The Twins from the Sea

Chapter XXV

The dungeon, despite Moana's hopes, was typical, boring, and creepy. The dark, stone-built hallways were lit eerily with flickering seashell lights along the walls. Coral bars barricaded in small niches and recesses in the stone. Guards were posted every hundred yards or so along the corridors, and they looked surprised to see the four Siren royalty swimming quickly to the back of the dungeon. Moana peered into some of the cells, to find them empty.

"Are there actually any prisoners in here?" she asked the guard leading them.

"Only a few. They're up that way," he said, glancing to a fork in the hallway up ahead.

"What did they do?" Moana asked, filled with curiosity.

"Well, let's see. There's the prisoner who used to be a Bay Protector, but he swam out past his post and used his Siren-song to drown 3 ships full of sailors, that weren't anywhere close to Jade Bay. He's absolutely insane," the guard said solemnly. Ophelia recalled the passage from The Siren's Legacy that said there had never been a Siren who abused his power. Times had changed, she guessed.

"I don't understand. Wouldn't all these criminals be able to get out of prison, just by tricking the guards with Siren-Song?" Moana queried.

"No. Siren-Song does not work on our own kind, at least not in our below-sea form. Once a Siren becomes disguised as a human, they too are vulnerable to the effects of Song," Queen Coral said.

"What about during war? Wouldn't that give a huge advantage? Just using Song on the monsters. You wouldn't have to lose any soldiers," Ophelia said, concerned.

"That's the thing. We had tried it, many years ago. But Siren-Song only works on humans. No fish, creature or monster could be affected by it," Coral said solemnly, and Ophelia nodded. Some small part of her, however unlikely it may have seemed, had hoped that she made a huge revelation and would have saved the Bay. But it was a foolish thought.

"The prisoner of war is just up here," the guard said, gesturing up a flight of stairs. Ophelia suddenly felt a small pang of fear ripple through her, sending a shiver down her spine. She looked over to her sister, a serious and brave expression on her face. Sometimes she wished that she could share a little bit of her sister's courage.

The guard pushed open the door and Ophelia froze with fear. An enormous, muscular cyclops sat in a metal chair, bound in chains at the wrists and ankles. He was chained to the chair around his torso. But, Ophelia's spirits picked up slightly when she saw a blue crystal hanging around his neck. Five guards stood behind him, and two more by the door they just entered. The cyclops' enormous eye was closed, and he was slumped over. The queen cleared her throat and his eye snapped open. Ophelia clenched her fists and tried to focus on breathing. The cyclops began to growl and pull against his restraints.

"You think bringing old woman and little girl to me will make me talk?" the cyclops said in a thick, broken accent.

"We know we won't make you talk," Moana said bravely, "but maybe this will." She rushed towards him. Fiona reached to keep her back, but Moana pulled away. She reached around his thick neck and pulled off the crystal necklace.

Immediately the monster's pupils dilated. He looked around and struggled again at his chains. He spoke out again, this time his tone afraid and pleading.

"Are you going to hurt me?" he asked, sounding completely different then before. Moana stepped back, astonished. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but this wasn't it.

"No," Queen Coral said, her voice gentle and kind. "Of course we are not going to hurt you. Are you wounded?"

"I am not. Just confused," he said, quivering. "And frightened."

"Can you tell us where you remember you were last?" Ophelia ventured, trying to match her grandmother's calm tone. She shivered when the cyclops looked at her.

"Home cave. I think we had new master," he said. Ophelia's heart thumped in her chest.

"Can you tell us more?" Coral asked. Excitement was beginning to creep into her voice.

"We had new master. When they call to us on the orb we must come," said the cyclops, sounding sad, his enormous eye watery. The group was silent as they waited in anticipation for the words that were sure to come. Queen Coral spoke them.

"Can you take us there?" she asked. A considerable amount of time passed by before the cyclops answered.

"Yes," he said, his expression unreadable. "I can take you."

Ophelia's eyes widened. His response was far better than she could have ever imagined. But she frowned as a dark thought emerged against her elation. This was far too good to be true. She looked at the guards.

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" she asked, pulling her mother, sister and grandmother out of the wooden door, not speaking until she heard the click of the guard's keys locking it up again.

"Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked. Only Coral matched her eyes and nodded firmly.

"It seems too good to be true." Coral said, taking the words out of her granddaughter's mouth. Moana put her head down and nodded in agreement.

"The question is; is the reward worth the risk?" Moana said, a fire lit in her eyes. Ophelia knew that there would be no keeping her from following the cyclops to the supposed location of the cave.

"I think that Moana, Fiona and I should go. Grandma, I think it would be best to stay back. If something happened to you..." Ophelia said firmly. The queen started to protest, but Fiona cut her off.

"Mum, the girls are right. That way you could send people out after us if something were to happen," Fiona said gently, putting her hand on her mother's shoulder. "The kingdom could survive without us. It's not the same case with you."

"I understand that it is best for me not to go. But I don't think it is safe enough for you either," Queen Coral said. Then she looked into Moana's eyes, and saw the same fierce determination that Ophelia had seen. She was quiet for a moment before speaking. "But I know I cannot discourage you. Please, my darling girls, be safe. Come back home." The queen wrapped her daughter and granddaughters tightly in her arms, and kissed the tops of their heads.

"We will, grandma," Ophelia said, a twinkle in her eyes. "You can't get rid of us that easily!"