‘Oh, I don’t doubt that. But let’s start with how you were able to come here?’
I remember the pond and the shimmering images in its depth. ‘A portal,’ I say, which makes the girl’s expression glimmer. She circles me once again, this time excited and frenzied, enticed by the details of my story. She’s waiting. She wants me to continue. ‘From the ice world.’
The hissing that erupts as the words leave my lips is nothing short of shrill. The demon’s eyes flash a violent red. A broken smile crawls across her face.
Wrong answer. Despite my ungiving mask, it’s my words that cost me. Instead of twisted curiosity, I’m now looked at as the answer to all her problems. Hope born from dark intentions.
‘So you’ve met him then?’
‘Uh, do you mean…’
‘Who else? There’s only one. That cold bastard.’ She spits, her pointed fangs glinting in the warm sunlight. ‘You know him? You were his companion?’
I nod slowly, warily. She reaches out and grabs my jaw. I tug away but she grips tighter; tight enough that her claws pierce my skin, causing a searing pain. ‘You sure look like her. Are you her replacement, I wonder? A reincarnation even? The newer, shinier version. Oh yes, he would love you. But why throw you away here? That’s unlike him. It’s an odd decision. Strange. Was he bored of his pet?’ Her voice gradually starts to become unhinged and I can feel the warning shooting through my body. ‘Bored of his pet. Threw you in here with me. Why? For me? No, he hates me, he wouldn’t do that. Yes. No. Yes. For me. A gift. To say sorry. Sorry for leaving me alone. By myself. A present for me, for me to have… No, not for me. For…’
The demon looks around the clearing, searching for anyone else. I try again to pull away from her grip and she lets me, her eyes wide and wild. She turns around, still mumbling to herself, which gives me a chance to swim as far away as I can from her. Is there anywhere I can even go to hide? Before I have a chance to find out, the girl snatches my hand in hers and pulls me through the water as she swims.
‘I am Marina,’ she says, dragging me along. When I proceed to look at her confused, she continues, ‘We are going to be friends now. Maybe you would want to tell me yours?’
It takes me a while to process what she’s referring to. ‘Siara,’ I say and Marina smiles with pursed lips.
‘How interesting. I haven’t heard that name before but then again, I don’t remember many people’s names anymore. It’s been too long. Yes, such a long time.’
There is something not quite right about Marina. She’s definitely more… unhinged than the other demons I have met so far, barring Hex.
‘Stay with me and I can take you back to the human world,’ she coos sweetly. It’s a lie. It’s such an obvious lie, that I fail to see the point in calling her out on it. My thoughts must be clear on my face when Marina meets my gaze. She whips her long tail sharply in frustration, releasing an unimpressed tisk from under her breath. ‘Well, maybe I can’t make portals like he can, but at the very least I’m all you have right now.’
There’s always a catch. ‘What do you get out of this? You’re not helping me from the kindness of your heart.’
Her swimming slows. She smiles, this time a genuine smile that appears to serve no ulterior motive. ‘No, you’re not like her at all,’ she whispers, ‘You’re much better.’ I frown, confused. ‘I have a theory,’ she says, diverting her eyes. I don’t believe it is a lie, but it’s definitely not the whole truth. Before I can prod further, she abruptly turns away, continuing to drag me through the ocean behind her, my human legs swimming behind me uselessly.
After some time, Marina begins to slow and a small structure appears in the distance. It’s a relief to my eyes and my equilibrium. The ground, now visible beneath us, shimmers with specs of silver and gold under the streaming rays from the light above. Where there is no light, a dark shadow coats the sand, concealing the treasures that lie within. Marina runs her fingers through her long waist-length hair, combing it away from her face. ‘Good, it doesn’t look like anyone’s in the garden. We can get a little closer.’
The structure begins to materialise to a greater extent. The closer we come, details distinguish themselves from the murky blue. A grand and enchanting castle stands beaten and frail. Its ancient walls cascade with cracks and holes, its once marvellous pillars cloak themselves in overgrown seaweed and stubborn barnacles. Unidentified creatures slither between the wreckage and ominous figures glide past the castle windows effortlessly from the inside, engaging in some sort of daily routine. At the sight of them Marina hesitates, gritting her pointed teeth. Like a cornered animal, her eyes dart from left to right, surveying the open water that envelops the space between us and the target destination. We float in silence at her discretion. As one individual swims out of the stone archway into the castle’s garden outside, Marina frantically grasps my wrist and powers us over to the nearest cover, away from the figure’s view. As we wait, I can’t help but admire the large forests of dense kelp that gently surround the castle. The giant grass moves slowly in the current, swaying back and forth with the rocking of the ocean. I watch long enough to notice gaps and pathways opening up and closing between the thick blades moments later.
The figure stops loitering near the castle and swims out into the stretched blue, eventually disappearing. This must be the moment Marina is waiting for. As if she could hear my thoughts, she drags me like dead weight across the yard in seconds.
‘We have to take the long way around. We can’t go through the castle.’ Although clearly a proud girl by nature, her confidence falters, her anxiety betrayed by the strain in her voice. ‘Stay close to me and for the love of God, make sure you’re quiet.’ Marina faces the kelp, determined, bouncing slightly – as if counting herself in. And she is.
‘One.’
The pull of her force through the water has me convinced I was going to lose an arm but I’m more fearful of her letting go. We weave and dart like water down a window, between one blade of kelp and in between another; opening, closing, closing, opening, the pathways never staying still long enough for me to track what direction we are actually headed. Deeper and deeper we go, darting and diving.
It happens so suddenly that for a moment I think it’s a trick of the light, distorted from the speed and erraticness of our movements. Until it happens again. An iridescent tail flickers through the forest alongside us. Just like the paths and the kelp, it’s there and then it’s not. In a sudden opportune moment, the kelp moves in unison exposing the figure’s pale face. I can’t help but let out a jolted gasp, our eyes meeting for just a split second. A young girl, maybe around fourteen, no older than Marina herself. I look to my navigator but Marina is unaware of the girl’s presence. The girl follows, waiting to see if I will alert my companion. Soft eyes moving from Marina to my own, watching. Her pearlescent skin shimmers, reflecting the small amount of light that is able to escape to the ocean floor. Silently, she shakes her head in an attempt to dissuade me.
‘Who are you?’ I whisper, thinking the speed and ferocity of the water would drown out most of my voice from Marina. We grind to a sudden stop.
‘What is it?’ Marina hisses. ‘I thought I told you to be quiet.’ She turns her head, sneering at me from over her shoulder. I shake my head and bring my voice to barely a whisper.
‘It was nothing. I just wanted to know how much further.’
Marina’s golden eyes narrow, observing me. ‘Not long. Do you feel ill?’ I shake my head. ‘Good, I don’t recommend vomiting down here; it will float everywhere. It’s not pleasant.’ Eventually, she proceeds, finding the next opening to hop onto as the moving path flies past us again. I take a quick look back over my shoulder. The young girl is out of sight but not gone. I can feel her gaze on me, lingering. If I didn’t feel sick before, I do now. Just to affirm my suspicions, every so often I catch glimpses of long silver hair, elegant fins and shimmering scales. Gentle whispers dance playfully through the long weed, calling my name. I ignore it because I have to. I can’t afford to be naive down here.
The claws on my wrist tighten but more from anticipation than nervousness. ‘We’re almost there,’ Marina shouts, her eyes brightening at the sight of the opening. If there was something she was cautious of before, she has long forgotten it now.
‘Siiiaaarrraaaa.’
Marina doesn’t react. I turn my head slightly to the side to see the young girl once again swimming beside me, a row of kelp dividing us. She hides her presence from Marina, just out of her view.
‘You need to come with me,’ she sings, her eyes large orbs of black. If I still had breath, it would have stumbled. She reaches out her webbed fingers towards me, her hair flowing behind her like its own separate wave in the ocean. Looking at her properly, she exudes beauty and delicate power. There’s a quality about her that’s different to Marina, or Xander, or William; an otherworldliness that I can’t quite place. More closely resembling…
Quickly, Siara. There’s no time…
On instinct, my free hand moves to meet hers but I stop myself just in time. What am I doing? I thought I’d learnt my lesson. Marina looks back suddenly as if to check I’m still alive. The strange young girl retracts her hand with lightning speed, pulling both arms across her chest. Her scales change like a chameleon, invisible amongst the kelp surrounding us. I continue to search for any trace of her in disbelief but she has vanished.
Marina meets my eyes and chuffs. She didn’t see her. We come to an abrupt stop as we barge into a clearing. She flicks her tail triumphantly, nudging her long hair behind her. ‘We’re here.’
I close my eyes for a second as vertigo rears its ugly head. My flailing limbs swim me down to the sand, grasping it in my hand. I was hoping it would ground me and convince my body that I am not still moving. It doesn’t work.
Marina lets out a dismissive sigh, casually swimming over to the object of her interest.
It’s an old entrance, sketchy to say the least. A dense wooden door, littered with seaweed and shells. A golden lock hangs sturdily in the middle of the door. Marina pulls a key from her waving hair. Her hands tremble so much that it takes a few attempts to fit the bronze key into the lock. I wait, my mind still itching, lingering with thoughts of the creature that had called to me. Finally, with a clear click, she unlocks the door. I look back through the algae. A pair of turquoise eyes watches me, waiting for me to break free, anticipating some sort of escape. But I can’t and I don’t.
Instead, Marina swims forward and with my nausea subsided, so do I. We travel through narrow hallways and spiralling stairs until it’s clear by the sudden appearance of stone that we have entered the castle we had seen earlier, or at least one that’s like it. It really is a long way around. A back door entrance perhaps.
‘Home at last.’ Marina sighs, relieved. She opens up another small door. Her fingers still trembling, she gestures to me to go in first. ‘Now, what did you want to know?’
I ponder where to even start as I swim into the dark room. ‘There’s no light.’ There’s no answer. No presence behind me. Looking back, Marina hasn’t followed. Instead, she hangs back in the doorway.
