The Girl of Ossetia

Chapter Four

Four

            They had swept down from the gloomy skies and landed on the mossy path that led through the lake. Arrana was leaned over onto her horse’s neck, breathing heavily as they walked slowly along the slick path. Her red eyes stung with tears and rain as they looked out at the flat water. The only disturbance of it was the rain drops that had lightened slightly. They walked for silent minutes on end, until out of the corner of her eye, a large ripple of the water quaked out. She leaned upward as Gunsynd stopped in his tracks. A thing lay unearthed upon the mossy shore. Arrana coaxed the stallion forth a few steps, before he stopped for good, huffing loudly at the creature.

            It struggled to gain land, looking harmless with its desperate attempts. Arrana slowly slid from his back, walking slowly to it, her black cloak billowing out from behind her, her chin turned slightly upward, eyes diverted downward. Her heart raced as she paused, noticing the colorful scales upon it’s skin, human torso and arms, a scaly gray mermaid tail and a fish head mounted upon it’s neck. Its large white eyes looked at the girl, recognition flashing in their gigantic black pupils. Arrana instantly knew it was her.

            As the thought thrummed in her mind, the tail began to dry and crumble away to pale human legs. Soon the colorful fish scales flaked from its torso, and the fish-head writhed until formed to a beautiful, doe-eyed girl slightly older than Arrana. Her hair was long tendrils of white hung over her bare shoulders wet with the rain. She slowly stood, smiling gently.

“Hello Arrana.” Her voice was soft, with the slightest hint of a croak behind it. When she smiled, her mouth was filled with small, pointed teeth, giving her a less angelic look.

“I am Tisbeth: the Princess of the Changers of Oanne.” She bowed her head, drops of water sliding off the tip of her nose. Arrana felt slightly relieved, validating who this girl was. She always felt the need to introduce herself – even though all of Ossetia and it’s Allies knew of her. “We must hurry now; Duager has more than just one tracker. They will be here soon.” She offered the girl her hand, her feet still in the water. The autumn haired girl looked at the water, then down the mossy path which led to a thick forest far in the distance.

“But I will surely drown!” She squawked, blinking the rain from her eyes. The girl shook her head, her smile not dropping.

“Trust me… You will not drown.” Her eyes flashed back to her. Arrana turned her head back to her horse, whose wings were now concealed.

“What about my horse?” She questioned quietly. The girl just laughed.

“We will take him with as well.” She rolled her eyes as if it were not obvious. “Now come on.” She coaxed, holding out her hand further. She slowly walked and took her hand. She heard Gunsynd come fast behind her. The princess gave one more tentative smile, Arranas now bare feet submerged in the water. She looked at the Princess nervously, before her eyes glinted and she snapped her arm up to her fish-mouth and snapped her teeth into the fleshy part of the girl’s wrist with one swift movement. Arrana bellowed out in pain before the fish-girl shoved her into the water. She dove down into the dark depths, the water so cold it took her breath away. Fear slid up veins and froze her. She heard a large splash followed by a lesser one above her. Even under the dark depths she felt her eyes burning from the tears. Bright red blood slid out from her wrist, curling up to the surface as she slowly sank further. Slowly the blood turned black, and she felt her lungs beginning to compress with the need of air. She did not have the power to thrash her way to the surface. Sudden sharp pains throbbed just below her jaw on her neck. Her mouth flared open and water rushed in, her body writhed in horror as she knew she was now drowning. It was a horrifying feeling, the vision tunneling slowly to black, body feeling crushed. When she knew she was going to die, she gasped for breath, but not from her mouth. To her now awe-struck surprise she could breath. Her fingers fumbled to her neck, feeling three long flaps pulsating.

Now far below was a dim light. She turned her face to it and swam deep down, fascinated with the way the water filtered to oxygen. She felt slightly warmer the closer she got to this light, her eyes steady on it when something grabbed her shoulders. She whirled her head around to see the Princess, her body now transformed to its fish like form, besides her beautiful porcelain human head. Her white hair eerily hung around her face, she gave her a wide smile.

“Sorry for scaring you.” She stated her voice filtered and much more croak-like under the water. Now Arrana’s head turned upward to see her horse propelling itself to them with his feather wings with surprising ease. He also had long gills below his cheek bone, his nostrils now covered with the same gray skin of his muzzle.

They all swam down to the light, Tisbeth leading the way. Now the lake floor was in sight, chalky white sand rather than murky brown mud. Once they reached the bottom, Arrana was able to float upright, her toes dug into the sand for an anchor. Tisbeth now twirled to face her, her eyes lifting high above to the rippling gray surface above them. Her scaly finger rose to point at a dark figure peering down into the water. It was now all too familiar to Arrana- the same cloaked figure on its wolf headed beast. She felt a pang of despair rise in her chest.

“Do not worry for it is impossible for them to reach you down here.” The princess smiled delightedly, before turning the other way. Arrana’s eyes lingered to watch the figure stand there for a few moments longer, before silently riding away. A strange foreign language rose behind her, which was Tisbeth mumbling into the water, her eyes closed. Suddenly a blinding white light began to pulsate in front of her, growing to the length as far as the girl could see, before it sucked her in by some magical force.

When her eyes flickered open again, Arrana was slightly damp and blinking for it was extremely bright. As she regained sight she was looking at a progressively arching water dome above her. She slowly rose to her knees, rubbing her eyes, now noticing she was breathing into normal lungs again. Tisbeth stood before her, clothed in a beautiful white gown, her hair still wet but she had the normal human body again. Arrana clambered to her feet as Gunsynd did. Before them sprawled houses fastened of driftwood and marble, glimmering under a large orb of light which hung brightly in the center of this gigantic under water city. People milled around, most occasionally patched with fish scales and their mouths filled with those pointed teeth. Their eyes darted to the autumn haired girl before they went on to whisper with their companions in a language not very many understood.

“Welcome to Oanne.” Tisbeth said proudly, waving out her arms.