That was interesting…although it made sense. He’d never before thought about the fact that the Ningyoans had armed forces. Since he had no way of visiting the underwater nation of Ningyo, their society and politics had held little interest to him, other than watching out for and avoiding their citizens whenever he traveled to Oath Island.
All he knew about them was the name of their king, Mardyth. And only that because it was bandied about by those who traversed the waters over Mardyth’s domain.
Most of what anyone knew came from the Nereids who were amphibious. Whenever they were on land, they complained incessantly about the Ningyoans who often warred against them.
Now, he had the rare chance to meet them. He might as well see what the king needed.
“Very well, Captain. Take me to your king.”
Mersin held his hand out to Xaydin. As soon as he took it, the merman pulled him through the sea to a small city not that far away. In fact, he doubted if it was more than a couple of leagues from the southern tip of Oath Island.
“Is this your capital?”
“It is. Hyteria.”
Xaydin would say it was similar to one of theirs, but it was nothing like the villages, towns or cities he was used to. For one thing, the walls were made of coral and shell. Even in the dim light of the sea, they managed to glisten vibrantly. Of course, some of that came from strange-looking fish they had harnessed to the walls like living torches.
There was also something painted on the walls that glowed reminiscent of fireflies.
Truly magical. And even more so as they swam through a guarded gate toward a large tower that was surrounded by numerous buildings. He would ask how they expected to keep anything out, but there was a huge dome over the walls.
Mersin looked back and smirked. “The mirrored dome keeps earth-dwellers and mages from finding us.”
A part of Xaydin wanted to look around more and even explore this place, but he didn’t really want to stay under water any longer than he had to. Honestly, he found all of this rather disturbing. The fact that he could breathe…
Magic he could handle. Monsters he handled even better.
But this…this was the most unnatural thing he’d ever experienced, and he didn’t like it at all.
“Why is there a giant mirror at the tower?”
Mersin paused and released his hand. “It’s a divine reminder that order cannot be forced. It must be coaxed and cared for.”
That made no sense to him. “How so?”
“It’s part of our religion. All important buildings are marked with a mirror to pay tribute to our great sea goddess, Sanow. It’s a reminder of why she left the land to dwell in the sea. Her land siblings were cruel and so she came here to be away from them. But after a while, she became lonely. So she returned to the world above. It was still chaos there. As she stepped back on land, she turned and saw her own reflection in the sea. In that reflection, she remembered the tranquility and peace that she craved. Order. Not the chaos of the land. And so she returned to the sea where she found the god, Enon. Together, they created our domain and our race.”
He liked their view of things. His people believed the world had been created when Ofdan stomped his foot on the ground from the heavens and demanded all creatures bow to him. When they refused, the god slaughtered them and their blood mixed with the earth to create the trolls. Which said it all about troll culture and their mindset. They weren’t a peaceful lot, by any means.
Mersin bowed to him, then gestured toward the tower’s door. “Come, Highness. My king awaits.”
Xaydin swam in behind Mersin, noting the brightly colored corals and shiny clam shells that decorated the inside of the building. Interesting plants swayed in the cracks, oblivious to them as they went down a long, narrow hallway that led to a large throne room. Six Ningyoan guards were there. Unlike Mersin who had a blue tail, theirs were all green.
Were their tails similar to a unicorn’s horn? Or were they simply a product of birth, like eye color? He would ask them, but this didn’t seem like the right time for such chit-chat.
King Mardyth’s tail was a vibrant gold, and he didn’t sit on a throne. Rather, he lay on a chaise. His chest was bare, and he had gold bands around his wrists and biceps. With gold hair and bright gold eyes, he had skin that was slightly translucent.
“Thank you, Captain Mersin. You’re excused.”
Mersin bowed before he quickly swam back the way they’d just come.
Xaydin quirked an eyebrow at his hasty retreat. “Hope he’s not my only ride out of here.”
The king laughed a lot harder than Xaydin expected. Especially since it wasn’tthatfunny.
After a few minutes, he sobered and shook his head. “You’re not at all what I expected, given what I’ve heard.”
“Not sure how to take that.”
