Maame Water: The Legend Of The Fish Queen

The Scroll

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I have decided to update as much as I can this summer break so when the new semester begins, I can go on a long hiatus. Please don't kill me; its just the semester is just too stressful for me to find anytime to write. Tell me what you think?
Oh and don't you think the Oracle and Narh are so cute? The way they speak like their minds are one?
Enjoy this new part!

A quest to where it all begun
To uncover the fish's only flaw
Buried deep where waters run
Drowned in death's gruesome jaw.
Journey to their watery grave
The mystic realm must you brave
To seek the curse entombed within
And seal the evil that lies therein.

The Oracle's last sentence echoed throughout the cave when the chanting ceased.

Because we possess similar powers, the Oracle spoke, I know the Fish-Queen will not be able to read your mind when you leave my abode, just as I cannot read Narh's, but she will not fail in reading the minds of your men.

"And if we want to maintain the element of surprise, we cannot allow that to happen," Narh declared. "The Fish-Queen must not find out about your quest."

Summon your men here when I finish with you, and order them to leave their weapons behind; I will protect their minds against the Fish-Queen's powers. They will then embark on the quest immediately, the Oracle said.

The King noticed that the Oracle had used 'they' instead of 'you'.

My men. They will have me abandon my men?

"I am to be left behind?" he asked.

"You will return to the kingdom to cover your men's tracks," Narh answered. "It is only a matter of time before your sister finds out that you have been to see Dede. Returning to the kingdom will make her less suspicious."

"How?"the King asked, desperate to lead his men on the quest. "My sister will know that my men have disappeared. She will not be fooled by such trickery."

You underestimate the bond you share with the Fish-Queen, said the Oracle. Your sister knows you well. She knows you are a noble king and that you will never abandon your men to go on a dangerous mission on their own.

"However, if you break character, just this once," Narh continued. "You would have done something unpredictable and you would have the element of surprise on your side when you meet your sister again."

The king nodded in silent agreement.

They were right, of course. If he wanted to stop the Fish-Queen, he would have to forsake his principles and leave the quest in the hands of Kabutey.

Upon dismissal, the King rose and turned to leave when the Oracle called out to him,
You must remember, little king, that all magic comes with a price, and that our victory depends upon your paying it.

"Are you prepared to sacrfice anything to defeat your sister?" Narh asked.

The King clenched his fists and thought about his kingdom, his wife and his heir. He thought about the numerous subjects he was obliged to the protect. Then he remembered the Fish-Queen's cave, littered with the blood and guts of his warriors. Warriors who'd followed him blindly; warriors he'd sworn to protect.

"If I must, I will sacrifice my own life to stop her."

The Oracle regarded the King with her icy eyes as he exited her cave.

It is not your life you should worry about.
                              ***

"My Lord! They have returned,"a guard announced shaking the King out of his reverie.