The Dragon King

1 - Storm Cast

It was quieter than usual in Blue Haven. Such serenity was only found in two ways; when the Blue Men slept, and when they'd left to sink a ship. Evienne rested in her cove of the caverns the Blue Men occupied, aware of the unsettling quiet. As she finished braiding her hair and tied it with a strand of sea vine, she tilted her ear to the opening of her nook, though a tattered, crimson curtain hung in it for privacy.

Though noise did not reach her, it was the tremors of the water that alerted Evienne. All around she felt that the sea was pushing and pulling on her ever so slightly, and the touch of it against her pale skin was like the ice of winter. She folded her arms around her torso to warm herself, for her tunic no longer had sleeves and she'd torn the length of a pair of trousers off to make for easier swimming. The kelp she used to wrap around her arms and ankles was old and dead, but it was the least she could do for extra protection.

When the water swayed with a force that wasn't natural, she jolted. As she made her way to the opening of her cove, Evienne peered into the vast cave of Blue Haven. No one was in sight. Her heart sank, and she now knew what reason there was for such silence.

There was a storm.

With an unrestrained growl, she darted from the cove and through the cave, passing many dormant coves and nooks along the way. The darkness seemed to waver as the water rippled past her. She knew her way well enough, even in the dark. She knew when to pull up and avoid the mast of a sunken ship or to narrow her shoulders to brush by the kelp vine tangles that she used to get stuck in so often.

Near the mouth of the cave, she slowed. Floating near the edge of it, she curled her slender, porcelain-colored fingers around the black rock and peeked into the open water. A coral reef was not far from Blue Haven, and though its rich colors of orange and red were alluring, the sharp rocks that jutted out in between them had been the fate of many Earth Walker's.

Sailors did not often pass by the waters that surrounded Blue Haven, but when they did it was a boisterous event. The Blue Men, young and old, would prepare in haste to chase after the ships and have their wily ways. Evienne had often thought to leave while they were out antagonizing the Earth Walkers, but she knew she wasn't a fast enough swimmer yet to escape so easily.

Earth Walkers. How she despised them, yet yearned to aid them when such turmoil was caused unexpectedly for them. She'd seen many sailors fall prey to the ways of the ocean, and as they sank with their ships, she'd feel a warm tear rim her eye before it dissolved into the mass of the sea that surrounded her. Though she had no desire to be among their kind, she did not wish harm upon them all, for how could she when she too was once an Earth Walker?

Overhead, nearing the coral reef, was a small ship. The underside of the boat was a rich cedar wood, the boards waxed and clean as if brand new. She could sense the thick clouds brewing in the sky as the waters turned a gloomy shade of grey. Then, she saw a flash of deep blue, unlike the greenish tint of the ocean, and locked her eyes on it. A cluster of the Blue Men, streaks of white war paint smeared across their azure skin, scurried under the ship with a mischievous glow in their eyes.

Evienne scowled, baring her teeth as she watched them. She knew what they were up to, and the anger she felt that she could not do anything burned within her chest. As she scanned past the boat, she spotted the real threat. Ailen, one of the trained Storm Casters, lingered behind the group. His palms swirled in front of him, his eyes clamped shut and his jaw tight.

This was not a natural storm, this was one of their own creation. This was against the Law of the Sea.