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THE TOUR OF THE Underworld loomed ahead. Parker had never been a scuba diving fan and often felt claustrophobic relying on a tank for air. “I don’t get how I’m supposed to breathe underwater, Belliza.”
“Your body haz already taken on the capability. Once on Zpyridon, breathing under the water will be juzt like flying for you. You didn’t know you could, but you did. Naturally, or I zhould zay, magically. Once on our planet, thoze from Earth, under twenty-one develop a breathing capability which functionz like gillz. You will zoon zee.”
“I recall Stefanos mentioned that. But believing it is another thing!”
“Try to be calm. I’m going to apply the Zilver Helm to your zkin. It makez you invizible to all below the zea. You’ll feel zome dizcomfort, but don’t be alarmed,” she hurriedly whispered, “but we from the Upperworld will be able to zee each other.”
A burst of pin pricks sprayed Parker’s body from the top of her head to her toes.
“Ouch! This stings! Do you have to wear it, too?”
“Yez, even we muzt wear it below the zea.”
“Doesn’t it wash off?” She worried about the Silver Helm and the chemical effect it could have on her body.
“No, keep turning, I need to cover every inch of you.”
“How does it make me invisible? This is genius. Did you birds discover this? If you did, how come the Underworlders don’t know you can use it?”
“Queztionz and more queztionz, Parker! I am told it waz developed long ago by zome great thinkerz among uz, but truth be told I couldn’t zay how it workz.”
They journeyed downward at a blinding speed. The air pressure dropped, and Parker felt faint, but she finally equalized when they swam into a massive air bubble, a hollowed-out cave. Pierced by a shaft of narrow streaming light, the lava ceiling bore a striking array of primary colors with a stained-glass effect.
Parker asked, “How far below the sea are we? This is so beautiful.”
“It’z a tiring journey, izn’t it? You almozt dozed off, you zleepyhead. We’re getting cloze to the beginning of the Labyrinthz of the Cavern of the Zea—the caztle of the Emprezz Diadora.”
Vibrant turquoise water covered Parker’s toes. “This water’s so warm, Belizza. Are you sure the water won’t remove the Silver Helm?” She worried about the human-like sea creatures that rose from the water at Zonoros Point. “No one will spot us, will they?”
“No, I promize, thiz water will not remove the zpray. But there are placez where we’ll have to be more careful. Not here though or anywhere we will be going to today. Zee the big arch ahead? Once we pazz through, we will be in the waterz of the Underworld.”
“I’m frightened, Belliza. Stay with me.”
“These next pazzagez will lead uz clozer to the Cavern of the Zea where the Underworld royalz live. Emprezz Diadora’z chamberz are in the Meridian—the layer between the Midnight Zone and the Abyzz. It’z a dangerouz path and we muzt be cautiouz. We ztill have to move through layerz of cavernz, and through The Hollowz to get there. Even experienced travelerz can loze their way. Ztay away from the rough texture of the rocky wallz, too. If you rub againzt it, you could tear through the Zilver Helm.”
“How did this come to be, so far beneath the water?” Parker asked.
“Theze cavez were created by zinkholez—left behind from our fallen citiez thouzandz and thouzandz of yearz ago.”
The seas continued to darken. As if turning on a flashlight, Belliza’s eyes transformed into beacons of light illuminating the cave’s exquisite stalactites and stalagmites. “My eyez will guide our path zo we’ll be able to zee in the blacknezz of the Underworld. There are zome areaz where zchoolz of illuminated fizh are trained to light the way—it iz quite dark down here. But the Underworld creaturez have evolved and learned how to live in the darknezz.”
Parker couldn’t help but notice the suppressed fear in Belliza’s eyes. Not that she could pinpoint the hummingbird’s thoughts, but Belliza appeared tense. Parker had learned Belliza often masked her emotions with her constant movement. Belliza must be a little uncomfortable beneath the sea even with the protection of the Helm.
“The Labyrinthz follow a circular pattern of no return. Rockz can crumble and cave. Wallz can collapze. We leave thiz part of Zpyridon to the Underworld.”
Parker spotted a rock affixed with twigs and branches and stopped to pick it up.
“Put that back where you found it. You hold an ancient offering in your hand, Parker. You muzt return it. It’z a warning to be careful. Thoze before uz left the marker behind to honor thoze who pazzed thiz way before and did not return.”
Parker did as instructed. Part of her wondered why a tour of such a dangerous place was necessary. “What do you mean? Not return? Did they die?”
“It is a mystery of the zeaz. They either dizappeared or were captured by the Underworld. Travel between the Upperworld and the Underworld waz frequent thouzandz of yearz ago—but it haz never been for the faint of heart. Zince the lazt war, Upperworld accezz iz limited to royalz and a few otherz.”
Parker didn’t want to ask, and normally wouldn’t ask, but this seemed far too important. “Are you royalty, Belliza? How else would you be able to bring me here?”
“Yez, I am. My mother waz related to Zonoroz, Ztefanoz’ father. Zhe waz part of hiz Tribunal. Come let’z keep going.” Belliza pointed to a narrow gap with another stone and twig marker. “The Zpiritz of the Zea wizh uz good luck. We’ll go down to the final level, and then we will be at The Hollowz.”
They passed through an opening in a mossy stone wall into a cloud of gas, and Parker felt as if she were floating. Fresh water, maybe condensation, must have met sea water. Last summer, at a chemistry program at the Museum of Science, she studied water purification and the properties of brackish water found in estuaries. That must’ve been why she felt she was experiencing a floating sensation.
The Labyrinth path morphed to a deadly black. Only the brightened flecks in Belliza’s eyes cut through the smog to the saltwater caves below them. “The Hollowz are before uz, Parker. Zee the purple, iridezcent algae. It linez the lava wallz for a good ztretch,” Belliza said. “You will alwayz know you have reached the final threzhold to the Caztle of the Zea when you come to The Hollowz. Everything iz black az night. Theze purple bandz of color mark the path on each zide. The Hollowz are the lazt protective barrier to the Meridian, and the Grotto, home of Commander Pantione. He iz the Commander in Chief of Diadora’z army. He iz the one who handed the note to Zky King when we met at the Point.” Belliza looked at Parker and tipped her beak to proceed through the iridescent lit stone path.
“Why did we come here? I think we should turn back.” She spied the bones of a small creature tangled in a bundle of dead vegetation at the bottom of the cave. She covered her eyes with her hands. Parker began to shake, and her teeth chattered. Chills ran the length of her spine. “I don’t need to see this. I don’t need to be here, Belliza.”
“It iz important for you to know our world, our planet, and our enemiez. You know Cole livez here in the Underworld, watching what goez on for Ztefanoz. He wearz the Zilver Helm when he needz to move around zecretly. He too iz where he doez not belong today. He’z juzt ahead of uz, zending me zignalz, leading our way. You can’t zee him yet.”
“I don’t want to go any farther.”
Belliza wrapped her tiny talon around Parker’s finger and squeezed it tightly for reassurance. “Ztefanoz ordered Cole to bring uz to the Grotto before we return to the Upperworld. We will not go to the Meridian, to Diadora’z home. Not thiz time. Do not be afraid of what you will zee. Nothing can harm you.”