“We find the Five,” said Vindrash, “and we hope.”
CHAPTER 33
The City of the Fourth Daughter was almost identical to the City of the First Daughter, as least as far as Skylan could see. Like the City of the First Daughter, this city was also built inside an island in the middle of the sea; the only access to the city was far beneath the ocean’s surface. The oceanaids, with Wulfe tagging along, led Skylan and the Aquin warriors to the location of the dungeon area and indicated with gestures that this was where they had seen the warriors drag the young Vindrasi.
Manta thanked the dolphins and dismissed them, asking them to come back when called. The sea around the Fourth City was alive with fish and Aquins, going about their daily routines, much as the streets of Skylan’s village would be filled with people heading out to the crops in the fields or to the woods to hunt. Skylan noted the presence of a great number of warriors among the people of the Fourth City, many of them male. The men had their heads shaved and marked with the serpent tattoo he’d first seen on Raegar’s head. He guessed that like Raegar, these men were Aelon’s chosen-elite Warrior-Priests.
One group of Warrior-Priests was engaged in what looked to Skylan like mock battles. A warrior on land could hurl a spear at his foe. Below water, combat was entirely hand-to-hand and, interestingly enough, conducted without weapons. The warriors were being taught choke holds and various other means of subduing a foe without drawing blood. Skylan couldn’t imagine why at first. A moment’s thought provided the answer: pitched battle with armies of spear-wielding Aquins would end with both sides losing to the blood-seeking sharks. Skylan touched Manta’s shoulder to draw her attention and pointed to the training session.
She and her warriors watched the male warriors with amusement, judging by their derisive sounding clicks and squeals. Skylan shook his head, envisioning large numbers of these Warrior-Priests launching a swift and deadly attack on the First City, seizing those outside the safety of the city walls and either killing them or taking them prisoner. Once this was accomplished, the army would then move inside the city and put their spears and knives to use.
Skylan could envision this, but Manta and the Aquin warriors could not. He was glad he had come, if for no other reason than he could warn Queen Magali of the danger and she could train her people to guard against it.
The presence of large numbers of male Warrior-Priests ensured that Skylan and his warriors, wearing the armor adorned with the serpent, were not likely to be noticed-one small band among so many. Skylan kept close watch, but no one paid them any attention as the oceanaids led the group toward a cavernous opening below sea level.
Judging by the number of warriors gathered around it, Skylan assumed this must be their destination. Wulfe swam among the oceanaids. Manta tried, but, unlike the dolphins, the oceanaids were not about to be shooed away. They had never known such excitement and they swarmed around the warriors like silvery, voluptuous fish. Fortunately the Aquins were used to them and paid them no heed, ignoring them as they ignored the rest of the sea creatures that made this area their home.
Manta studied the terrain for long moments, then motioned Skylan to join her and the others in one of the many cavernous alcoves that dotted the island. Skylan broke through the surface of the water, took the tube from his mouth, and thankfully breathed air that didn’t come through a tube.
“That entrance the oceanaids showed us leads to the dungeons,” Manta confirmed. “Like our city, the dungeons are kept separate from the city proper. The young man will be well-guarded. How do you propose to free him? We will not fight,” she added, frowning. “We will not shed the blood of another Aquin.”
“Let’s hope Farinn’s Aquin guards feel the same,” Skylan said dryly.
“We are not like you land walkers,” Manta said, offended by his sarcastic tone. “You think of nothing except ways to spill each other’s blood.”
“Right now, I’m thinking of my man who is being held prisoner inside there,” said Skylan angrily. “You saw those warriors out there. What do you think they were doing? Playing games? Those warriors are being trained to kill. They are training for battle. The City of the Fourth Daughter is preparing to go to war-against your people.”
“You see what you want to see,” Manta insisted.
Skylan saw no point in arguing further. He swam over to talk to Wulfe.
“If I need your magic, what kind of magic spell will you cast?” Skylan asked the boy.
“Look at the bats up there!” said Wulfe, craning his neck.
“Wulfe, forget the bats. This is serious,” said Skylan. “We’re going inside the dungeon to rescue Farinn and I need to know what you plan to do with your magic.”
“I don’t know,” said Wulfe. He shrugged. “Magic isn’t something you plan. It’s something that happens-like a sneeze.”
Skylan glanced hurriedly at Manta and the other Aquin warriors, hoping they hadn’t heard that the magic that might save their lives was like a sneeze. The Aquin warriors were huddled together, talking in earnest. Skylan hoped they were finally taking what he’d told them to heart.
Skylan gripped Wulfe’s shoulder. “Going in there will be dangerous, especially for you. If Raegar gets hold of you, he’ll kill you-”
“He won’t get hold of me,” said Wulfe with a grin. “Maybe you, but not me.”
Skylan gave up. He considered the situation and thought that of all the challenges he’d faced in his life, this was undoubtedly the greatest. He was entering a dungeon filled with Aelon’s Warrior-Priests thirsting for his blood alongside a group of warriors who had vowed not to fight and a fae child who didn’t know what spell he was going to cast because magic was like a sneeze.
Skylan touched the silver amulet at his neck and prayed. “Torval, I know you never venture into the ocean and I can certainly understand why, but if you could make an exception, I need your help!”
His prayer dispatched, Skylan swam back to Manta. “You know what to say?”
She looked annoyed. “We have gone over this many times.”
“We have to get this right,” said Skylan.
Manta sighed. “I am a messenger from Priest-General Raegar. He has ordered that the young man be taken to the Temple of the Spirit Priestesses”-Manta stumbled over this title-“so that they may restore the tattoo on the young man’s arm that allows the slave to again receive the wisdom of Aelon’s counsel.”
Skylan nodded his head. “Good.”
“But what if these worshippers of Aelon don’t have these Spirit Priestesses?” one of the warriors asked.
“They will,” said Skylan with more confidence than he felt.
Logic dictated the presence of Spirit Priestesses among the Aquins. The Warrior-Priests were marked with Aelon’s serpent tattoo and, at least in Sinaria, that could be administered only by the Spirit Priestesses. The danger was that the Aquins might call them by a different name.
“What if they hand over Farinn, then decide to send an escort with us?” Manta asked.
“I will deal with any escort,” said Skylan.
The Aquins glanced at each other.
“You mean you will kill him,” said Manta in cold and disapproving tones.
“Farinn is my man and he was taken from your protection,” said Skylan in grim tones. “I’ll try my best not to kill anyone, but I will do what I must to recover my man. If you don’t like it, you can all swim back to your city. I’ll go alone.”
“With me,” said Wulfe. “I’m going.”
“The fae princeling is not coming!” said Manta. “He can wait for us here.”
“He’s coming,” said Skylan.
The Aquins were not pleased about any of this.
“If something goes wrong, the boy will provide a diversion. Like I said,” Skylan added, “you can all swim back home.”
The Aquins exchanged glances.