The Silver Seahorse: Book One in the 'Powers' series (COMPLETED)

Chapter 32: In which Evie and Tristin explore the Blue Palace

They swam slowly through the huge archway where two Mer guards were strewn across rocks on either side. The beautifully carved rock arch was blown apart in the top right-hand side, and rubble was littered on the ground.

What's happened? Evie wondered to herself.

It seems abandoned, Tristin thought. Where's everyone?

They swam on into the darkened palace. There was not a soul around, and every movement they made echoed loudly about them. Not a creak came from the upper rooms as they went on.

When they reached the first room, they gasped. It had obviously been a great hall, but now it was ruined, as if a whirlpool had crashed through it, wrecking the delicate architecture and fine carving.

They swam cautiously around the entire lower floor rooms, following the line of utter destruction, checking the way was clear before heading on. There was not a servant in sight. The only Mer they had seen was the guard at the door.

Then they proceeded up a sloping corridor that seemed to act as stairs to the second floor.

The first upper room they entered was very large with a huge bed, made of green seaweed. Evie noticed a mirror on the wall that had an engraving around the outside. It read 'Princess Aamor'.

I wonder who that is, Evie sent. One of the children of the king and queen? Blue's sister?

But Tristin could give no answer.

Each room they went into had some sort of notice on whose room it was. Evie kept a mental list as they went round. Each bed was made of different coloured seaweed, and had various different things in it, although the design was the same on all of them. The last room they went into had a blue bed and was seemingly messy, unlike some of the other, immaculate rooms. They went to the mirror on the wall, but nothing there read a name. Then, after 10 minutes hard searching, they found it: around the window looking out across the seabed, stretching out for miles was an engraving reading 'Princess Bouella.'

There's no Blue... Evie thought, but she closed her eyes and searched her mind. She remembered her dream, when Argent was stolen, and remembered the blue-handled, glass door. She visualized it in her mind and saw, for the first time, engravings matching the ones around the window. Princess Bouella.

Blue's name is Princess Bouella! Evie sent in astonishment. Tristin nodded.

Yes, didn't you know?

No, Evie said sullenly. So Blue is a princess.

Tristin looked around the whole room and swam over to her dresser. He moved some of the hairbrushes and combs around.

Tristin, Evie scolded, and pulled him away. We need to find Blue. I wonder what has happened to her.

Maybe she's dead, Tristin ventured.

No! Evie glared at him. She's not dead. I would have felt it.

So how do we find her? This whole palace is deserted. No-one here.

Wrong, another voice thought, projected in their minds. They spun around to the doorway to see a middle aged Mer woman with a midnight blue tail and jet black hair.

But as they turned, Tristin lost his grip of Evie's lifesaving hand. He immediately began to choke for what seemed like the hundredth time, the weight of the water pressing down on him. Evie grabbed his hand again and smiled at the Mer, trying to cover up his fragileness.

"Who are you?" Evie asked, not quite sure whether she was still speaking in the dolphin language, or in something else. The Mer woman looked surprised, then realization dawned on her face. She bowed low to Evie.

"Welcome, Silver," she said in a voice that should have been filled with music and laughter, but was weighed down with sorrow. "I am Queen Lama, the Old Blue Protector, and mother to Princess Bouella, better known as Blue, the New Blue Protector."

Queen Lama is explored more in my second book in my series, from Blue's POV.

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3lectra