The Queen leads me out of the palace, and we pass many guards who bow to her. They glance at each other, surprised to see me following her, and then they shrug.
Once we are out of the palace grounds, she turns to me and says, "Ling Yue, try to keep up, I'll race you down to the border." She darts off her tails flicking at an astounding speed, leaving bubbles in my face.
I try to keep up and flip my fins and tail as fast as possible. But I can see her getting smaller in the distance ahead. I observe the way she flips her tail and the lack of arm use, so I try to copy. I stop flipping my fins. Instead of flipping my tail side to side, I force it to go up and down. It felt strange at first, counterintuitive, but my body propelled forward. I can't deny the results; my speed quickens.
It feels good to be able to overtake other sea creatures as I chase after Her Majesty. Unlike the time I lost against a big-belly seahorse.
I find her waiting for me at the border. She gracefully perches on a boulder, combing her hair as I pant my heart out.
"Your Majesty, you're faster than I expected."
She giggles softly. "Why, thank you. Watch this." She winks and puts a finger on her lips. She gets down from the boulder and hides behind it. A school of squid floats by in the distance, minding their own business. She peeks over the boulder, waves her finger, and a tendril of water flicks against one squid. It panics and squirts out black ink, causing the whole school to squirt out black ink. She quickly hides behind the boulder. In the cloud of black ink, the school of squid turn towards me and glare at me. I laugh nervously.
The Queen stifles her laughter, her body trembling.
"Uh... Your Majesty, they've gone now. Thanks for making me your scapegoat."
She floats back up. "I know they're gone. Do you want to learn how to do that?"
My eyes light up. "Yes, please!"
I envision myself being able to use water tendrils to whip all the guards. A devilish grin spreads across my face.
"Hm... I don't know if I should teach you now... Something tells me you'll be whipping my guards with it."
My eyes widen. "How did you know? Did the water whisper that to you? You can read thoughts?"
She laughs melodically, "No, I can't read your thoughts. I can read your face. You've got a grin that puts demons to shame."
Phew! I was worried there. I just need to control my facial expressions around her from now on.
She pauses, lightly tapping her finger on her chin. "I suppose, it wouldn't hurt to show you the basics for now."
She summons a water bubble; it's more viscous and a different hue of blue from an air bubble. "Can you sense the condensed water in the bubble?"
I close my eyes, concentrating on the bubble. I can't tell the difference, and I shake my head.
"Are you sure? Keep your eyes closed. How about now?"
I concentrate harder. "No, I can't tell. Everything feels the same..."
"Hm... how about now?"
Smack! A tendril of water hit me on the head. "Ow! No wonder I got those glares."
Her Majesty giggles. "You can open your eyes now. I bet you will be able to sense it tomorrow."
Her teaching method is so different from Master's. My fins are too short to rub the sting. This is so unfair!
"We should head off before it gets dark. On with the quest, since you've learned how to use your tail for speed, and the basics of feeling elemental water. We'll go for a leisurely swim to our destination."
We swim around the cloud of squid ink, schools of fish, pods of dolphins, and sea turtles enjoying the tranquil sea. The vibrant coral gardens begin to disappear as more jagged rocks appear and the water becomes murky. Less life forms venture out here. When I say less, I mean just the two of us.
Then we arrive at an unsettling, desolate place, with big bubbles floating up. The water is heating up. Is this what it feels like to get cooked? My instincts overwhelm me, screaming danger ahead. The Ocean is eerily quiet.
"Your Majesty, maybe we should head back... I have a bad feeling about this."
The Queen turns around, standing precariously near the edge of a cliff, "Oh, don't be silly. We'll be fine." A burst of bubbles float behind her.
Then gigantic orange-red tentacles unfurl as they emerge. My heart skips a beat, and I slowly back away. My bad feelings never betray me.
She slowly turns her head, her eyes widen, mouth agape, as another giant tentacle wraps itself around her body and lifts her. She bangs her fists against it, trying to free herself. The head of the sea monster emerges from the abyss.
My jaws drop open as it dawns on me who we just ran into. "Ah! The Kraken!"
"Ling Yue! Save yourself! Forget about me!" the Queen yells.
I start sweating profusely. I wasn't sure whether I should run for help or do something. But then the Queen has been good to me. She's going to be fish food if I leave her!
Here goes nothing. I strike it with my strongest move. I let out a roar and nothing happened, not even a breeze. Oh, for Ocean's sake! I don't have that power anymore. It would have been handy right about now. If I live to tell this tale I will remind my master about the consequences of taking away my power.
So, I have no elemental magic to use at the moment. I survey the surroundings. There's nothing around. I'll try to thrash the beast with my tail. With all my might, I whip my tail against the Kraken's head. It didn't even flinch. That probably tickled it. Its body begins to shudder. I don't know if it's angry or laughing.
Think! The only thing I can think of is my headbutt.
"Let go of her!" I dart toward the tentacle holding the royal captive and slam my head against it.
My body gets stuck in the tentacle. I use my fins to wriggle free but to no avail. Looks like I have a one-way ticket to the underworld.