Queens Of The Sea
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
The first thing I noticed was that the sea had gone. There were no waves, and there wasn’t even a hint of any water in sight from where we stood on the beach. It looked like it hadn’t rained for weeks; everything around us was dry and dusty. We could see our breath as we spoke to each other.
“What do you think?” said Taryn. “Is this some kind of illusion? Maybe they’ve taken away all the water so nobody can escape.” She sounded scared. A few days ago she’d been confident about her ability to fight off whatever monsters might be lurking out here, but now she seemed uncertain again.
I thought back to what I knew of magic. If someone wanted to make an area look like another place entirely, then that would require a lot more power than just making things disappear or appear. But if it was possible…
“Maybe,” I said slowly. “But why would anyone want to do something like that?”
Taryn shrugged. “Who knows? They’re probably up to their usual tricks.”
We walked along the shoreline together, looking at the sand and rocks underfoot. The only sound came from the wind blowing through the trees above us. For a while, neither one of us spoke. Then Taryn turned to me with a frown.
“You know,” she began hesitantly. “If we did find them…”
She trailed off, not finishing her sentence.
“They’ll kill us,” I finished for her.
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Probably.”
There was nothing else to say after that. We kept walking until we reached a large rock jutting out into the ocean. On top of it sat a small figure, wearing a hooded cloak made from animal fur. As soon as he saw us, his head snapped round towards us. He raised both hands in front of him, palms facing upwards.
“Please don’t hurt me!” he shouted. His voice echoed around the cliff face behind him. “I’m sorry! Please, please don’t hurt me!”
He started running down the slope towards us, waving his arms frantically. When he got close enough, I could see that his eyes were wide open and terrified.
“It’s okay,” I called out to him. “Don’t worry. You’re safe.”
His shoulders slumped slightly when I spoke to him, but he still didn’t stop moving forward. He stopped right next to me and stared up at my face.
“Do you have any food?” he asked me urgently. “Please, anything will help. My stomach is growling.”
I looked over at Taryn, who shook her head sadly. She held out her hand, palm up, and then closed her fingers tightly.
“Sorry,” she told the boy. “We haven’t got any food.”
The boy’s face fell, and he let out a long sigh. “Oh well. At least you won’t hurt me.”
He pulled his hood back, revealing a young man with short brown hair. He wore a simple tunic and trousers and carried a sword strapped across his back.
“My name is Kyan,” he explained quickly. “And I’m really sorry about what happened to your friends. I swear I didn’t mean for them to get killed.”
He lowered his gaze to the ground and shuffled awkwardly. “I was trying to protect everyone by taking them somewhere safe, but I guess it went wrong somehow.”
Kyan glanced up at me and gave a nervous smile. “Um, are you going to take me, prisoner, too?”
I laughed nervously. “No way. We’re not bad people.”
“Really?” He looked relieved. “Because I heard the queen has captured lots of people already.”
“That’s true,” I admitted. “But we’re not part of her army. And we’re definitely not going to hurt you.”
A loud crash interrupted our conversation. Kyan jumped backward, startled, and then spun around to look behind him.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered.
“Hear what?” I asked.
“Something hit the tree behind us,” he replied. “It must have come from inside the forest. Did you feel that?”
I nodded. “Yes, I felt it.”
“Then it’s probably a monster,” said Kyan. “Or maybe the queen herself. Either way, we need to run.”
He took a step forwards, ready to sprint off into the trees. Before he could move, however, I grabbed hold of his arm.
“Wait,” I said. “Why should we trust you?”
He glared at me angrily. “Well, because I’m telling the truth, obviously.”
“Okay,” I said. “So how do we know you aren’t lying to us?”
“How does anybody know anything?” he retorted. “Nobody ever knows anything for sure. All we can do is try to make assumptions based on evidence. That’s all there is to life, isn’t it?”
“Sure,” I agreed. “Except sometimes those assumptions turn out to be completely wrong. Like when you assumed that you’d found a safe place to hide, and then you ended up getting attacked anyway.”
“What are you talking about?” he demanded. “I wasn’t hiding anywhere! I just wanted to stay hidden so nobody would find me.”
“Right,” I said. “And I assume you’ve been living in this cave for quite some time now, which means you must have known about the queen before she arrived here. So why didn’t you tell anyone? Why didn’t you warn them?”
“I tried to,” he protested. “But no one believed me. They thought I was making things up.”
“Of course they did,” I scoffed. “Who wouldn’t think that if someone claimed a giant dragon had appeared out of nowhere and started attacking their village?”
“Exactly,” he said triumphantly. “People like that always believe whatever they want to believe.”
I rolled my eyes and released his arm. “Fine. If you say so. But that doesn’t change the fact that you lied to us. Now you expect us to follow you into the woods without even knowing where we’re going or what might happen to us along the way.”
“You don’t have to go,” he insisted. “If you’re worried about being captured, you can wait here until I return. Then you’ll be able to leave whenever you wish.”
“Yeah, good luck finding your way out again after that,” I muttered under my breath.
“Don’t worry,” he assured me. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“Uh-huh,” I said sarcastically. “Whatever you say.”
“Look,” he continued, ignoring me. “I promise you I’m not lying. I’m actually trying to save your lives. You see, I’m an expert at surviving in the wild. I used to live out in the forest for years at a time, and I learned everything there is to know about survival. It’s only natural that I’d use these skills to help people.”
“Like you helped your friend?” I asked. “By leading him straight into a trap?”
“Oh please!” he exclaimed. “We were ambushed! There was nothing I could do to stop it. Besides, I knew he’d never survive alone. He needed me to keep him alive.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” I mumbled. “But still, you should have told him to stay away from the castle.”
“I tried,” he said defensively. “But he wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Maybe he was right to ignore you,” I suggested. “After all, you’re clearly a liar who wants to lead innocent people into danger.”
“Hey! Don’t talk about my brother like that,” he snapped. “He’s a great guy. Just ask him yourself some time.”
“I will,” I promised. “As soon as I get the chance.”
“Good,” he said happily. “Now let’s go. The sooner we reach the other side of the forest, the better.”
Kyan turned and began walking towards the edge of the clearing. As he walked past the tree, I noticed something strange. Something was moving underneath the leaves. When I looked closer, I saw that it was a small creature with long legs and large ears. Its body was covered by a thick layer of fur, but its face was visible beneath the hair.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“That’s a rabbit,” answered Kyan. “They’re harmless creatures.”
The rabbit hopped over to the ground and stood upright on two feet. It stared at us curiously, and I realized that it was staring directly at me. I couldn’t help feeling nervous. After all, rabbits were notorious for being vicious predators.
“It won’t hurt you,” reassured Kyan. “Rabbits are very friendly animals. In fact, they’re usually more afraid of humans than we are of them.”
“Really?” I asked doubtfully. “Do you really think it’s okay to walk around with a rabbit following us everywhere we go?”
“Well, it’s not following us,” he explained. “This is just how rabbits behave. They’re curious creatures, and they love exploring new places. That’s probably why they followed us here.”
“So what happens when we cross the border?” I asked. “Will the rabbit disappear too?”
“No,” replied Kyan. “Once we enter the forest, the rabbit will become invisible. We’ll be able to move freely through the trees without having to worry about it.”
“How does it work?” I wondered aloud. “Does the rabbit turn into a ghost or something?”
“Not exactly,” he said. “It becomes part of the forest itself. It blends in perfectly with the surroundings, and it disappears completely once we pass beyond the borders.”
“Okay then,” I sighed. “Let’s hope it works.”
***
We spent the next hour wandering aimlessly through the woods. Kyan led us deeper and deeper into the forest, stopping every few minutes to check our progress against the map he carried. Eventually, however, he stopped abruptly and pointed to a spot on the map.
“There,” he declared. “That’s where we’re heading. Come on, let’s hurry up before night falls.”
Without waiting for a response, he started walking forward. I quickly caught up with him, and together we hurried down a narrow path between the trees. The air grew colder with each passing minute, and the sound of the wind whistling through the branches became louder and more intense. Soon, it felt as though we were being buffeted by a strong gale force wind that threatened to blow us off course.
“Are you sure this is the way?” I asked nervously. “Shouldn’t we take another route? This place looks dangerous.”
“Relax,” he insisted. “Everything is going according to plan. Trust me, I’ve been living in the forest for years. I know exactly how to avoid any dangers.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t trust you,” I muttered under my breath. “And I definitely don’t believe you.”
“You shouldn’t be so suspicious,” he scolded. “Trust is important. Without it, there can be no friendship.”
“Friendship isn’t everything,” I retorted. “In fact, sometimes it’s best if you keep your distance from others.”
“Is that what you think?” he asked. “Then maybe you should try trusting me. You might find it easier than you expect.”
“Why would I want to do that?” I demanded. “If I trusted you, I’d have to admit that I’m wrong about you. And I refuse to accept that.”
“Fine,” he shrugged. “Then I guess we’ll never be friends.”
“Don’t say that!” I cried out. “Just because you’re rude doesn’t mean everyone else has to be the same. Besides, I didn’t come here to make friends. I came to save my family.”
“Your family?” he repeated. “Who are they?”
“My parents,” I answered. “They live in the village across the river.”
“I see,” he said thoughtfully. “Where did they go?”
“To the city,” I told him. “They wanted to start a new life there.”
“But why?” he asked. “Did someone threaten them?”
“Actually, yes,” I admitted. “Someone killed my father and tried to kidnap my mother. But she managed to escape, and now I need your help to rescue her.”
“Hmm…” He paused for a moment before continuing. “That sounds like quite a story. I wonder who could have done such a thing.”
“Maybe one of the bandits,” suggested Kyan. “Or perhaps even an assassin sent by the king himself. There must be plenty of people in the kingdom willing to kill for money.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “That’s true. So many people are desperate enough to risk their lives just to earn some extra cash.”
“What happened after your mother escaped?” he asked.
“She ran away,” I explained. “Now she’s hiding somewhere in the forest, hoping to stay safe until I get back.”
“Wow,” he exclaimed. “That’s brave of her. She must really care about you.”
“Thanks,” I smiled. “Anyway, we should stop talking and focus on getting to the village safely. If anyone sees us, they might report us to the guards.”
“Right,” he nodded. “As soon as we reach the border, I’ll switch over to invisibility mode.”
The forest was dark and gloomy, but at least it wasn’t raining anymore. The rain had finally stopped, and the clouds overhead looked like they were preparing to give way to a bright blue sky. That meant we wouldn’t have to worry about getting wet again today.
After what seemed like hours of walking, we reached a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Kyan stopped suddenly and pointed to a large rock jutting out of the ground.
“This is where we’re supposed to cross,” he announced. “Come on, let’s hurry up.”
He walked towards the rock and placed his hand against it. A second later, he disappeared from sight. I followed suit, and moments later I found myself standing at the other side of the stone.
“Well, that was easy,” I remarked. “How did you manage to teleport all the way here without me seeing anything?”
“It’s not teleportation,” he corrected. “I used my magic to create a portal. It only works when I touch something solid.”
“Oh…okay,” I replied. “So, what happens next?”
“We wait for the sun to set,” he instructed. “Once it does, I’ll use my magic to transport us into the village.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Let’s hope nothing goes wrong.”
Kyan began chanting a spell. As he spoke, the air around him shimmered with golden light. Then, he raised both hands high above his head and shouted:
”By the power of the moon,
May I travel through time!
Transport me to the past!”
A flash of blinding white light filled the clearing. Seconds later, Kyan reappeared beside me.
“There,” he declared proudly. “Now we can go home.”
“Great!” I grinned. “Lead the way.”
Together, we started walking deeper into the woods. After a while, we arrived at a small clearing. At first glance, it appeared to be completely empty. However, as we got closer, I noticed several wooden huts built right into the surrounding trees. They reminded me of the little houses in the village, except these ones were much bigger and more elaborate.
The End