“There are escape tunnels beneath the palace that lead people out through coral caves, but please, don’t even talk like that. You don’t want to be outside the protection of the city alone.”
“Okay. I’ll stay put, and I really do like talking with you Oleen.”
She reached over and patted Hollyn’s hand as she said, “I told you that I need friends. I do hope we can continue to be friends even when we become sisters tomorrow.”
“I would like that.”
The conversation ended, and Oleen left quietly. Hollyn waited for her to disappear down the hallway before she exited the room and began looking for a way to the tunnels below the palace.
* * *
It had taken her longer than she’d hoped to find the tunnels Oleen had told her about, but once she was outside the city,Hollyn swam quickly through the water, following the compass’s direction, hoping that it really would point her toward Poseidon. She tried not to get distracted by the vibrant sea life that went about their lives around her, and she risked trips to the surface when she needed to breathe, but she found she could go longer and longer between times as she learned to pull huge gulps of air into her lungs before swimming on.
After some time, she began to worry that the compass might not actually lead her to what she most desired. Maybe it was busted and that’s why it was basically in the family museum instead of being used.
She thought about turning back, but then, she began to worry that she might not be able to find her way. She paused and looked behind her, not recognizing anything through which she’d just swam. Trying not to panic, she breached the surface to pull in some oxygen, but when she dove back toward the part of the water in which she was swimming, she saw several, large silhouettes swimming after her.
Was this one of the roaming gangs coming to attack her? Oleen had warned her that this was a real possibility, but she’d done it anyway. Now, if she didn’t get out of this, she would disappear without a trace, and she didn’t like the idea that Kai would think she’d just abandoned him. She needed to get away from them and find her way back to the city.
Her instinct was to find cover, so she dove down toward a rocky looking section of the sea floor. She found a spot where she could duck down into a cave-like structure. From her spot, she could watch them swim back and forth, clearly searching for her. Soon, though, concern started building in her mind that there would come a time when she needed to take a breath. Would they give up and move on before that time came? She sure as hell hoped so.
Yet, they continued to circle the area, and Hollyn could feel her anxiety cutting her air supply short. All she could think about was her next breath. She needed to make a break for it—try to out swim them.
Her mind made up, she waited until they were the farthest away from her as they had gone before and took off for the surface, swimming as fast as she could. She could feel them closing in, and she knew she’d been a fool.
Her head broke the surface of the water, and she sucked in deep, gulping breaths. She felt the arms grab her, and she fought against them as they pulled her back down under the water. She wrenched an arm free, but almost immediately, it was in another’s strong grip. She felt helpless even as she continued to jerk at her limbs to try to free them. Their beady eyes held evil intent as she met their hateful gazes. These were definitely not people from any civilized city.
As she fought them, the compass slipped from her fingers, and she searched the blue depths, trying to see where it had gone. Suddenly, another figure began to ascend from the sea floor. She watched in wonder as a giant of a man with long, flowing white hair and a white beard launched from out of nowhere into the fight. The minute her captors got a look at the bare-chested man coming up on them, they let her go and began to swim away as if their lives depended on it.
Hollyn felt like she needed to pull her head out of the water to clear the panic still spinning in her head, so she swam for the surface once more. She couldn’t believe what had just happened to her, and she just wanted to be back in Hanupali City with Kai.
Her would-be savior breached the surface beside her, and in a booming voice, asked, “Are you okay?”
She stared at him for a few long seconds before she shouted back, “No. I am not okay. What is going on in this ocean?”
The man chewed his bottom lip as if he were somehow responsible for the crime that had almost been committed against her. “You’re right. I should do a better job of monitoring things. I tend to get distracted easily.”
Hollyn stared at the man, wondering if he were absolutely nuts. Just her luck—she’d been saved by a madman who thought he was responsible for the comings and goings of the ocean.
“Look! I appreciate your help, but I need to get back to Hanupali City. Any chance you can point me in the right direction?”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll take you there myself. I haven’t been back there in years, but I seem to recall liking the place.” The expression on his face wasn’t quite a smile, and she had to wonder if one of her attackers had given him a bump on the head before they’d swum away. In the end it didn’t matter because she just needed help, so she would take anyone willing to get her back to Kai.
“That would be amazing.”
“Oh, and I found this. Does it belong to you?”
Hollyn nearly hugged the crazy man as he held up the compass Kai had given her. She pulled it from his hand and held it against her chest as she said, “Thank you! This is very special to me, and I appreciate you returning it.” She pocketed the compass and held out her hand to him. “I’m Hollyn Oates.”
He took her hand in his and shook with a force that verged on painful, but she forgot any discomfort as he said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Poseidon, god of the oceans.”
He didn’t give her a chance to react. Instead, waving in a motion that meant to follow him as he dove back down into the water. She couldn’t believe the turn of events and treaded water in awe of her luck for a moment before she gave a small chuckle and lowered herself into the water after him.
