Abyssal (ManxMan)

Triple Threat

It wasn't just golden, it was made of gold. He'd seen such a grand creation only in cartoons and fantasy movies. Was gold abundant in Nostraza? 

He turned to look for a way out of the room and only then did it dawn on him.

The room had no door. 

Anxious, he approached the walls and examined them closely. He began to feel for a doorknob with his hands as he circled the room, searching for any hidden seam or line that would indicate a well-hidden door. He even peaked behind the shell bed in case it was concealed there. Nothing. 

Where the hell was he? Had he exchanged one cage for another, more elaborate one? Were the black walls just like a two-way mirror, and on the other side was the crowd laughing and mocking his vain attempts to escape? 

He stepped back from the wall until he was standing in the center of the room. Biting his lips, he slowly turned in circles as he contemplated a way out. Most likely, he would not be able to leave this room until they wanted him to leave. If there was a door, it had to open from the outside only. 

How utterly frustrating and maddening. It was clear that getting out of this place would not be easy. Not in the least. 

Was he inside the palace he'd partially seen? Or was he in a dungeon somewhere, locked away until his captor decided otherwise. 

His captor. King Marius the Conqueror himself. 

He shuddered. 

Why did he shudder? 

I guess I should be honored, he thought with a wry chuckle.  

The mighty king, slayer of kings, had opted to come get him himself instead of delegating the task to someone else. Was it because he didn't trust his own people? Or was the task so important that he couldn't give it to someone else? There was no doubt in his mind that King Marius was after his power. From the little he'd gathered, his father had hidden him away from existence to keep his power from falling into the wrong hands; Marius' hands. Technically, there were only a handful of people who knew Kai even existed, according to what his mother told him on the day he nearly drowned. So perhaps the mighty king's people knew nothing of it, considering that Kai himself had been oblivious to the power dwelling inside him all his life.

The more he thought about it, the more he suspected that that was indeed the case. King Marius had trusted no one -or few like those mermaid siblings- with his capture, or rather securing his power. 

His power. 

He looked at the walls. Could he use his power to get himself out of here? But he didn't even begin to understand how to call upon the golden merman, let alone 'use' him. It was so frustrating; he had a power that powerful kings coveted, but did not know how to use it. 

While he was deep in thought, Kai failed to notice the fabric of space tearing until the dark blue lights emitting from the black hole in the middle of the room caught his attention. He let out a gasp and distanced himself from it, instantly on guard. His hackles rose. 

Was that a portal? It was different from the mirror in the tunnel; it floated in midair, not quite circular, but as tall as a door. He could sense the same type of magic emitting from it, not that Kai was an expert in all things magic. Nevertheless, he was certain that it had the same 'feeling' as the mirror had. 

A guy stepped through it and into the room.

Yup. Portal, he thought, taking another step back. His mind struggled to understand the images his eyes were sending; that a person could appear out of virtually thin air. 

Another person appeared, and then another. 

They were triplets! 

He didn't remember the last time he'd seen twins, let alone triplets. And these had to be by far the most beautiful triplets he'd ever seen. They were in human form and were as tall as he was. They had dark hair and gorgeous amber eyes. Kai was surprised to note that their eyes weren't shark-like like the rest of the merfolk he'd met so far. One of them had a small scar running down the side of his face.

Before he could note their strange clothing, the one who emerged out of the black hole first nodded his head to him in greeting, and then said, "We have come to take you."

Warily, Kai's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Take me where?" 

"To your bath." They replied in unison, slightly startling Kai. 

"Wait, what? A bath? All three of you are going to bathe me?" he asked incredulously. The mere thought made him sick to his stomach. 

They nodded. 

"I can bathe for myself," he snarled, immediately going on the defensive. "Besides, why do I need to bathe? I was underwater for hours!" 

"Precisely," chimed in the one in the middle. "You reek of sea water and fish," he added, wrinkling his nose. 

"And mermaids don't?!" 

They leapt on him then. Even if he wasn't still weakened, he would never have been able to wrestle off three people. They made quick work of restraining him. A triplet on either side of him, their hands closed around his arms like vices, pinning his flailing hands. 

When he realized that it would be a waste of strength to fight them, he stopped struggling and allowed himself to be guided toward the portal. He instinctively closed his eyes just before he went through it.

When he emerged on the other side, he opened his eyes and gasped.