Daughter of the Sea

Stanza XXV

Now, one of his children was brave, hear ye,
As courageous as a young sea maiden could be.
For she descended into what seemed to be the very bowels of Hell
To save her father and his daughters of the sea.

"Come in, my little véldenmaína."

Meludïeva shuddered as she heard the voice. Without a doubt, it was the selfsame voice that had spoken to her in her dream, that had guided her through the waters to the secluded cavern far beyond the boundaries of her grandfather's domain. It felt so strange, she thought to herself, actually hearing the voice with her ears, rather than from inside the innermost recesses of her mind. The effect was chilling, disconcerting, although she suspected such an effect was entirely by the design of whoever—or whatever—had lured her here.

The greeting echoed about the cavern's entryway, the dark tunnel before her filling her with dread at the thought of actually daring to see what dwelled within. For a moment, she contemplated turning back, returning to her mother, aunt, and sisters, pretending nothing at all had happened and proceeding to venture to her grandfather's palace in the morning as planned. She peered upward, astounded to see that somehow, though it felt she had been swimming all night, she could see the faint traces of moonlight piercing the surface of the waves far above, as if time itself had come to a standstill.

Your father will die . . .

Swallowing, Meludïeva flicked her fin, pressing forward into the darkness. As the inky nothingness surrounded her, appearing to grow even darker the further she progressed, she felt her heart rate increase with each stroke of her fluke. Panic began to overtake her as she realized she was completely disoriented; she had no frame of reference, nothing to orient her in this world of nothingness. Overwhelmed, she flailed her arms about, desperately searching for something—anything—to take hold of to guide her out of this nightmarish void when—

She screamed as something took hold of her wrist, pulling her forward against her will. Now beyond rational thought entirely, she kicked her fin with all her might in a desperate bid to escape, but the whatever-it-was was too strong for her to escape its grasp. Without warning, the something released its grip on her wrist, flinging her forward. The world around her suddenly exploded with luminescence as bright, ethereal light filled the cavern, originating it seemed from the cavern walls themselves. Trembling, Meludïeva looked about, searching for whatever had taken hold of her, her eyes squinting as they adjusted to the unexpected brightness.

"Really, is this how young ones enter someone else's home these days? Shameful!"

She shrieked once more as she whirled about toward the direction of the voice. From the darkness beyond, she saw a figure emerge into the cavern's newfound radiance—and she gasped.

The being before her was startlingly beautiful, not the hideous form Meludïeva had expected to find living in a place such as this. The being was female, long white hair cascading about violet skin on her face and arms that seemed to merge seamlessly into jet blackness that covered her breasts and clung tightly about her form. Six long, ebony tentacles arose from where a fin would have been on a véldenmaína, constantly moving as if of their own accord.

The being's ruby lips turned upwards in a slight smile as she beheld the young sea maiden's astonished face. "You seem surprised, young one," she said, her husky voice echoing about the chamber.

Meludïeva swallowed. "I . . . I . . . E thrélawen. I'm sorry. I just . . . I wasn't—"

The being laughed. "Let me guess. You were expecting something more like . . . this!"

She waved her hand. Meludïeva gasped despite herself as the figure instantly morphed from beautiful to hideous, her slender form ballooning into a massive, obese creature with yellow eyes that seemed to bore into Meludïeva's very soul. Startled, the véldenmaína propelled herself backwards against the far wall of the cavern, eyes tightly shut. Her eyes opened as her back pressed into the cold, glowing stone, confusion manifesting itself upon her brow as she saw the being was once again beautiful as she had been moments earlier.

"How . . . What . . .?"

The being smiled. "Illusions, my child," she said, her tentacles propelling her forward to within mere inches from Meludïeva. "That's the real magic in this world, after all, isn't it? Showing others what they want to see and using that to your advantage . . ."

She laughed again. "But enough small talk, ángelfiëla. You are here now, after all, and we wouldn't want to waste precious time, would we?"

Meludïeva's head was spinning, overwhelmed. "I . . . You are a célethwen? I thought . . . I mean, I had heard they —"

The being's face darkened. "Yes, well, doubtless you have heard all sorts of unflattering stories." She cupped Meludïeva's chin with a tentacle, pulling the sea maiden's face before her own. "Well, don't believe everything you hear. There is always . . . prejudice on the part of those telling the stories, isn't there?"

Meludïeva felt her heart pounding within her chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I meant no disrespect. I . . . I only came here because you called to me. You . . ." She inhaled, worry cascading over her. "You said my father would die unless I let you help me."

The célethwen smiled. "Ah, yes. Your father. Such a good man, now, isn't he, ángelfiëla? Always doing what's best for you and your sisters, and that lovely mánawe of yours. Never thinking about his own needs." She sighed dramatically. "Such a shame, however, that that cousin of his has made such a mess of things between the humans and the véldenthem."

Meludïeva frowned. "How . . . How do you know all this?"

The célethwen laughed. "My dear, it is Ursúla's job to know what is happening. Information is power, young Meludïeva, in its own sort of way."

She pointed toward a large vessel in the center of the cavern. With a push from her tentacles, Ursúla propelled herself toward it, gesturing for Meludïeva to join her. The véldenmaína swam forward, cautiously positioning herself on the other side of the vessel, keeping a discreet distance from the célethwen. Ursúla whispered several words in a language Meludïeva did not recognize, then, without warning, pointed dramatically toward the vessel. Immediately the container filled with bright red and blue light, steam swirling up from it, twisting inwards upon itself until—

". . . Those half-fish bastards declared war on us for no reason!"

Meludïeva brought her hand to her cheek in utter astonishment. She saw a man she did not recognize amid conversation with someone else, but the image was so clear, so convincing, it was if she could reach out and touch him like she was in the same room.

The man—MacDowell, Meludïeva presumed—continued his tirade. "No country wanted to trade with us! They were terrified of losing their vessels, convinced the seas around our kingdom are cursed! Our sailors were being slaughtered left and right, Eric!"

The véldenmaína started at the sound of her father's name. "Father?" she called out, reaching out toward the image. As she looked closer, she could see a figure on the other side of the man who was speaking, but the image suddenly vanished in a burst of steam and violet light.

"Oh, dear."

Ursúla shook her head, long white hair quavering as she affected a concerned expression. "Well, this certainly seems worrisome, doesn't it, ángelfiëla." She sighed dramatically. "I always knew the humans would discover the véldenthem eventually, but never did I think they would be so bold as to attempt—"

"What happened to him?"

Meludïeva swam toward Ursúla, her eyes filled with worry. "You brought me here for a reason. What is MacDowell doing to my father?"

"Oh, that."

Ursúla adopted a grave expression. "Are you certain you wish to see this, ángelfiëla?"

Meludïeva's response was instantaneous. "Yes! Please! Let . . . Let me see what's happened to him!"

The célethwen waved her hand over the vessel once more, murmuring softly. As before, steam and colored light burst from the vessel, coalescing and swirling to form a familiar figure—

"Father!"

Meludïeva cried out in horror, tears from her eyes merging with the waters surrounding her as she beheld the vision. She saw her father lying unconscious against a stone floor, his breathing slow, labored. His left shoulder was crudely bandaged, red blood staining the white fabric. She brought her fingers toward his bearded cheek, wanting nothing more than to comfort him, to heal him, to save him, only for her hand to pass through his spectral form as the vision dissolved into steam that returned to the vessel from whence it came.

"Frightful, isn't it, what humans will do to one another?" Ursúla clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Thank Mánatulen the véldenthem have moved past such barbaric behavior, that none of your kind would dream of inflicting cruelty upon another just because they were . . . different."

Meludïeva turned her back to the célethwen, but not before Ursúla noted the véldenmaína had clenched her fists tightly. Good. Very good . . .

"You said you would help me." Meludïeva's voice was quiet, firm, determined. She turned back to face Ursúla, a fierce look in her eyes. "You said you could help me save him. What are you offering?"

Ursúla smiled in spite of herself, impressed with the young sea maiden's spirit. "Ah, yes. I suppose I did give you that impression—"

Meludïeva felt her heart sink. "So, you won't help me? I couldn't trust you after all? Why did . . . Why would you—"

Ursúla placed a tentacle over the véldenmaína's lips. "Did I say that, ángelfiëla? I think not. Of course, I will help you. It's simply a matter of, as I asked before, what precisely are you willing to do to receive my help?"

Meludïeva set her jaw, brushing a stray lock of raven hair from her face with one hand and removing the tentacle from her lips with the other. "Whatever . . . Whatever it takes."

Ursúla raised an eyebrow, her purple skin glistening in the luminescence radiating from the cavern walls. "Really? Is that so, ángelfiëla? Perhaps you will change your mind once you know just what your father's salvation requires . . ."

Before Meludïeva could ask the célethwen to elaborate, Ursúla took hold of her wrist, guiding her toward the rear of the cavern. "First, let me just dispel a few myths, little one. Contrary to the stories you may have heard about my kind when you were a child, there are, sadly, limits to what I can do. So, no, I can't simply, oh, turn you into a human, for example. That would be far too simple a solution, and there is no 'magic' or whatever you want to call it in the world that can do something like that."

Meludïeva felt as if her heart had just plummeted into her stomach. Ursúla noticed her devastated expression, placing her hand on the véldenmaína's shoulder. "Oh, I do hope you didn't come all this way hoping I could do something as fantastical as that!"

Before the sea maiden could respond, Ursúla released her shoulder, her tentacles propelling her to what appeared to Meludïeva to be a shelf hewn into the rock of the rear cavern wall. The célethwen rummaged through the storage area, setting aside ingredients, tossing others away entirely as she continued her conversation. "But, never fear, ángelfiëla. As the humans say, 'Where there is a will, there is a way.' So, we will just have to be a little bit cleverer in our quest for a solution. A ha!"

She turned from the shelf triumphantly, her hands filled with objects Meludïeva was unable to make out in the shadows that filled the rear of the cavern. "Now," Ursúla continued, "in order for this to work, I need you to follow me." She gestured upward with a tentacle.

Meludïeva regarded her with utmost suspicion. "What exactly is up there?"

Ursúla simply grinned. "Do you trust me, ángelfiëla?"

"Ne na!"

Ursúla laughed. "Fair enough. But I'm afraid, my dear, you aren't exactly in a position to ask for much of anything. If you desire my help, follow me. If you want dear old daddy to die alone and in prison, well, then by all means simply swim back to where you came from." A horrified expression fell upon the célethwen's face. "Oh, what will your dear mánawe think if she discovers you had the opportunity to save her beloved Eric and did nothing?!"

Meludïeva felt her cheeks turn red with shame as she imagined such a scene. Would mánawe ever speak to me again? Would she even want a daughter like me who . . .?

The sea maiden broke from her reverie just in time to see the célethwen disappearing into the darkness far above. Gritting her teeth, closing her eyes, Meludïeva flicked her ruby fin and swam upward, faster and faster until—

To her shock, she felt her head break through the surface. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a small, enclosed pocket of the cavern where the water level somehow remained below the ceiling of the cavern's tower-like rear, the only light emanating from the same mysterious light that had coated the walls of the célethwen's lair below.

"Now."

Meludïeva started as Ursúla appeared next to her. Before the véldenmaína could speak, Ursúla took hold of her left hand, regarding her pale flesh studiously. Without warning, the célethwen drew a stone dagger from one of her tentacles and drew it across Meludïeva's hand. The sea maiden cried out in shock and pain, but Ursúla ignored her, concentrating her attention on the scarlet blood that had begun to pour from Meludïeva's flesh.

"What . . . What are you doing?!" Meludïeva asked in disbelief, barely comprehending what she was seeing.

"Hush!"

Ursúla turned the sea maiden's hand over, allowing Meludïeva's blood to slowly drip into a large vial. Satisfied she had collected enough, the célethwen placed a cap on the vial. To Meludïeva's surprise, she did not release her grip, but instead withdrew another vial and proceeded to fill it with blood as well.

"How . . . How much do you need?!" Meludïeva asked, panic beginning to wash over her. She tricked me! She's going to bleed me to death!

"There!"

Ursúla smiled as she capped the second vial, releasing her grip on Meludïeva's wrist.

"You could have told me you were going to do that," the sea maiden said as she allowed Ursúla to bandage her wound.

"I needed to make certain you would let me," the célethwen retorted. She tied off the bandage. "There. Now that I have collected my fee . . ."

Meludïeva frowned. "Your . . . fee?"

Ursúla rolled her eyes. "Did you think I would help you for nothing at all, ángelfiëla? Even at my most generous . . ." She sighed. "Anyway, what's done is done. I needed your blood to help you, so I just decided to . . . keep some extra for myself. The blood of a half-human, half-véldenmaína is a very precious commodity, after all. One never knows when it might come in handy . . ."

Meludïeva felt a chill run down her spine to the tip of her fin at the thought of why the célethwen would have need of her blood; none of the possibilities that came to mind were particularly appealing. "You still haven't told me anything. About how your 'magic' will actually help me."

Ursúla frowned. "This used to be more fun when people would just wait for the ending. Now they want to know everything!" She shook her head. "Fine, my dear. Remember how I told you earlier that information is power? Well, I happen to know that the humans have made a drastic error. There is a way for an intrepid young véldenmaína to access the underwater tunnels beneath the palace dungeon. Several of the cells happen to have pools of water within them that would lead their prisoners to freedom—were they able to swim through them without drowning first, of course."

Meludïeva started as Ursúla pulled her close. "But this is where my help comes in, ángelfiëla! I am going to give you these delightful little explosives I've conjured up that will help you unblock the tunnels they have attempted to seal. I'm going to give you medicine to heal your father's wounds. Then, my dear, you will be able to infiltrate the tunnels, find his cell, and then escape with him through the tunnels before the guards even realize he's gone!"

Meludïeva felt her heart soar with excitement, but then felt her elation dissipate almost as quickly. "Thank . . . Thank you for your generosity, but . . . but how will I find him? I have no idea where I am going! How do I know which tunnel will take me to—"

"Do you think that is all I am going to do, child?" Ursúla inquired impatiently, running a hand through her long, white tresses. "I don't need your blood for anything I've described yet! And what I've told you so far isn't even 'magic'!" She smiled. "No, ángelfiëla. I am going to bind you to your father with the lémenas spell. When I am through, you will be able to sense his presence. Hear his thoughts. Tell when he is in distress and come to his aid."

Meludïeva gasped. "How . . . How does that work, exactly?"

Ursúla sighed. "I'm afraid I can't really explain this in words. You will have to experience it to find out. And . . ."

She paused dramatically, a pensive expression on her face.

"What?" Meludïeva was growing increasingly frustrated with the evasive nature of the information the célethwen was willing to divulge.

Ursúla took hold of the sea maiden's long ebony hair in one hand. "There is a reason it has to be you, my dear, and not your mánawe or your sisters. It has to be you because . . ." She shrugged. "Because, for lack of better words, you have so much of your father in you. You are the only one in your family—the world, actually—capable of forming the lémenas bond. His blood runs stronger through your veins than even you realize, I suspect . . ."

She released her grip on Meludïeva's hair. "But I'm afraid such powerful magic requires more than just your blood. It requires pain. A great deal of pain."

Meludïeva began to protest, but Ursúla cut her off, removing a vial of dark, green liquid from the grip of one of her tentacles. "Not physical pain, I am afraid. I have no doubt now you would be willing to let me cut off your hand entirely if that is what I needed." She inhaled slowly. "No, ángelfiëla. What I need is for you to release the emotional pain you have carried with you your entire life. The rejection. The insults. The sense of being unwanted you have always felt, even to this day, in your heart of hearts."

She cupped Meludïeva's chin delicately, dangling the vial of green liquid before her eyes. "This drink will draw forth this pain from you into a form I can use to complete the lémenas. Are you willing to endure this? Or is this too much for you, my dear? What say you?"

To Ursúla's surprise, Meludïeva snatched the vial from her grasp, removed the cap, and downed the liquid in a single swallow. The véldenmaína immediately began to wretch from the bitter taste of the draught, struggling with all her might to keep from vomiting the liquid back up. Quickly, Ursúla clasped a tentacle over Meludïeva's lips, preventing the sea maiden from giving in to her body's attempts to escape the effects of the drink.

"Good, ángelfiëla," she whispered as the sea maiden's body went limp. Yellow light began to surround Meludïeva's body, washing over her, surrounding her. "Brace yourself, my dear," Ursúla said. "Here it—"

Without warning, Meludïeva arched her back, her fin stretching outward to its full length, every muscle in her body tense. The yellow light swirled about faster and faster as the véldenmaína began to scream. Meludïeva felt as if her mind was fracturing and splintering into hundreds of different memories all at once. Her ears were assaulted with countless voices from her past—Look at her! She's not even a real véldenmaína! Did you know her father is a human?! Perverse! Disgusting! Daughter of a whore! Mendrake! Stay away from her and that sister of hers!—assaulted her in an unceasing chorus that only grew louder with each passing moment. Her eyes shut tight, she covered her ears, screaming at the top of her lungs for the voices to go away, to leave her alone, to leave her sister alone, to just let them be when—

"Congratulations, ángelfïela."

Meludïeva opened her eyes, every muscle in her body aching as if she had been pulled apart and put back together again. Ursúla floated before her, her eyes gleaming as she clutched a vial in her hand, a vial filled with golden, swirling light.

"Did . . . Did you get what you need?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"And so much more," Ursúla responded. The célethwen took hold of Meludïeva's hand, carefully guiding her down toward the bottom of the cavern. "Now, the real fun begins, my dear." She laughed to herself as she looked at the vials of golden light and blood tightly held by her tentacles. Oh, yes, ángelfiëla. Now it all begins . . .

AN: Thank you to all for the very positive and encouraging reviews of the previous stanza. More to come!