The Sea Princess and The Storyteller

Chapter Five: DERIN

"Adir wasn't kidding when he told me that time is different in here", Derin said to Darius. Had he been riding through the Cavern of Enchantment for hours, or even days?

Not only did time pass differently in the Cavern of Enchantment, the Cavern itself kept magically transforming right before Derin's eyes. The lovely coral garden had shifted to an unending, dark stone corridor that was just barely wide enough for a giant seahorse to swim through.

I'm hungry...Darius whined telepathically. Derin's stomach was grumbling as well. Would they ever get out of this goddess-forsaken Cavern, or was it their destiny to slowly starve to death in here...?

After a while, the long, narrow hallway vanished into thin water, and a vast chamber, bathed in an ethereal golden light, appeared in its place. Derin gasped, as the large chamber contained a treasure trove that made the diverse selection of high-quality goods available at the Reddian marketplace pale in comparison.

Piles of glimmering gold coins, like those Derin had read about in stories about sunken treasure left behind by human pirates, covered the floor of the Cavern of Enchantment. An incalculable number of sparkling diamonds, bright green emeralds, blood red rubies, royal blue sapphires, and powder blue aquamarines were scattered carelessly throughout the room. Some of the gorgeous gemstones were practically as big as Derin's head! Half a dozen seashell thrones, each one a masterpiece of intricate carving, sat empty. Bolts of richly embroidered, jewel-toned SeaSatin cascaded down from the walls like waterfalls of pure luxury.

For a moment, Derin could not help but be paralyzed by the sheer opulence of it all. If he took even a handful of the coins and jewels in the Cavern of Enchantment, he could afford to buy all kinds of things for his friends at the Sisters of Amphitrite Home for Orphaned Mer-Children.

It occurred to Derin that there was not a single pearl anywhere in the room. The mystical Pearl of Wonder was clearly not one of the many, many gems that currently surrounded him and Darius. Adir's warning replayed in the Cave Urchin's mind over and over. He must not touch anything except for the Pearl of Wonder, or he would die!

Derin shut his dark, almond-shaped eyes, and when he opened them, all of the enticing treasures had disappeared without a trace. Darius and him were once again floating in a cramped hall. They rode forward for a few meters, and then found themselves in a dense kelp forest.

Food...! Darius telepathically exclaimed. Giant seahorses loved to graze on kelp and algae.

"No, Darius!" scolded Derin, shaking his head firmly. "Believe me, I'm hungry too, but we can't touch anything!"

A pearl, as huge and round as a spiny sea urchin, suddenly popped out of the floor of the Cavern of Enchantment. While its size was surely impressive, it was not particularly shiny or pretty. Was this the infamous Pearl of Wonder...?

"Why would that wicked merman want a piece of junk like this...?" Derin wondered out loud. He leaped off of Darius, and raised his fingers over the pearl, hesitant. Should he really touch this pearl...? What if it turned out to be merely a red herring...?

Taking a deep breath, through the small gills on the back of his neck, Derin gingerly laid his left pinky finger on the pearl. At precisely the same time, Darius was unable to resist the temptation to nibble on the kelp in the mystical Cavern.

"Young merman...!" a mysterious voice reverberated off the walls of the Cavern of Enchantment. Derin's fingers were closed around the Pearl of Wonder

"You have indeed managed to not give into temptation, but I am afraid that I cannot say the same for your faithful steed! I shall spare both of your lives, for the time being, but I cannot allow you to ever exit the Cavern of Enchantment!"