Emperor's Heir - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The first words of the little book jumped off of the very first page.

She came with Queen Baema. No one knows where she’s from. But she’s the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever met!

As I continued reading, the author continued to talk and gush about this mysterious woman. With each turn of a page, his admiration grew. He could only write about her. Yet, I still was able to piece together some information.

The memoir was written around the time that Queen Baema was still ruling, before she left Quanxi for her retreat. The woman, the one the author seemed in love with, was someone quite powerful. She visited him often by the water. He seemed pained that they couldn’t be together.

I never hated being a creature of the water before. But now, I would give anything in this world to trade my tail for legs.

Against my will, I was drawn in to this young man’s tragic love story. He was violently in love with this mysterious lady. However, as the memoir continued, I could see that this woman had some kind of unnatural pull on him. And he seemed to realize it too.

My advisors tell me that I’m neglecting my people. Even my brother is worried about me. Why can’t they see that I am at home whenever I’m around her? Why can’t Agar understand that?

I started when I read that name. It was the kelpies’ leader. The one that Viera said wanted more power, which was probably the only reason why he’d been willing to let me help them. He’d been this man’s brother? So, the author had been a kelpie.

“But kelpies don’t have hearts,” I murmured aloud. My voice echoed hollowly in the empty cave. Deciding to ignore my confusion, I turned the next page and continued to read.

Queen Baema had left and the woman had come to the water with a solution to the lovers’ dilemma. She had discovered a way for them to be together. However, it would come at a heavy cost.

He would have to give up his heart.

Agar warns me not to do it. He says it’s too risky. The love must be completely pure on both sides. I know that she loves me and she has finally found a way for us to be together.

Agar seemed to have good reason to be worried though. Apparently, the woman was a witch and would need to use her black magic to give her love legs. All at the price of his heart. The young man was willing to do it, even against the advice of his brother. Nevertheless, near the end of the book was some sort of premonition.

She has a hold on me. I can’t refuse her anything. I must meet her tomorrow at the bay. But for some reason, I fear her. My heart will not be reasoned with, but in case something should go amiss, I’m going to hide my memories. Agar will know where.

That was the very last entry. I placed the book down on top of the others in the finished pile, and sat back with a sigh. It was completely silent. No more music or singing filled the cave in echoes. I had no idea how long I had been in there. Yet, I knew it was time to leave.

I stood and approached the curtain of kelp and seaweed that blocked the entrance. With one last fond glance back at the books disguised on the cave’s shelves, I took a deep breath before facing again forward and stepped through.

Immediately I was immersed in water and began to float. I gulped in some water and bubbles burst from my lips. Viera was still there, guarding the cave like a sentry. She swam towards me as soon as she caught sight of me.

“Did you dissscover anything?” she hissed in a low voice.

My brow furrowed, thinking. “I believe so,” I replied hesitatingly, not wanting to raise her hopes. “But only clues. I need to be taken back to Agar.”

For a brief moment, Viera looked a little startled. Her brows flew up and her mouth opened in a silent gasp. However, she quickly regained her composure, her face falling in its regular blank expression and her body growing stiff. She only nodded and turned her back on me.

I immediately felt the invisible rope tie itself around my hands as Viera swam off, pulling me behind her. As we swam back into the dark, cold water, I caught myself looking back at the cave, its warm candlelight already a fond memory. As the icy deep enveloped me in ripples, I closed my eyes once more and envisioned the books between my hands in place of the invisible twine.

As I drifted through, I tried to think what my plan was once we met with Agar. I didn’t know what to say to him. “Hey, found out about your brother. What happened? By the way I need to find his memories.” That didn’t quite sound like the thing to say to a hungry kelpie.

I strained my brain to think, but whether it was the dark water or the pull of the invisible string, my mind couldn’t focus. My head ached from the water flowing in and out of my ears. Viera was taking us at such a speed that before I could even formulate a proper greeting in my mind, we had reached the underwater castle.

Agar was waiting.

His deep-green, soulless eyes pierced into mine as soon as we floated to a sudden stop in front of his armored chest, causing a small wave of bubbles to float on past. For a moment we stared at each other, each one reading the other’s mind. Agar’s eyes flitted over my face intently.

Suddenly, he reached out and clutched my throat with one massive hand. With a snarl and clash of teeth, he raised me up above his head. I choked and clawed at his hand limply as I struggled to breath.

“Please!” I managed to gasp desperately, as black spots began to cloud my vision.

“What do you know!” Agar demanded in a dark voice that raged with thunder.

I grasped at his hand, trying to get him to loosen his hold. It only tightened more. “Your … brother,” I whispered weakly, my head feeling light and woozy, “He … lo – loved … you!”

The hand released.

As I fell, the water guided me softly to the sand. For a moment, I just lay there, gasping sweet air among bubbles back into my lungs. Then I was jerked back to my feet, Agar’s face hissing in mine.

“Who told you!” He snarled darkly, his filed teeth gleaming in the green light.

I gulped and opened my mouth to speak, but my tongue couldn’t form any words. All that came out was a weak squeak, which I quickly covered up by coughing. Sweat began to bead on my forehead, but I cleared my throat and spoke, successfully this time.

“The memoir that your brother wrote,” I explained in a raspy voice, “He trusted you and his book was filled of your name. His last entry was full of fear. He said that if anything happened to him, you’d know where to find his memories.”

“And even if I did,” Agar hissed, his foul breath whispering against my cheek, “Why ssshould I tell you?”

I fought against the urge to back away from Agar’s open mouth. Instead, I raised my chin. “Because you need me to help you,” I stated, “And I believe that whatever happened to your brother holds a clue to what happened to you all.”

Agar’s eyes narrowed, his nails pinching and digging into my collarbone so hard that for a moment I believed that my neck would snap. My breath shortened and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to be strong as my toes curled into the sand. Then Agar’s hand left my neck.

I opened my eyes and watched the kelpie swim a couple paces backwards. His head was cast down and his hollow eyes no longer looked angry. My hand wrapped itself around my neck, feeling the bruises and welts left there. Agar squinted at me, then nodded.

“I’ll take you,” he spoke sharply, turning his head away.

Relief flooded into my blood. “Thank you,” I sighed.

“Alone.”

My hands grew clampy and I stuttered, “Can – can’t Viera come?”

Agar shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal at the other kelpie. Viera bowed quietly and took her leave. She didn’t even turn her head back to look at me. Without her around, I immediately felt vulnerable and scared, like a mouse left in a snake pit.

I clenched my fists. “Where are you taking me?” I asked.

Agar moved closer and grasped my wrists. He breathed in, and I felt an invisible piece of twine tie itself tightly around my hands. He opened his eyes and snarled. “We leave at onssse,” He hissed, spinning around and began swimming upwards, pulling me after him.

His tail spit bubbles in my face as we cut through the water. We swam at such a fast pace that we passed the abyss’ walls and through the crack into clear, sunlit water in half the time it took Viera to bring me to the kelpies’ abode. Streaks of blue water were shining bright from being kissed by the sun. They hurt my eyes, but I couldn’t turn my head away. It felt like I was finally seeing old friends.

Agar pressed on, making straight for the surface. We streaked through the sea, edging through the currents and waves that embraced us till at last we broke through into world of light and air above. Wind immediately blew across my head of dripping wet air, causing my teeth to chatter. Yet, though my lips were turning blue, I was happy to feel something other than water against my skin.

The sun was just peeking his head over the horizon to greet the moon before going back to his sleep. Agar turned to face inland and sucked in a breath.

“Good,” He muttered, “We may make it in time.”

“Wh-what?” I asked through the chattering of my teeth, “Wh-where are w-we going?”

“You ssshall sssee,” was Agar’s curt reply before he dove beneath the waves and began swimming viciously.

We were headed towards land.