Disappearance of Roselei Hawthorne

Chapter Nineteen

As they approached the Elven Kingdom, Celty prepared to sink the ship underwater. Very similarly to how the tides wrapped around her and Vulcan during the healing ritual on BearClaw Island, water rose up and over the edges of the ship, while a bubble of air began to form around it.

"This is amazing!" StellaLuna stated in awe as she watched the water rise up over her.

"That should do the trick." Celty placed her hands on her hips as she proudly admired her own handiwork. "I don't think i cou;d've made that bubble any bigger, but it should be more than enough to last us a couple days."

"It's perfect." Lillia smiled as she admired Celty's powers.

"Yes, this is exactly what we needed." Gideon nodded in agreement. "I must admit, however, I didn't really expect it to work."

"Me neither." Celty chuckled.

"Look at how pretty it is!" Fenris said as they excitedly pointed to the water surrounding them. Beneath them, the plantlife swayed, and above them, the sun shone through the water's surface, making everything sparkle.

"It really is beautiful." StellaLuna nodded. "Look at all the fish. I've never seen such colorful creatures."

"How deep do you think we need to be so the elves don't see us?" Celty asked.

"I'm not sure." Lillia shrugged. "But its better to be safe than sorry. Let's just go as deep as possible."

"Alright." Celty began carefully lowering the ship. The deeper they went, the colder and darker their surroundings became. Their view went from a beautiful sea to a black nothingness.

"It's so cold." Vulcan shivered.

"Lillia, didn't we buy a bunch of clothes at the Pearlstone Kingdom?" StellaLuna asked. "I'm pretty sure we got some coats. Want me to go get them?"

"That's a good idea." Lillia nodded.

StellaLuna went below-deck and retrieved a handful of coats and jackets, and distributed them amongst the others. But the coats alone were barely enough to keep them warm. They all had to blow on their hands and rub them together to keep their fingers from freezing off.

"This j-journey should be a quick one, r-right?" Kallen asked through chattering teeth.

"We should be beginning to pass through the Elven Kingdom about now." Gideon noted.

"It's so dark a creepy down here. I wasn't even aware that the ocean could get so dark." Celty frowned at her surroundings. "There's hardly any fish or seagrass."

"I'm surprised you didn't know. Aren't you a water spirit?" StellaLuna raised an eyebrow.

"I am, but I've spent my entire life on the shoreline of BearClaw Island. I got so focused on trying to punish the citizens of the island for over-fishing that I ended up forgetting about the possibility of traveling and seeing the world." Celty laughed slightly. "But, I must say, now that I've started stickin' with you guys, I can't believe I spent so long in one place! Who knew the world was so diverse?"

"It really is incredible." Lillia nodded in agreement. "It's a shame its full of such awful people. But hopefully that will all change once- hey, er... Kallen? Are you alright?"

Kallen was staring off into the abyss, with a concerned expression on his face. He had a far-off look as if something heavy was on his mind. When he didn't respond, Lillia tried again to get his attention.

"Kallen?"

"What? Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Kallen snapped back to focus.

"Clearly." Lillia chuckled. "Is there something on your mind?"