• ~Chapter 12~

    Ezekiel stood at the ledge of the swamp, eyes wide from the haunt of a memory. Eleven years ago today he had been lured here to this swamp by the mere reason of thirst. A fish woman had been clinging to the edge of the murky pool, a look of pain etched into her face. He had rushed forward to assist aid, but she grabbed him and pulled him under to the depth of the dark water beneath.
    He had choked and sputtered. His lungs burned, screaming for air, as he clawed outward for a nonexistent ledge to grab onto. If it hadn’t been for Luther, his faithful bodyguard, he wouldn’t have survived.
    He kicked at the mossy surface of the pond, disturbing the smooth surface. He watched the water ripple out ward and he saw the clear pond that was within. The mossy surface was a grand disguise, he thought. No one would know that it was here. It wasn’t even on any documented maps. They concealed it well.
    Ezekiel took a deep breath, his lungs stinging but it was a fragment of his imagination. He shook himself to clear his head and took a few more gasps of the dampened oxygen. He plunged into the water like a knife, cutting through the still water. Needles of cold water pricked at his skin. Like he remembered, the water below was nothing like its exterior. The swamp’s mossy outer layer resembled the lush greenery surrounding it, disguising its whereabouts to keep its existence, secret from prying eyes.
    Underneath, it was so clear you could almost see everything that consisted and thrived. The moderate pool was full of life. Families of fish, amphibians, and other scaly things swam lividly in their underwater home. He had ached so badly to tell of this under water paradise, which was merely a paradox, but once he broke through the surface, he wasn’t able to tell anyone or even access the memory without getting dagger like pains in his stomach and head.
    * * *

    Asmara was led into a large room where she was placed on a stage in front of two large thrones. A portly man sat in the greater of the two and he watched as his wife and Asmara approached. He had smiled nicely at Asmara, like a good natured host. She stood perfectly still, twisting her ankle in a forced courtesy as she had been instructed by the fishwife, an artificial smile plastered on her face. The man got up from his chair, his blue scales gleaming through is robe as his stomach bounced as he walked.
    The man put a webbed hand on Asmara’s cheek and she flinched away from his touch. He just laughed and said “A little touchy are we, Princess?”
    The fishwife’s eyes widened in shock and fear and stumbled forward. “I had no idea she was a princess, honest!”
    His hand still on Asmara’s cheek, the corpulent man’s eyes turned to his wife. “She’ll taste all the better my sweet.” The fishwife flushed averting her eyes.
    Asmara staggered backward, away from the fish man. He grabbed her wrist and yanks her toward him. She could feel the sharp scales of his fleshy underbelly through her dress and she felt her stomach churn sickeningly in disgust as his belly jiggled against hers. He grabbed her chin, squeezing so that her lips puckered. He laughed, turning her face from side to side, examining it and then he twirled her to watch the dress swirl around her legs so he can guess her weight, before pulling her to his side again. Asmara’s emerald eyes turned to slits.
    A crash vibrated the room. The obese fish man whirled around, pushing Asmara painfully aside. Ezekiel stumbled into the room, a trail of water dripping in his wake. The fish man and wife roared angrily and charged forward.

    * * *

    Water spiraled all around him, a whirlpool of his own making. Fish sped quickly away from the deadly water funnel leaving trails of fizzy little bubbles. His lungs soon started to burn like they were on fire and his eyes watered, but he pushed on. The underwater palace soon came into view and he felt a shiver go down his spine. Unwanted memories flooding back into his mind, ones that had been blocked out by both his own will and the fishwife’s magic.
    Ezekiel had clawed for the surface, his lungs about bursting from the inaccessible air. The fish woman had laughed in delight as she dragged him through the water by his ankle, as he tried without success to break free from her webbed clutches. He saw Luther trying to follow him but because of his bulk and not much experience swimming at all, he couldn’t catch up. But he did keep an eye on them for any clues to get his charge back.
    Ezekiel had opened his mouth in a silent scream, air bubbles racing toward the surface and he struggled for air. He had been so naïve, back then. Purple and green splotches swam across his vision and he had passed out to the sound of the fishwife’s laughter.
    He had awoken in a large room tied up to a wall with water reeds. The fishwife had said that I was a grand treat for her husband, the king. She said that they would bask her in underwater herbs and spices –who knew if there even was such a thing- and then they would eat him, his wings first and then the rest would be saved for later. He was then bathed under a spell and then dressed. Then she set him up in front of her disgusting bile of a husband to be looked upon as if he were on an auction block. But he had never gotten the chance to see what the fish lord thought of his bountiful meal because right then Luther had barged into the room, knocking the fish people’s heads together. And thus he was rescued.
    He knew his way in well, from his past experience and snuck by the guards with ease. He went into the entrance hall, jogging his memory for the right way to go. A chill ran down spine as he took in the familiar surroundings of his own waking dreams, pearl ceilings shining down on him. He felt almost sick, claustrophobic. His wings twitched under the wait of the water, too limp and soggy to move them. Laughter came from the performance studio. The fish king's. Bile rose in his throat as he inched slowly forward, peaking over the walls edge. Asmara's jaw was pinched painfully moving her lips into a kissing position. Blinding anger gripped at his throat and he shoved hard against the wall exposing himself to the oblivious trio. Hope flickered in Asmara's eyes as she was pushed aside, colliding with the fishwife.
    Asmara was pushed away and then the fish people charged at him. Ezekiel fingers clenched ready for a fight, regarding his opponents, eyes squinting. He veered to the right, the fish king stumbling in the place Ezekiel was prier. He laughed and dodged the fish man's wife as well, his claws scraping against her rough scales. She screamed as his sharp claws removed a few scales in the blow. She stumbled back wounded and let her husband fight Ezekiel instead.
    The fish man lumbered forward, slow despite his skill. He swung his scaly fists at him, making Ezekiel laugh. It was a huge mistake. Taking the opportunity, the fish king grabbed him putting a spell on him, making him paralyzed to the spot. Ezekiel took a quick glance behind the fish man to see if Asmara was still there. She wasn’t. He sighed in relief. The fish king followed his gaze and saw the empty area. He dropped Ezekiel and fled from the room, his wife following slowly behind him.
    His side seared in pain and he hoped that Asmara would get out safely.

    * * *

    Asmara watched carefully as Ezekiel fought the fish people. He had great skill and knowledge of the people, their moves and weaknesses as if he had faced their kind before. She shivered at the thought and edged toward a stone pillar near the transparent wall. She looked past the column at the fighting group. She had the urge to help but she was afraid that would make matters worse. Ezekiel seemed to know what he was doing. He had dodged the king and was facing his wife, hurting her, insignificantly, but she withdrew. The fish man was upon him again and it made Ezekiel laugh. It was comical and she did not understand. But the act was costly and Ezekiel was bound by an unspoken spell.
    He looked lazily over in her direction and his eyes widened as he took in the empty space. The fish man looked in the same direction and freaked out. He dropped Ezekiel and ran on a pursuit that he thought was considered necessary. Ezekiel fell limply to the floor wincing, hope in his eyes beside his situation. She put her hand over her mouth to silence the gasp that almost escaped her now trembling lips.
    She checked to see if the coast was clear and then ran to his side. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her looming over him. Then he groaned. He had thought she had actually escaped. She moved his limp body to a sitting position and then placed his arm around her shoulder so she could hoist him up. She cursed as she tripped under his added weight. His eyes started to droop and she wanted to scream at him to knock it off. They were in the worst situation ever; he didn’t have enough time to fall asleep. But she refrained from doing so. The walls looked like they would echo her voice and the fish couple would hear the vibrations through the water and hurry back and they would be screwed.
    She shifted his weight and hustled forward, surveying her surroundings. She could feel the panic start to buzz in her head. She turned Ezekiel so that he was facing her and slapped his cheek hard. His eyes fluttered open and he frowned.
    “Listen to me Batboy, now’s not the time for napping. Tell me where to go so we can get out of this forsaken place.” She said bitterly through clenched teeth.
    His eyes rolled to the side. She shook with a silent scream. He was not helping at all. She huffed angrily and looked at him. He did the same motion with his eyes, looking over to the door to the left. She averted her eyes guiltily and shifted him back to her side and hurried down the narrow corridor, her side brushing the sides. He then directed her to a wider hall and to a huge rippling blue filmy door, like a portal but nothing of the sort. She reached her hand out curiously. She hadn’t remembered ever going through a liquid-like door when she had been kidnapped, even when she was in a passive state.
    Her hand grazed over the rippling filmy texture and jerked back in surprise. It had stung her. She looked down at her hand in disbelief, an insubstantial fear bubbling up her throat. She looked over at Ezekiel who was barely dozing off on her shoulder. She sighed in annoyance and shrugged her shoulder, waking him up. He looked at the door as if he was in a trance. Then he looked up at the ceiling and then back at the door. She looked at him in confusion. His eyes drooped half closed in aggravation, then looked back at the door and then at her and then at the door again. She walked forward and tried to push herself through the door but it felt like knives were being plunged into her flesh. Then she flew backward, falling on top of Ezekiel.
    She got up brushing off her river plant dress and apologized to Ezekiel. But he hadn’t noticed. He was fast asleep, his eyes darting restlessly behind his thin pale lids in a frightful dream. She removed him from the floor and leaned him against her body again and ran as best she could at the door. She slid through the thin layer as easily as if it were the surface of a pool and she had dove through it.
    She gagged on the water on the other side. She clamped down hard over the access water in her mouth and swallowed it. She fought the urge to cough it back up and swam the fastest she ever thought possible. The underwater palace guards spotted them and swam after them. She sliced through the water angling upward toward the green ceiling. It didn’t take long before they were upon her and she swam all the faster for salvation.
    When she broke through the mossy over layer and launched herself onto the soft solid ground she almost cried out in happiness, but she didn’t have a chance. Ezekiel was still limp and wasn’t breathing. She threw him onto his back and pounded on his chest, a gush of water exploding out of his parted lips. He sat up and leaned over to his side coughing the last drops from his lungs and then fell down in exhausted sleep.
    She laughed relieved, and watched his chest move, a little unsteadily at first and then the healthy rise and fall of natural breathing. She looked over her shoulder at the moss of the hidden pond, hoping that the fish people below had given up and that she could wait out the night in peace.
    COMMENTS!?! RATE!? Tell me what u thought. heart sweatdrop