Compass of the Nymphs (16 page)

BOOK: Compass of the Nymphs

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Taisiya contorted her face in confusion. “How
was that a test?”

Aitia dove under the water and resurfaced
directly behind Taisiya and whispered in her ear. “Don’t think I
can’t see deep into your core. I know the earth nymph has been
teaching you things.”

“Should she not have done that?” Taisiya
asked, a little terrified.

“Of course she should have,” was the reply.
“I’m just surprised at how well of a job she has done. You’re a
very quick learner. Some well-experienced old nymphs even have
trouble breathing underwater…mostly the horrid ones that concern
themselves with fire and other appalling things. You seem to have
mastered it on the spot.”

“Maybe,” Taisiya boldly stated, “she hasn’t
done that good of a job. Maybe I’m just innately able to grasp the
things you nymphs do…”

“Maybe,” Aitia smirked. “One thing is for
certain…if it were the boy I dragged over here, he would be needing
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I couldn’t risk putting such
temptation in front of my daughters.”

Taisiya cackled and when she began laughing,
Aitia joined in. Despite being a bit frightened of the old nymph at
first, she found herself coming around to the woman’s sense of
humor. They then swam back to the shore (Aitia allowed Taisiya to
swim above the water) and joined the others.

It was decided that once the sun had risen
and everyone had enjoyed a hearty breakfast, the three visitors
could venture deeper into the island and request council with the
Elder Nymphs. Aitia explained that while she, the Elder Sea Nymph
was more than happy to help them, her other sisters may not be so
willing. They could explain their situation to the other Elders and
hope for the best.

The sun began to show itself, and so Aitia
and her daughters swam off to look for breakfast. Taisiya, Zara,
and Lahara went back on the ship to eat the food supply they had
left. Zara saw to the preparation of the meal, Taisiya set the
table, and Lahara holed up in the captain’s cabins going through
the rest of their belongings. They ate a modest meal that had
little flavor but still satiated their hunger.

Lahara thought it would be best if Zara and
Taisiya changed into new clothes before meeting the Elders. After
all they had been through getting to Ethnymphai, they had to agree
that their current clothes weren’t in any state to impress. Lahara
had picked out a dark purple cloak and matching tunic for Taisiya,
explaining that it was a feminine color and also showed wisdom and
power that the Elders would appreciate. For Zara, Lahara fancied a
white tunic with a dark blue cloak. She reasoned that the Elder
nymphs would, by nature, distrust Zara for being male. The light
and purity symbolized by white combined with the dark blue
symbolizing knowledge and integrity would help to win them
over.

“The Elders are very wise,” Lahara said,
adjusting Taisiya’s cloak to fit better. “They know things you
would not even fathom to ask. Little things like this will matter
greatly to them.”

Neither Taisiya nor Zara questioned Lahara’s
instincts. They knew she had their best interests at heart. Just
after they had changed into their new clothes, a
thwack!
against the side of the ship sent Lahara out to see what was up.
She returned a few moments later, poking her head into the room but
not entering.

“That was Nereid,” she explained. “It’s time
for us to head out to meet with the Elders. I’ll leave you two
alone for a couple minutes to compose yourselves.” With that, the
door was closed, and the room was silent.

Breaking the silence, Zara took a deep
breath. “Are you ready?”

“No,” Taisiya answered honestly. Her eyes
darted around the room in frustration as her mind raced thinking of
all the possibilities that awaited them.

“Look,” Zara said directly, putting his hands
on Taisiya’s shoulders and looking her straight in the eye.
“Remember what Adrasteia has done…what she continues to do as we
speak. Be strong.”

Taisiya’s lip quivered, “I…I am strong.”

Zara smiled, “I know you are. Just don’t
you
forget it. Now, come on. Let’s go talk to these old
nymphs and get them to help us. The one we’ve met seems to like us
well enough; it’ll be easy. I have a feeling the hardest part will
be looking at their old wrinkly faces.”

The pair laughed and began to feel the
tension slip away. As they joined Lahara and began to set out to
meet the Elders, it felt as if the long, hard journey was finally
coming to an end rather than the reality that it was just
beginning. Taisiya and Zara were both confident that what lied
ahead would be easy... They had no clue just how wrong they
were.