned? The Queen ordered you to never return."
"That's what we came here to tell you! A Sea Monster took Oona!" The crowd erupted in dismay. Cora and Plank had the same skeptical expression, combined with unease. "The sea monster chased her into the kelp forest, and then they disappeared!"
"Oona's...gone?!" Queen Emmaline's strong persona cracked. The mother within her replaced the Queen. "That's...not possible." She denied hoarsely. It can't be possible.
"It's a trick, Your Majesty!" Plank denounced Sofia. "We all know there are no sea monsters in these waters!"
"But I saw it!"
"What she says is true! I saw him as well, and helped chase him down to save Oona!" Lydia implored for the crowd, mostly the Queen, to believe them. She showed them a jagged scar on her wing from that monster's binding spell. "The sea monster out ran us in the forest, and Oona vanished with him!"
"The humans must have taken Oona captive, and sent these two back to lie to us!" Plank swam to Her Majesty's side, steadily aligning her to his.
"THAT'S-NOT-TRUE!" Lydia and Sofia bleated pleadingly. Queen Emmaline heard their plights. Were it any other situation, she would grant them her full support, and take their word. But her daughter's life may hang in the balance. And a sea monster in the cove was far to fanatical to take seriously.
"Queen Emmaline," Plank petitioned her ear, "Use your trident." An action carrying consequences too drastic a burden. "Conjure a storm so fierce that it will sink the ship and we can take Oona back ourselves."
"NO!" Sofia howled. Tears lined her eyes.
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Lydia beseeched. Can any of them even hear what they are proposing? They are going to endanger the lives of innocent people...merely because fear is obligating them to accuse humans of a vicious action.
Queen Emmaline closed her eyes. Her course is set. As Queen she has heard all the acclamations. But as a mother, she cannot stand idly by as two humans posing as one of them continue to lie to her. She removed her trident from its pedestal, and approached Sofia and Lydia. "Then have your people return my daughter at once!" She monotonously commanded.
"UGH!" Sofia hopelessly speechless. "I-I can't!" Was all she could muster.
"We can't return her because we don't have her!" Lydia threw her arms, literally throwing herself at the Queen's mercy. Somewhere inside her heart she knows they're telling the truth.
"Then you both leave me no choice!" Queen Emmaline swam above their heads. She raced for the open ocean. The surface dwellers, and all the land past the ocean will know her wrath for wronging her family.
Black and Maroon flippers barred Queen Emmaline's path. Hysteria and anger scrunching her brow, and her arms spread with her flippers, Lydia stood her ground against the irrational Queen. She will never let her pass. Queen Emmaline was unmoved by her act, and simply weaved to swim around. Lydia strafed sideways, blocking her again. Her actions rankled the Queen. She saw the expression upon Lydia's face. Sorrow, discontent, defeat. The face of someone with nothing left to lose if Emmaline gets by her.
"Stand aside!" Queen Emmaline ordered.
"No." Lydia brashly defied. Plank, Sven, Cora, and the merpeople gasped, stunned anyone would defy their Queen. Queen Emmaline put the trident's razr tip at Lydia's neck.
"Move now, or you will leave me no choice but to move you!" She warned for the final time.
"WAIT!" Sofia embraced Lydia, throwing herself in the trident's path. "Lydia, please stop! I don't want a fight!"
"Not if she's going to hurt our family!" Lydia was done arguing. Queen Emmaline either changes her mind...or Lydia starts an international incident.
"Your family-"
"Has done nothing!" Queen Emmaline was aghast. "You have no evidence - except your own biases - to prove we have Oona! Just as we don't have proof we don't." Lydia lowered her voice, and her arms and flippers, "Sofia told me what humans did to you many years ago. I understand your contempt towards us." In no way will she sell their grief short. Switch the roles, and Roland may very well be launching an attack against the merpeople for the same grief. Her words seemed to reach Queen Emmaline. She caressed her trident hesitantly. "Your Majesty! Please!" Lydia attempted to reach her again. "We have a mother too. She would move the heavens if we were in danger!"
"Then you can understand why I am resorting to this course of action."
"Please!" Sofia wedged between them. Queen Emmaline lowered the trident. She will not harm a child. "We'll find a way to get Oona back. We just need a little more time." Queen Emmaline twisted away. Time is the one thing Oona may not have. And these two are not about to lessen it.
Lydia touched Sofia's shoulder, moving her safely behind her. She approached the Queen again, and humbly descended in respect for her stature. "You have absolutely no reason to trust us! Or Believe us." No sense in dancing around it. "But somewhere, deep inside, you know we never would have come back if we were behind Oona's capture." A sentiment mutually felt amongst everyone in the colony. Even Plank and Cora, the most wary of Lydia and Sofia, saw merit in their return. "Please, Queen Emmaline," Lydia curtsied so low the sea bed would bend beneath her, "We just need time."
"Please, Your majesty…" Sofia cupped her hands.
It is hard to deny. Both girls are brave, kind, and beaming with valor. While she may not fully accept Oona's been captured by a monster, Queen Emmaline cannot deny that these girls deserve the benefit of the doubt. In case she is wrong, and innocents are spared her truculence.
"You both have until sundown." She so granted.
"Thank you..." Sofia dried her tears. Lydia tossed Sofia onto her back, and she soared to the open ocean. The powerful current surprised Queen Emmaline. As she watched them grow further from her sight, Queen Emmaline could not help but think Oona's safety may very well rest in their hands.
xxx
And in recent news, rattling the surface world in a vengeance, Clover graced the Floating Palace with his own Secret Agent theme music. Eezeyal, oddly enough, found it catchy. And since Lydia and Ubos aren't back yet, he found entertainment watching Clover show off his ninja skills. Sloppy and ungraceful as they are.
"Operation: Lunch Rescue has begun!" He slithered past a barrel. He hopped for the bow of the ship, performing his own themes music. He pressed his back to the wall. "TARGET HAS BEEN SPOTTED!" The seagull was on the lower deck, helping himself to Clover's lunch. "Ch-ch! Big teeth to feather duster! I have eyes on the target and am waiting for the green light!" He reported to an imaginary walkie.
Eezeyal groaned, slapping a wing defeatedly across his face. "Please don't drag me into this..."
"Big Teeth going in!" Clover sprang high and returned to ground level with a life preserver. Eezeyal truly hated the code names Why didn't I hang around Liddy and go with her? Clover swung the life preserve. The seagull caught a berry in his beak. Clover unleashed a mighty roar. The seagull ducked. The preserve, and then Clover missed their mark by a mile, crashing to the wall in a daze.
"You okay, Mate?" The Seagull resisted laughing.
"I'm still wonderin' that mah self!" Eezeyal scoffed from on high. He pointed the seagull to Clover.
Clover regained his footing and gave the attack a second go. He tackled the seagull. The gull's webbed feet gripped the bag hard. The preserver's rope tightened, swinging it around and snagging Clover and the seagull in a squeeze. The bag of blueberries toppled, spilling the animals and all the berries to the floor.
"They're going...going..." Eezeyal color commentated on the escaping berries. "AND THEY'RE GONE!" The berries spilled into the ocean, never to be eaten again. "THAT'S IT SPORTS FANS! Mission is a totally, epic FAIL!"
"Are you satisfied?!" The seagull waved his one free wing. "Now both of us have lost our lunch!" That empty bag was full of sorrow.
"MY lunch!" Clover hostilely reminded him.
"It's nobody's lunch now..." The seagull accepted it. The Floating Palace was a bust. "Well I'm off." He stretched out. Cover and the preserver trapped his other wing snuggly. He stretched again, dragging Clover like a ragdoll. Neither of them were going anywhere. Again and again the Gull pulled.
"STOP IT!" Clover roared. The two spun wildly, falling on their rumps in defeat. "Ow..." Their faces were smushed together.
"This...is...awkward."
"Mmm-hmm!" Eezeyal was rolling on the roof laughing. This had to be the highlight of his day. No way Lydia and Ubos found anything more exciting than this.
xxx
"Sundown?!" Ubos gasped. He rode on Lydia's back, bouncing as her flippers dipper her. None of his stamina returned from the last three races in the ocean. He's jetlagged under the sea. He heard the whole tension from his hiding place in the sea plants. Even still he can't fathom how Lydia or Sofia are supposed to prove their innocence before the deadline. "That's not enough time to look under a boulder."
"But it's all we have!" Lydia stressed. She's getting a migraine. Who get's a migraine on a vacation. "And I doubt either of us, or Cedric can match a trident."
"You'd be correct." Uboos dismally confirmed. He was at a loss of what to do. The three of them alone could never scour the cove and find Oona.
"SOFIA! LYDIA! WAIT UP!" A tiny, pink seahorse caught up to them. "I have to-WHOA!" He jumped out of his skin at Ubos. "THAT BOOK HAS A FACE! IT'S A FACE WITH A BOOK!" He backflipped and propelled uncontrollably. There were doubles of him he was zipping around so fast.
Ubos and Lydia dumbly blinked. It went right over their heads. They turned to Sofia and blankly asked, "Who's this?"
"The is Sven, Oona's friend. Sven, this is Ubos and Lydia." Lydia waved for them both.
"Hi-hi-hi!" Sven hyperventilated for a second, then released a long, calming breath. "Okay! Now! Let me look at you three! Hold still!" He hummed thoughtfully. He swung his head side to side, extending one eye to attentively study their features and faces. He came an inch within Sofia's big eyes. A handsome reflection. He shot his tail in Lydia's mouth, pulling out her tongue, and marveling at the bugs. He wiggled into Ubos's pages, sending chills down his spine, and popped back out. "Sea horses always know when someone is telling the truth. And you..." He trailed off, thinking a minute, "WERE TELLING THE TRUTH!" Ubos, Lydia, and Sofia's shoulders sank. At least someone believes them. Figures it''s the spazz. "That means Oona really was captured by a sea monster! We have to find her! I'll help you look."
"But she could be anywhere!" Sofia opened her arms to the miles of ocean.
"Then we'll search the entire cove!" Sven was ready to slither into every nook and grotto.
"Sven, there's no way the four of us are enough to search the cove." Lydia hated killing his determination. There's no time for them to waste on a blind search.
"Is there anyone on that ship of yours who can help us?" He proposed.
"Mom and dad! They'll know what to do!" Sofia excitedly swam.
"There is absolutely no way they are going to buy this." The abundance of confidence Lydia had just up and evaporated when Roland and Miranda were mentioned.
"We have to try!" Sofia kicked hard, already at the swimming platform.
Lydia hung back for a moment, musing on how well that little conversation was going to go. "Hi mom, dad. We're great. By the way, our mermaid friend was kidnapped by a sea monster, and we have to find her otherwise the mermaid queen is going to sink our ship." She said it in her head, and she said it out loud. Lydia hung somberly. "Yeah. They're totally going to buy this fish story." She said cynically. Better to face the music with Sofia then let her do it on her own.
xxx
Sofia hoisted herself to the dry swimming platform. Her tail instantly vanished, replaced by her legs and sopping wet dress. Lydia beached herself lugging her flippers. They're heavier on dry land. The sun dried her flippers and tail on the spot, returning her legs and swimming gear. The two girl's land legs wobbled clumsily, adapting from their sea legs. Sofia picked up her dress, running to the first deck to find Roland or Miranda. Lydia was hot on her heels. Ubos stayed in the water with Sven, helping look out for Emmaline or anyone from the palace.
"Lydia! Sofia! There you are!" Baileywick beckoned. He'd been searching the whole ship for them. There was lunch ready on the terrace.
"Baileywick, we have to talk to Mom and Dad right away!" Lydia dispensed with formalities. Lunch was going to have to wait.
xxx
Admiral Hornpike joined the royal family on the terrace for lunch. He was already on his second plate, and reserved room for a third. James and Amber held no arguments digging into their food. They were starving. Miranda and Roland abstained from eating, gazing sadly at the two empty chairs.
"Look who I found." Baileywick gleefully presented the two awaited princesses.
"Mom!" Sofia ran to the table.
"Dad!" Lydia leaned to his chair.
"Lydia! Sofia! You two are soaking wet!" Miranda gasped. "Have both of you been swimming this whole time?"
"Amongst other things, yes." Lydia drearily admitted.
"We need your help! Something terrible has happened!" Sofia jumped right in. Lydia braced herself. He stomach tied in knots.
"What?!" Roland anxiously replied.
"Well..." Lydia timidly trailed off, itching her head, "To make a long story short..."
"I met a mermaid!" Sofia blurted.
"You did?!" Amber, in her excitement, dropped her fork.
"No way!" James, cheered, losing food.
"Where is she?! I want to meet her right away!" Amber demanded.
"Amber, Sofia's just kidding. Right?" He turned to Lydia, hoping she'd end this nonsense.
Lydia shot a raised brow, saying to Sofia, I told you so. "She's telling the truth, Dad. I met one too." A stretch though it is, Lydia will stand by Sofia until at least one of the others believed them.
"Impossible..." Admiral Hornpike dabbed food from his mouth. He detested the fanatical ramblings of children.
"But we did!" Sofia stamped firmly threw her fists at her sides. "Their names are Oona and Cora, and we need to rescue Oona!"
"From what?!" Hornpike dared them press on with their folly.
Sofia titled her head back, sighing annoyed. She tilted her head to Lydia, begging her to explain. Lydia was starting to hate this vacation. She took a deep breath, Here goes everything, "A Sea Monster kidnapped her, and her mother, The Mermaid Queen, thinks we took her." Mermaid Queens and Sea monsters. Yep, Lydia sounded like an absolute loon. Roland and her family found her tale eccentric too. In spite of Lydia accidentally summoning a mouse in red shorts not too long ago. "So if we don't find her before sundown, Queen Emmaline' going to conjure this huge storm and sink our ship."
Admiral Hornpike flew into a fit of laughter, slapping the table. "That's preposterous!"
"It does sound a little far fetched, Lydia." Roland regrettably admitted. He wasn't doubting the two. It just doesn't sound logical, or possible that sea monsters and mermaids exist. Or go around kidnapping each other. "I understand, as a sorceress, you see amazing things. But Mermaids?"
"It sounds...like one of the stories from her mermaids books." Amber sadly cut into her food. She of all people was overjoyed learning mermaids are in the cove. Only to have her dreams dashed by facts and no real evidence.
"Perhaps Princess Sofia and Princess Lydia fell asleep reading this book and dreamt up all this balderdash." Hornpike assumed.
"It's not balderdash!" Sofia argued with him.
"So then..." Miranda shared dubious glances with Roland, "Can we meet one of these mermaids?" Sofia and Lydia are sounding too insistent for them to be making up a tall tale. In the back of their minds, though, it was too much.
"There lies the rub..." Lydia's finger scratched her flushed cheek. "See, right now, it's not possible for you to meet them." Lydia's mouth dried up. Roland and the others' looks said it all. They stopped believing them a while ago.
"Only because Oona's missing, and the mermaids are too scared to come to the surface!" Sofia added heatedly. She wished one of them would take her word for it for one second.
"Well, there you have it." Hornpike's input was starting to get on Lydia's nerves. "Either she dreamt it, or she's making it up! And this one, as her elder sibling, is feeding the delusion to spare her." Lydia growled and scrunched her nose. Hornpike's champagne exploded in his face.
"Lydia...!" Roland growled. Lydia turned away crossing her arms. She will not apologize.
"Sofia and Lydia don't make things up!" Miranda scolded the skeptical admiral, attesting to Lydia's slip. Nevertheless she didn't approve of Lydia exploding the drink.
"Not to sound rude," Amber interjected, growing bored with this tedious topic, "But these are the two who always pretend to talk to their animals."
A lightbulb flared over their heads. "Ezee and Clover!" Sofia and Lydia gleamed at each other.
Roland knit his brow hearing Eezeyal's name. Without another word, the sisters left the terrace, leaving skid marks on Roland's protest. "Can Lydia really talk to Eezeyal?" He asked Miranda.
"Oh, Rolly, that's just silly." Miranda chuckled. This whole mermaid talk has everyone thinking crazy thoughts. "Sofia and Lydia are two little pranksters. I'm sure Lydia pretends she can talk to Eezeyal. Like Sofia pretends to talk to Clover." Sofia maybe. But Lydia...Roland pensively sliced into his meat, Is not pretending.
xxx
Back on the lido deck, Clover was in the struggle of his life. Wrestling a life preserver while tied to the seagull who stole his lunch. The seagull wasn't doing any better. The harder the two tried to get free, the more stuck they seemed to get. And the rope snagging them wasn't helping either.
"STILL awkward!" The Seagull bellowed. As if Clover was having fun on his end.
"Not as awkward as it is watchin' you mutts!" Eezeyal rolled over laughing, pounding the railing. When the seagull and Clover get free, they're going to see about using Eezeyal as bait.
"Clover!"
"Eezeyal!"
Sofia and Lydia rounded a support pillar in a breakneck dash. Lydia tail whipped her to the captured animals. "We've been looking everywhere for you!" Sofia breathlessly exclaimed.
"You two...are remarkably hard to find...on a small ship." Lydia used the railing as a support.
"We're hard to find?!" Eezeyal found that rich coming from her. "I blinked and you and the book were gone."
"A long story that we'll have to tell on the way!" Sofia paused as she calmed down enough to notice Clover's predicament. "Ooh. What happened?"
"This SEAGULL stole my lunch!" And he wants revenge! Bad timing on the life preserver.
"Which YOU stole from the galley." The seagull divvied the fault.
"Where else was I supposed to get it?"
"ZIP!" Lydia sealed her lips. The arguing animals buttoned theirs. "The food isn't important right now!" Sofia worked on untangling the ropes. "We really need your help!"
"With what?" Eezeyal perched to Lydia's head. "What's happened?" He interrogated anxiously. It is rare for Lydia to sound like she's begging. it must be terrible.
"Are all of you talkin'?" The Seagull glanced between the four.
"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WE'RE DOIN'?" Clover and Eezeyal barked. Sofia managed to untie them. Clover shook off the rope burns. He ran his paws down his fur. Feels like the rope took a few inches off his waistline. Meanwhile, the seagull flew for his escape.
"Sofia's friend, Oona, is in trouble!" Lydia filled the three animals in.
"Oona the mermaid?" The seagull stunted his flight.
"You know her?" Sofia beamed. A ray of hope perched on the ship's side.
"Yeah." By the sounds of it, he's a good friend of hers.
"What happened to the pretty mermaid?" Eezeyal stamped Lydia's head. He wasn't interested in what's what or the trouble brewin'. If Oona is involved, Eezeyal was ready to pounce. Despite never formally meeting her.
"A sea monster kidnapped her!"
"A SEA MONSTER?!" Clover flinched.
"That's why I disappeared." Lydia lifted Eezeyal, cradling her in her arms. She stroked his feathers apologetically. "Ubos turned me into a manta ray so I could help rescue her. But we ended up losing her in a kelp forest."
Stranger things have happened during Eezeyal's ride with Lydia. This most definitely took the cake. "Kid, how is it you wind up in the most precarious of situations when I'm not around?"
"Luck, I guess." She shrugged. Now's not the time for jokes.
"Clover, I really need your help finding her!" Sofia implored.
"Not a problem, Sof!" Clover isn't much of a swimmer. The Floating Palace was big. And tall. "I know. I'll climb to the top of the ship, and see if I can't spot her from there. I bet you can see the entire cove from up there."
"Righto!" The seagull inserted himself. A mission to save his mermaid pal lit a fire in his belly. "I'll search from the air."
"You will?! Thanks Mr. Seagull!" Sofia waved to the dismounting bird.
"The name's Farley, loves. And it's no trouble at all."
Searching by air wasn't half bad a plan. Thinking back, Cora found herself to the surface. Oona might have done the same thing. Lydia turned to Eezeyal, "Ubos is at the water. Grab him and search the water by the shore. Sofia and I are heading back into the water."
"On it, Princess!" Eezeyal saluted. He soared to the platform, finding Ubos hovering by...a pink seahorse. "Umm...who are you?"
"I'm Sven. Oona's friend."
"Name's Eezeyal. Lydia's friends. Hang strong, pardner." Ubos paired beside Eezeyal, standing strong with his friend. "We'll have Oona back faster than you can say a spoonful o' sugar!"
"Somehow I don't think that's possible. Because if I say, will she actually appear or-"
"It is a figure of speech often used on the surface." Ubos halted the hyper seahorse. "We will find Oona."
"Thank you so much."
"Not a hassle. C'mon, Ubos. Liddy wants us searchin' the shoreline." Eezeyal launched to a head start.
"Tally-ho then!" Ubos trailed after him.
xxx
Near the Floating Palace, several leagues beneath the surface, Plank obscured himself behind swaying kelp. He would poke from hiding once in a while, monitoring any sort of activity progressing on that human craft. By the Queen's orders, to assure the girls were truthful of their intentions, Plank followed them to their home and has been waiting for an aggravating long time to see Oona freed. And, as he expected, the humans were dragging their heels.
Perhaps they are divulging an underhanded means of barter! He snarled in his mind. He thoughtfully stroked the traumatic scar trailing from bicep to wrist. These humans are on our turf. We will not falter! Two splashes disrupted his rampaging thought. Sven's microscopic form led the charge. The false mermaid, Sofia, and her false Manta Ray sister, Lydia entered the sea. Oona was nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they going? And where's Oona?" He clenched a fist.
Lydia let her mind roam in order to contemplate the perfect place a sea monster would hide his captive. Her knowledge on the cove was next to nothing. She might narrow the radius to two places or 20. The odds of Oona being at either one, or finding her before sundown lessened.
"Huh?" Lydia and Sofia were led by Sven past a small field of kelp. She spotted a fishtailed man that didn't belong, and he was mad dogging them. "Go on ahead. I'll search that kelp forest we lost her in."
"Okay. Let's meet at the ship."
"Deal." Lydia looped back. She disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Plank's head rattled crazily. Wide eyes batted rapidly, unable to fathom what they witnessed. "She vanished in a puff of smoke!" He gasped. "But where?!"
"Try behind you." Plank's blood ran cold. He whipped around. An outraged Lydia shot daggers at him. Her flippers spread dangerously, and her fingers drummed her crossed arms. "Not much for espionage, are you? What are you doing here?"
"Where's Princess Oona?" He boorishly demanded.
This song and dance was giving Lydia a migraine. "I told you! We don't have her!" Sheh as to say it one more time, and her headband comes off. She'll drown him in the sea he lives in.
"Lies! Nothing but lies! Just like your form!" Lydia ogled her wagging tail. She happens to like her current form. "You humans feign civility! You're all nothing but barbarians!"
"WE'RE BARBARIANS?!" Plank flinched at her roar. " Sofia and I found the spine to come to you about Oona being kidnapped! You're the ones hiding behind a glorified fork, threatening to hurt innocent people!"
"How dare you!" Plank thrust himself within Lydia's personal space. "Our people never did anything to the air breathers! But they attacked us anyway! Explain how that is not barbaric!" Lydia inadvertently allowed herself to be trapped between him and a boulder.
"Humans attack humans all the time! There is no explanation for it! They just do it!" She roared in equal fury, her palms planted to the boulder. Plank has every last right to hate the humans who wronged them. Lydia will never hold that against him. But it'll be a cold day in Hades before she allows him to lump her with them. "You can think the worst of humans if you like. I don't care. It's your prerogative." Plank exhaled gruffly through his nostrils. He let her have room to peel off the boulder. "But right now, as I'm wasting time with you, something terrible is happening to Oona. Now if you'll excuse me!" Lydia rode a current, drifting for the kelp forest in the distance.
Plank's strong hand gripped her tail, stopping her abruptly. "Just tell me why?" She tilted her head. "Why go through such great lengths for someone you don't even know?"
It hurt that he asked such a thing. "The fact that you have to ask only proves how little you believe in me." She snatched her tail back. She pet it tenderly. If it were Sofia missing, and someone offered to find her, Lydia would be forever in their debt. "Tell your Queen what you wish. But stay out of our way." Plank swatted bubbles gusted by her flippers suddenly kicking. Lydia was fading into the salt sea. Plank scrunched his nose, swimming for home.
xxx
High tide swallowed the rocks Cora was snared in. Eezeyal's talons skimmed the surface. Smaller fish nipped thinking they were bite sized bugs. The salty water showered Eezeyal. Humidity weighed his wings down. Lydia will have to give him a three hour bath when he gets back. With those little crystals.
The island was relatively small compared to others. Ubos, spying stray currents snaking inland, searched salt water rivers. An aimlessly juncture. Streams that led to deep water rivers were not even remotely deep enough for a tadpole to survive in. Let alone a mermaid captured by sea monster. Ubos's search was short and unsuccessful.
Eezeyal and Ubos rendezvoused at the cliff they scaled with Lydia earlier. Both were winded and losing faith at ever finding Oona. Farley was scouring the other side of the island, and has yet to report in. It wouldn't matter. The sun was setting faster than they were searching. The Floating Palace and everyone on it are depending on them...and they were failing.
"Tell me again how Lydia got mixed up in this haphazard scavenger hunt?" Eezeyal's animosity dripped.
Ubos sighed heavily. Eezeyal took longer to ask than he thought he would. "I'm sure she's told you about her latest transformation." Eezeyal's fuzzy brows scrunched bitterly. "She desperately wished to prevent harm from befalling her sister or Oona. With my aid, she was able to do just so."
"Without cuein' me in on it. Is that right?!" He snarled. "I appreciate you bein' her teacher and friend, but let's get one thing straight here, Book!" Ubos granted Eezeyal his undivided attention. The desert owl was steaming. "Lydia's a responsibility I take VERY seriously! And sendin' her after a sea monster in an unforgivin' ocean is trouncin' tha' responsibility!"
"That was not my intention." Ubos calmly replied.
"Maybe not. But I don't like her attemptin' new feats without mah supervision." It was Lydia's last year at school when she and Eezeyal met. Her magic was at the second top of the class. As Eezeyal grew to warm up to her, and her magic spells climbed the ladder and became dangerous, he's been protective of her. Advises her on the consequences of performing new spells, and reminds her to be cautious and careful. "Yer excellent at magic. But the sea monster knows magic too. What if yew weren't around, and he changed her back tuh human in the middle of the ocean? Did a ever consider that?"
"I did not. And I understand your apprehension." Ubos resigned himself. "For the time being, the spell will allow Lydia to automatically change whenever on land or sea. If still in the water, the spell will fade once she leaves."
"Does she know that?"
"I informed her before our first encounter with Queen Emmaline." Ubos was moved by Eezeyal vanguard of Lydia. He was also envious. Those two were always in sync, and held no quarter when it comes to their mutual safety. "Forgive me, Eezeyal. Lydia is an excellent student. It slips my mind on how young she actually is."
"It's an easy thing tuh forget." He forgave Ubos, perching to a flat rock. Lydia's climbing so high in the world, sometimes Eezeyal loses track of her. "I'm sure Queen Miranda forgets all the time."
"Mothers often do." Ubos and Eezeyal chuckled. Stresses mounted by the day lifted. It was nice.
"THERE YOU BOTH ARE!" Farley's feet screeching, skidding him into a painful stop to Eezeyal's rock. He and Ubos winced. They felt that. "Oh! Wow! That hurt! I THINK I FOUND OONA!"
"WHERE?!" Ubos and Eezeyal struck pay dirt. The trio was up and rocketing across the cove.
Farley led them to the caves on the opposite side. Streams of strange light projected from the cave entrance. Ubos felt chills scroll his old bindings. Immense magic was in the caves. Ubos and Eezeyal mentally cursed themselves for not thinking to check the caves. Caves are perfect, diabolical places. History proves that.
A sudden gust pushed them back. Farley and Eezeyal flapped harder, lunging head first. Ubos followed closely behind them, using them as barriers. The cave was dense, and salt clung to the air. Eezeyal's sweat was a globby mess on his feathers. Ubos's pages were wrinkling. Hearing a voice approaching, the three stayed close the ceiling. The sea monster was skulking by a boat at the end of the cave, crumbling about finding another spell for who knows what. As the three came about to exit, Farley spotted a cage on the boat. A sad mermaid was trapped inside.
"OONA!" Farley cried.
"So this is where she's been!" Ubos snarled.
"She's an adorable little thing." Eezeyal's feathers ruffled. "That sea monster's gonna pay big time for this!"
"Let's get back and tell Sofia and Lydia!" Farley raced.
"Right behind ya!"
xxx
Meanwhile, the mermaid palace was rife with sorrow and trepidation. Time ran sluggishly, practically stopping. Sundown was years away as Queen Emmaline and Cora awaited for either Oona, or sundown to arrive.
Planks blustery return raised hopes. "Plank!" The Queen brightened. "Any news?"
"The girls went up to their ship, then returned to the water, and swam off." He summarized grudgingly. Two? Cora found that odd. Both girls returning to the water. What for?
"Was Oona with them?" Queen Emmaline pleaded for good news.
"No." As Plank expected. "And the eldest one confronted me about my prying."
"Lydia?" Cora mumbled. "What did she have say?"
"She's adamant about not having Oona. But it is nothing but lies to lower our guard!" Plank reassured the princess. Cora slumped in her throne, hugging her elbows. Somehow it wasn't sounding...possible. Confronting Plank, coming back in the water - it doesn't add up. Are they hiding something...or...could they be telling the truth?
"Need I remind you that not only is Oona is jeopardy, but also the mermaid cove!" Plank continued his tirade. "If the humans take it, they'll have the power of the ocean at their fingertips! And that manta girl already possesses magic of her own!" And he refused to allow her more. No human will put merpeople at their mercy ever again. "Us your trident, Your Majesty! Conjure a storm that will sink their ship! then we can swim inside it, and take Oona back ourselves!"
"If we sink their ship, the humans could perish!" Queen Emmaline will not cause needless harm. Not when the deadline has yet to expire.
"But, Mom, we can't just let them keep Oona!" Cora voiced desperately.
"I'll give them one more hour!" That is all she will permit. "If your sister isn't returned by then, we will sink their ship to the bottom of the cove!"
xxx
"MAN! We looked everywhere we could think of and still no Oona!" Lydia paced the platform in circles, yanking her hair. "I hope Ubos and Eezeyal are having better luck."
"We should keep looking!" Sven urged.
"I'll check in with Clover. Maybe he saw something." Sofia planned.
"SOFIA! LYDIA!" The two looked up. Clover was dropped on his butt at their feet. "Thanks for the soft landing, GUYS!" He cynically disparaged Eezeyal and Farley.
"Nevermind that!" Ubos barked.
"The sea monster has Oona on a boat!" Farley windedly reported.
"WHERE?!" Sofia jumped.
"I'll show you! Follow me!" Farley flew for the shore. Lydia and Sofia shared glistening nods. Oona and their family are going to be safe. They put their legs in the water, and their aquatic forms materialized tail to head.
"I need you both to stay here." Lydia ordered Ubos and Eezeyal firmly.
"You guys are going alone?!" Clover argued.
"No. Farley and Sven are going with us." Sofia promised him.
"Nuh-uh!" Eezeyal clawed Lydia's shoulder. "No way I'm lettin' you face a monster alone!"
"Here-here!" Ubos testified.
"If all of us are gone, everyone will get suspicious." She winced prying him off, setting him beside Clover. "And, Ubos, if Emmaline beats us here...I'll need you to do whatever you can." He may not stand a chance against the trident, but she needed someone to safeguard her family and friends. She plans to do the same for Sofia against the monster.
Ubos and Eezeyal despised the idea of the girls venturing into danger with minimal back up. Unfortunately...there is more sense in them staying. They didn't like it...but it had to be done. "You can count on us, Princess." Ubos resigned.
"Go get that little mermaid." Eezeyal wished them luck.
xxx
Failure after failure after - head banging - failure. Cedric utilized every spell off the top of his head meant for the removal of irremovable objects. So far he's been struck by rebounds, had his tendrils changed pink, and Wormwood was inflated to a balloon. His last spell lifted oona's cage off the ground and rammed him into the water. That comb was not relinquishing its place on Oona's head easily. It was time to stop guessing and start consorting the spellbooks he brought with him. The Joy or sorcery. Heck of a page turner.
Cedric leaned comfortably on an elbow at the ship's bow. The book opened to the section he desired, he studied the spells guaranteed to retrieve the comb. While he was reading, Farley used this opportunity to and on the boat.
"Farley!" Oona tried not to shout so loudly. He was a sight for sore eyes. Adding to the surprises, Sofia pulled herself up the side. "Sofia!" She cheered.
Sofia would love to enjoy the reunion. The danger wasn't past yet. "Where's that monster?!" She grunted.
"Up there..." Oona whispered, pointing to the forefront. Lydia, lurking in the water, drifted to the bow. The towering monster was a breath away. The smallest misstep and all Hades will break loose. Her hand on the boat, Lydia found it somewhat familiar. It looked like the lifeboats from the Floating Palace."He's trying to steal my magic comb." Oona alerted Sofia.
"Don't worry. I'll get you out." Sofia swung her tail. Her legs reappeared as she came on board. She tiptoed, watching for anyone else. Sofia grasped the bars. They were shut tight. "Where's the key?"
"I don't know."
Sofia curled her lips. The key wouldn't be left lying around. Which meant she needed to put her game face on. The monster likely had it. When Lydia hoisted herself on board, Sofia hand signaled she was going to the front of the ship. he twisted her wrist and gestured to Oona's cage. Lydia nodded, getting the gist. She urged Sofia to be careful. Sofia slid her back to a wood wall, creeping for the bow.
Lydia looped one leg over, minding to not rock the boat, and climbed on board. Oona was entranced by her. She smiled brightly, recognizing Lydia as the Manta girl from before. "You're the one who tried to save me." Her tail flapped.
"I am. and you have no idea how happy I am to see you safe." Lydia knelt to her cage. " I'm Lydia. Sofia's sister."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Oona. I've heard a lot about you."
"Same here." The lock looked pretty standard. No lock picks on hand though. "Hang tight. We're going to get you out, sweetie." Lydia rifled in her shawl, drawing her wand. "Alohamora!" The lock glowed. Then nothing. "Lockus, pickus, releasus!" Again. Nothing. "Ciera cadabre abre!" The results need not be announced. Not a standard lock at all. "Ooh...those are the only lock spells I know." The monster sealed the cage in a protection charm as a failsafe. The key is the only way to open it. "Think you can wait a minute longer?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"That's the spirit." Lydia pat her head. Oona rolled her eyes.
Lydia crawled on her hands and feet. She stopped at the corner, peering around cautiously. Sofia stalked closer to a stack of books. On top was a malicious looking key. No doubt it opens Oona's cage. One slight hitch. The sea monster only needs to turn around and Sofia would be in trouble. Lydia had to be ready. She climbed the small structure, hiding herself behind the mast. She held her wand at the ready.
Sofia edged closer, and closer to the key. She stretched her arm, wriggling her fingers. A couple more steps and it was hers. The bucket off to the side jiggled. A black squid - Wormwood - popped up. Sofia gasped, freezing in place. Wormwood squealed alarmingly. Lydia cried in horror. Cedric whisked around. The jig was up. Sofia grabbed the key and ran off.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Cedric lunged over the boat. His suckers wrapped to Sofia's wrist. He tugged her hard, and the key flew out of her hand.
"Hold on, Sofia!" Farley dove in fast.
"BE GONE, PEST!" Cedric swatted Farley, sending him splashing in a shallow pool. "And now..." He tightened his grip on Sofia's wrist.
"LET HER GO!" Lydia's fired a beam, striking the monster dead on the tentacle. He wailed in agony, letting Sofia go. "GET THE KEY! HURRY!" Sofia fumbled, sprinting after the cast off key.
"You rotten, BRAT!" The sea monster grasped the boat, shaking it violently. Lydia hugged the mast, staying standing tall. "I'll teach you to mess with your betters!" With a twirl of his wand, he hexed the coiled rope. It came to life, arching like a serpent. "Time to wrap this up!" The wand shot to Lydia. The rope heeded the command and darted forth. Lydia ran for the stern. If she got in the water, she'd be home free. The rope wrapped her ankle, tugging out, and dropping her on her stomach. Lydia was hoisted high as the sail, suspended far from Oona, and far from escaping. "OOH! I landed a big one!"
"Lydia!" Sofia stared in dismay.
"Don't worry about me! Save Oona!" Lydia pleaded. She was already upright, working on undoing the knot.
Sofia hated abandoning her. She needed her help. Oona and Lydia - both mean the world to Sofia. Choosing one over the other. Her heart was about to tear in half. As long as Lydia has her wand she can stand up to that monster. That doesn't mean she's not in danger. However, right now, she has in her hand the means to get Oona out of harms way. Sofia took a deep breath and ran to the cage. She clumsily fiddled it, staggering to stick it in the keyhole.
"Not so fast~" The sea monster hung a bar. He flourished his wand. A straight stream shot the key out of her hand.
"The key!" Sofia ran after it. She threw half her body over the side. "NO!" She wasn't fast enough. The key flew overboard, sinking fast in the water. Sofia dove in after it, braving the darkness swallowing her.
"Oh well, I was aiming for the princess. Not the key." He dismissed his losses amongst the growing wins he's accumulated in a short amount of time. "Not to worry, though. I still have you!" He leaned in close to Oona, frightening her back. "And the Princesses' big sis-DOW!"
A sandal kicked his snout in. He fell backwards. His grip on the boat slipped. Lydia poured her weight on, smashing her other foot to the heinous monster''s nose. He was submerging beneath the surface. Lydia grabbed onto a rope and swung around, landing safely next to Oona's cage.
"LYDIA!" Oona cheered. The Sea monster collapsed underwater. The Squid, Wormwood, poked out, growling venomously.
"Where's Sofia?!"
"The sea monster knocked the key into the water. Sofia went after it."
"Okay..." Lydia can't wait for the key. "I thought of three other unlock spells." She aligned her wand with the hole. "One of them has to-" Shrill gargling made her freeze. The squid, in some feat of acrobatics, sprang from his bucket, wrapping to Lydia's wand hand. "HEY! WHAT THE! GET OFF!" Lydia thrashed her arm violently. The squid wasn't losing ground. A white hot, burning pinch broke her skin. "OOOWWW!" Lydia howled. The shooting pain weakened her fingers. Her wand hit the ground, rolling behind a barrel. The squid's beak bit hard. By the red leaking, he drew blood. He got bored with the wrist and latched on to her face. "GET OFF ME!" Lydia tripped on her own two feet. The squid wriggled lower, covering her mouth and nose. She slapped a palm around. Whatever found her palm was hard. She bashed the Squid's skull in. He was seeing stars, falling like a rag doll. Lydia spat up that mucus substance he was secreting. "Disgusting!"
"LOOK OUT!" Oona shouted. A thick tentacle slithered around, and squeezing Lydia's arms to her sides. "Lydia!" She was ripped off the ground, dangled upside down, face to face with the irately chuckling monster.
"You, My Dear, are becoming a thorn in my side!" He hissed.
"Get in line! Cedric already has that spot!"
"Defiant to the end. Charming." He derisively commended. "A shame your talking book isn't hear to save you." Lydia heart stopped. Her body chilled to ice. Her fear struck gaze met the monster's smug grin. He knows?! "You know, I just had a thought. Since you're so full of hot air..." He drifted away from the boat, "Allow me to help relieve you of it!"
"NO! LYDIA!" Oona shrieked. Lydia took a deep breath. The monster dunked under, taunting Lydia by going ten feet away from air.
"How long can you hold your breath?" Cedric mocked her, savoring her futile struggling. "Let's find out!" He squeezed. Bending bones shot splinters throughout her body. Lydia let out a scream, and with it her limited air. "Apparently, not long." He chuckled. Lydia faded in his grasp. Water flooded her lungs. Her world became black.
Help me...Eezeyal...
To be continued.