“That’s a great idea,” Peri shouted, wanting to be separated from the elf as much as possible and have Matilda to herself.
“Yes, of course,” replied Neptune, “how thoughtless of me. You can have the room next door.”
“Thanks,” said Husan, leaping to the door. “Show me the way.”
With a smile at Matilda, Neptune left with the elf, closing the door behind him.
Once they were on their own Matilda looked around the room and said, “Well, this is nice. Now, Peri, what do you think?” She had complete faith in the little fairy’s judgement.
“Well . . . ,” replied Peri thoughtfully, “Neptune certainly needs help but there are a couple of things that still worry me.”
“Such as?” queried Matilda.
“Why is this all happening now? Why hasn’t Odysseus challenged Neptune before? They certainly have had it in for each other for a long time. And why hasn’t Zeus, the god of Greek gods, stepped in? He is supposed to be all-powerful and could obviously settle the whole mess in an instant. Where is he?”
“Mm-m-m,” pondered Matilda, “that’s true. But we can’t just sit by and watch these pirate spirits have their own way.”
“I agree,” said Peri. “I can deal with them once they show their hand but I believe that Neptune needs to settle his feud with Odysseus on his own. I can’t see how we can help with that. I suggest that we wait to see what happens and then make up our minds on what we need to do.”
“Good thinking,” stated Matilda. “We’ll talk more to Neptune at dinner. Which reminds me -
I feel really hungry. By the way,” she added, “what special power does Husan have that Maximilian thought could help us?”
“Humph,” growled Peri, “I really don’t know why Maximilian sent him with us. He’s a pain in the neck. He thinks he’s perfect in every way but he’s pretty useless.”
Matilda wanted to tell Peri that her dislike of Husan would not help them but she didn’t wish to upset her little friend, so she said, “Yes, but what can he do?”
“He is telepathic,” Peri told her with a sigh. “He can talk to any creature, human or animal, by sending mind messages. I suppose it might come in handy. ”
“We’ll see,” said Matilda. “Now let’s get washed up for dinner.”
Chapter 10
The Friendly Spy
Meanwhile, in his own room, Husan had jumped up onto the large bed and was lying back against the pillows with his eyes closed. In fact he wasn’t relaxing, he was sending a message to a friend who had been waiting anxiously to hear from him.
“As you are aware, I have arrived,” he sent his thoughts out. “I am inside Neptune’s cave with the girl and that annoying fairy. It was really very easy. Maximilian didn’t even question my request to help the girl on her next adventure. Of course he didn’t realise that I knew what that next adventure would be.”
“Well done,” his friend replied through his mind. “And don’t worry about that troublesome fairy. She won’t be around for much longer.”
“Good,” thought Husan with a smile. “Make sure she suffers.”
“All taken care of,” answered the friend. “You just remember your own role. The first part of our plan has already begun.”
“Excellent,” thought Husan. “I know exactly what I need to do and I’ll keep in touch so that you know how everybody here is reacting. I’ll know more after we have dinner with Neptune.”
“We couldn’t do with out you,” stated the friend. “Call me again as soon as you know anything. And enjoy your dinner. It might be a long time between meals.”
“Then it’s handy that we sprites don’t eat much,” Husan laughed. “Good luck my friend. Goodbye for the present.”
Husan opened his eyes and smiled to himself. He hadn’t been able to communicate with his friend on their arrival on the island. Things were too busy when Neptune appeared with his chariot. They both had to wait patiently until he was on his own.
Odon, too, smiled as he swam back to his cave. So far, so good. With his own spy in Neptune’s cave he would have the upper hand as the plan went into operation.
Chapter 11
Dinner With Neptune
The voice came from a speaker on the wall of their bedroom. “Dinner is ready. Please proceed to the main foyer where you will be guided to the dining-room.”
“That’s us,” said Matilda, “and not a minute too soon.”
Peri flew across to her shoulder. “I hope they have something other than seafood on the menu,” she declared. “I don’t eat much, but I am fussy about what I eat. Vegetarian for me.”
“I’m sure they’ll have thought of that,” stated Matilda as she opened the door. “Let’s go.”
They stopped outside Husan’s room and knocked on the door. “Dinner time,” shouted Matilda, and the elf appeared. With a little jump, he landed beside her.
“Could I have called you by telepathy?” asked Matilda as she walked down the passageway.
“I’m afraid not,” Husan informed her. “The messages only go one way. From me to whoever. Once I contact you then you can speak to me. Sorry about that.”
“Oh,” said Matilda. “That’s unfortunate. So you will need to keep in touch if we ever get separated. You’ll be sure to do that won’t you?”
“Of course,” replied Husan with a grin. “I am here to serve only you.”
By this time they had reached the foyer and were greeted by a large Walking Fish. “Follow me,” said the fish as it moved down another corridor on its tiny legs.
They arrived at a small room set out with tables and chairs. Neptune was already sitting at one end.
“Ah,” he greeted them, “my friends. I hope you have settled in well.”
“Very well,” answered Matilda as she sat down. Several other Walking Fish appeared from a door in the wall, carrying platters containing a range of dishes. There were oysters, abalone, caviar, scallops and clams, all prepared in different ways.
“You’ll notice that we only eat shellfish,” Neptune informed them. “The other sea animals would be . . . er . . . naturally upset if we ate them.” He glanced at the Walking Fish. “I hope you enjoy what the chefs have cooked for you.” He pointed to a steaming plate piled high with what looked like seaweed. “That’s sea spinach, for our vegetarian friend. Very tasty.”
“Thank you,” said Peri. “How did you know?”
“We have our ways,” replied Neptune, mysteriously. “And you’ll notice the small spoon we have put out especially for you.” He smiled, as Peri picked up the tiniest silver spoon.
“I could eat a whale,” commented Matilda as she filled her dish with clam chowder..
“Our whales wouldn’t be happy to hear that,” laughed Neptune. “Now, while we eat, what do you think you can do to help me?”
“We have discussed that,” said Matilda through a mouthful of clam soup, “and there doesn’t seem to be much we can do until the other side makes a move. Once they do, we have Peri and her magic wand that should keep them busy and, of course, Husan can use his telepathy to keep everybody informed about what is going on. That’s about it for the moment. In the long run we have to make sure that the pirate spirits are utterly defeated so that they can never worry you again.
As for Odysseus, I’m afraid you’ll have to sort him out and come to some arrangement with him about his grievances to stop this nonsense.”
“I don’t know whether that will be possible,” Neptune informed them. “Odysseus is filled with rage and I don’t believe he will accept a compromise. But, be that as it may, we’ll see what can be done once the pirates have been defeated. I will be eternally grateful if you can make that happen.”
“Do you know anything about what the pirate spirits plan to do?” asked Matilda.
“I’m afraid not,” replied Neptune, turning his hands out in helplessness. “I only know that I received a message from Odysseus saying that he would destroy me for what I had done and the
n a second message was sent with one of my Mermen from the pirate spirits demanding to know where the chest is kept or suffer the consequences. I realised that I would probably be no match for the pirates and that was when Odon suggested that I contact you.”
“We’ll deal with the pirates when we meet them,” declared Matilda.
“I just hope it’s that simple,” commented Neptune, sadly.
“We'll need to look around outside first thing in the morning to familiarise ourselves with the area,” stated Matilda. “Do you have any means of transport? I’m a pretty slow swimmer.”
“Yes, of course,” answered Neptune. “There are jet-powered sea scooters in a room off the foyer. I’ll show them to you as soon as we finish our meal. Now let’s enjoy the food. You must let me know what you think of our special coconut juice from the nearby islands.”
Chapter 12
The First Encounter
Matilda had a restless night’s sleep as she tossed and turned, thinking about what she could possibly do to help Neptune against such a powerful enemy. She was determined to save him but to say her mind had its doubts was putting it mildly. She finally dropped off into a troubled sleep.
When she awoke, she quickly dressed and shook Peri who was sleeping soundly in the drawer of the bedside table.
“Wakey, wakey,” she said to the little fairy, “we have a busy morning ahead of us.”
Peri gave a big yawn and stretched her arms. “I was having such a beautiful dream,” she said. “We were in an oasis in the desert, with a cool breeze, waving palm trees and crystal-clear water. There were belly-dancers, a roaring fire, delicious food and we were having a wonderful time – until you woke me up.”
‘I’m sorry about that,” Matilda apologised, “but we are a long way from any desert and we have other things to do if we want to survive this challenge. Now let’s go and collect Husan.”
Picking up her magic wand, Peri flew onto Matilda’s shoulder. They walked outside and knocked on the door of Husan’s room. There was no response.
“Now where would he have gone?” pondered Matilda. “He knew we were going to explore with the sea scooter this morning.”
“Maybe he’s been scared off by what he heard last night and has gone back home,” offered Peri, with more than a touch of hope.
“He can’t get home without the Story Mat,” stated Matilda. “He must be around here somewhere.”
Just as she said that, Husan came around a corner. “Hi,” he said with a grin on his face.
“Where have you been?” asked Matilda, sharply.
“Don’t get your knickers in a knot,” replied Husan, cheekily. “I just went for an early morning walk. We sprites have to keep fit you know.”
“Well, in future please let us know what you are up to so we don’t have to worry,” stated Matilda with a scowl.
“Whatever you say, boss,” replied Husan as Matilda began walking to the dining room.
After a quick breakfast of fresh scallops and the delicious coconut juice, they proceeded to the foyer to collect a sea scooter. Neptune had arranged for two Mermen to accompany them and they were already outside the cave with the sea scooters. Matilda walked through the protective wall and joined them. The sea scooter was simple to operate and, after a few lessons, Matilda had the gist of it and, with Peri hanging onto her hair, was finally doing twists and turns like a professional. Husan proved to be just as good on his sea scooter. They both wore flippers to help them through the water.
With the lessons over, they set off on their journey of exploration. The scenery was spectacular, with huge mountains poking up towards the surface and grand canyons plunging to the depths below. All sorts of sea-life could be seen swimming around the mountain tops and swirling in silvery schools through the dark green water. Above, in the shoals, tropical fish of myriad colours darted here and there in the coral. Matilda became so enchanted with the sights that she began to leave Husan and her Mermen escort behind as she twisted and turned the sea scooter through the shallows and the coral reefs.
“Whoopee!” she screamed as the sea-scooter swooped downwards. Peri hung on for dear life as the water rushed past.
“Take it easy,” Peri shouted in her ear. “Don’t forget I’m here as well. You nearly lost me that time.”
Without warning Husan appeared in front of her. He was travelling much faster than they were and began to lead them down into the darker waters beneath. Matilda and the Mermen followed him.
Matilda slowed down and levelled out. They were now cruising through a chasm between two mountains, one of which was spouting steam from its top. The space between them was shadowed by their walls. Matilda felt butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach and she slowed the sea scooter to a crawl. She couldn’t understand why but she felt scared and looked around to find the Mermen. They were only a little way behind. Matilda let out a sigh.
Suddenly she felt herself being wrenched sideways. Her hands were ripped off the sea scooter and she was lifted upwards. When she managed to turn her head, she found herself staring into the huge eye of a Giant Squid. The enormous animal had wrapped one of its tentacles around her body and pulled her towards its ugly beak. Worse still, the Giant squid held Peri in another of its tentacles and had snatched her magic wand from her hand.
The Mermen were also taken by surprise when the squid pounced from its hiding-place in a cavity in the mountain’s side. By the time they realised what was happening the squid had disarmed them with two of his tentacles and thrown their tridents away. They were defenceless and could only watch as both Peri and Matilda were lifted towards its horrible beak.
Matilda was terrified and truly believed that this was the end for both of them. She turned away from the beak and was surprised to see Husan on his sea scooter a little way off and out of the squid’s reach.
“That’s right, look after yourself. I wouldn’t expect anything else,” she thought sadly as she surrendered to her fate and turned back to look straight into the squid’s ugly eye.
To her surprise, she heard the Giant Squid speaking to her. “Go home,” it said in a deep voice that scared her down to her flippers. “You are not welcome here. Take this as your first and last warning.” With that the squid released both of them but still held onto the magic wand. It let out a squirt of black ink that clouded the whole area and, by the time the water had cleared, it had disappeared.
Matilda felt sick. She had been certain that she and Peri were going to be eaten. The relief in being set free flooded her mind and she reached out to hug Peri. They were both sobbing loudly.
“My wand! My magic wand! I’ve lost it again!” wailed Peri, remembering her wand dropping into the forest when the eagle picked them up during their adventure in Laboria. “What will we do? We’ll never get it back.” She continued to sob on Matilda’s shoulder.
Husan appeared beside them. “Wow,” he exclaimed, “that was close.”
Matilda was scared and angry, and she let loose on the little sprite. “Close?CLOSE!” she shouted at him. “You weren’t anywhere near the squid, you coward. You weren’t looking into its evil eye. You weren’t hanging from one of its tentacles. And you didn’t have to look at that huge beak. No, you just swam around and watched from a distance.”
“Whoa! Whoa!” replied Husan., placing both hands in front of him as if to ward her off. “What did you expect me to do? Even the Mermen couldn’t do anything. We were no match for the Giant Squid. Anyway, it gave me a chance to send for help.”
“What?” said Matilda, feeling a little guilty about taking out her anger on him. After all what he said made some sense. It was no use all of them being taken by the squid.
“I sent a message to Neptune – by telepathy.” Husan informed her. “I told him what was happening and asked him to send more of his Mermen to help. They should be on their way now.”
“Maximilian was right,” said Matilda, wanting to make up for her earlier outburst. “He said you had powers that wo
uld be helpful and now you’ve proved it. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
“No problem,” replied Husan, but still looking hurt.
Luckily Matilda’s sea-scooters was still floating nearby. She gave Peri a cuddle before putting her back on her shoulder as Husan brought his sea-scooter up beside her.
“We’ll meet the Mermen on the way,” she said. “We’d better get back to Neptune and rethink our plans.” The Mermen took hold of their sea-scooters and joined them as they turned around and headed out of the canyon.
Chapter 13
A Chance To Help
They hadn’t travelled very far towards Neptune’s cave when they saw a group of about twenty Mermen in the distance, heading their way. Matilda stopped her sea scooter until they had reached her. The leading Merman pulled up beside her. He looked very fit and looked as if he meant business.
“My name is Cassius,” he informed her. “I am the captain of Neptune’s guards. What has happened?”
Matilda explained how they had been ambushed by the Giant Squid and how it had taken Peri’s magic wand. “There isn’t anything you and your men can do now,” she stated. “We’ll have to figure out some way to get the wand back but, for the moment, we should get back to protect Neptune.”
“I agree,” said Cassius. “You are very fortunate that the squid didn’t kill you. I apologise for my guards not protecting you. I’ll speak to them later.”
“You mustn’t punish them,” insisted Matilda. “There was nothing they could do after the squid disarmed them. Even with their tridents it would have been impossible to overcome it.”
“Very well,” agreed Cassius.” You are very kind. Now let us return.” With that, he signalled to his men and the sea scooters began to move off in a convoy.
They were travelling quickly towards Neptune’s cave when they heard loud noises coming through the water, strange sounds, as if some animal was in distress. The wailing continued and became even louder. Cassius held up his hand and the convoy stopped.
“That’s the sound of a whale and its calf,” he informed Matilda. “Something is wrong. You stay here while we investigate.”