Rage of the Dragon

BOOK 3
CHAPTER 21

The Norn, three sisters who rule the destinies of gods and men, sitting beneath the World Tree, spin the wyrds of men. As Raegar’s thread runs through their gnarled twisted fingers, the Norn laugh over the follies of those whose lives they hold so loosely and carelessly. Raegar’s wyrd seems made of golden thread these days and spins headlong toward glory. Beneath the sea, the wyrds of Aylaen and Skylan, Farinn and Acronis and the Dragon Kahg seem to have slipped off the wheel, for time slows beneath the sea. The Norn keep fast hold of these mortals, however, twisting and tangling and binding together and cutting apart.

* * *

Aylaen woke from a horrifying dream of tentacles rising up out of the water and wrapping around the Venjekar, Kahg roaring in fury and sinking his fangs into a tentacle and the mast breaking, falling … to a more horrifying reality of pain in her head, and being held underwater by strange-looking women who were trying to smother her by pressing a mask over her nose and mouth. When Aylaen fought and tried to tear the mask off, the women took hold of her hands and would not let go.

Aylaen breathed deeply and kept breathing. The pain and terror subsided, replaced by dazed wonder to realize that she was far below the surface of the sea, being carried along to some unknown destination by the women who had … saved her life. Gradually, Aylaen began to think the horrible dream had not been a dream at all. The Venjekar had been attacked by a sea monster. The Dragon Kahg had fought it off. The mast had fallen on top of her and that was the last she remembered until waking up in another world.

She could see very little of her surroundings, for the water was dark and murky, the women far below the surface where the sunlight could not reach. They carried small, translucent globes that gave off an eerie bluish-white glow, which they used to find their way. As Aylaen went along, she began to worry. What could have become of Skylan and the others? She was alone; the women had carried her off, away from the ship and her friends. Having saved her life, the women appeared to have taken her prisoner.

Legends and tales of the Aquins came confusedly to her mind. They were half-fish, half-human-who saved sailors from drowning. She had awakened from a dream to find herself in a bard’s song, only these women did not have scales or fins, though they swam as gracefully and rapidly as dolphins.

Aylaen could not communicate with her captors, two of whom held her fast and linked arms around her. Three more women swam near, carrying the globes and their weapons. The flow of the saltwater over Aylaen’s body had a soothing effect. She slipped into a kind of trance, as though her mind and body had parted company.

At length the water began to grow brighter. The sea floor appeared to be rising. She looked up. Sunlight filtered down from above, illuminating the world beneath the waves. Aylaen gazed about in awe and amazement at the marvels around her: plants swaying with the motion of the water; fish glowing as though they were lit by flame; other fish more colorful than birds, flashing and swooping by or gazing at her with goggle-eyed uninterest. And all of it in almost complete silence.

The quiet was comforting, unlike the silence of an abandoned house that weighs heavily upon the spirit, nor the awkward, uncomfortable silence of two who can find nothing to say. Nor was the silence frightening, like the whispering, rustling silence of the woods at night. The silence of the sea was tranquil, restful, and all the more amazing for the motion and activity and life.

Only a few months ago, Aylaen had never given a thought to what lay beyond her own forests and fields and mountains. All that had changed. She had seen wonders and horrors, the giants of the Dragon Isles, the teeming city of Sinaria, the great stadium of the Para Dix, and now a world beneath a world. She had known death and loss and grief. She had loved and lost and found that love could come again. She looked back on the Aylaen who had considered walking the short distance to Owl Mother’s remote cabin an adventure and viewed her former self with pity for her ignorance mingled with regret for its loss.

The Aquins swam with her to the surface, removed their masks, and looked about. Aylaen blinked, dazzled by the sunshine. She tried to take off the mask, to ask questions, but the Aquins stopped her.

“We have surfaced only to gain our bearings, Vindrasi Lady,” said one of the women. Her speech was rapid and darting, like the fish, but Aylaen understood her.

“We are taking you to our city,” the Aquin added, pointing to a small dome-shaped island covered with trees. The island looked like a green mound rising out of the water.

Aylaen could see no signs of a city, no other dwellings or buildings, and she wondered what the woman meant, but she was too sick with fear for Skylan and the others to pay much attention. Desperate to find out what had become of them, Aylaen pointed to herself and then held up five fingers, hoping to make the Aquin understand that there had been five people aboard the ship.

“You are asking about your males,” said the Aquin. Her voice grew stern. “We saved two of them, an old man and a young man. They are being held until our Queen has made her judgment regarding you. I believe the commander of our forces, Neda, saved another human, a male who had been caught by the kraken. He will be held with the others.”

Aylaen sighed softly in relief. She asked about the fifth, making a sign to indicate someone smaller than the others, a child.

The Aquin stared at her with a frown, not knowing what she meant. Then, suddenly, she raised her eyebrows.

“Do you mean the fae child, the prince? He was with you?”

Aylaen had no idea what the Aquin meant by a prince, but she nodded her head.

“We assumed he was with the oceanaids,” said the Aquin. “He swam off with them.”

Aylaen wanted to ask more, but the Aquin told her curtly they were supposed to rendezvous with their commander in the city. They started to drag Aylaen back underwater, but she resisted.

Finally, one of the Aquins removed her mask. “Tell me where you are taking me,” she said.

The Aquin again pointed to the island. “We are taking you to our city, Lady.”

“I see no city,” said Aylaen. “I see only an island with nothing on it. Am I to be marooned there? Left to die?”

The Aquins stared at each other, momentarily perplexed, then they suddenly began to laugh.

“The island that you see, Lady, is actually the top of a mountain. Our city is not on the island,” the Aquin said. “Our city is built inside the mountain. The entrance is beneath the water. Come with us, Lady, and you will see wonders few land walkers ever experience.”

Aylaen didn’t have much choice. They treated her with respect, but she was still their captive. They dragged her down under the water again and continued on their way to the city that was beneath the water, inside a mountain.

The Aquin commander was waiting for them in front of the underwater entrance to the city-a cave-like opening in the side of the mountain. The opening was guarded by a portcullis made not of iron, but of the teeth of some gigantic sea creature that had been driven into the rock. The teeth were set far enough apart to admit humans to swim through them, though only a few at a time.

The Aquin commander took charge of Aylaen at the gate, indicating that the others could go about their duties. She drew Aylaen into the opening. Swimming past the huge teeth, Aylaen felt as though she were entering the maw of some gigantic sea monster.

Once inside, Aylaen and the commander broke the surface of the water. The commander removed the mask from Aylaen’s face. Aylaen was glad to breathe normally again and she drew in deep breaths and gazed around in wonder at beauty that pierced her heart.

The commander introduced herself as Neda.

“Welcome to the City of the First Daughter, Vindrasi Lady.”

Aylaen could only stare. Aquins told her that the City of the First Daughter had been carved out of the interior of the mountain by the hand of the Sea Goddess. The city was built in levels that ascended up the interior walls in a spiral like a nautilus. Roads cut into the rock ran from one level to another. Houses and shops of various shapes and sizes lined the roadways, all of them facing out over the water, for the sea formed a vast lake in the center of the city. Shafts of sunlight shining down through skylights illuminated the city from above, while openings in the rock just beneath the surface of the sea caused the sunlight to shine through the water, suffusing the water and the cavern with radiant blue light. Groves of bamboo grew on the upper levels, directly beneath some of the skylights, and small patches of greenery grew beneath others. Aylaen would later discover that these green patches were small fields and orchards where the Aquins grew fruit and vegetables.

The city was filled with people, some walking along the paths, while many others swam in the water.

“I understand you are taking me to the Queen,” said Aylaen. “Is the palace far?”

“Some distance,” said Neda. “The palace is located in the mountain’s interior.” Giving Aylaen an appraising glance and seeming to see for the first time that Aylaen was faint with exhaustion, the commander added, “We will travel in skiffs.”

The skiffs to which she referred were similar to wooden rafts. There were a great many of them gliding across the surface of the water. Female Aquins stood at the back, steering and propelling the skiffs by means of long poles that they thrust into the water, shoving them off the floor of the cavern. Other Aquins sat on the skiffs, dangling their feet in the water, or standing at their ease. The commander raised her voice and shouted; an empty skiff immediately headed in their direction.

Ropes of seaweed hanging from the sides allowed people to pull themselves out of the water and onto the skiff. Neda pulled herself aboard the skiff with ease.

Aylaen grabbed hold of the rope and tried to pull herself aboard. Her arms ached. Her legs were limp from fatigue. She fell back into the water. Neda saw her distress and reached down her hand, helped pull her on board. Aylaen sat on the skiff, shivering in her wet robes, and gazing in amazement at this strange and wonderous city.

A group of Aquin women swam over to the side of the skiff to stare and giggle at Aylaen, who stared back at them. The women were pointing and commenting on what Aylaen was wearing and Aylaen was staring and blushing at what the Aquin women were not wearing, for many of the women were bare from the waist up, while others wore only what looked like a flimsy shift that revealed more than it concealed.

In the city she saw, for the first time, the male Aquins. Two men were riding on a skiff traveling in the opposite direction. The men were taller and heavier than the women, though with the same fine, light bone structure. They wore nothing but loincloths. They had long hair, which they wore braided.

One of the men had a bundle strapped to his body. Aylaen saw that he was carrying a baby. The man caressed the child lovingly, patting the baby’s back soothingly when the child began to whimper. The two men were chatting. Both men stopped talking to stare curiously at Aylaen as they passed. A frown from the commander caused both men to shrug and turn away, resuming their conversation.

Looking around, Aylaen saw many Aquin males with small children strapped to their chests. Other men were shepherding groups of young children along the walkways or supervising their play in the water. Still others could be seen carrying baskets or bundles. Aylaen saw one man outside a dwelling wielding a broom.

Aylaen looked from the broom-wielding male to the commander seated on the raft, armed with her spear, and realized dazedly that this world was all upside down. Men took care of babies while women fought sea monsters. She tried to imagine the Vindrasi men sending their women out to fight while they stayed home to keep house. She almost laughed out loud at the thought.

Commander Neda instructed the skiff’s pilot to take them to the palace. The pilot and Neda were the only two passengers on the boat. Seeing that the pilot was busy attempting to steer the skiff among the swimmers, Aylaen asked the commander what had become of Skylan and the others.

“Your males have been taken to prison to await the judgment of our Queen.” Neda fixed Aylaen with a narrow-eyed and penetrating stare. “Her Majesty will want to know why you have invaded our realm.”

“Invaded!” Aylaen gasped, shocked. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep warm and wondering at the Aquins, swimming in the water, wearing practically nothing. “We did not invade your realm. None of us had any idea your realm was even down here. We were attacked by the kraken that dragged us below the water.”

“We know you Vindrasi,” said Neda coldly. “We have been rescuing you people for centuries. Your males are warriors who delight in raiding your neighbors. You came here in one of your dragonships, which your dragon is now guarding. For all we know, it was your dragon that attacked the kraken. Your males will be taken to the dungeons for safekeeping until our Queen decides your fate.”

“Dungeons!” Aylaen was growing angry. “I tell you again, we are not invaders. I want Skylan and the others to be with me when I come before the Queen.”

“To meet Her Majesty?” Neda snorted. “Never.”

“Then take me to the dungeons with them,” said Aylaen boldly. “They are my friends. Skylan is my … my betrothed.” She had never said the word before now and she blushed.

Neda seemed to consider this. “He is courageous, I will say that for him. Though he appears to me to be willful and stubborn.” She shrugged. “Still, perhaps he will give you strong daughters.”

Aylaen did not know what to make of this remark and eventually decided the commander was jesting, though she had to admit the stern-faced woman gave no indication of ever having made a jest in her life.

The skiff glided beneath a series of arched stone bridges spanning the water. The cavern narrowed at these junctures, then opened up again to reveal another chamber of dwellings connected by roadways cut into the stone walls.

“How many people live here?” Aylaen asked.

“Perhaps five thousand. We are one of the smaller cities.”

“Are there more cities like this beneath the sea?”

“Twelve cities, each ruled by a descendent of the twelve daughters of the Sea Goddess, Akaria.”

“Daughters of the Sea Goddess,” Aylaen repeated, astonished. “Our people know nothing of this.”

Neda shrugged, as if nothing concerning the land walkers could surprise her.

“The Sea Goddess Akaria became enamored of a human male, a Vindrasi warrior. She gave him the ability to breathe under water, like we Aquins, and brought him beneath the sea to live with her. She built him a grand palace and bore him twelve children, all of them female. The Vindrasi was not content. He wanted a male child and he coupled in secret with a Vindrasi female, who bore him a son. When the Sea Goddess found out he had been unfaithful, she changed him and his mistress and the son into hippocampus-half horse, half sea monster-and forced him and all his descendants to serve her. She gave each of her daughters a magnificent city and summoned the Aquins, who had been scattered all over the world, to live within them.”

“So that is why this city is named ‘First Daughter,’” said Aylaen.

“Each city is named for the daughter who founded that city,” said Neda. Her eyes shone with a fierce pride. “That was centuries ago and in all that time, the Twelve have never gone to war. Unlike you land walkers, who spill your own blood constantly, no Aquin has ever died at the hands of another.”

Neda’s expression darkened. She added in low tones, almost to herself, “Though that may change.”

“Why is that?” Aylaen asked.

Neda was tight-lipped, however, and would say nothing more. She seemed not to hear Aylaen when she asked her other questions, even innocent ones, but sat in brooding silence.

The skiff slid beneath yet another stone arch and entered the largest chamber yet.

“The palace of our Queen,” said Neda proudly.

Shafts of sunlight poured down from various skylights set in the walls, all of the beams converging on the palace of the Sea Queen that stood on an island in the center of a blue-green lagoon. The walls of the palace were of many colors: pink and orange, black and gray, they glittered in the sunlight. The palace was simple in design, consisting of four walls in a square with a round tower at each corner. A great many large windows admitted the sunlight and salt-tinged air.

Aylaen gave a soft gasp at the extraordinary beauty. Neda eyed her approvingly and explained that the palace was fashioned from granite and the sheltering walls were striated with sparkling mica.

The skiff docked at the island on which the palace stood. Neda and Aylaen were met by Aquin female guards, who saluted the commander and stared rudely at Aylaen. Neda spoke to one of the guards, relaying Aylaen’s demand that her males were to join her. The guard first frowned, then looked shocked and disbelieving but said she would consult Her Majesty.

Neda led Aylaen into a garden filled with exotic flowering plants; the perfume suffused the air. The palace was not very large, not nearly as large as the palace of the Emperor of Sinaria. Neda explained that only the queen, her consort, two young daughters, and a few servants resided here.

“There are rooms for guests,” said Neda. “You will be accommodated here while the Queen determines your fate.”

“And my menfolk?” said Aylaen. “And the fae child, Wulfe?”

“I have sent one of the guards to make this strange request of yours. We will see what Her Majesty says. Do not get your hopes up,” Neda added grimly.

Aylaen sighed. She felt very much alone in this strange and beautiful world. She missed Skylan’s strong comforting presence, Acronis’s wise counsel, Farinn’s quiet cheerfulness. She even missed Wulfe who, though his unpredictability made her nervous, was rarely daunted by much of anything except the Dragon Kahg.

Thinking of the dragon, she wondered what had become of the Venjekar. She hoped the ship was close. As beautiful as she found this world, she did not want to remain here long. This world might be beautiful, but it was not home.

Aylaen ran her hand through her wet hair to drag it out of her face. She glanced down at her sodden clothes and thought that she must look like a drowned rat.

“I am a Kai Priestess of my people, a queen in my own right,” Aylaen said proudly. “My betrothed is the chief of our people.”

Neda was startled by Aylaen’s proclamation and eyed her suspiciously. “You made no mention of this before.”

“You took me prisoner. For all I know, you might have intended to hold me hostage for ransom,” Aylaen returned.

“And now you trust me,” Neda said with a snort.

Aylaen looked around at the slanting rays of sunlight glinting on the palace and sparkling on the water, at the red of the roses in the garden and the pink-red coral in the clear waters below, the gold and silver and many-colored fish swimming amid the gently waving plants.

“You could not live in such beauty, create such beauty, if you did not have such beauty in your souls,” Aylaen said softly.

Neda was surprised by the answer. A sad smile touched the thin lips.

“Once that might have been true…” Neda said. She shook her head and sighed.

The guard returned to say that Her Majesty was not holding audience this day. The Vindrasi female was to be given quarters in the palace. As for the males, the queen would consider the request.

Aylaen was not pleased. She was about to insist that she wanted to see the Queen now, then reflected and kept quiet. She did not want to sound like an impatient, petulant child. And, she thought, the delay would give her a chance to rest and put on some dry clothes.

“When will I see Her Majesty?” Aylaen asked.

Neda shrugged. “Whenever Her Majesty decides. Come with me.”

Neda escorted Aylaen past the guards at the palace entrance, which was a gate made of stone decorated with shining tiles set in a fanciful mosaic portraying all manner of sea life. As Aylaen walked past the guards, she noticed that this palace had no fortifications. The gates were not barred and stood open to the world. She recalled what the commander had said about the Aquins living in peace for centuries.

The inside of the palace was much like the outside. Sunlight streamed through the windows and skylights. A long, wide hall led to a large round chamber with a domed ceiling. Two staircases, spiraling upward, one on Aylaen’s left and one on her right, led off the hall. The hallway was bare of all furnishings, with no furniture, tapestries, or paintings. The walls and floors had been polished, bringing out the natural colors of the granite and glittering mica striations.

A female servant met them at the entrance. Aylaen was relieved to see that this servant was more appropriately clothed, although the fabric was lightweight and seemed very flimsy to her northern eyes. She waited while the servant and the commander conferred. The servant then turned to Aylaen and told her that she would be taken to her room and provided with every comfort.

“Her Majesty has agreed that your menfolk will be present at the audience tomorrow,” Neda said in a dour tone that sounded disapproving. “I will bring them.”

“Thank you,” said Aylaen. “And thank you for your care of me.”

Neda touched her hand to her forehead in what was apparently a salute, then departed. The servant bowed respectfully and gestured for Aylaen to accompany her. She led Aylaen into a tower and they walked up one of the spiral staircases to the top. They arrived at a door with a lock made of brass, the first metal Aylaen had seen in this realm. The servant unlocked the door with a brass key and they entered a large round chamber. Six doors opened off this central chamber. The servant explained that these were the palace’s guest rooms and bathing room.

She led Aylaen through one of the doors into a small room with a pool of fresh water in the center. This was apparently the bathing chamber. Aylaen washed off the salt, which was starting to make her skin itch.

After Aylaen had bathed, the servant took her to one of the bedrooms, elegant in its simplicity. There was a bed constructed of teak. A chair and a small table also of teak stood by a window through which the sun shone brightly.

The servant brought Aylaen a gown made of fabric that she learned later was made of bamboo. Like everything in this world, the gown, a caftan, was comfortable and simple, gliding over the shoulders and buttoning down the front with pearl buttons. Men and women both wore caftans over loincloths wrapped around the hips.

On the table was a bowl of odd-looking fruit and a pitcher of what looked like fresh water. The fruit did not appear to be edible until the servant showed Aylaen how to peel away the outer rind to find sweet, juicy pulp beneath.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Vindrasi Lady?” the servant asked, hovering near the door.

“I would like to see Her Majesty now,” said Aylaen, trying again.

The servant smiled and shook her head.

“That is not possible. Her Majesty spends this day with her children and her consort. Besides, forgive me for saying so, lady, but you look very tired. You should rest.”

The servant drew curtains across the window and then glided silently out of the room and shut the door behind her. The doors to the single rooms had no locks. Aylaen walked stealthily out of the room, into the central chamber, and tried the tower door, but it was locked.

Aylaen went back to her room, frustrated. The bed looked wonderfully inviting, but she was too worried about Skylan and the others to sleep. She was worried about the Venjekar, the dragon, and the precious cargo, and wondered what had become of the ogres and the Vektan Torque. She walked over to the window and she wondered if she could climb through it and escape. The room was at the top of the tower, however. The garden was a long, long way down. The air smelled of sea salt and flowers.

Aylaen flung herself on the bed. As she tried to decide what to do, her body made the decision for her: she fell asleep.