sea witches are as nice as Coral."
Eleven
I'll take you to see my mother," said Pearl, "but I can't guarantee that she'll help you."
"I understand," I said. "I can't make promises for my mother, either."
"My sisters have already moved to another ocean to get away from her. I'm sorry I overreacted at Coral's, but I couldn't bear hearing my friends talk about Mother. It's just that she's always doing things You'll see what I mean when you meet her."
As we swam, I began to envy Pearl's lack of confining clothes. Blue and green scales covered her from the waist down, while shells and some kind of sea foam dressed her upper body. A string of seed pearls woven into her hair kept it under control. Unhampered by tralling fabric or constricting laces, Pearl's movements were so fluid, they appeared effortless. I was fascinated by the way her tail moved up and down and by how quickly it could propel her through the water. My clumsy attempts at swimming were as exhausting as they were slow.
After crossing the bare ocean floor, we entered a kind of forest composed of a great stand of seaweed swaying in the current. Alleyways opened and closed with the movement of the plants, confusing the way.
"We're getting close," Pearl told us after some time. "I'll help you however I can, but you're going to have to do whatever my mother says if you want that hair. Tell her that you've come to ask a favor of her. She'll give you a task to perform. Once you've completed it, you should ask for the hair."
"I'm sure we can handle it," said Eadric, resting his hand on my shoulder. I was still annoyed with him for the way he'd acted in Coral's castle, so I shook off his hand and swam after Pearl, leaving him to follow as best he could.
The seaweed parted, revealing the hulk of a round-bellied ship lying on its side. A gaping hole exposed the heavy planking and allowed us easy access. Pearl led us through the dimly lit interior, stopping here and there to point out handholds that we should avoid or rotten sections of flooring that would crumble if touched. Brightly colored fish darted out of our way, while a long, snakelike creature with a flattened tail wiggled past. What light there was slanted through holes in the hull at strange angles. I tried to picture where we were in the ship.
Entering a short passageway, we reached a large cabin that appeared to be someone's living quarters. My eyes were drawn to an opening in the opposite wall where a wide window must have provided the captain with a wonderful view of the ship's wake. A high-backed chair sat facing the window, angled so that anyone sitting there could watch the creatures swimming by.
"What do you want, Pearl?" asked a voice from the chair, and I realized that someone was in the room with us.
"Some friends of mine have come to see you, Mother," said the mermaid, motioning for us to stay back. "They have a favor to ask."
An old sea witch rose from the chair and floated toward us. Her hair was indeed so fine as to be almost transparent. Her scales, which reached her collarbone, were a dark shade of green. Her nose was thin and pointed; her pale green skin was taut, as if she defied wrinkles to appear. Yet it was her eyes that made me stop and stare. They were terrifying, so dark and lifeless that they seemed to be two black holes.
"A favor?" said the sea witch. "You mean they didn't come here just to gawk?"
"A favor, yes, that's right," I said, embarrassed that I'd been caught staring.
Something inside a sea chest growled. Snatching a long pole from where it leaned against the wall, Nastia Nautica rapped the chest until the growling stopped. When the sea witch turned to me, I shrank back from those terrible eyes. "Before you can ask a favor, you must earn the right. Bring me the giant pearl that the ancient sea monster guards before the sun sets this day and I will grant your favor. However, if you don't succeed, I will cut off your heads and feed them to the sharks." Raising her arm,
Eleven
I'll take you to see my mother," said Pearl, "but I can't guarantee that she'll help you."
"I understand," I said. "I can't make promises for my mother, either."
"My sisters have already moved to another ocean to get away from her. I'm sorry I overreacted at Coral's, but I couldn't bear hearing my friends talk about Mother. It's just that she's always doing things You'll see what I mean when you meet her."
As we swam, I began to envy Pearl's lack of confining clothes. Blue and green scales covered her from the waist down, while shells and some kind of sea foam dressed her upper body. A string of seed pearls woven into her hair kept it under control. Unhampered by tralling fabric or constricting laces, Pearl's movements were so fluid, they appeared effortless. I was fascinated by the way her tail moved up and down and by how quickly it could propel her through the water. My clumsy attempts at swimming were as exhausting as they were slow.
After crossing the bare ocean floor, we entered a kind of forest composed of a great stand of seaweed swaying in the current. Alleyways opened and closed with the movement of the plants, confusing the way.
"We're getting close," Pearl told us after some time. "I'll help you however I can, but you're going to have to do whatever my mother says if you want that hair. Tell her that you've come to ask a favor of her. She'll give you a task to perform. Once you've completed it, you should ask for the hair."
"I'm sure we can handle it," said Eadric, resting his hand on my shoulder. I was still annoyed with him for the way he'd acted in Coral's castle, so I shook off his hand and swam after Pearl, leaving him to follow as best he could.
The seaweed parted, revealing the hulk of a round-bellied ship lying on its side. A gaping hole exposed the heavy planking and allowed us easy access. Pearl led us through the dimly lit interior, stopping here and there to point out handholds that we should avoid or rotten sections of flooring that would crumble if touched. Brightly colored fish darted out of our way, while a long, snakelike creature with a flattened tail wiggled past. What light there was slanted through holes in the hull at strange angles. I tried to picture where we were in the ship.
Entering a short passageway, we reached a large cabin that appeared to be someone's living quarters. My eyes were drawn to an opening in the opposite wall where a wide window must have provided the captain with a wonderful view of the ship's wake. A high-backed chair sat facing the window, angled so that anyone sitting there could watch the creatures swimming by.
"What do you want, Pearl?" asked a voice from the chair, and I realized that someone was in the room with us.
"Some friends of mine have come to see you, Mother," said the mermaid, motioning for us to stay back. "They have a favor to ask."
An old sea witch rose from the chair and floated toward us. Her hair was indeed so fine as to be almost transparent. Her scales, which reached her collarbone, were a dark shade of green. Her nose was thin and pointed; her pale green skin was taut, as if she defied wrinkles to appear. Yet it was her eyes that made me stop and stare. They were terrifying, so dark and lifeless that they seemed to be two black holes.
"A favor?" said the sea witch. "You mean they didn't come here just to gawk?"
"A favor, yes, that's right," I said, embarrassed that I'd been caught staring.
Something inside a sea chest growled. Snatching a long pole from where it leaned against the wall, Nastia Nautica rapped the chest until the growling stopped. When the sea witch turned to me, I shrank back from those terrible eyes. "Before you can ask a favor, you must earn the right. Bring me the giant pearl that the ancient sea monster guards before the sun sets this day and I will grant your favor. However, if you don't succeed, I will cut off your heads and feed them to the sharks." Raising her arm,
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