Taken by the Storm King: Chapter Two

 

Chapter Two: Thalassar

I glided beneath the translucent waters, my scales shifting through shades of deep blue and gray to match the ocean depths. The human vessel had splashed down exactly where predicted. Now seven figures waded through the shallows toward shore, their strange garments glowing with lines of artificial light.

My muscles rippled as I moved closer, staying deep enough to avoid detection. Months of intercepted transmissions had taught me their language, their desperate situation. Yet seeing them in the flesh sparked something else entirely—curiosity warred with my natural suspicion.

One of them bent down, reaching for something in the sand. The shell-marker I’d placed there earlier. Bold of her, to pick up an unknown object on an alien world. Either foolish or admirably curious. The sunlight caught her features as she straightened—determination etched in the set of her jaw, intelligence bright in her eyes.

My attention snagged on her, refusing to drift away to her companions. The way she moved spoke of training and capability, yet there was a grace to her motions that drew my attention. She was fragile, her frame small compared to mine, yet she carried herself with a quiet strength that felt… captivating. I couldn’t look away.

“What is that?” One of her companions asked.

“Not sure,” she replied, tucking the shell into a pouch at her waist. My lips curved. She’d taken the bait without knowing it. Now I could track her movements, listen to their plans through the shell’s subtle resonance.

The negotiations awaited them on shore. Representatives from most of the major kingdoms had gathered—except mine. Let them debate and argue. I preferred to watch, to learn.

The humans splashed closer to shore. Their leader—the one who’d taken my shell—kept glancing around, as if sensing my presence. Sharp instincts. Dangerous, potentially. Or useful.

A flash of movement caught my eye. Shapes moving through deeper water, heading toward the humans with deadly purpose. The Mersai or one of their allies. Of course they’d try something, the fanatics.

I coiled my body, ready to strike. Not to protect the humans—I told myself—but to prevent the lunatics from sparking an incident that could drag us all into conflict.

The first explosion rocked the water. The humans scattered, crying out in surprise. My chosen quarry was thrown backward by the blast, hitting the water hard. She thrashed for a moment before going still, sinking beneath the surface.

Save her? Let her drown? The choice vibrated through my bones.

She was just a human, nothing more, and yet… I couldn’t let her go. Something about her called to me—a spark of life that refused to fade, even in the chaos. It was foolish, irrational, but I couldn’t ignore it.

The second explosion decided for me. I surged forward, my tail sweeping aside debris as I reached for her limp form. The smooth material of her strange garment slipped against my scales as I cradled her against my chest, pulling her above the waves.

She coughed weakly, her eyelids fluttering open to meet mine. Such an odd color—neither black like my people’s nor the pure blue of the depths. Something between, something new.

Fear flashed across her face—expected, given my current form. But beneath it sparked that same curiosity I’d noted before. Her hand reached out, perhaps to touch my scales.

I hesitated, torn. I couldn’t let her drown, but I couldn’t allow her to return to shore just yet—not with those enemy warriors circling. I needed to act quickly.

With a deep, crackling breath, I shifted. My body compressed and realigned, scales melting into skin as I shifted just enough to regain the use of my hands, keeping my tail wound firmly around her waist.

The water rippled around me as I reached for the small pouch at my waist, withdrawing a glowing object that pulsed faintly in the dim light—a breathing pearl.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I silenced her with a gesture and leaned closer, slipping the pearl gently between her lips. “Hold this,” came his steady instruction, barely audible above the water. “It will let you breathe.”

I hesitated, my fingers still on her lips. It was a tool, common among my people, but placing it in her hands felt strangely intimate—like I was offering her a part of myself.

Her lips closed around the pearl instinctively, and I felt her shudder as the pearl began to work. The panic in her eyes softened as her body adjusted, her breaths steadying even as the water closed over her face.

I shifted back, the transition seamless, and pulled her to me, her body still limp, recovering from the blast.

I dove, plunging us into the depths. The light of the surface dimmed above us as I propelled us farther and farther away, her strange garments glowing faintly in the darkness. Her body trembled against me, but she didn’t struggle—whether out of trust or resignation, I couldn’t tell.

They wouldn’t follow us here. None dared venture too close to my domain.

Her eyes opened again, locking onto mine, and I felt the pull of her gaze like a current drawing me in. She clutched at my scales where her hands could find purchase, her expression a mix of awe and fear.

She shifted slightly in my grasp, the movement drawing my attention back to her. Her lips parted, and though the pearl prevented her from speaking, her eyes demanded answers.

Not yet, I thought. Answers would come later. For now, I had to get her to safety.

The ocean opened before us, dark and endless, as I carried her farther into its embrace.