Chapter 94 Olga
Just outside the coral palace, two armed guards were waiting for them.
They had the upper body of a human but had a deep forest green tailfin.
Their faces were blocky, and they wore golden helmets.
In their webbed fingers, they held silver tridents.
Their eyes scanned over them maliciously until they fell on Reiya.
She watched the whites of their eyes grow as they sensed who she was.
All fairies recognized who the fairy princess was.
Reiya decided it was best to speak openly and confidently, showing her authority over the marine fairies.
“I have come to seek an audience with your Merrow Queen.” Reiya wanted to roll her eyes.
Even the merrows having someone with the title of queen felt like a slap in the face.
She could be their leader, but their queen?
Not when they had a queen and princess of higher authority.
It just showed how much they wanted to separate themselves from the fairy royalty.
She watched as one of them shifted uncomfortably.
The other straightened his shoulders and looked ahead.
“Proceed, princess.”
His voice was gruff and terse. But they had gotten entrance without having to spill blood.
Reiya felt Xander’s hand tighten around her as they walked into the building.
The walls were pure white, so bright it was almost blinding.
They seemed to radiate light, giving the illusion of endless space.
The texture was spongy, like an old cushion that had lost its shape and springiness over time.
The floor was a pale off-white, resembling bleached bone, and it glinted under the harsh glare of the overhead lights.
As they walked down the seemingly never-ending hall, the walls and floor stretched out before them, creating a sense of infinite emptiness in the sterile environment.
It felt as if they were walking through a tunnel made of white fog, with no visible end in sight.
An occasional guard was lined up every ten feet or so.
They didn’t even spare them a glance, continuing to stare straight ahead.
Don’t leave my sight for a second, Reiya, Brody warned as he and Chelsie walked right on her heels, keeping little space between them. Reiya smiled and gave Brody a small nod.
Two large bronze doors welcomed them at the end of the hall. The guards there immediately opened them. She could feel the presence of someone strong as they slowly entered the inner room.
Reiya noticed her immediately, sitting on a stone throne in the middle of the room.
Her long, flowing hair resembled the deep blue hues of the ocean, swirling and curling around her body.
Her striking dark green eyes seemed to glow against her pale skin, framed by thick lashes.
The lower half of her body was a light green tailfin, while her upper body remained that of a woman’s.
Adorning her torso was a chest plate made of dazzling gold, etched with intricate designs.
As her piercing emerald gaze met Reiya’s, she offered a cold smile that did little to conceal the sharp points of her teeth, resembling those of a predatory shark.
“Welcome, princess. What an honor to be graced with your presence. What is the occasion? We have rarely met the fairies of the land.” Her voice dripped with a fake sweetness as her strong gaze held Reiya’s.
“You can call me Reiya. And how should I address you?” She would not address her as your majesty. She was the real royalty, not the merrows.
“Olga,” she replied tersely.
Reiya let a small smile rest on her lips. “Nice to meet you, Olga. I have come here because you have something I need.”
Olga leaned back in her chair and looked at her sharp fingernails. “What could I possibly have here that you might need?”
Reiya had the odd feeling that Olga already knew why she was there, but she proceeded anyway. “I need the Ocean’s Tear.” Reiya watched the green eyes glow slightly before they flipped up toward her completely.
“You? You need the Ocean’s Tear?” Olga straightened up and then smirked at Reiya.
“I already knew this. I just wanted to hear you ask for it. I actually know a lot of what goes on above ground. Specifically, I know about a certain half demon that desires the fairy princess.” Her eyes stared at Reiya and then moved to look at the shining stone on her neck.
Her eyes twitched before returning back to the sapphire gaze.
Reiya narrowed her eyes at Olga. What game is she playing here? “What is the point of bringing that up?”
Olga smiled. “Yes. The point. As much as I would love to hand over the Ocean’s Tear to you, I simply can’t. Not until you complete the task I ask of you. No one has ever been able to complete the task I ask of them. Each task is custom-tailored for each person who seeks the Ocean’s Tear.”
Reiya sighed in annoyance. “What task will you ask of me?”
Olga’s lips curled upward, revealing her pointed teeth. Her eyes held a smile as well, as she answered Reiya in her deep voice. “I want you to bring me back the heart of Abaas.”
“Why? Why do you need his heart?” Brody growled angrily, no longer able to keep quiet.
Her eyes snapped to Brody’s, and she sneered in disgust at him. She did not like being spoken to by a nobody like him. He was a guardian. That meant nothing to her.
Reiya quickly interjected. “What my guardian means to say is what’s the point of this task? How does this task get me the Ocean’s Tear?”
Deep green eyes glowed at Reiya. “It does a couple of things. One, it gives the proof that you are willing to face incredible danger for the one you love.” Her voice dragged over the word love as she curled her lip at it in disgust. “Second. I need that demon’s heart.
” She waved her hand to the side and pointed at a wall behind her.
“It’s a piece I’m missing in my vast collection. ”
Reiya felt Xander’s fingers sink into her arm as they looked at the mural of objects mounted on the wall. They were all hearts floating in glass jars, each having their own label and species.
She couldn’t just collect shells? Chelsie’s annoyed voice rang in Reiya’s head.
“What proof do I have that you will keep your word?”
Reiya, you can’t be serious?! Xander’s voice rang angrily in Reiya’s head. Going and finding the Merrow Queen was one thing, but seeking out demons and having to bring back a heart was something else entirely.
What are my choices? I won’t live without Lee, Reiya shot back furiously.
“I have no reason not to keep my word.” Olga’s voice was a bit agitated at the accusation. “In fact, you’ll receive the Ocean’s Tear first. When you complete your task, you’ll automatically acquire the tear. Then, just send your kelpie there to bring me what is mine.”
“There will be consequences if you don’t keep your word,” Reiya said in a threatening tone, to which Olga smiled. “How will the Ocean’s Tear get to me?”
“So many questions. You should worry about completing the task first, princess. I wonder if you will be able to complete it.” Olga sneered at Reiya as her voice dripped with venom.
“This is the only way for me to get the Ocean’s Tear?” Reiya asked confidently.
Olga nodded.
“And once I complete this task, I will immediately have the Tear?”
Olga smiled widely and nodded once again.
“Good luck, princess.” Olga smirked, knowing the dangerous mission the princess was about to embark on.
“Let’s go.” Reiya spun on her heels, and they quickly left the inner chambers of the coral palace.
Olga watched them leave, her twisted smile leaving her face.
“You can have the Ocean’s Tear, princess, if you can complete your task and survive.
” She smiled lightly and looked up at the ceiling of her palace.
The odds of success were stacked against the pursuers from the start.
An impossible mission in order to claim the reward.
A reward that no one had ever been able to claim.
“I have to play the bad guy this time, princess. Perhaps, next time we meet, it can be on better terms.” Olga looked back at the closed doors.
She was sending the fairy princess on a dangerous mission, but one that was necessary.
This was the mission that Kali had told her to send her on.
It was the only way to activate the Ocean’s Tear.
Still, she wouldn’t just leave things at that. She did what she was told. She sent the princess on the dangerous mission, but she wouldn’t be a pawn in the gods’ game.
“Cetus!” Olga shouted in a resonating, commanding tone.
A light blue creature with green feet crept out from the shadows. The creature had the body of a dragon, the head of a shark, four legs, and a spiked tail. He was about half the size of a dragon.
“You know your orders.” She met with his yellow eyes and watched him snarl in acknowledgement.
Olga squeezed her hand into a fist and rested it on the arms of her throne. “Have faith in yourself, princess. You can do this,” her voice whispered out from her lips as she looked up at the ceiling.
Chelsie emerged from the pool and shifted back into her human self. The four sat on the cold floor of the wet cave quietly.
“I’m supposed to be protecting you from Abaas, not walking you into his clutches.” Brody’s voice was gentle and quiet. He felt conflicted. He wanted to help Reiya. He knew she needed Lee. But this? Fighting Abaas? This was crazy.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Reiya,” Chelsie spoke out quietly. She couldn’t imagine Reiya getting put in harm’s way. She was her guardian too, and her instincts were screaming at her that this was a bad idea.
“I don’t care. Don’t you understand? Without Lee, I’m dead anyway.
I can’t live without him. There is no life for me without Lee.
I have to try.” Reiya looked at her fingers with a small frown.
She wasn’t afraid of Abaas. She wasn’t afraid of dying.
What she was afraid of was the possibility of being captured by the half-demon and forced to live as his personal toy.
Forced to have his child. That demon was dirty and didn’t fight alone.
She felt confident that one-on-one she could take him, especially now that she had Lumi.
Xander sat there quietly, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands cupping his head.
Levi would kill him if he let Reiya fight Abaas.
There was no way Levi would be okay with the task that was just presented to her.
On the other hand, there was no Levi without Reiya completing her task.
They would never see him again. He wouldn’t be released until Reiya died.
And then who would Levi be? A shell that a god dwelled in.
He wanted to protect Reiya and bring back his brother.
And Reiya was right … without Levi, what life could she have? There wasn’t another option.
“How do we go about this? The four of us are not enough. We can’t go demon hunting with just us four, can we?
” Xander lifted his head, his amber eyes looking around at the people in front of him.
He could see Brody’s hesitant gaze. “What choice do we have? I can’t bear to see Reiya live in pain for the rest of her life. Can you?”
Xander’s words rang true for Brody. He knew this, too.
As much as he didn’t want to march into death’s hands, he also couldn’t bear to see Reiya fall apart.
She was crumbling before when she was taken away from their old pack.
She was finally acting like herself again because of Levi.
If she lost him, he knew she would spiral downward.
He might lose who Reiya was for good then.
“We need to come up with a plan. We can get rid of her cloak so that her scent is free again, but we need more than to just lure him to us. We need to think hard about this. We can’t go and launch the demon war prematurely either.
This needs to be kept on a smaller scale, where it will just involve a small group against Abaas and his demons.
” Brody sighed and felt his stomach turn slightly at what he was agreeing to.
He was putting his sister, his princess, in danger.
“Should we get Freja?” Chelsie asked.
“No, there isn’t time for that. We don’t have time to prepare a small army against Abaas.
” Reiya gnawed on her bottom lip as she tried to come up with a plan.
She twirled her sapphire necklace around in her fingers and then held it out to look at it, staring into the gem, deep in thought. She then glanced at the pool of water.
“I’ve got an idea.”