"Well? How did it go?" he asked Jaden.
Jaden hesitated, glancing forward nervously. If he tried hard enough, he could still make his escape. "Uhh… okay, I suppose. Chrys left with someone," he replied vaguely.
Jasper arched a brow. "And you came to let us know, I take it."
Jaden nodded as he started to swim toward the group of bandits. He needed to get the moment right. Otherwise, they would catch him, maybe even kill him. He didn't know why he felt this urgency, but he somehow knew his fate would be sealed should he leave with them.
"I see," Jasper said. He reached for Jaden and, at that moment, Jaden shot forward.
He dodged Jasper and Dialy, flashing through the water with a speed only despair could give him. At one point, one of the bandits nicked him with a sharp weapon, but Jaden didn't let it discourage him.
"Get him, you fools," Jasper shouted.
Jaden struggled to break free of the trap and more bandits popped up in his way. Finally, he ended up cornered against a large rock, no longer able to swim away. Judging by the dark threat in Jasper's eyes, Jaden figured the price to pay for his stupidity would be high.
It occurred to Jaden that they were still very close to Atlantis. Atlantean soldier patrols still watched these paths. Personally, Jaden would rather take his chances with the guards than wait around to be killed by the bandits.
He opened his mouth and yelled, "Please! Help me! Please."
To his shock, a deafening roar drowned out his shout. It came from the distance and Jaden quickly identified the Forbidden Zone as the source. The water rippled around them and Jaden felt power wash over him like a tidal wave, so intense it made him cry out. And yet, it didn't hurt. Rather, his nerves sang with confused energy. He swore he could feel an almost physical touch caress his skin.
The bandits didn't have the same reaction. They dropped their weapons, their hands trembling, their complexions going pasty. Some of them lost control of their limbs, others even fainted.
Jaden hated to see anyone in such a poor state, but he now had a chance. No matter what, the beast had given Jaden the opportunity to escape. Jasper, busy emptying the contents of his stomach, didn't even look at him. Jaden didn't hesitate, he took off. He'd wasted enough time with the bandits. Now, he'd finally see who—or what—had helped him get out of his predicament.
* * * *
Aurus used his considerable expertise to get them out of the city posthaste. In maybe fifteen minutes, they'd left Atlantis and headed toward the Forbidden Zone.
Chrys could feel his sibling's presence straight ahead, guiding him like a beacon. It seemed to shine even brighter than before. Or, maybe Chrys's panic made it so? Chrys didn't know. The thought of Jaden leaving made him want to scream, cry, and die.
He forced himself to focus and think coherently. "There are bandits around here," he told Aurus. "I think maybe we should find an alternative route."
Aurus gave him a thoughtful look. "Well, that's easy enough. We just go around the corals into the next current. But… Chrys, I'm not sure Jaden knows that path."
A terrible thought passed through Chrys's mind. Jasper would be watching the main road. What if Jaden had been trapped by the bandits? Sweet Sea Mother… he hoped not.
His terror increased tenfold when a loud roar echoed against the rock, sweeping over them with the strength of a thousand leviathans. For a few seconds, darkness encroached on Chrys's vision, and he heard Aurus gasp at his side. But then the feeling of death and dread vanished as if it had never been.
"What just happened?" Aurus asked.
Chrys couldn't say he knew, he'd only experienced a similar feeling once, when he'd followed his sibling into the Forbidden Zone. It hadn't been so powerful or strong then, but it had been there, somewhere at the edge of his consciousness. Jaden had told him the creature hidden in the abyss meant them no harm. If not, what did the sudden outburst mean?
"I'm not sure," he replied. "But we have to go, now."
They didn't have time for detours. Trusting Aurus to protect him if need be, Chrys shot forward, quickly swimming toward the Forbidden Zone. He needn't have worried about the bandits. A few minutes later he saw them ahead, lying sick or unconscious amidst the corals.
Chrys scanned the area for his twin and decided he had also been spared. He sensed his sibling's direction, Jaden's energy calling out to him. He hoped he'd be able to reach Jaden before they entered the Zone. These past few weeks had been thoroughly confusing. Jasper's presence aside, Chrys had felt odd and apprehensive about the party, even about seeing Aurus. As much as he wanted the older mer, giving up Jaden scared him witless.
Knowing Jaden had been going to the Forbidden Zone without him frightened Chrys even more. What did his twin find there? And why did the beast spare them when it had obviously taken the bandits out?
So many questions, so few answers. Chrys needed to have a talk with Jaden, to understand what was happening to them. He feared he might not get a chance. With every second that passed, Jaden slipped farther away from him.
Behind him, Aurus followed in silence. His love's presence comforted and guarded him, shielding him from anything that might attack them. He thanked the Sea Mother for that, at least. If Aurus had rejected him—Chrys didn't even want to think about it.
Unfortunately, in spite of their haste, they didn't manage to catch up to Jaden. The pair reached the Forbidden Zone without seeing any sign of the other mer. And yet, Chrys knew without a doubt Jaden had gone in there.
"Chrys?" Aurus asked. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
No, Chrys didn't know. In fact, he could bet money on the contrary. Whatever lay there, waiting in the shadows, wasn't very friendly. But he couldn't leave his twin all alone, especially not in these circumstances.
"We don't have a choice."
Aurus let out a sigh and pulled Chrys back. "You're right. At least stay behind me. I'll protect you."
Chrys didn't protest. A part of him wanted to send Aurus back, to keep him safe from the beast. But he needed the older mer and doubted he could make Aurus leave.
They entered the darkness and Chrys focused on trying to find his twin. "Jaden," he called out. "Jaden, are you here?"
* * * *
As he swam through the Forbidden Zone, Jaden found himself gripped by a peculiar feeling. Many times, he'd acknowledged the danger of his incursions. But the silence that always greeted him upon his arrival had been both a disappointment and a relief. Scared to see what actually lay in the abyss, he wondered what kind of creature had the power to do so much damage through one simple roar.
Even as he acknowledged this, though, Jaden knew he couldn't turn back. The pull was far too powerful. The only thing he could compare it to would be the confusing emotions he felt for Chrys and Aurus. If this thing could heal him of that sinful love, Jaden would gladly give himself to it.
A distant call reached out to him. "Jaden! Jaden are you here?"
Two voices called him, so familiar it was nearly painful. Jaden hesitated, no longer certain of what he intended. After all, he'd stood by Chrys's side all these years without faltering. He'd known his desires could never come true. He didn't have to give up. They were twins, and that still meant something. Even if the older mer, Aurus, didn't love him, he cared about Jaden as an older brother would. Jaden would be satisfied with any scrap of affection the two could throw his way.
A threatening rumble sounded somewhere behind him, low and animalistic. Jaden immediately realized it was too late. He turned and his blood froze in his veins at the sight that greeted him. Two orbs were shining in the gloom, their silver-black glow sending eerie ripples through the darkness. Jaden tasted terror in his mouth when he met the gaze of the beast. Sweet Sea Mother, those eyes alone seemed as large as Jaden's head. The darkness was too deep to see much of anything, as if the shadows came from the creature itself. It made sense given that, at this depth, mermen should have been able to see with ease. What kind of beast could have this sort of power?
The thing made no motion to reveal itself to Jaden, just waited there, those eerie eyes keeping Jaden frozen in place.
The sound of a familiar voice reached his ears once again. "Jaden!" Aurus said. "Answer me. Come on."
It was closer now, and Jaden knew that in a few minutes his twin and Aurus would be there. The beast hadn't eaten him yet, but that didn't give him any guarantees as to what would happen later. The last thing Jaden wanted was for the most important people in his life to die because of his foolishness.
The creature's intense gaze left Jaden and turned in the direction of the voice. The low, feral rumble warned Jaden he needed to do something, fast. "No! Please, no!" he cried.
The beast hesitated at Jaden's protest. However, the plea had an unexpected side-effect. It brought Aurus and Chrys to their position even faster. Jaden couldn't see much of anything, but he practically felt them there.
"Jaden!" his twin gasped. "What's the matter?"
A burst of golden magic illuminated the area, sending rays of light through the water. Some of the shattered rock beneath them turned to sheer gold. Not that this mattered. Aurus's spell revealed what waited in the abyss. Not knowing what the abyss held had been terrifying, but realizing it suddenly became worse.
Jaden faced the reptilian face of a great, black dragon. Aurus's magic shed limited light on the area, so only the head became visible. From his standpoint, though, Jaden could see its body went deep into the wide chasm beneath.
The beast was both terrible and beautiful. Its black scales glittered in the pale light and its powerful eyes held some sort of magic inside them.
Aurus spoke first, the only one who had the ability. "Jaden, come here. Slowly."
But Jaden couldn't move. His muscles refused to obey him. Not one to be deterred, Aurus prodded once again. "Jaden." Through the corner of his eye, Jaden saw the older mer begin to swim toward him.
The beast opened its terrifying mouth, revealing sharp fangs. Jaden wanted to tell Aurus to stop but he didn't get the chance.
In one terrible instant, the beast emerged from its hiding spot, a hellishly beautiful apparition that seemed to come from Jaden's very nightmares. In one surprisingly swift motion, it lunged for Aurus and Chrys.
Aurus cursed and created a shield around them, but the gold shattered like glass the instant the creature touched it. The dragon swept Aurus up, then Chrys, analyzing them with its eerie silver-black eyes.
Fury flooded Jaden. He'd come here. He'd awakened this beast. His twin and Aurus didn't have to pay the price. But what could he do? He had no magic and no weapon that could possibly hurt the dragon. All he had at his disposal was rock and sand. Well, that would have to do. In the end, any other weapon, magic included, would have as much effect on the dragon's hide as the rock—none.
He felt a small tinge of distress at the thought of harming the great beast but pushed it away. As if that would ever happen. No, what Jaden needed to do—and could do—would be to provide a distraction for Aurus and Chrys to escape.
Jaden grabbed a couple of rocks from the ground. Taking a deep breath, he propelled himself upward, swimming as quickly as he could. Once at eye level of the beast, he shouted, "Hey! I thought it was me you wanted. You got the wrong one."
Angrily, he threw the stones straight at the dragon's eyes. Unsurprisingly, they had no effect whatsoever. They did, however, draw the dragon's attention.
The beast's eyes fixed in on Jaden and he froze. He watched in confusion as it dropped Aurus and Chrys. Before he knew it, Jaden found himself trapped in the tight grip of the monster, helpless and fighting a battle he knew he couldn't win.
* * * *
As he held the struggling merman in his clawed paw, the beast felt something inside of him stir. What a foolish boy, to attack one as powerful and deadly as him. Why? Why risk certain death? Foolish, yet so brave. And so very lonely.
That pain had awoken the dragon, and it had lain there, waiting for the right moment to make its appearance. After so many years of slumber, the mer twins had drawn him out of his lair. Now, the moment had finally come, the moment when the dragon could claim its prize.
The young mer tried to fight but his efforts were useless. A beautiful catch, his prey, even if he lacked power. The beast hadn't seen such beauty since… he couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember?
Distant images of the past flashed through the dragon's mind. A different time, when the beast had been more than a beast, when it had also been a man. The wriggling body in his paw reminded him of life itself, of the promise of sensuality. The mer, however, seemed oblivious to all this. Jaden—yes, Jaden was his name—glared at the dragon with beautiful green eyes. More than any magical attack the Atlanteans could come up with, that jade-colored gaze pierced the beast's armor and he recoiled, dropping the merman from his grip.
Taking advantage of his distraction, the small merman slipped away, calling out to the other two, "Hurry. Let's go. I don't know what's wrong with it, but we—"
Before the merman could even finish the phrase, Vaar—he remembered his name now—grabbed Jaden again. Memory swept through him, bringing with it the identity hidden beneath a layer of instinct. In a flash, he knew himself again, the same Vaar who'd gone into slumber so many eons ago.
It didn't matter anymore. He'd found something worth living for and he wouldn't let go. "You're coming with me," he growled at Jaden in dragon tongue.
The boy's eyes widened, confirming that his message had been conveyed. Vaar smiled to himself. He'd been correct then, about this boy being special. Otherwise, he could have never understood Vaar's words. The other two—Aurus and Chrys, if Vaar had heard correctly—tried to get Vaar's attention, but Vaar had what he wanted. Jaden would soon learn what that meant.
Vaar briefly considered taking young Chrys and the prince, as well. Beautiful in his own right, Chrys possessed the same latent power flowing through his twin's veins. But Vaar well remembered what Jaden had told him about Chrys and young prince Aurus. The best thing he could do at this point would be to separate the two brothers. Jaden needed a new life, apart from the hurtful existence he'd lived at Chrys's side. At the same time, Chrys needed Aurus.