Author's Preface
Zareth and Ryan sat in a carriage prepared to leave for Narethis. Ryan looked at Zareth, who was clearly nervous. His forehead was covered in sweat, his knees were bouncing up and down, and he was fidgeting with his fingers uncontrollably.
"Ummm, are you okay?"
"What..." Zareth looked up. "Uh, yeah, I'm okay."
Ryan leaned forward with his elbow on his knee and his chin resting in his hand. "Yeah, bullshit. We have a long ride ahead. So tell me what's going on."
"Well, Nessa and I. We, ummm... are engaged."
Ryan sat back. "You're shitting me."
"I am not shitting you. Whatever that means. We've been close since childhood. The demons and Narethians have always had good relations. Now that we have our freedom, I can marry the woman I love so much. Our past restrictions stopped demons from marrying outside our own." Zareth paused for a moment and glanced out the window of the carriage. "I haven't seen her since the summit. Every time we meet, it's been in secret. Thankfully, my father and the King of Narethis are good friends, so we see each other often, but never publicly."
"Oh, so this should be an easy sell."
"In theory, but it's the elders of Narethis that worry me."
"Oh. Don't mind them, I'll handle some snobby old royals."
Zareth raised his hands. "No, you cannot handle anyone while we are there, do you understand me?"
"Jeez, yeah, I get it, alright. I will be on my best behavior."
Zareth smiled and leaned forward. "Good. Now, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Go for it."
"How strong are your summons? They handled the guards yesterday without much of a struggle."
"Hrmm, well, Bubba. The big ugly green one. He is the strongest. I'd say if he and Harken got into a fight, they'd be evenly matched. The rest are strong enough to clear A-rank dungeons without the need for me to do much."
"So, just how strong are you then, exactly?"
"Well, I suppose after the small issue I caused, I owe you an answer to that. I would lose to Harken if I fought by myself. My swords..." Ryan paused and looked at his left arm. "Or sword, rather, is more of a last resort thing if enemies get too close. My strength doesn't lie in my own personal strength, though." Ryan pointed to his head. "My strength lies up here. Outsmarting enemies, outmaneuvering them, and relying on my shadows. I am not weak by any means, but yes, without my shadows, I am at a considerable disadvantage. I have no proper training in swordplay, and I have few offensive spells I can use."
"Most would never admit something like that. How about I help you change that?"
Ryan leaned back. "How the hell would you do that?"
"When we return from Narethis, I will take you to our vault. We have many books on sword techniques that I am sure my father would allow you to learn."
"But I'm not a demon?"
"And?"
"So, how can I use demon techniques if I do not have talents from your god?"
"A sword technique is simply that, a technique. It doesn't require a demonic talent. Who knows, you may find one that fits you. An ancient soul may take a liking to you as well. Our god likes people like you. I am sure after your little stunt, you have already caught his eye anyway. At least, that's why I'm sure my father spared you from any sort of punishment, because he thinks the same."
"I mean, in that case, I won't say no."
The two sat in silence for the rest of the carriage ride to Narethis. The Kingdom of Narethis was a small sliver of land that stretched along the entire coast of the western continent. From the coast, its territory only stretched inland a few miles. The people of Narethis had little need for agriculture or vast amounts of land. They survived off the ocean and lived primarily in the water. They could traverse and live on land without issue, but they preferred the water, where their strength was unmatched. The Narethians were weaker on land, but by no means were they a weak people.
Ryan and Zareth arrived in Numinar, the capital city of Narethis. As the carriage rolled through the gates, Ryan poked his head out the window to look into the city. The land was mostly barren. A few Narethians walked along what Ryan could only describe as boardwalks. He watched them slowly walk into the water and disappear. He poked his head back inside and looked at Zareth.
"Where is everyone?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we are in the capital of this country. Yet I only see one building, and it looks like a storehouse."
"The city is under the water."
"I'm sorry, come again?"
Zareth laughed. "Under the water. Don't worry, we will be greeted here shortly."
The carriage came to a stop by the boardwalk. Suddenly, a knock came at the carriage door. Ryan looked out the window and saw a group of men aiming spears at the carriage. They were tall and slender but very muscular, with gills on their necks, ears pointed like elves, and no hair on their bodies at all. Their eyes were massive and black, with eyelids that closed sideways instead of up and down. Their hands and feet were webbed.
Ryan looked at Zareth. "This is a greeting?"
"Well, I couldn't announce the demon prince was heading this way. Why do you think we took such a shabby carriage?" Zareth opened the door and poked his head out. The leader of the group smiled and ordered his men to withdraw their spears.
"Prince Zareth, why didn't you inform us you were coming? Nessa would've greeted you herself."
"Well, I am not here for that. Honestly, what I am here for is far more serious. Can you take us to the palace?"
"Of course."
Zareth closed the door to the carriage and sat back in his seat. Two of the Narethian guards unhooked the horse that had pulled the carriage. They relieved the driver and took a seat on the bench at the front of the carriage.
Ryan tilted his head. "Ugh, so what is about to happen? Why aren't we getting out?"
"You'll see."
Suddenly, a blue light appeared just above the carriage. Ryan looked out and saw the light begin to surround the entire carriage like skin around bones. Ryan poked the thin layer of magic that surrounded the carriage like a membrane. It bounced back and forth. Slowly, the carriage started moving as the guards pushed it into the water.
Ryan leaned to the right and looked out the front window. The carriage was being hooked up to what appeared to be two dolphins. As Ryan watched, he was jolted back in his seat as the carriage was slung into the depths of the ocean. Ryan watched as the carriage went deeper and deeper. The membrane covering the carriage stopped any water from entering, yet remained translucent.
"Cool, right?" Zareth smiled as he noticed Ryan's amusement.
"Hell yeah. Cool is an understatement."
"Just wait till you see the capital."
"This is crazy. We're pretty deep, and whatever this is..." Ryan poked the membrane again. "It stops water from coming in and makes the water pressure irrelevant. Fascinating. Is it producing oxygen?"
"It is."
The carriage's speed came to a crawl as they approached the capital. Ryan looked out the window. Below him were thousands of Narethians swimming around a massive underwater city. Most of the buildings themselves seemed to be made from coral reef. There were no streets here, just building after building right next to each other. Ryan squinted and looked closer. The entire city was covered in the same membrane that surrounded their carriage. In the distance, he noticed the royal palace, a large castle made entirely from white stone.
Holy shit, it's the Disney castle, Ryan thought to himself.
The carriage finally pulled up to what looked similar to the port. The two Narethians who had taken the helm unhooked the dolphins and slapped them as they swam away. They swam behind the carriage and pushed it through the membrane. The carriage began to roll slowly and came to a stop inches from a wall.
Zareth and Ryan stepped out of the carriage and were greeted by two royal palace guards.
"State the purpose of your visit." One of the guards stepped forward.
Before Zareth could speak, Nessa came running down the hall. She charged past the guards and gave Zareth a hug. As she hugged Zareth, she looked at Ryan.
"I've seen you before."
"Yes, Princess, you have. At the summit."
"That's right! You are the silly man who humiliated the prince of Aldemere."
"One and the same."
Nessa stepped back from Zareth. "If you brought him here, can I assume this isn't a social visit?"
Zareth hung his head. "It is not. I need to speak with your father as soon as possible."
"Well, he is out on a hunt right now. He will be back by dinner."
"Well, I suppose until then, we can make this a social call. Right, Zareth?" Ryan winked.
Zareth smiled. "Yeah, I guess we can."
"Good, follow me. I was just about to eat with my guards when I heard you were heading this way. We can show your friend... ummm."
"Kade. You can call me Kade, Princess."
"Right. We can show Kade around the capital."
"Sounds wonderful, Nessa."
Nessa smiled and gave Zareth another hug and a kiss on the cheek. She turned and walked out of the port. Zareth and Ryan followed. Ryan put his arm around Zareth as they walked.
"You sly dog. You're gonna have to tell me how you managed to pull that. She's hot."
"Kade, I fear your death one day will come from beheading after you open your mouth."
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. But, does she have a sister?"
Zareth sighed and shook his head. "Just focus on the mission, will ya?"
"You tell me that while you're staring at her ass as she walks away. Got it. I'm not allowed to find love."
"You are impossible, you know that, right?" Zareth turned his head and looked at Ryan.
"Yeah, so I've heard."
Nessa led them through a few halls until they came to a door. Inside sat a large table made of the same material as the castle. Ryan sat down. Zareth tried to sit next to him, but Ryan kicked his chair out from under him. Zareth fell to the floor and stared up at Ryan.
"Brother, what the hell are you doing? Go sit next to your fiancée. Not me."
"You'll definitely be beheaded." Zareth picked himself up.
"Are you okay, Zareth?" Nessa leaned on the table.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He brushed himself off and walked over to sit next to Nessa as Ryan chuckled.
"Princess, without sounding rude, why do you all have that magic barrier thing surrounding the entire city?"
As Ryan finished, the cooks walked into the room with plates of cooked fish, vegetables, and bread. They set them down on the table. Nessa's guards also walked into the room, sat next to Ryan, and began eating.
Nessa picked up a piece of bread and took a bite. "Do you like soggy bread, Mr. Kade?"
"Well, I mean, no. Not unless it's a biscuit soaked in gravy."
"Well, neither do we. Before we began to interact with other kingdoms, our world was completely underwater. Once we opened our borders to visitors and traded with other kingdoms, we realized there were things that were easier to do when you weren't floating around or swimming in the water. Also, no one else can breathe underwater." Nessa grabbed a fish, bit off the head, and chewed for a moment. "So, we came up with this magic barrier to hold back the water so people from other kingdoms could come here and visit. We could learn from one another. Many things we do now are based on technology or things we inherited from you land people. Fire, cooking, paper, ink. Before all that, we were a primitive people. Our written history was limited to the walls of caves. Now, though, we can utilize paper and ink and make books. Also, it's hard to cook a good fish in the depths of the ocean, now isn't it?"
"I guess I didn't think about it that way."
"That seems to be a habit of yours, huh? Act before you think. And by the way, if I did have a sister, I am certain you would not catch her eye."
Ryan started to laugh. "Ohhhh, you're a fun one. I promise I'm much more handsome than Zareth."
Zareth brought his thumb to his throat, pulled it across, and smiled at Ryan.
Nessa leaned into Zareth's ear. "I'm glad to see you've finally made a friend outside of Harken. He's so damn stubborn."
Zareth stared at Ryan and laughed. "Me too."
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