races. The human tribes scattered along the coasts remained in the background for now.
Lilophea walked farther across the water. Shallow waves lay before her like a blue desert. Everywhere she looked there was nothing but the sea. It was more interesting under water than on the surface. Lilophea was about to dive back in when she noticed a whole flotilla ahead. Dozens of ships hurtled forward at full speed. There were no Sultanite’s flags flying over the unfurled sails, but Lilophea was alarmed all the same. Passing between the ships would be difficult. If she didn’t dive underwater, they might crush her.
She’d barely had time to think about the danger when blue scaly reefs emerged from the sea. They looked like humps on a smooth surface. After a moment it was clear that they were moving, too. They were water dragons!
The sentries on the ships had spotted them too and already panicked, but it was too late. The blue sea dragons appeared in flocks and surrounded the fleet. There was no use shooting them with crossbows, or even cannons. Their azure skin was as impenetrable as magic armor. The dragons, on the other hand, after listening to the chorus of screams, opened their mouths and pounded the flotilla with such a torrent of water that the ships sank. The crackle of splinters and the screams of those drowning were mingled into one cacophony of sounds. The whole fleet was sunk in a matter of minutes. Those that sank more slowly, the dragons circled their blue tails and began crushing them like hazelnut shells. There was a deafening noise from the cracking of the breaking boards.
Lilophea watched the mayhem from a distance. She wondered why the dragons had done that. They hadn’t eaten anyone. They had only amused themselves. Perhaps Seal had told them to destroy one particular fleet. Maybe they were talking about breaking some kind of treaty with the Morgens. After all, as far as Lilophea had learned, no one sailed the sea without making a special pact with them. And all who do not agree with the underwater people, become victims of an attack and eventually drowned, never reaching land from their first voyage. The Morgens have everything under control. In addition, the sunken ships are profitable. How much wealth will sink with the wreckage and become the property of Seal.
One of the water dragons glanced back at Lilophea. In its open mouth could be seen, along with sharp incisors, each the size of a dagger, pearl teeth. Would you think that water creatures could even have teeth made of pearls?
The dragon tilted its horned head, paying homage to the underwater queen, whom, of course, it noticed even from a great distance.
Lilophea even thought that the dragons had sunk the fleet only because it posed a threat to her, strolling carefree on the waves.
Only there was no one else to ask. The dragons soared over the water, nodded their spiky heads at her one by one, and dove into the water, leaving fountains of spray on the surface.
The ring of fire
Had someone warned her that Morag wasn’t the only one to be wary of? The water dragons turned out to be many! Lilophea’s heart was pounding hard after her encounter with them. Of course, she didn’t seem to have anything to fear. They all have no right to harm her. She is, after all, their queen after all. But what if something happens to Seal? Then they’ll all turn on her and poor Aquilanía, of course. Not to mention the rest of the other neighboring states.
Seal was merciful. For the sake of his bride, he did not attack her homeland. Would the creatures of the ocean be as humane if they were victorious?
How hard it is to feel helpless! Even if Seal is at war now, there is nothing she can do to help him. Except to abuse her power and summon a militia of water dragons to move to the ocean. And fight her family there again?! According to Morena and Lirena, her maternal relatives are the rulers of the ocean. And she herself is not strong enough to believe that packs of sea dragons are subject to her.
While she pondered on the move, Lilophea reached the small rocky island. If it were not for the many tall rocks in which the faces of sinister mythical creatures were carved, the island could have been called paradise. It had picturesque waterfalls and palm groves that couldn’t be counted. And the colorful tropical flowers that grew here in whole clumps, Lilophea didn’t even know the name.
The yellow sand was not dotted with magic shells. So it was safe here.
She should have thought so! On the sand you could come across bones and skulls of some non-human creatures. Not human, not animal, not even morgen. Some skulls had the walls of the back of their heads shaped like shells. These could be the skulls of sea creatures.
«So you went back into the depths to your tribe after all?»
The voice was familiar, but the dark-skinned woman in gorgeous silver jewelry was not immediately recognizable to Lilophea.
«Harisi?»
The black woman nodded in response. In flowing silk robes and with colored bird feathers in her hair, she looked like an exotic island queen. She probably was. Lilophea noticed that the tips of crude spears and arrows gleamed in the thicket. There’s a whole warrior tribe hiding out there.
«They don’t like morgens here,» Harisi confirmed, «but I remember you were kind to me.»
«Are you in charge here?»
She nodded.
«And you know enough about us to keep us off your island?» Lilophea noted that the tips of the local warriors’ weapons were silver. «When you fled from Sultanite, did you take much silver metal with you? It was a good defense against Seal’s warriors.»
«It is not good enough,» Harisi sighed. «Once he turns his vigilant attention to our island, we are lost. But Sephora is around.»
«Sephora? You mean the dragon goddess? What’s her connection to your island?»
«Oh, it’s a long story,» Harisi wanted to take Lilophea under her arm, but she nearly burned the silver bracelets abundantly strung on her black wrist.
«I’m sorry!» She apologized at once. «I do not wish to insult you, so that you come to our island with your magic harp and flood everyone here.»
«I will not!» Lilophea promised. Perhaps prematurely! The weapon pointed at her still glared from behind the bushes. What a way to welcome guests here!
«So what is it with you and Sephora?»
«Her ring is shining on your hand, too,» said Harisi, her eyes gleaming with envy. «So she has taken you under her wing because of your feud with Ornella.»
«It’s not that Ornella and I are feuding,» Lilofea hesitated, remembering that this very Ornella was now preparing to attack her home kingdom.
«Even after her griffins had started attacking merchant ships from Aquilania and bullying captains to death?»
«I did not know that!»
«Birds put seals on people. It is like the seal of the morgen. The human mind weakens under their influence, yielding to the will of the one who set the seal. Those who resist perish. I saw a handsome young marshal whom Ornella had so branded kill himself to avoid becoming her slave.»
«She was always capricious and spiteful.»
«And she always disliked you.»
«I don’t
