Chapter 28 #2
Charmed by the big sharks, who now seem to be more like dogs than creatures that eat people, I decide to push my limits, feeling a thrill of pure freedom as my iridescent mermaid tail slices through the water.
But as I push deeper into the abyss, a sudden heavy ache blossoms in my lower back.
My middle muscles burn. As it turns out, having a gorgeous sparkling tail takes more strength than boulder climbing could prepare me for, and my fins begin to wobble slightly in the current.
Slow down, little fish, Lachlan’s deep rumbly voice says.
I grin to myself.
I’m not a fish, I’m a majestic mermaid, I shoot back telepathically, sending him a mental image of myself wearing a tiny and triumphant cape through our mate bond.
The remains of the long forgotten ship lie like a haunted cage on the sea floor while schools of fish dart through the rotted wooden ribs of the hull. I swim faster to reach it and practically collapse into the ruins of the captain’s quarter, grateful for the excuse to stop swimming.
I lean against something box-like, and butterflies erupt in my middle as I look down at the broken bits of leftover ship. Half buried in the sand is an iron-banded chest that’s been sitting as long as the wreck has.
Lachlan, look!
I clear away a cloud of silt and pry open the rotting wood and inside, resting in the black muck, is a circular object caked in centuries of gray and slimy ocean grime.
I yank it out using both my hands after trying to lift the lid. The opposing weight catches me off guard and my thumb aggressively scrapes against the sludge. A blinding, lustrous yellow gleams beneath the fields.
Oh wow. I gasp. It’s a crown, Lachlan. It’s solid gold and it’s incredibly thick. I hold it up to show him and push against the water. Sheesh. Whoever wore this must have had the neck muscles of a bodybuilder.
Lachlan’s massive horned head drifts into the wreckage, easily filling half the room with one giant green eye focused intently on the heavy gold ring in my hands. It looks old.
I fly the thick golden band down my forearm like a giant, ridiculously heavy bangle. It’s too heavy to swim with, especially now that my muscles feel like absolute jelly. My tail drags dead weight behind me, and exhaustion pulls at my bones.
Alright, my sea dragon prince. I confess, sending him a mental image of a white flag waving. My tail is officially broken. You win. Will you carry me?
Lachlan’s green eyes gleam with absolute smugness. With pleasure, my little fish. His massive serpentine body shifts, smooth as oil through water.
Despite his colossal size, he doesn’t just grab me, he maneuvers his great bulk so that I can drape myself over the ridge of his neck, right beside his massive horned head.
The moment my stomach hits his cool, armored scales, I let out a sharp sigh of pure relief and wrap my arms securely around one of his shoulders as the heavy gold crown clinks softly against his scales.
Lachlan launches us out of the shipwreck with a single effortless push of his body. Bubbles erupt, and the fish scatter to get away as he slides through the deep sea current. The strong tideway hits us instantly and hard, like a roaring wall of water that would have swept me away in seconds.
But to Lachlan, it’s nothing.
He cuts through the pressure like a torpedo, his powerful serpentine body undulating in a rhythm that feels incredibly soothing. I press my face against his neck, shielded from the worst of the rushing water by the massive sweep of his big jaw.
Comfortable? his deep voice purrs in my mind, the deep brogue of it humming strongly through my chest.
Incredibly so, I think back, closing my eyes. You are a much better ride than the subway.
I should hope so.
We swim for what feels like miles through the dark abyss, moving faster than humanly possible, and gradually as we move, the crushing weight of the open ocean begins to shift and the water grows colder, changing from the salty sting of the Atlantic to the crisp freshness of the Scottish Highlands.
We enter the secret deepwater caverns and I can see the change in the waters that lead into the Loch Ness as it turns a deep opaque.
Lachlan slows his pace, navigating the twisting and narrow underwater tunnels with the perfect memory of the creature who has ruled them for centuries.
Finally, we break the surface inside his hidden lair, and I breathe in the cool air that smells of damp stone and magic, gazing at the blue glowing moss that clings to the cavern walls as we make our way back inside.
Lachlan gently glides toward the smooth, flat ledge of a rock near the water’s edge and lowers his giant head, allowing me to carefully slide off his back and onto the dry stone.
My tail slaps against the wet rock and I marvel at it, exhausted but glistening beautifully, in the moss glow light.
I unhook the heavy gold crown from my arm and set it down with a loud metallic clunk as Lachlan shifts, his massive serpent-like form coiling in the deep water beside the ledge, resting his huge chin on the stone right next to me.
He looks up from the grimy, thick crown to me, his green gaze full of warmth.
“That was the coolest experience I think I could ever have in my life,” I say aloud, my voice echoing in the quiet cavern. I reach out to pet his large and green snout. “But now, what are we going to do with our king’s ransom?” I ask, holding out the crown.