Love in Dangerous Waters

Chapter 17 - Entering Tanyela

"Remember Lily." I told myself as I closed the cabinet and the handles lit up again as the doors shut with their loud creaking. "These are for Lucy, your friend, who's trying to help you out with avenging your sister." I told myself over and over as the thought of me stealing from the Antastica Royals popped into my head. But Lucy said they took them for her, so I was only stealing what they stole first. I'm re-stealing them back for her. "Okay, now with getting the hell out of here." I muttered as I looked back to the stairs, where I looked back at the aisles, but I was sure I had everything. I made sure everything was back the way it was and swam up the stairs opening the door slowly and peering out into the hallway. Nobody was there, thank God. I closed the door slowly, watching the glowing doorknob one more time before trying to find a way out.

I didn't think of a way out of here.

"Okay Lily, calm down, you can do this…" I told myself over and over again as I slowly looked out the window, seeing the guards back in their places. I took in a deep breath, realizing I had to make a break for it. I couldn’t get caught, I'd never be allowed to come back, and I still have to find my parents and my sister. I tried to make sure the guards weren't looking completely in my direction so I could swim, and once I saw my opening, I darted through the water, finding my tail being very helpful, although I was pretty quiet.

But I wasn't quiet enough.

"Halt, thief!" A guard shouted after me, making me scream for a second before forcing myself to swim faster. I heard them behind me, calling for me to stop and trying to catch up, and when I felt fingertips brush against the tip of my tail, I had an epic speed boost and I kept going even farther. I don't know how many were after me, but I dodged rocks, caves, coral, underwater trees, everything as long as I didn't get caught. I was probably a blur to them, and that's how I planned to be until they were gone.

I took multiple turns to throw them off, ditching them and jerking around random places, and even did a couple laps around the castle until they started taking shortcuts. I ran myself around the architecture and made them head in circles, and it was funny when two ran into each other, but I had to keep going, eventually I found myself hiding in a patch of anemone… alone.

I can’t believe that worked.

"Find that thief! I want her found!" I heard one low voice boom, making me stop breathing for a short period. I let out an exasperated breath when I heard them leaving, but I was still freaking out.

Now the whole kingdom of Antastica thought I was a thief… my first impression was so not going well…

I perked my head up to see if the coast was clear, and once it was, I darted in the direction for Lucy's cave. Oh, I bet she'd be so happy with me! I got back her Magic, and now she'd help me get the King of Tanyela… Aaron, I think is his name… and maybe find my living sister Marina while I killed the King… wow, my first impressions weren't going to be good in any world. But hey, it needs to be done, right? I have to avenge my sister, my family that I lost.

And I was ready for it.

"Ah, there you are, my dear!" I heard Lucy's voice as I hurried into the cave. "Did you get the Magic?"

"Here it is." I told her as I dug into my jacket pockets and pulled out the small bottles, letting them float in the water. "I wasn't sure how much you needed."

"Oh, this is perfect." She whispered, admiring the bottles, bringing them all over to her and placing it with the bottle of Magic that was mine. "And now, what to do with you…" She trailed off, jerking her head back to me.

"Well, you know I'd like to go to the faerie world to… you know…" I started, looking back out of the cave. "Kill the King that murdered my sister."

"Oh, that's right." She stammered, snapping her fingers when she remembered. "You want to go commit suicide, basically."

"I will kill the King, even it kills me." I stated, feeling my anger boil up that I thought I'd lost. "Besides, Antastica thinks I stole from the royals, so…"

"Oh dear, you almost got caught, didn't you?" She asked, and I nodded slightly, avoiding her eyes. "Well, then you should get to Tanyela as soon as possible. You don't want to be wanted in only one world now, do you?"

"Very funny." I muttered as I followed her down the path slowly, quietly, and especially cautiously. The Entrance to Tanyela was literally a cave with a closed portal, and I know it was a portal because of the swirling gas that was closed. "Now, please tell me…" I started, looking over at her. "Is the world on land?"

"Oh yes. They're faeries, if they lived in water, they wouldn't be able to fly." She replied, swimming closer to the closed portal. "Although, you're gonna have to be legs when you get through here."

"How am I supposed to do that!?" I shrieked, jerking my arms spastically and horizontally across my waist. "If I can't walk, I certainly can't kill him."

"Relax, I'm coming with, but only for a short time." She assured me as she started playing with the objects around the portal, pulling on the coral, tapping the rock with the portal on it, and it eventually opened.  "But do be careful, Tanyela is a dangerous place. They'll only do what they can to save their own kind."

"I will." I promised her as the portal opened, swirling around and revealing other water from different blue rocks on the other side… in the other world. "After you."

"Oh, you're too kind." She smiled as she swam through, and then I did, leaving Antastica behind, and entering the new world of Tanyela.

I watched the portal close behind us as we sank to the bottom of the cave, looking up at the beautiful blue sky above us. This is Tanyela. I needed to check out the place just to get used to my surroundings.

"Okay, I'm going to turn you human now. You must promise that when you want back, you gotta meet back here, but I don't know when I can be here." She told me, making me feel a little bit uneasy, and even worse when the black lightning formed between her hands. "But you'll kill the King, just like you want, and come back?"

"Well, I think I gotta find my sister too." I told her, but she shook her head at the idea, shooting it down.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She told me, the lightning warming up and becoming stronger, making me cling onto the walls. "I mean, I don't know how your sister would react, and maybe she'll find out that you stole from the royals of Antastica, and when you kill King Aaron…"

"Oh, right. I understand." I told her to make sure she stopped talking. "Just turn me human so I can get this over with and come right back."

"Deal." She said quickly before the lightning came off of her hands and onto me, making me clench my mouth shut as I wanted to scream at the shocking feeling running through the vertebrae I now had that replaced my legs. But now, it was changing right back. I felt the bones separate and the muscles shift, and before I knew it, it was done, and I was forcing myself to get to the top for air.

"Thanks." I said quickly before the water rushed into my systems, making me cough before I realized I couldn't breathe in water anymore.

"Remember to come back!" She called through the water as I broke the surface, finding myself in my jacket and an airy blue dress. Thank God for that, it'd be awkward if I ran around half naked. But now, I was focused on one thing and one thing only as I climbed out of the pool and onto the stone, sidewalk surface. I looked up and saw everything about Tanyela, but the only thing I truly paid attention to was the castle in the distance. I lost the image for a second to make sure the dagger was still in my jacket pocket, and it was. I looked back at the castle structure, seeing it tower over everything in the land. That is where King Aaron lived. There was my target.

And I will do whatever it takes to make sure he dies.