Chapter 3: Noir Castle in Bloom
The Banshee of the Bay shrieked at the touches of red
that muddied her hair. Ever since
dispensing with that meddlesome Aqua Defender, Lady Em, little bits of life
clung to the otherwise dead sea witch.
Her fingers burned as she gripped her scalp and properly magic’d herself
in the mirror. Death crawled down the
strands of hair until each one succumbed to her will. Pulling back raven hair with a severed crab
claw, she proceeded to place a crown of black pearls upon her head.
Her fingers outlined her ruby red lips. What
curse is this? She pressed her lips
together until they turned blue. A satisfied
grin curled her lip, until the ruby red came rushing to the surface, again. Oh
mercy me! She stomped away in a foul
mood then killed the first servant she saw.
“Get me another,” she commanded, looking at the
Ancient Mariner slumped on the floor.
Servants scurried this way and that as lighting zinged
from the Banshee’s fingertips. Ancient
Mariners were disposable, having already used a life. The Banshee didn’t give another thought to
the poor soul that lay at her feet. She
let out a heavy sigh and strolled to her throne, as a terrified guard took his place. Steely blue eyes worried as the Ancient
Mariner wondered if the Banshee had regained her cool. Shaking knees revealed his fear of ending his
pathetic existence. So annoyed was the
Banshee that she shot him in the rear with a lightning bolt.
Her slaves had only covered a thousand nautical
miles. They would have to dig deep and
increase the pace to get Noir Castle within striking distance of Aquatica,
before the Spring Solstice.
Despite the deadly black magic that lurked in every
corner of the forbidden fortress, an aura of life floated about. Drifting in, out, around, and in some places,
taking root, Grammy’s essence had returned to the sea with a promise of
peace. Velvety petals graced the
choking vines that surrounded Noir Castle as black orchids sprang forth from
the snakelike tendrils and wove their way around pillars at the entrance.
Hundreds of Ancient Mariners pounded the sea bed,
beating a steady rhythm that vibrated the water as Noir Castle was pulled
against the tide. Several shadowy forms emerged
from the bubbly haze sitting astride a couple of great white sharks whose fins sliced
through the water and headed straight toward the floating fortress.
Many Ancient Mariners stood aghast when Hades’
henchmen arrived. Their broken rhythm
was carried with the current and caused the Banshee to scream out in
frustration. Amid the horrible
screeching from the insane sea witch, several of Hades’ thugs went in through
the black doors. Three figures made
their way through the foreboding corridor but only two knelt in the presence of
the wicked Banshee.
The one left standing was a hulking man draped in
darkness. A towering cloaked figure
threw back his hood. A thick mane swept
past his chiseled features and fell to his shoulders. “I bring news from my Master. The attack shall proceed as planned. Our army of hydroids is nearly complete. I will be leading the attack on Aquatica and
as such I wish to question the prisoners, myself.”
The sea witch snarled.
“Really? What makes you think you
are worthy?”
“It is my birthright to bring down the house of
Neptune.” The stranger lifted his sleeve
and revealed a glowing seahorse tattoo.
“And to think,
I thought you were just a myth!” The Banshee cackled. “Hmmm…
Interesting. Very
Interesting.”
“And those I seek?”
“Straight to business, so much like your father … I
have been questioning the Defender for weeks.
He knows very little. Nothing of
use has come from his lips. You will
find that I can be very persuasive.” Her
eyes flashed. “But I regret to inform
you that Lady Em was killed in the confrontation. It was unavoidable. She practically sacrificed herself for
another,” the wicked Banshee hissed.
“Insolent witch!
Lady Em held vital information.
Her ancestors can be traced to the Deep Six Counsel. Why must your lust for vengeance cloud your judgment,
woman?” the thug paced back and forth across the marble floor in front of the
black throne running his hands through his long locks of hair. “I will take custody of the prisoner. He will tell me what I need to know,” he said
darkly. “His life depends upon it.”
“The prisoner is in the dungeon resting after a dip in
the blood sucking leechery.” The torturous
treatment didn’t seem to faze her visitor.
As the Banshee tapped her black fingernails upon her throne her other
hand brushed her ruby red lips.
“My guards will escort you to him, post haste.” Two Ancient Mariners stepped forward at her
command and escorted the evil Meridian to the dungeon.
Dim light sifted through the bars, where a man lay
captive in irons. Spatters of blood dotted
his skin and a leech wriggled across his back.
“Caught this one off the coast of Spain…” A guard sneered jabbing the
prisoner with his spear. The man wrestled
with his chains, pulling at them with all his might. “Easy pickin’s, if you ask me. These are supposed to be the best and
brightest among the Aqua Defenders?
Ha! I think not.”
The cloaked stranger entered the cell where the man
squirmed helplessly on the cold hard floor.
Through blood stained eyes the Defender gazed upon his
evil host. “It, it can’t be! You’re supposed to be dead!”
“And you’re Balthazar, an Aqua Defender seated at the
Circle of Trust. Now that we know who
everyone is, let’s get on with it. You will tell me all you know.”
Balthazar raised his head and spit at the Meridian’s
feet. Without delay, the evil Dagon snatched
the Aqua Defender up as he gripped the sides of his head. Glowing hands drained the life force from his
prey until Balthazar fell limp in his firm grasp.
“Tenderize him for me,” Dagon ordered dropping the man
to the floor. One of his thugs stepped
from the shadows and grinned a toothy grin.
Balthazar looked his attacker in the eye. “Feng!
You have betrayed the King, your fellow Meridians and our sacred trust.” His eyes dropped in disgust as he tried to
inch away from the demon child.
“Would you like to know what happened to Lady Em?” Black eyes glinted from the face of a child.
The Defender sobbed thinking of his comrade in arms. Lady Em had been so full of life. He closed his eyes and saw this fierce
fighter, this woman of honor, he would not, could not let her memory be
tarnished. Compounding his pain was his
love for his own family. How could he
protect them when he was gone? What was
to become of his wife and daughter? He
was thankful to have set his precious daughter on the watery path. May the
tides be with you, my little Bebe.
He quietly said his farewells and accepted that each breath may soon be
his last.
“I’ll get even with you, if it’s the last thing I do…”
Balthazar managed through painful tears.
“No. I think
the last thing you will do is tell me where the Portolan Chart is.”
“Never!”
Feng grinned a sinister grin and bit into his victim
with all the hunger of a tiger shark. Blood
flowed across the dungeon floor. The
Defender had endured weeks of torment at the hands of an insane sea witch,
frequent dips into the blood sucking leechery, loss of his life force from an
angry henchman, and now devastating teeth tore into him. The Defender closed his eyes and was no
more.
“You fool! You
were only supposed to wound him.”
Venomous anger swelled in the chest of Hades’ right
hand man as he watched the disgusting display of Feng’s thirst for blood. “He is of no use to me dead!” Dagon huffed, spinning
around and walking out. The sullen child
wiped the blood from his chin. “Finish
your meal then, meet me in the map room,” Dagon called.
The half shark, half Meridian devoured the rest of the
Aqua Defender. Savoring every last bite,
Feng swept his tongue from side to side.
Nothing was better than friends
for dinner!
