Beast Conquests

Chapter 12: He Knelt to the Ground

         It was strange, to say the least.

        'I guess the customs of this world is really different.'

       Sitting on a huge clam, as if a cartoon, Mirabella watched in awe as the dark sea depth glamoured in light. It was majestically savaged but not quite as brutal as she would have imagined.

       She was bathed and given a dress lime cloth that felt like rayon and silk. It was emerald Isle in color and reflected a sparkle from the giant pearl lights. The sleeves were long and split in to held together by a sewn on pearl that rested on her shoulders.

         The simple dress didn't cover her arms nor her belly button and lightly encompassed her chest. Thankfully, in Mira's opinion, the bottom half was a wrap around skirt. The shimmering cloth was one of those that fell limply down.

       'I'm kind of impressed with the kinds of clothing they have. They can sew too.'

         There was a necklace made of small and beautiful pink pearls around her neck. In fact, she was extravagantly dressed from the perspective of the natives. Just as they wanted and yet couldn't believe how beautiful she became.

       The harrowing echo of merfolk songs were glorious to hear, haunting and yet enchanting in it's entirety. Smooth like velvet and deep baritone in layers singing a lovely almost lively tune.

       The dark sea lit up like dawn, the pearls huge and round like lamp lights hung around in a circle and more of them, smaller and in faint colour scattered on the sea bed. In the center was a black pearl giving of an incandescent glow split in two.

        Mermen were swimming around it in graceful, masculine and elegant strokes of their colourful sparkling scales fish tails.

        'It's like wonderland under the sea.'

        The chief swam idly by beside her and watched the festivities.

      'There's a lot of dancing and singing.. it's more festive than I thought.'

        They danced around the black pearl in a circle their arms raised like bird's wings, swaying from side to side and then dipping their upper bodies every occasional beat.

      Drums were banged and harps were strung.

       The momentum of the rhythm began to build up, the beat of the drum going faster and faster and the voices were intensifying even the dance, as she watched became more emboldened.

        A chill ran up her spine and goosebumps on her skin. The smile on Mirabella's face twitched.

       And finally, there was a burst of energy. One loud and prominent bang of the drum resounded with simultaneous harp strings in its beckon call. The singing mermen's voices dipped low and raspy echoing fearsomely and those who danced with silver trinkets hung around them, ears pierced, woven in their hair and silver rings on their arms and decorating their tails, shouted decisively.

       "Yabida!"

        Her brows crumpled up and she looked sideways to the chief as if asking what it meant but she was given no answer.

       After their loud declaration and hands lifted above their heads, the black pearl seemed to explode in light like crackles of fire before disappearing a moment later.

      "The battles are going to begin now." Hali, the chief declared in a thunderous voice and at that instant Mirabella's eyes widened as hundreds upon hundreds of mermen showed up.