Bliss (16 page)

Eyeing the now free entrance, he didn’t hesitate. Hot, blinding pain poured into ever
y cell in his body, but still he swam forward, away from Bull and Muroka.

The loss
of Bertha had had a profound impact on the slave trader who was now vowing to make him pay for what he had done. That was a joke. He was already paying for it. Darius knew the bite from Bertha had been lethal. The deadly toxins in the Tartahounds salvia were slowly killing him.

“Darius, what can I do?”

Darius forced himself to keep moving while paying attention to Rylan.

“Get Kassandra to safety. I told you. Go!” commanded Darius, angrier than a shark at Rylan for disobeying him.
They should have been a hundred miles from here. Then he realized that they
couldn’t
be a hundred miles from here. Not while he and Kassandra were still bound by that damned book.

A powerful spasm wracked through his entire body
, and he forced his teeth together to stop the scream that threatened to wrench itself free from his body. Then he collapsed as the poisonous venom made its way to his heart.
Failure never felt so deadly,
he thought, shutting down his system before it was too late.

Kassandra didn’t think her eyes could get any bigger. First the strange eel-like dog with three heads which resembled something straight out of a Harry Pottery movie. Then after managing to wrestle free from Rylan, who seemed intent on moving her away from all the action, Darius emerging from the cave’s entrance looking like death-washed over.

Her heart lurched madly and she had to bite the insides of her cheek to stop screaming – not that it would do any good since no one would be able to hear her through the diving mask.

She ordered Rylan to go to Darius, and the teenager didn’t hesitate. Now, however, what was she to do?

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked, talking into the diving mask’s microphone
. She hoped against hope that the seemingly brainless Rylan would know what was causing Darius’ body to slowly turn green.

“I’m not sure. I think he got bitten by one of those...those...I have no idea what those things are called, but let’s just call it one Hell of an
evil-looking devil dog. I’m thinking their bite must be toxic. I honestly don’t know what to do. Do you?”

Kassandra shook her head. Cradling Darius’ body in her arms as the three of them nestled together behind a large outcrop
ping of dead coral, she wished more than anything that she could feel his skin with her own hand. Instead, she had to make do with the wet suit gloves she was forced to wear.

Then a piercing scream rent the air
. The next thing she knew two more of those devil dogs emerged from the cave along with the scariest Titan she’d ever dreamt of.

“Okay, that’s not good. We’ve got to get out of here and fast. That’s Muroka and he’s got it in big time for our friend, Darius. I vote we run,” said Rylan.

“That’s
who
?”

“Muroka. Trust me, not someone you need to know about. Look, I promised Darius I wouldn’t do any popping about as he calls it, so we’ve got to move and move now,” said Rylan, attempting to grab Kassandra by the arm.

Pulling Darius’ body closer to hers, Kassandra briskly pushed Rylan away. “I’m not leaving without him.” Thinking fast for more options, she noticed a brown sinkhole in the ocean floor. It was they type of sinkhole that had propelled them here.

“Let’s make a run for that sinkhole.
With any luck, that…thing…and those creatures won’t be able to follow.” She sounded for a second like she knew what she was talking about. She hoped she did.

“I’ll take the bag,” said Rylan. “It’s what he was looking for.”

Kassandra numbly nodded. “I’ll carry him,” she said, with more confidence than she felt. Rylan’s eyebrow’s lifted in disbelief. “Trust me, I can carry him. Plus the water will give him more buoyancy.”

“Sure, whatever you say. I’ll take the lightweight bag and you take the
almost two-hundred pound Titan. Yeah, that sounds fair to me.”

Rylan
picked up the bag, and for a second Kassandra swore the kid was about to juggle it. “Don’t even think about it,” she said, panting over the microphone while trying to hook Darius’ body over her shoulder.

“How about I help you with that?”

“Okay. If you just push his upper torso over my shoulders, I’m sure I can make it.”

“I’m sure you will,” said Rylan.

There was an odd twinkle in Rylan’s eyes that gave her pause.
And how does he know Darius is a Titan. I think it’s time Rylan and I had a chat. As soon as we get back to the boat
.

Another guttural scream caused her to strain her neck for a look.

“I think our time is up. We’ve got to go. And now!” said Rylan, all but running for the sinkhole. He seemed to move with perfect ease in his wet suit and tank…and did she ever hate him for that.

Praying she was right, Kassandra forced her flippers to move. Realizing that they wouldn’t give her enough momentum she reached down to unbuckle them. With her feet clad
only in diving slippers she pushed herself forward, attempting to run while holding onto Darius for all he was worth. It was hard and slow going. Her feet dug deep into the sandy bottom floor. But at least Darius had no weight to him. He was bulky, which made him difficult to manage, but he wasn’t heavy.

A terrible stench filled her nose
, causing her to gag.

“Don’t look behind you...just run,” shouted Rylan, as his body disappeared into the sinkhole.

Kassandra had to force herself not to give into the temptation to look over her shoulder.

The rotten sulfur smell almost caused her to throw-up.
Why isn’t Darius heavy?
Her feet finally found the brown spot on the ocean floor. As that thought penetrated her brain, her feet and body were sucked into the sinkhole, and she prayed with all her might that the beasts wouldn’t follow.

After another horrifying roller
coaster ride, she landed with a loud thud. She hit the ocean floor hard and rolled, which finally caused her to let go of Darius. His body, so still, scared her. Warm water washed over her as she forced herself to look around.

Just where are we?
She took in the rich colors of the ocean floor. The sea was awash with red coral. Blue iridescent flowers lined what could only be described as a pathway. Angelfish and seahorses darted all around her.

Welcome, Kassandra, to the Red Sea. W
e will take care of the Prince,
said the most sensuous, sultry female voice Kassandra had ever heard before. The fact that the voice had come into her head no longer startled Kassandra. Darting her eyes around, she tried to find the source of the voice. It was then she noticed that the angelfish had departed and she couldn’t help but gasp as the loveliest creature she could ever imagine glided towards her.

I am Queen Ny'ula from the Royal House of the First Hu’lan. We will take care
of the prince. You must leave.

There was a tense note in her voice that gave Kassandra pause as she forced her eyes to blink. The
Siren who glided toward her had skin as dark as ebony dusted with a light gold shimmer. Her hair was as red as the surrounding coral and it flowed around her in brilliance. Her tail, yes, tail, thought Kassandra, fighting the urge to stroke it, looked like a mirage of a thousand different colors. But, by far the most striking feature was her eyes. They were honey-yellow and the soft, reassuring look made Kassandra feel safe.

You must leave, immediately. No human can enter the Red Sea
. You don’t have much time,
whispered the queen, her voice a light brush inside Kassandra’s head.

“Where is Rylan? And, I’m not leaving without
Darius. What’s wrong with him?” mouthed Kassandra, hoping the Queen understood her.

“I can read your thoughts. But, again, you don’t have much time. Trust
me; we will take care of him. You must leave.” With that statement, Kassandra watched as the Queen made a motion with her tail. Immediately an entourage of six Sirens surrounded Darius.

“
Hey, lady. I’m not going anywhere without him.” Jealously washed over her as the Sirens, who all of whom were spectacular in their own right, touched Darius’ body in awe.
Not that I’m madly in love with him or anything, but heck, I didn’t go through everything in the last few days just to give him up to...up to...oh my, he’s a Titan, these are Sirens, and I’m a human. He can’t ever be with me. What was I thinking? I was thinking he was my prince in shining armor, a fantasy come to life, but that’s not real.

Without
a word, the Sirens picked up Darius and carried him away. While the rational part of her brain reasoned they might be able to help him, another more feminine part of her brain screamed at them to back off. As if they could hear her, and maybe they could, all six Sirens stopped.

“Where he goes, I go. And just where is Rylan?
” Kassandra asked again, hoping for a straight answer.

In a language Kassandra couldn’t understand, but which sounded a lot like Persian, the Queen
gave an order and made a motion with her hand, gesturing for everyone to leave.

You must come with us, quickly,
said the Queen, speaking in English inside her head. Kassandra felt bone weary. Her head was beginning to hurt and her legs felt like they were lead.

What’s happening to me?
All the adrenaline that had flooded through her to get Darius here was evaporating.

Then it dawned on her. She was still bound to Darius and that blasted book, which luckily was still sealed tight inside the plastic bag which also now housed the globe. All of which were being carried by Rylan when last Kassandra had seen him.

As if on cue, the teenager appeared, except he wasn’t wearing a diving mask or suit anymore. In fact, he wore ripped jeans, a white t-shirt and no shoes.
Okay, I’ve got the bends. I’ve gone loony from the lack of oxygen.
Tapping the dial to make sure it was working she took a deep breath of oxygen.
Okay, that felt like oxygen, but it can’t be real. Oh my, I’ve gone completely delusional, that’s it. I must be locked up somewhere and I know they’re injecting me with drugs. Yeah, that’s it.

Rylan motioned
to the Queen to come to his side. Judging by the Queen’s body language she wasn’t one bit happy. Rylan shrugged and then walked away, now armed with two beautiful sirens on either side of him.

You are bound to the Prince. This is n
ot good. You must come with me,
said that sultry voice inside her head.

Kassandra nodded her ascent. She was still
so mystified about Rylan’s transformation that she was incapable of forming a coherent sentence.

Two hands
grasped her as two sirens flanked her sides, helping her move through the water at a faster pace.

You only have one of your human hours left. We must move quickly. There is only one remedy that might help the Prince.

A groan from Darius caused a chill to reverberate through her body.

He doesn’t have much time. There is little hope for him, but we will try to heal him. The toxins in his body are slowly killing him. You will not be able to help him
, and he would want you to leave. For your own safety you should leave him to his kind. You are human and without skill in this matter. As much as Rylan told me of you, I know you care deeply for him, but the Prince is a Titan and you are a mere human. Again, I must warn you that your safety remains precarious. That breathing apparatus you are wearing has little oxygen let. After which time you will expire, and I will not be able to intervene. It would go against our sea law. Do you understand me?

There was no mistaking the Queen’s harsh tone
. Kassandra knew she was being told the stark truth, but she didn’t care. There was no way she was going to leave Darius. There was no way she
could
leave Darius.

“I will stay out of your way, please...please just make him better and then I’ll leave,” said Kassandra, over and over again in her head.

The slight royal nod from the Queen was her cue. Forcing her body to move and follow the group which, for her benefit, had slowed down, she prayed Darius would be healed.

As the ensemble entered a large cave, Kassandra noticed it wasn’t dark. There was a neon yellow glow illuminating the entire dwelling. As they moved to the back of the cave, she marveled at the array of crystals that lined the ceiling
. The Sirens stopped and gently laid Darius down in a scallop-shaped bed. His body, as a Titan, fit perfectly into it as his tail curled around the outer ridges.

“What are you doing?” she asked, as the Queen placed three crystals, one bright blue, one flaming orange
, and the last blood red inside Darius’ mouth.

The Queen sat down.
Now we wait.
Once again, she ushered everyone out.

Kassandra looked around for a place to sit. What she really wanted to do was crawl into the strange bed and
lay her body down next to Darius’ body. Then she’d cuddle him. But that was impossible in a diving suit equipped with a large oxygen tank on her back.

Hot searing pain caused her to gasp at the exact moment that Darius’ body started to convulse. Her eyes felt as if they were on fire and if the diving mask hadn’t been in her way
, she would have scratched at them frantically. As it was, she had to fight the desire to rip the mask off.

“What’s happening to me?”
Another flash of pain traveled from her toes to her midsection.

It was then
that she felt a pull on her arm. The Queen was trying to get her to sit, but any movement felt impossible as she tried hard to control the pain slicing through her entire system. She fought the urge to rip the entire diving suit off.

“Rylan, did you find it?” she heard the Queen ask inside her head and then in popped the teenager, still clad in his casual attire.

“I did. I did. Darius won’t believe it. He’s going to be so pleased that I finally figured out a way to get him unbound! I know for sure he’ll let me help him on this mission now. Heck, I bet he’ll make me an honoree captain. Think of all the fun we’ll get into,” babbled Rylan, as he waved the ancient book around like it was a piece of loose leaf.