Ayden became light headed as he started hyperventilating. Volos walked beside him and forced the younger man to look into his eyes. He took Ayden's sword from his hands and forced it into its sheath as he said, "You can do this. This is no more than another adversary that you must fight and defeat."
Ayden shook his head slowly, "I don't think I can, Volos. I look at the river and I feel like the whole world turns upside down. Besides," he added as an encouraging thought struck him, "how will I be able to hold my breath long enough? I can't breathe under water."
Volos gave a wide smile that made Ayden slightly uncomfortable. Keena walked up beside Volos and she, too, smiled broadly. "I really don't see what there is to be so happy about!" Ayden said irritably.
Volos chuckled and answered, "You aren't the only one with special abilities. Our race is given the power to give special, short-term gifts. I will give you a gift that will enable you to breath under water and swim as strongly as Theska."
Ayden finally came to accept the fact that there was no way for him to get out of this predicament. He breathed in several deep breaths as he looked again toward the river where Theska waited patiently. His friends gathered around him, each giving words of encouragement. His own voice sounded distant to him as he thanked everyone and slowly walked toward the water. He took three steps and abruptly stopped.
Sweat poured over his skin and every bruise and cut on his body throbbed with every beat of his furious heart.
Nya's soft touch found its way into Ayden's frenzied mind. She held his hand and smiled gently. Endia sang a soothing song from her master's shoulder as Ayden stared into Nya's eyes. His anxiousness began to dissolve as he lost himself in their soft lavender color. With his heart hammering for different reasons, he drew himself closer to her body. The world slowly fizzled away until nothing else existed but Nya. Endia's haunting song continued to caress Ayden's mind as he looked at the siren's face that had somehow become more beautiful than any other face he'd ever gazed upon.
Nya lifted her other hand and placed it gently on Ayden's cheek, causing a rush of heat to course through his skin. Their faces were close enough for them to feel each other's breath. They drew even closer until their lips were nearly touching. Then, the retched nightmare rushed cruelly back as Nya pulled away. "You will not be alone," she whispered. She lingered a moment as if she were reluctant to move, but then she slowly turned to rejoin the others who waited behind them.
Ayden gagged on his own spit as he forced himself to turn from Nya's retreating form and gaped at the monster river before him. Why did it have to be a river? Mustering every ounce of courage he could find, he slowly made his way to the shore. Ghostly voices accompanied the rush of blood in his ears. He knew he was going to hurl any minute. He took a deep breath and looked toward the sky--away from the water. Volos approached and took Ayden by the shoulders, turning his body toward him.
"It is time. Are you ready?" Volos asked. His smile had vanished and his eyes brimmed with concern.
Ayden took several deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. I have to do this for Freya. Thinking of Freya gave him a little extra courage, but he still felt as if he were about to hyperventilate as he nodded slowly to Volos.
Ayden screamed as Volos suddenly grabbed his face and brought it close to his as if he were about to kiss him. Volos squeezed Ayden's cheeks with his large fingers, forcing his mouth to open. The larger man stopped several inches away from Ayden's lips and breathed gently into his mouth.
Ayden was grateful he didn't have time to think about what his friend had just done. As soon as Volos pulled away, Ayden felt as if the air was being vacuumed from his lungs. He gasped for breath as he watched Theska leap high into the air, twisting and flipping until her tail fins re-appeared and she dove into the water.
"GO!" Volos yelled. "You can't breathe above the water--get into the river before you suffocate!"
Ayden had no choice. His instinct to survive overrode his fear of the river and he tripped and flopped clumsily into the belly of his worst nightmare. As soon as his body was completely submerged, Ayden was able to breathe deeply. The sensation of water filling his lungs made him want to panic. But once he realized he wasn't going to drown, he was able to stop thrashing.
The water blurred against his vision as he looked around frantically, half expecting some beast to emerge and devour him. Or water wraiths. Kelpies. His head was rapidly filling with the ugliest water creatures he could think of .
Theska swam before him, motioning for him to follow. She spun around and expertly swam against the current of the river.
Ayden kicked his legs as he focused on the blurred form of the mermaid before him. He was able to match her strong strokes as they raced through the water. Sunlight stabbed through the surface of the river and danced across Theska's smooth, flowing hair as she torpedoed through the water. Ayden followed, dodging fish, frogs, and debris as he did so. Muffled sounds from outside the water reached his ears; he wondered what his friends were doing.
A shadow of movement caught the corner of Ayden's left eye. He turned to focus on it, but saw nothing. Swimming ahead, he once again focused on the flapping tail fins of Theska. Another shadow crossed his peripheral vision to the right. He came as close to a stop as he could, continuing to kick against the current. His heart attempted to beat its way out of his chest. Stay calm! Stay calm!
Ayden's eyes darted back and forth as he scanned the river for any signs of what the shadow might have been. He heard a strange watery whisper as another shadow flashed to the side of him. He knew he'd seen something--and it wasn't any sort of animal. Maybe it was another mermaid. Ayden jumped and yelled, releasing a cloud of bubbles, as Theska poked at his shoulder. She uttered a high-pitched squeal that hurt his ears and then led him away from the area.
As they continued to swim, Ayden couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed. But as he looked around, he saw nothing but the river.
Theska took a sharp left turn, leaving the river to enter into an underground stream. The earth surrounded the watery tunnel, blocking most of the light. Ayden squinted against the darkness as he focused on Theska. They continued for several minutes until a large opening appeared before them.
It seemed like the opening never got any closer. Ayden's muscles were weakening and he fell behind. Slowly but surely, breathing water was becoming more and more difficult. Volos' spell is wearing off!
Trying not to freak out, Ayden forced his body to move faster. But it was no use. His breathing was more labored than ever. Long, glowing plants wavered underneath him, grabbing at his body as he sank toward them. He tried with all his might to swim faster, but was dismayed to realize he was actually going slower.
Theska had swum out of sight as Ayden became entangled in the watery plants. He held his breath and struggled to break free. The strange whispers he'd heard earlier in the river reached his ears and he struggled fiercely against the plants. His efforts only caused him to become more entangled as eerie shadows circled around him like birds of prey.
The shadows dissolved as Theska appeared out of nowhere and expertly used the jagged edges of her arm guards to slice through the plants. Ayden thought he saw her thump something back with her tail fin. Then with amazing strength, she pulled Ayden through the water. They came at last to the larger opening, and Theska flung Ayden out of the pool and onto its shore. She leapt out of the water, her legs re-appearing, and grabbed Ayden around the chest. As she squeezed, Ayden coughed up the water from his lungs and gulped precious oxygen.
He lay on the shore, gasping for air before turning to Theska. "Thanks," he said breathlessly. She nodded and held out a hand, assisting him to stand.
Ayden examined his surroundings as he tried to shove thoughts of where he'd just been out of his mind. They were in a small cave; the sound of incessantly dripping water, accompanied by the muffled roar of a waterfall, echoed against
the stony walls. A small, jagged doorway, cut in the wall of the cave, shed a strange, shimmering light into the area where Ayden and the mermaid walked. She motioned again for him to enter.
Ayden stared at the doorway, wondering at the light that shone through it. "What's causing that light?" he turned to ask Theska. But all he saw as he turned was her tail fin disappearing into the pool of the water they had exited moments before. "Guess I'm on my own," Ayden said under his breath.
The doorway loomed before him. Ayden shook, but not from the coldness of his drenched clothes. Excitement and trepidation fought with each other as he drew his dragon blade and took measured steps toward the doorway. This was the moment he'd been waiting for--to see the magical blade of King Elrohir--the blade his ancestor had so cleverly hidden so that he could now claim it to defeat Degus. But he also remembered what the enchantress had said. "You have the power to tame that which guards it?"
Ayden's mouth went dry as he crossed the threshold of the doorway. Keeping his senses alert, he cautiously stepped into a much larger cave. His attention was immediately drawn to the ceiling, which was not made of rock at all; instead, sunlight shimmered through a pool of water, held up by an invisible barrier. Swirling and bubbling at the end of the pool determined where a waterfall made its connection.
A shuffling noise jerked Ayden's attention back to the cave. He drew a sharp breath at what he saw. Swords of every size and shape stood erect across the rocky floor, their blades imbedded into the stone. Elaborately jeweled handles shimmered in the watery light, and silver blades gleamed beneath them. But the swords weren't the main cause for Ayden's concern or wonder. He lowered his own blade in amazement as he gazed upon the giant resting form of a silver dragon.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Familiar Faces