Читать книгу Tane - Sheonna Hill - Страница 8

Chapter 2

Tane

“You can’t leave! What will I do without you? We have responsibilities here! Your father died in the last war when you were just a myr-babe, I can’t have you running off to do the same. I cannot stand the thought of losing you as I lost him. I cannot lose both of the men in my life. The thought of living my life without you in it…I would not be able to go on!” My mother cries as I start packing my bag.

“Mother, I know I am a lot like my father, you have told me this many times over the centuries. We have all heard about an uprising and how certain gods want to fight Poseidon for his throne. He has always been a just god and we were all created as images of him. He is one of the Original Twelve, and through his benevolence he has given us purpose and immortal life. It would be wrong of me not to go and stand by his side in times of trouble.”

I watch my mother sink to the edge of my bed, sorrow written on her face. She has aged since my father’s passing. Even though she is still beautiful, I can see her sadness written in the lines around her eyes.

I grab her hands and look into her blue eyes. “Mother, you know I will be cautious, and I will do everything in my power to come back to you. The last thing I want is to leave you alone, but you know I have to do my part and help if I can.”

She sighs deeply as her grip on my hands tightens. “I know how honorable you are, just as your father was. I will worry because I am your mother, but the world will end if you do not come back to me! Do you understand?”

I smile, because knowing my mother she would probably find a way to end the world if something were to happen to me.

“Yes, Mother, I understand.”

She nods her head. “I am glad. Now, take your father’s sword with you. I hope that it will bring you better luck than it gave him. I did ask the woodland nymphs to put a little extra magic on it to protect you. They owed me a favor for rescuing that little wood nymph from those mortals, so I asked them for a little help watching over you. They said that as long as you carry this sword it will protect you and bring you good luck, though I’m not sure how. I suppose you will find out when the time arrives.”

“Thank you, Mother. I’d best be on my way now, it is a long journey to Poseidon’s kingdom, and I am uncertain of what I will encounter along the route.”

“I know, just be cautious of everyone along the way until you know who to trust. I love you. Please, be careful and remember that you must come back to me or the mortals will see the apocalypse that they have been shouting about for the last century.”

I laughed, reached down, swung her up in my arms, and hugged her tight. “I love you, Mother. Remember that I am no longer a myr-babe, and have not been for two hundred years.”

“Tane, you will always be my myr-babe no matter your age. Now go before I lock you away and keep you there for a century.”

I grab the bag that will carry my weapons from the bedside and head to the water’s edge. One of the best things about being a water god is not worrying about packing clothes. Most of us have enough power to conjure up what we need from thin air. Mortals that travel all over the world must tote around large bags to carry their earthly possessions. It must be tiring, and also quite a nuisance. I am not sure how they do that, and it is something I would not want to experience. One perk of being a god is not having to deal with half of the problems that mortals do. I look back one last time and smile to my mother before I walk out the door, hoping I can keep the promise to return and not fall to the same fate as my father.

Being a Taniwha, I have never ventured far from my home before. We were born to protect the waterways. Some of the rivers and waterways are dangerous and it seems as time goes by that mortals become more and more fearless. They take small crafts that fit one person down them with a single paddle for fun. Some of the breakaways have dangerous currents that will sweep you under. Mortals like to push the boundaries of their mortality and see if they can survive. I haven’t ever understood why they do such crazy and unsafe things when their lives are so short and fragile. Some of them even act as if they are invisible, as if they are immortal. Even immortals can die, only by other immortal weapons, but we can still die and don’t take the risks that mortals do.

I venture through different canals and head south through the southern ocean’s main stream heading toward the depths of the South Atlantic sea. It is the deepest and darkest part of the ocean, and at the bottom of it is Poseidon’s kingdom, where mortals cannot go. I transform into a sea dragon, allowing myself to swim faster than I could in my myr-form. Over the centuries some mortals have seen us in our forms. That is where the myths of seeing a dragon or monster in the water come from, which could really be a Taniwha or a Selkie. The old sailors even saw myr-people from time to time when the myr folk weren’t being cautious.

In my dragon form, I am about seven and half feet long and look like a small dragon. My scales are red and black, with hints of blue to help me blend in with the depths of the ocean and its water creatures. Throughout the centuries we didn’t have to be so cautious, but now mortals have all types of machines that can be in the depths of the water, and they swim with machines on their backs to see the ocean life. We must be more careful to not be caught or seen than ever before. Mortals amaze us with the creations they can come up with, yet it also makes our lives harder to live without being seen.

As I am drawing closer to Poseidon’s realm, I see another god fast approaching from the north. I can tell he is a god, all immortals can tell, because gods have a glow about them that only other immortals can see. A strong enough god also projects a sense of power that you can pick up before you even see them. If mortals saw this one though, even without the glow, they would think that the movie they created called Jaws was real. He is a massive shark body swimming at a fast clip straight toward me. As he gets closer he shifts to a massive seal. I change into my myr-form and unsheathe my father’s sword, just in case he is one of the gods planning a battle against Poseidon, and make my stance ready for anything. As the god approaches me, he slows and transforms into his myr-form. He stops only a couple feet in front of me. He looks the part of an old sea god, long graying hair with a long beard. Another benefit of being a god is that we can speak to each other telepathically if we are close enough to each other under water, and I realize now this is why he came to me.

Are you here to start a war, son? the old sea god asked me. I’m over three hundred years old, but next to him I am sure I’m young.

I am here to protect the rightful ruler of these seas, Poseidon. If you are here to challenge who rules, you will have to go through me first, I tell him as I raise my sword.

He laughs, Relax, young one, I am headed to Poseidon’s kingdom to help fight with him against those who want to take his throne. The name is Proteus. What is yours?

I drop my sword to my side, still being cautious just in case this is a trap. My name is Tane. I am a Taniwha and have come from the Islands Southeast to help in the war against Poseidon.

I’m afraid Poseidon will need all the help he can get. He reaches out a hand for me to shake. I slowly raise my free hand and shake his. I feel a jolt at the touch and hurry to remove my hand just in case he is not who he says he is.

He tilts his head at me and smiles. Well, this will be a twist once we get to Poseidon’s kingdom. I can’t wait to see what happens.

I am sure the confusion on my face at his statement is easy to read. He laughs, Young one, I am an old Prophetic Sea God, with just a touch of hands I can see a glimpse of your future. It will be an interesting one, that’s for sure. Now let us hurry before we actually run into someone that isn’t on the same side as us.

I don’t want to know what he saw in that glimpse of my future, but I am curious at the same time. He changes back into the form of a very large shark and I follow his lead, transforming back into a water dragon. We set off, wanting to get to Poseidon’s realm before trouble finds us.

Soon, we pass through a thick illusion of what looks like the sandy bottom of the ocean and we enter Poseidon’s kingdom. It is a great way to keep mortals in underwater machines from seeing Poseidon’s kingdom, making them think they are at the bottom of the ocean floor.

Immediately, we see sentinels all over the edges of Poseidon’s territory. All around you can see different underwater buildings that look like they came from centuries in the past. Now I know where the ideas that mortals got when building some of the beautiful buildings in the first century must have come from. Gods must have whispered in their ears telling them how they should look. That is what Poseidon’s kingdom looks like. It is a city under water with large domes that look out to the ocean around them. Some are empty, while others have people inside them in their myr-forms with their tails in the water. I see one that has two young myr-boys jumping in and swimming out the bottom to the ocean as we pass by. The kingdom that Poseidon has built is an extraordinary sight. Myr families’ homes are huts in varying sizes, all made out of large coral that has been hollowed out to make a home.

I follow Proteus as we get closer to the middle of the kingdom, seeing others watch us as we swim by. Some looking frightened and others just curious. I look to Proteus and see that he has noticed the looks as well. He nods to me and I hear him speak into my mind, We’d best change forms so we do not scare them!

I nod my head and change into my myr-form as he does the same. Our pass through the realm slows, because in myr-form we don’t have the same power in our fins as we do in our other forms. I see Proteus wave at a few people as we get closer and I really start to relax knowing that people recognize him, and that he isn’t an actual threat to Poseidon. I can see Poseidon’s home sitting in the middle of the city. It is massive in size. It looks like an old castle with much larger openings and passageways than traditional castles mortals create. It’s stunning, and everywhere you look there is a dome coming off each corner of this monstrous home.

Proteus swims down, so I follow, to the middle of the structure from underneath and approaches what looks like a pool. It’s in one of the dome rooms that we have passed so many times throughout the city. He swims up, I follow suit, and we break the water’s edge.

Poseidon creating such a wonder under the sea is amazing; you can breathe air in here just like you could on land. As we get to the edge, we grab two floating steps and transform our fins into human legs, pulling ourselves out of the water and conjuring clothing to fit us as we break the surface.

I look above and see that the dome is at least twenty feet above us and you can see out to all the other myr-people swimming about. Proteus, standing next to me, looks up as well.

“It’s quite a sight, is it not?”

I just nod my head as I look around.

We step around the room and no one else is here. It is just an empty dome.

“Where are we exactly?”

“This is the main entrance for all visitors to come through so they can address Poseidon about the reason for their trip into his kingdom, at least for those who can breathe air; others wait until Poseidon fills this room with water to speak to him. Granted he knows the minute we came into his territory, but not why and who exactly. So we wait here until he comes in,” Proteus explains to me.

I walk over to the dome wall and feel the texture; it’s like a rubber and moves to the touch, not much but it gives at pressure. “One of Poseidon’s creations, it has some give to it but cannot be broken unless he wants it to be.”

“It’s amazing. I have never seen it before and it is so clear like glass you can see out or in.”

He laughs at my comment. I turn to see why.

“This is your first trip to Poseidon’s realm, I gather.” I nod at his statement. “Have you ever met Poseidon before?”

I shake my head no.

The corner of his mouth lifts, he just nods with that smirk, “Well, all I can say is, you will be surprised, young one.”

Suddenly, we hear someone break through the water pool behind us. I swivel quickly, drawing my sword at the same time. I feel Proteus lay his hand on my shoulder.

“Be calm, it is all right,” he assures, then addresses the newcomer. “Delphine, I am glad to see you. Are you just arriving or have you been here?”

I watch as this Delphine comes completely out of the water shaking Proteus’s hand.

“No, I have just arrived. I received a note from a concerned friend who wanted me to come because of the rumors of war and people that are considering which side they will join.”

“Ah, so Poseidon is still being stubborn, and Leia is still the smart one,” Proteus laughs. I see Delphine nod his head to Proteus’s comment.

“That sums it up, but that is between us. She wouldn’t want Poseidon to know she reached out for reinforcements,” Delphine tells Proteus.

“No worries, I won’t say anything.”

“So, who might you be?” Delphine asks me as he turns to me with an outstretched hand.

“My name is Tane, I am Taniwha. I have come to help stand with Poseidon.” I figured I might as well get it all out there.

Delphine smiles at me. “Glad to meet you, and happy you have come to help. Even though Poseidon will say he doesn’t need it, the rest of us will be happy you are here.”

I nod my head in acknowledgment, then I hear the big double doors behind us open. We turn to see a man, not much older than me from his appearance, with blond hair cut short and a short blond beard enter the room. He must be close to seven and a half feet tall. I am not short by any means, but I am about half a foot shorter than him. He also exudes power and strength that makes it feel like he is ten feet in height. I wonder who this man is as he walks up to Proteus and Delphine, then I hear his booming voice for the first time.

“Delphine, Proteus! Old friends, so good to see you. What are you both doing here?”

“Poseidon, it’s great to see you again. Can’t friends drop in and see how you are?” Proteus says.

About this time, my brain is catching up and realizing that the one that looks closer to my age is Poseidon. All the mortals’ statues and drawings resemble Proteus more than the actual Poseidon. He could walk among mortals and they wouldn’t know who he was.

“Who might this young one be?” Poseidon asks, as he walks up and raises his hand to shake mine.

“Poseidon, I am Tane.” I bow my head over our handshake, honored to be in his company. Being this close to him, I can feel his power radiating from him.

“Tane, have you come for help? Is there something I can do for you?”

“No sir, I have come to help in whatever way I can with the threat that is against you and your kingdom,” I tell him honestly.

He raises his eyebrow at me, then turns to look at Proteus and Delphine. “Is that why you two have come as well?”

Delphine steps closer, “Sire, we all know you can handle threats against you on your own. We have come to help back you and keep those in your realm safe and protected.”

I can see Poseidon’s eyebrow raise higher at what Delphine says; I can also see he is about to tell us all to go home when Proteus moves up closer to Poseidon.

“Old friend, I have seen what is coming. You will need all the allies you can get in this upcoming battle.”

Poseidon looks deeply into Proteus’s eyes. “Show me?” He holds out his hand to Proteus, who clasps their hands together. Poseidon closes his eyes as Proteus’s eyes roll back until all you can see is the white of them. After only a moment or so, they drop hands and Poseidon opens his eyes, his mouth locked tight, and I see the muscle twitch in his jaw.

He turns to all of us, “Welcome, and thank you for coming, gentlemen, you are welcome here in my home.”

I hear the purr of a voice come from the pool of water, “Is there no welcome for me as well?”

We all turn and see a golden blond beauty step out of the water, and she is immediately covered in a sheer white flowing gown with a gold headpiece holding back some of her hair. Poseidon walks up to her as if in a trance. With shock written across his face, he grabs both of her biceps and pulls her into his arms. “Does this mean you missed me?” she purrs to Poseidon.

He pulls back and looks at her with longing I would not have thought to see from a strong god like Poseidon.

“I have missed you every day you have been gone. If I knew a war would bring you back, I would have started one myself ages ago.” He told her with all sincerity in his voice. She laughs at his comment, brushing it away as if he was joking, but by the look in his eyes, I think he was serious.

“Come, let us get something to refresh you,” Poseidon tells her. It’s as if the other three of us in the room no longer exist. I look to Delphine, and he has a smile on his face. I look over at Proteus, wondering his reaction to this. He just smirks and shakes his head, telling me not to ask.

Poseidon and the woman drift off.

“You had a hand in this, didn’t you, Delphine?” Proteus asks him.

Delphine just shrugs his shoulders and starts to exit the room. I follow behind Proteus since I have no idea where we are going or what is going to happen next.