The False Prince

10 | The forgotten Curse

Instead of dying in the maelstrom, the men found themselves in an underwater cave and, to their great pleasure, very much alive. Oliver stood up and explored the dark cavern, searching for even the tiniest flicker that could lead them find an exit. The rest of the party followed him, keeping a close and careful guard over their prisoner. As they walked, they began to hear a faint hissing noise. Suddenly, a giant pair of blue reptilian eyes appeared, glaring murderously at the young wizard in disguise. It was the leviathan!

The men sprinted as fast as they could in the opposite direction, but, unfortunately for them, the serpent was quicker than they were. Once she had caught up with them, the celestial leviathan wrapped her tail around Oliver, picked him up, and slithered away into the darkness. The guards tried to clamber up the rocky stairs after her, but it was too slimy for their feet to get a proper grip. Oliver was on his own now. They couldn't help him.

Once the creature was out of sight of the other men, she stopped and released the sorcerer. Oliver looked at her with a look of fear and surprise in his glossy, brown eyes.

"You're not going to-to eat me? "He stuttered.

"Of course, not!" Replied the blue and silver serpent. "It would have botched my plans. Oh, how rude of me! I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Lady Zapphiretta, water mage of Carazell Lagoon."

"Wait," spoke Oliver. "You can't be a mage. You're a dragon!"

"Well, I am at the moment, but with your help, I can become a human again! You see, my sister, Seerynn, grew envious of my great prowess in water magic. She was so jealous, that she turned me into a leviathan, forcing me to stay in this lagoon for the rest of my life. I created the maelstrom to bring you here." The monster explained.

"Okay, but how am I supposed to help you?"

"You're not really Prince Tabazan. You are a wizard, aren't you?"

"Why, yes." He replied. "Wait!" He scolded himself for being so careless. "How did you know that?"

"I could sense your magic aura." She hissed.

"I would help you, but I don't think I'm powerful enough."

"You don't know until you try." Zapphiretta encouraged.

Oliver grew silent so that he could concentrate. Closing his eyes and thinking joyous thoughts, he summoned all of his power and focussed on the dragon. The wizard then stopped and opened his eyes. In front of him, instead of a dragon, was now a beautiful woman with flowing, white hair. She wore an aquamarine dress, and on her shoulders, she wore a cloak of silver stars. At least, Oliver thought they were stars.

"Thank you, great wizard. You may now leave. Oh, here are your friends." She snapped her fingers, and the guards appeared in a puff of glittering smoke. The man with the greasy hair looked at Oliver for an explanation as to why the strange lady was there and where the leviathan went. Oliver said nothing.

"What have you done with Prince Tabazan's brother?" The guards demanded.

"Oh, him?" The water mage questioned. "I'll get him. Prince Isildor, some friends are here to get you." She called.

Soon, a strong looking man with floppy, sandy coloured hair came running into the room. He went straight for Oliver and hugged him.

"Thank you so much, brother, for saving me!" Isildor spoke. Oliver gave a nervous laugh.

Zapphiretta pointed a finger at a door.

"If you follow the floodlights, you will find your way back to the surface of the lagoon. If you do not, however, you will fall into the abyss. Don't worry about the fire in the sky. It is only an illusion. It can't harm you." Then she turned to Oliver, pulled off the cloak from her shoulders, and handed it to him. "You deserve a reward for helping me. Here, take this cloak. Its magic abilities will serve you well in times of trouble."

Oliver thanked the woman for her generosity and left to join the group. They had found one brother, but they still had seven more to save.