The Quest

Chapter X

Chapter X

Sleeping underwater was one of the strangest sensations that Anamaia had ever experienced, and although at first she had thought that she would never be able to sleep, the distant sounds of the fish and the crabs carried by the waves lulled her to sleep once she had given up waiting for Nereida and Nalin to return.

However, true to her words, when Anamaia did wake up, Nereida was there with Nalin who was ready to go, and they had just shaken Ellaime awake as well.

“Come on! We need to go!” said Nereida, bouncing around in the water excitedly.

Anamaia looked at her suspiciously. “I don’t know why you’re so excited, it’s not that fun.”

Ellaime rolled out of the linen cocoon he had made for himself and blinked startled. “I forgot I was in water,” he said sheepishly as he floated there suspended in it.

Nereida, Nalin and Anamaia all laughed together, the sound carrying throughout the house as Nalin grabbed Ellaime’s hand and tugged him out of the house.

“Come on,” smiled Nereida. “We need to go.”

“How did you get Nalin to agree to come?” asked Anamaia curiously.

“I have my ways,” she said enigmatically, looking rather scary as she spoke.

Nereida dragged Anamaia after her as they sped away from the city, suddenly stopping to sit on a large patch of smooth sand as she saw Nalin and Ellaime there.

“We just realised that it would probably help to know where we’re meant to be going,” said Nalin.

Anamaia thought for a while. “Well we need to reach the Fire and Air realms, but we don’t know how to get there,” she said finally.

“How did you find us?” asked Nereida curiously.

“The Queen of Deheyol gave me a ring which showed us the way with an arrow,” said Anamaia, fully aware of how strange it sounded.

Nalin and Nereida didn’t look shocked but excited. “You have a Realm Friend ring?” she asked excitedly.

“Err yes?” Anamaia said confused, holding out the ring. Nereida leant in and gazed at it. “It is! She has a Friend ring!”

“Hang on. We’re members of the Earth realm, why don’t I know what it is? The four realms are meant to work together but I’ve never heard of anyone having one of these,” said Ellaime.

Nalin turned to him. “They’re really old – ancient even. As old as time,” he said, twisting his mouth in a wry smile, “there aren’t many around and only a few of the oldest families have them. Nobody’s heard of them unless they have one – they’re very valuable. Once the Bliain fell eight rings were spread out between eight powerful families – two to each realm. Each family has the ring of one other realm, and another family in their realm has another, so that if one family becomes corrupt, there are others to prevent…” he paused, thinking of the word he was looking for, “too much evil,” he finally settled on, failing in finding it. “Only two families have ever boasted about them, and they were stolen, their descendants murdered and the rings taken, then lost to history.”

“What about the others?” asked Anamaia curiously.

Nereida took over the story, saying “Two families lost them, an Air and an Earth ring, one family died out and the last member of the family hid it, not telling anyone. That was a Fire ring, wasn’t it?” she asked Nalin.

“Yes I think so,” he replied.

“Then one Water ring was destroyed, it drove the family crazy I think. You have the other Water ring, and…” she paused, and with the air of revealing a great secret, a prized possession, or a weapon capable of causing a lot of damage, she continued on saying, “And I have the other Fire one,” as she pulled out a fine chain with a ring suspended on it. It was gold, swirling flames spiralling out around the band from the flame coloured jewel set in it, a ruby so red at the centre to be almost black, fading out to a flame like orange at the edges. As Anamaia gazed into the depths the jewel, she could have sworn that she could see a fire flickering in the depths of it.