The Crystal in the Chasm

chapter 9

The Sea Barbarian docked at One-Eye Rock soon after I reached the main deck. It was not long before the pirates were making their way off the ship and onto the shore. Death Bringer had his eyes closed and his palms rested against the wood of the ship as darkness ebbed from his fingertips into the planks. Until he returned to the ship himself, anyone who stepped foot on the ship would be incinerated by his dark magic. It was the only precaution needed to ensure that it stayed untouched by other pirates.

As I followed the men making their way across the dock, a familiar set of green eyes arose from beneath the surface of the sea. His blonde hair slicked back, Sea Legs grinned up at me. Water droplets scurried down his cheeks as I dropped down and hung my legs from off of the dock.

"Where have you been off to?" I raised a brow to him.

Below the surface of the water, I caught a glimpse of the scales that matched his eyes as his long fin kept him in place swaying below. He was marvelous. I had never met a mer before him.

"My family wished to speak to me. It seems I have arrived just in time for the fun though. Your pupils are huge," he mused from below.

I had no doubt that they were. My eyelids had opened so wide since I stepped off the boat. Everything was unbearably beautiful, unbearably alive. For the legends that I had grown up hearing of One-Eye Rock, they did not do it justice. Though there was a thick cloud of fog encasing the island like a fence, impenetrable even by my fae eyes, the island itself was breathtaking. The sandy shore was flanked by a lush tropical forest, mountains rising behind the vibrant green like towers. On the highest point of the largest mountain sat a skull-carved rock with one sculpted eye peering downward, the other eye nothing but a black pit that led within the stone. I shuttered at its otherworldliness as I peered up. The air still seemed to have a film of glitter shimmering around me, everything looking entirely unreal. Including Sea Legs. The dream flower must've still been working its magic because I was only getting higher as we spoke. If I was even speaking.

Glancing down, I realized I was not. Sea Legs tilted an amused head and swam toward me, placing both hands beside one of mine and hoisting himself up. I gasped as the sunlight glistened off of his moist scales, his muscled torso emerging from the sea water. The smell of salt blew through the breeze and into my hair. When I glanced over at Sea Legs, he was seated beside me. His tail was so long that it still dangled in the water below. I froze as his wet fingers reached for my hair and gently twirled a piece within them.

"You are rather beautiful," Sea Legs whispered softly.

The heat rose to my cheeks, just as I reminded myself to hide my fae ears with magic. In an instant, their points had softened to a delicate curve. "You don't miss the red?"

He shook his head. "While it suited you, cutting your hair has only brought more of my attention to your face," he smiled lightly.

I nudged him once with an elbow and rolled my eyes. "Does that work on the other ladies you entertain?"

He chuckled with a shrug, "Sometimes."

I grinned widely and pushed myself to my feet, glancing over my shoulder as he shifted his tail into legs. My head whipped back forward before I could look too closely at his revealed body. Listening behind me, I heard Death Bringer toss him some clothes.

It was not too long after that, that I heard boots clicking behind me as I leaped into the sand and did a small twirl. The sun was shining above us and birds were chirping in the distance. The forest was rich with wildlife and exotic flowers, monkeys swinging through the trees. The sky was the same blue as Death Bringer's eyes. It made me nauseous, reminding me of the betrayal from my own mind for the filthy thought that had crossed my mind earlier.