Watery Grave

We make it as far the coral hall before a wave knocks us over watery chains wrap around us binding our wrist and feet. The seabed begins to rise and suddenly we are trapped inside a sandy dome.

"Please tell me you have a way out," I send Night who just shrugs ever so casually the water chains dissolving, "Night."

"Relax," he opens a shimmering gateway, "by the time they realize we're gone it'll be too late."

I follow Night through the gateway and into a seashell and pearl chamber seaweed hangs from the wall's kelp rises from the ground.

"Where are we?"

"This is where they place the souls of their dead," Night swims over to a trunk tucked behind the statue of a seahorse.

"Their souls don't go to the Underworld?"

"This is the Seventh Level of the Underworld, try to find a pearl of blackest black."

I look around and sigh, "That's easier said than done, there are too many pearls," I swim over to a clam and try to pry it open but it doesn't budge, "if the item we need is in the Underworld what was the point of visiting the Coral City?"

"The entrance to this level is in the Coral City, it's easier to transverse in the world of the living."

"You couldn't tell me," I drop the clam and pick up a conch, a haunting voice starts to sing.

"Don't, "Night yanks the conch out of my hand and sets it down, "when a siren gives up her immortality, she gives up her voice."

"I thought that was a myth."

"Nope, now where is the pearl we need?"

"Whose soul is it?"

"Not everything here is a soul the pearl we're looking for was born out of the bones of the first Siren Queen no one knows why it's blacker than obsidian."

"From the bones of the first Siren Queen," I murmur to myself, "would her shell be bone white?"

"She was burned alive; the mortals who captured her thought she was a witch, in the ashes only a pearl of blackest black remained. Mama used to tell me the story never thought much of it."

"How did they capture her?"

"A mortal tricked her," Night places a finger over a shell and it open for him only an ordinary pearl rest inside, "he claimed to love her and insisted they have their wedding on land."

"So, their wedding day was her execution," I say spotting a silvery shell, "all men are scum."

Night whirls around tiny water rippling around him, "Really?"

"You are Fay and Fay don't consider themselves men but male."

"We are predators it only logical."

"Oh, please mortals are the true predators always trying to harm what they do not know."

"Can't argue with that logic," he swims over, "what did you find?"

I hold up the shell, "Why is it silver?"

Night looks it over the moment he reaches for it a wave of energy reverberates from the shell sending him back, "She doesn't like me, my guess is her lover scorned her."

As if in response another wave of energy reverberates, "would you stop that, and why isn't it affecting me?"

"You're female," Night swims over but doesn't reach for the shell, "she likes you."

"Funny," I set the shell atop a rock and swim away only for it to appear in my hand. "Night."

"I see it," his eyes spark, "try to open it."

Understanding dawns on me I do as I'm told but the shell won't open, "what do you want from me?" I ask it setting it down once more I swim away and again it appears in my hand, "would you be so kind as to fuck off," there's a tingling then the shell opens, "Wow."

Night peers over my shoulder, "is that?"

"I think so," the tiny water-horse neighs wrapping its self around my finger it nuzzles the inside of my palm, "I think she is a he."

"Yeah, I think so too," Night reaches over my shoulder and runs a finger down its shadowy black mane, "I think he's a Shadow Kelpie."

"Can I keep him?"

"You seem to have bonded I don't think you have a choice."

The Shadow Kelpie opens his eyes they're silver even the iris, "would he survive once we head to the surface?"

"I will follow Mistress until I've exhausted my last breath," the Shadow Kelpie says his voice far from childlike if anything he sounds ancient.

"Who are you?" Night asks.

"You know who I am Prince."

"But you're a myth."

"Aren't we all?"

"Okay, who is he?" I ask.

"The first Shadow Queen's mount Onyx when she transferred the throne to her daughter, she gave all her Shadows their freedom. Onyx managed to piss off the gods and was sent to the Underworld."

"You drown one man and suddenly the world ends," Onyx sounds insulted.

"He was Irisea's lover, of course, the world would end," Night murmurs.

"Irisea?"

"She was one of the Celestial goddesses," Night says, "after Onyx drowned her lover, she went mad and attempted to destroyed the Lower Realms. So, the Empress sealed her away and punished Onyx."

I look from Onyx to Night, "when you say the Empress you mean Deity Rania?"

"Besides her and Deity Fie no one else could trap Onyx here or impression Irisea."

Onyx neighs, "well will you take me with you?"

"Chose," I say holding both my hands out, "life or death."

"Life," Onyx says binding himself to me he takes his place on my left forearm. His tail wraps around my thumb and wrist his body snakes around until his headrest in the inside of my elbow facing downward.

"Well that answers how he'll survive, tell me Onyx have you by chance seen a pearl of the blackest black," Night starts swimming around opening this and that.

"You mean the one that siren stole," Onyx voice is heard but his mouth doesn't move, "she was quite arrogant storming in here."

"If you saw her would you recognize her?" I ask.

"The servant she fed the Kraken called her Princess Tamara."

Night curses in just about every language he knows, "we can't go back."

"I don't think we have a choice, wait did you say Kraken?"

"Yes, it won't come near because of him," Onyx says, "the Prince is welcomed here but that Siren wasn't."

"Why can't this be easy," I say, looking around to make sure the Kraken truly isn't around. I've never seen one nor do I want to.

"Why did she feed a servant to the Kraken?" Night asks.

"It wanted her since she stole the sacred pearl, the Kraken was its guardian," Onyx says just as an idea forms.

"Let's get the Kraken and send it to the Coral City they'll be too distracted fighting it to notice us."

"How do you propose we do this?"

"Just ask."

Night lift an eyebrow, "just ask?"

"Yes, Onyx can help."

"Onyx is sleeping," the Shadow Soul grumbles closing his silvery eyes.

"Then Onyx can stay in this graveyard for eternity," I say.

He opens one silvery eye and glares at me, "a cranky old man."

"Then you'll get along just fine."