Heart of the Sea

Chapter 3 Cerylia

        Cerylia swam through the ocean as they both headed out of the water, the sun low in the sky and ready for its descent. She sighed as climbed up onto the rock and rung out her hair of the salt water clinging to it and twisted it, letting it hang over her shoulder. Her legs dangled from the edge of the rock and she watched the sun in the sky, and the horizon. "These waters are always so empty. We never get to see any grand ships pass by." She mumbled to her sister, watching the crashing of the waves and the soft tides that headed up the shore and then descended back into the water. She looked up over her shoulder to the far off castle across the shore and wondered what it was like, living in such a place. Seeing grand things all the time and wearing fabulous clothes. She knew that life wasn't meant for her and if it was, she certainly didn't belong in it. She enjoyed the simple life but wondered about the elegance of the Kingdom.

        She sat there and watched the sun set, the water now dry and replaced with salt covering her everywhere. She brushed it off with a hand and picked at the salt tangled into her matted hair. She imagined the castle and the villages around it. What the people were like, the gowns, the parties, the food. She thought up every example she couldn't possibly understand and imagined it in her minds eye.

        Once the stars had started to shine in the sky she stood from her rock and turned back to the comfy cottage on the seashore and paused for a second when she caught a glimpse of something of the water. She turned back to the castle, and just off the shore was a ship. She blinked in surprise and stared at the image, taking in as much as she could from that distance away and called for Marina. "Marina you need to see this, now." She called and grabbed her sisters arm when she stood next to her and pointed to the spot on the water, never taking her eyes off for a second. "Marina, what does that look like to you?"

        Her sister looked then gave her a confused look. "That's a ship Cerylia. I know what it is, I'm not stupid." Cerylia sighed and shook her head. "Yes I know that but we never see ships here. And it doesn't look like it's stopping at the Kingdom docs."

        She turned to her sister and looked her right in the eyes. "We have to warn the merfolk. To get out of the area before they're caught. We also need to hide or we will be discovered and who knows who's on that ship and what they'll find. We must hurry and quickly. We have to check the direction of the ship to know it's position."

        Cerylia walked off the rock quickly and rushed into the cottage, flying open the secret door and dropped down into the cave and pulled her necklace up to her lips and called frantically for her friend or anyone at all to emerge from the moon pool and hear her call. She had to warn them and fast. There were merfolk close to this area and she didn't want to take any chances. She had no idea where the ship came from but it moved towards them and she had to get them out as soon as possible.

        The moon pool rippled and she sighed in relief as her blue haired friend emerged from the water placing her hands on the edge of the pool, looking just as frantic as she felt and stared at her. "I swam here as fast I could I didn't have time to reply. What's going on Cerylia? We haven't gotten such a worried call since your parents died."

        Cerylia held back the hiss in her voice at the memory of her parents death and crouched next to the edge of the pool and grabbed her friends hand tightly. "There is a ship on the shore near the Kingdom. I do not know where it came from or where it is heading but it's sails are pointed in this direction and I fear it is heading this way, through your direct path. You have to move your people, just for now. Hide them with your magic and stay far, far below the surface. Leave the area if you have to but stay hidden and far away from shore. You cannot come back here until I tell you it is safe and the boat is far out of sight. I will not risk losing you or endangering your people."

        Lydia stared at her with fear dancing in her eyes. "H-How long have you noticed the boat in the area?"

        "Only a few moments before I contacted you. Do everything you can Lydia and I will do all I can to keep this house hidden from their sight." She searched her friends face sensing the fear on her as she nodded slowly, absorbing all the information just shoved at her in a moment.

        "Be safe my friend." Lydia said before swimming away from the moon pool and back into the vast expanse of the ocean.

        Cerylia sighed and stood up from her place and frowned. It was not yet time to relax and she headed for the shelves of magical books and potions, reading up on anything that could help them hide, to keep everyone safe. She heard Marina come down into the cave and didn't bother telling her to leave, not having the patience to care at the moment.

        "What is this place?" She heard her whisper and frantically looked through vials and read their labels. "It's the moon room. We keep our magic and meet the merfolk down here. Here take up a book and mark down anything that sound helpful. Cloaking spells, sound spells, anything at all that could keep us hidden at all. Erase our existence for a period of time." She turned and handed her sister one of the many books she had staked on a table and flipped open one of her own and flipped through spell after spell, praying she could find a spell in time.

        They searched and searched until every last book had been read and she sighed grabbing the certain vials she needed to use and grabbed the spell book and her magic shell the merfolk gifted her. She rushed upstairs and walked outside and looked over at the ship and cursed viciously as she set down all her vials and quickly got to work. If she didn't work fast, the boat would notice their cottage soon and it would all be too late for a cloaking spell. She glanced back and forth between her work and the ship as she prepared the spell and poured the liquid in a circle around the perimeters of the house to keep them cloaked and set down the empty vial, reciting the spell to cloak them.

        By the time the spell had taken effect, the ship had moved a considerable distance and could be seen much more now and she sighed, slumping back into a chair and rubbed her eyes. She only prayed the spell worked and no one would come sneaking around.