Ossie ran so fast behind Caesar the world blurred past. Tears streamed down my face, forcing me to press my head against his back while I clung to him. We passed various areas that went from hot to cold to warm again. I didn’t know all the levels of the Underworld and hoped the demon brothers and Caesar would take care of me in Vic’s absence.
Finally, we stopped. Wiping my eyes dry, I could see again. I peered around Ossie’s large scaly black shoulder when Caesar started barking. We stood outside a closed wooden door with wrought iron hinges and delicate vine engravings on the door that glowed like the door was breathing.
Os and Julia were in their purple demon form, their tails swishing left and right in unison. Their dark talons were up and out, ready to fight anything behind the door.
I did a second glance at Julia, who did nothing but glance my way. Her purple body was beautiful and curvy in all the right places. She seemed to glow in a dim light that hid nothing, and being a succubus, she was extremely attractive, and I felt myself drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
When Os pulled Julia to stand on his other side, the connection we shared shattered like glass on the floor. I shivered from the loss of warmth and my cheeks heated.
Ossie pushed past everyone, helping me off his back, and opened the door.
Not wanting to be caught in Julia’s magnetism again, I stood beside Caesar, who had shrunk down to normal dog size and scratched behind their ears. “Who’s a good doggie? You’re good doggies… yes, you are,” I said, rubbing one head after the other. Their shared tail slapping hard against the floor in happiness as their tongues fell out of their mouths. “Such good floofs,” I whispered. “I hope our father is here and safe.” The middle head yelped and licked my face. I saw in their dark eyes they were worried about our father too.
The door squeaked open, and Ossie entered. A cool sea breeze whipped my face, and I followed him. Caesar walked beside me while the two sexy purple demons followed close behind.
The world beyond the wooden door was breathtakingly stunning. I stood with my mouth wide open. I knew the Underworld had worlds within the larger realm and among them hidden gems, but this world was something else. It was an ocean filled with majestic creatures; dolphins with different shaped noses, seahorses the size of ponies and of various colors never seen before, and a variety of fish I didn’t know the names to.
I held my breath, so that I didn’t drown, and stepped inside. But… I frowned when cool air brushed against my face. I exhaled and inhaled. I touched Ossie’s back, and he glanced over his shoulder down at me; plumes of smoke coming out of his nostrils and his metallic black eyes sparkled.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone deep and throaty.
“I can breathe here?” I said, shrugging. “How can we be under water?” I breathed in for additional effect and a school of fish swam past, darting left then right as they followed the leader.
Ossie stopped walking, and I almost bumped into the back of him. “Victor has told you about the various worlds within the Underworld?” I nodded. “Well, each world holds creatures specific to their world or realm. Therefore, if they kill a good mermaid, their souls come to this ocean. While those evil mermaids get taken somewhere, not as nice.” He raised his claws and a star fish bounced off the tip of his one talon. “It’s fascinating once you have seen all the levels.” He smiled as his metallic scales glistened in the ocean light.
“I knew there was more to the Underworld than I realized, but never could I image an ocean within, and I could breathe underwater.”
Ossie thought for a moment, then spoke, “It’s not so much as you breathing underwater, but the water giving way to you in order to breathe. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” I said, and my eyes flitted to the side when a dark shadow emerged from the depths of the seafloor. I pushed Ossie to the side and pointed. He grabbed my hand and lowered it.
“Never point at the Queen of the Seven Seas,” he whispered so only I could hear, but his lips barely moved. The dark figure neared, stopping in front of us. “My Queen,” he said, letting go of my hand.
The Queen of the Seven Seas floated closer. I couldn’t see her clearly at first since seaweed floated around her, but the closer she came, I had to do a double take.
Her hair moved like sea snakes, but it was only her large black dreadlocks. Two elegant golden horns stood on her head, with a detailed crown perched on top. Around her thin neck was a necklace matching her crown. Her skin was as dark as chocolate with golden lines on her face, reminding me of marble. Those lines moved beneath her skin as if liquid gold flowed in her veins. On her right shoulder was a detailed tattoo I couldn’t make out, but it looked like shells.
She had brown seaweed covering her breasts. Her tail glistened in various colors ranging from turquoise to blue to soft greens, depending on how the sea light caught it. Then, in her right hand, she held a golden staff with a snake wrapped around it. There was more detail at the top, ending with a sharp point. The tip part of the staff seemed empty, as if missing a part of it; there was fine golden detail that ended with the sharp spear.
And swimming around her was a gold and green moray eel with blue sparks shooting from it to the Queen. The blue sparks connecting it to its Queen reminded me of a leash on a dog.
“My Queen, wait—” Ossie started to say when she cut him off. Her eyes glowed golden, and she opened her mouth, spewing golden lava.
“No!” Ossie yelled, raising his hand. She closed her mouth, and her eyes bled back to its cool blue color. “Please,” he said softer. “I’m not here to fight you, my Queen.” Ossie moved away from the lava before it burned him. The lava sizzled, hardened, and sunk to the sea floor below our feet.
“What are you doing here?” The Queen demanded. Her eel hissed as it swam around her, blue sparks continued flowing between them. “You threatened never to see me again.”
I groaned inwardly. This was not the time for an ex-lover’s tiff. I must’ve made a sound because one moment I was staring at the lava sinking, the next she’s standing before me and about to open her mouth.
“Who are you?” she asked. Her dark eyes bleeding to golden.
“Don’t hurt her…” Ossie stumbled. “She’s important.”
That caught the Queen’s attention, and she decided against frying my skin with her potent golden lava spit. She neared and sniffed me. It was strange; her head moved out of the water protecting her and sniffed near my right ear. She moved back into the water as if pondering what I smelled like. Then, after a few seconds, her eyes widened and turned to Ossie.
“What is she doing here? She is never to be this far below the surface.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No.”
“You’re lying, Niriga. His dog sniffed him out, and he’s here somewhere.”
I flinched when I heard Ossie say her name, a name I’d never heard before but somehow knew how important it was. Niriga wasn’t only the Queen of the Seven Seas but of all sea creatures. She ruled everything to do with water and knowing her true name was dangerous. I frowned at the thought; a thought that wasn’t mine yet, I knew. I closed my eyes and sensed Vic; my father was here, and he was talking to me through the connection I didn’t know we shared.
The Queen backed away as if Ossie had slapped her.
Ossie raised both hands in surrender, the scales shimmering metallic. “I mean no harm, my Queen, but Caesar picked up his scent. He is here—”
“He’s ill,” she said nervously, as if us knowing how gravely ill he was would be the end of her.
“We know,” Ossie said, his shoulders sagging. “We need to speak with him.” His tone was gentle.
“You can’t.” Her sea eel swam around her once more, pushing her farther away from us.
“We need to help him, Niriga,” Ossie said her name again and the eel’s blue sparks almost touched us. “We need him in order to find the Mask of Immortality.”
Niriga neared and in a low voice, said, “I only meant for him to help but when I found him dying in his chambers, I had to take him and keep him safe. You see, he’s the only one who knows where my pearl is,” she raised her staff, confirming my suspicion that perhaps her pearl belonged in the empty spot, “and he won’t divulge this information. Without this pearl, my power doesn’t last.”
“He was punishing you,” Ossie said, standing taller. “You used your power to hurt others, and that’s not what we do here. You used that pearl to fuel your own agenda.”
Niriga averted her eyes in what I could only describe as shame. “I was young and stupid,” she said, glancing up at Ossie with golden tears in her eyes. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Are you up to speaking with him?” Ossie asked, staring at me. I nodded. “Good.” Then he turned to Niriga. “Can she see him?”
She stared at me suspiciously. “Fine, but on one condition. I’ll only set him free once I have my pearl back.” She arched an eyebrow.
“We don’t have time for this.”
“There is no time here, Ossie. I want my pearl and in exchange, you can have him.”
“You fight dirty.”
“Don’t we all?” she asked.
“Fine,” Ossie said. “We’ll help get your pearl back and you’ll free him.”
“Deal,” she said with satisfaction. “Now come with me so that you can ask him where my pearl is and retrieve it. But you,” she pointed at Ossie, “stay here.”
Ossie raised his hands again. “No problem.”