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It was actually pretty easy.
I launched myself at him, tackling him and throwing my arms around his neck. He laughed as his arms came around me and he fell to the ground. I kept my hand under his head, so he wouldn’t injure himself, and he rolled over until he was on top of me.
Who knew that you, Princess Allura, self-proclaimed hater of water mages, would be leading a handful into the sea to save your kingdom?
“Hush you,” I said, planting my lips on his and wrapping my legs around his waist. We spent the rest of the day together, locked in the room.
The next morning, Thalos knocked on the door. I opened it, already fully dressed, and he bowed to me. “Princess. We have gathered as many water mages as possible and are ready to fight.” A deep frown etched his face. “We also are bringing a weather mage, since the storm shows no signs of slowing down.”
“All right. We’ll be out there in a second.”
He bowed again before leaving, and I shut the door. I gathered up Squiggles, making sure the jar was secure. Kaga tugged me into his arms. Listen. Do not try to be a hero, Allura. We will all save your people together. I don’t want to watch you die.
I snorted. “I’m not going to die.”
He looked away, fear flashing on his face. “Kaga?” I asked. “What’s wrong? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He shook his head. No, nothing. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Those sea witches together… I’m not ashamed to admit I’m afraid.
I reached up and cupped his cheek. “I’ll be just fine. And you better be, too. You’re going to be a special ambassador after this, don’t you know?”
He planted a quick kiss on my lips. You’re right about that. Come, let’s get to the ship.
Instead of heading outside, like I expected for a ship, we went up the tower. Confused, I asked Kaga where we were going, but he only grinned at me. At the very top, he opened a door and led me outside. I gasped.
There, floating at the end of a platform, was a huge ship. It was like any other ship I’d seen, but instead of in the sea, it was in the air. Fascinated, I stepped forward to peer under the ship. Nope, nothing holding it up. A mage with a cerulean colored robe stood on the ship, swirling his hands.
Air mage, Kaga said, pointing to the man. He keeps the ship up.
“This is so cool!” I exclaimed. “I really need to get out of the sea more.”
Kaga threaded his fingers with mine, pulling me onto the ship. Thalos greeted us and brought all his mages to stand in front of me. I gritted my teeth, suddenly nervous about being surrounded by so many water mages. Kaga stood closer to me, though, and his comfort strengthened me.
“All right, boys,” I said. No female mages stood among them, something I noted with distaste. “Seraphina and Cordelia are sea witches. As far as we know, these are their powers.”
I listed off their powers, as well as their ability to use spells. “The most concerning is their possession of the moonflower pearl.” I grimaced. “We need to get that away from them at all costs. If they continue to hold it, all our lives and the realm are in danger. This storm is their doing.”
I pointed upward at the storm that had been expanding by the hour over the realm. I went on to explain that they had kidnapped the merpeople, but I had no idea where or what they were doing with them. When I finished, I asked if anyone had any questions, but they had none.
Thalos bowed to me, and I mentally rolled my eyes at the excessiveness. He turned to his mages and gestured to the sea. “Today, we make amends for our wrongdoings, just as Princess Allura saves our realm from destruction when she could have let us rot.”
I really couldn’t have, but if that was how he wanted to see it, I wasn’t about to complain. Thalos signaled the air mage, who swirled his hands some more. The ship lurched, and I grabbed onto a railing. With one hand, I made sure Squiggles was fine, and once I was sure he was, checked my mother’s scepter slung onto my back. The useless metal rod was still there, and I hung on tight to the ship as it flew over the city and shore, straight for the ocean.
The storm raged around us as the air mage skillfully landed the ship in the turbulent waters. The dark clouds above churned menacingly, crackling with bursts of lightning. With the ship now in the water, the water mages wasted no time, their hands toward the back of the ship.
“On the count of three!” one of the mages shouted over the howling wind.
The ship surged forward, propelled by the combined forces of all their magic. The waves crashed against the vessel, but the crew remained steadfast. I gripped the railing tightly, my heart pounding. I couldn’t tell if I was scared or excited.
Kaga stood beside me, his eyes locked on the swirling vortex ahead. Are you ready for this, Allura? he asked, his voice steady despite the chaos around us.
I nodded. “We have to stop the witches and protect the realm. We can’t let their dark magic consume everything.”
As we neared the center of the storm, the ship slowed down. The water mages looked at each other in confusion. They tried again, but it was as if the sea witches’ powers kept the ship from moving any closer.
Swiftly, I made a decision. I knew what had to be done, and I turned to Kaga, gritting my teeth.
“We have to dive into the water,” I said. “The witches are hiding beneath the storm’s surface, and we can’t fight them from up here.”
