The Sea Fairies

Scarcely had the four left the castle by the broken window when the monster stepped from a doorway below and saw them. Instantly he blew upon a golden whistle, and at the summons a band of wolf-fish appeared and dashed after the prisoners. These creatures swam so swiftly that soon they were between the fugitives and the dome, and then they turned and with wicked eyes and sharp fangs began a fierce attack upon the mermaids and the earth dwellers.

Trot was a little frightened at the evil looks of the sea wolves, whose heads were enormous, and whose jaws contained rows of curved and pointed teeth. But, Aquareine advanced upon them with her golden sword and every touch of the charmed weapon instantly killed an enemy; so, that one by one the wolf-fish rolled over upon their backs and sank helplessly downward through the water, leaving the prisoners free to continue their way toward the opening in the dome.

Zog witnessed the destruction of his wolves and uttered a loud laugh that was terrible to hear. Then the dread monster determined to arrest the fugitives himself, and in order to do this he was forced to discover himself in all the horror of his awful form – a form he was so ashamed of and loathed so greatly that he always strove to keep it concealed, even from his own eyes. But it was important that his prisoners should not escape.

Hastily casting off the folds of the robe that enveloped him Zog allowed his body to uncoil and shoot upward through the water, in swift pursuit of his victims. His cloven hoofs, upon which he usually walked, being now useless, were drawn up under him, while coil after coil of his eel-like body wriggled away like a serpent. At his shoulders two broad feathery wings expanded, and these enabled the monster to cleave his way through the water with terrific force.

Zog was part man, part beast, part fish, part fowl, and part reptile. His undulating body was broad and thin, and like the body of an eel. It was as repulsive as one could well imagine, and no wonder Zog hated it and kept it covered with his robe.

Now, with his horned head and its glowing eyes thrust forward, wings flapping from his shoulders and his eely body – ending in a fish's tail – wriggling far behind him, this strange and evil creature was a thing of terror, even to the sea dwellers, who were accustomed to remarkable sights.

The mermaids, the sailor and the child, one after another looking back as they swam onward toward liberty and safety, saw the monster coming and shuddered with uncontrollable fear. They were drawing nearer to the dome by this time, yet it was still some distance away. The four redoubled their speed, darting through the water with the swiftness of sky-rockets. But fast as they swam, Zog swam faster, and the good queen's heart began to throb as she realized she would be forced to fight her loathesome foe.

Presently Zog's long body was circling round them like a whirlwind, lashing the water into foam and gradually drawing nearer and nearer to his victims. His eyes were no longer glowing coals – they were balls of flame – and as he circled around them, he laughed aloud that horrible laugh which was far more terrifying than any cry of rage could be.

The queen struck out with her golden sword, but Zog wrapped a coil of his thin body around it and, wresting it from her hand, crushed the weapon into a shapeless mass. Then, Aquareine waved her fairy wand; but, in a flash the monster sent it flying away through the water.

Cap'n Bill now decided that they were lost. He drew Trot closer to his side and placed one arm around her.

"I can't save you, dear little mate," he said, sadly, "but we've lived a long time together, an' now we'll die together. I knew, Trot, when first we sawr them mermaids, as we'd – we'd – "

"Never live to tell the tale," said the child. "But never mind, Cap'n Bill; we've done the best we could, and we've had a fine time."

"Forgive me! oh, forgive me!" cried Aquareine, despairingly. "I tried to save you, my poor friends, but – "

"What's that?" exclaimed the Princess, pointing upward.

They all looked past Zog's whirling body, which was slowly enveloping them in its folds, toward the round opening in the dome. A dark object had appeared there, sliding downward like a huge rope and descending toward them with lightning rapidly. They gave a great gasp as they recognized the countenance of King Anko, the sea serpent, its gray hair and whiskers bristling like those of an angry cat and the usually mild blue eyes glowing with a ferocity even more terrifying than the orbs of Zog.

The magician gave a shrill scream at sight of his dreaded enemy, and abandoning his intended victims Zog made a quick dash to escape. But nothing in the sea could equal the strength and quickness of King Anko when he was roused. In a flash the sea serpent had caught Zog fast in his coils, and his mighty body swept round the monster and imprisoned him tightly.

The four, so suddenly rescued, swam away to a safer distance from the struggle, and then they turned to watch the encounter between the two great opposing powers of the ocean's depths. Yet there was no desperate fight to observe, for the combatants were unequal. The end came before they were aware of it. Zog had been taken by surprise and his great fear of Anko destroyed all of his magic power. When the sea serpent slowly released those awful coils, a mass of jelly-like pulp floated downward through the water, with no remnant of life remaining in it – no form to show it had once been Zog, the Magician.

Then Anko shook his body, that the water might cleanse it, and advanced his head toward the group of four whom he had so opportunely rescued.

"It is all over, friends," said he in his gentle tones, while a mild expression once more reigned on his comical features; "you may go home at any time you please, for the way through the dome will be open as soon as I get my own body through it."

Indeed, so amazing was the length of the great sea serpent, that only a part of him had descended through the hole into the dome. Without waiting for the thanks of those he had rescued he swiftly retreated to the ocean above, and with grateful hearts they followed him, glad to leave the cavern where they had endured so much anxiety and danger.

20

The Home of the Ocean Monarch

Trot sobbed quietly, with her head on Cap'n Bill's shoulder. She had been a brave little girl during the trying times they had experienced, and never once had she given way to tears, however desperate their fate had seemed to be. But now that the one enemy in all the sea to be dreaded was utterly destroyed, and all dangers were past, the reaction was so great that she could not help having "just one good cry," as she naively expressed it.

Cap'n Bill was a big sailorman, hardened by age and many adventures; but even he felt a "lump in his throat" that he could not swallow, try as hard as he might. Cap'n Bill was glad. He was mostly glad on Trot's account, for he loved his sweet, childish companion very dearly, and did not want any harm to befall her.

They were now in the wide, open sea, with liberty to go wherever they wished, and if Cap'n Bill could have "had his say" he would have gone straight home and carried Trot to her mother. But the mermaids must be considered. Aquareine and Clia had been true and faithful friends to their earth guests while dangers were threatening, and it would not be very gracious to leave them at once. Moreover, King Anko was now with them, his big head keeping pace with the mermaids as they swam, and this mighty preserver had a distinct claim upon both Trot and Cap'n Bill. The sailor felt that it would not be polite to ask to go home so soon.

"If you people had come to visit me, as I invited you to do," said the Sea Serpent, "all this bother and trouble would have been saved. I had my palace all put in order to receive the earth dwellers, and sat in my den waiting patiently to receive you. Yet you never came at all."

"That reminds me," said Trot, drying her eyes; "you never told us about that third pain you once had."

"Finally," continued Anko, "I sent to inquire as to what had become of you, and Merla said you had been gone from the palace a long time, and she was getting anxious about you. Then I made inquiries. Every one in the sea loves to serve me – except those sea devils and their cousins the octopi – and it wasn't long before I heard you had been captured by Zog."

"Was the third pain as bad as the other two?" asked Trot.

"Naturally, this news disturbed me and made me unhappy," said Anko; "for I well knew, my Aquareine, that the magician's evil powers were greater than your own fairy accomplishments. But I had never been able to find Zog's enchanted castle, and so I was at a loss to know how to save you from your dreadful fate. After I had wasted a good deal of time thinking it over, I decided that if the sea devils were slaves of Zog, the prince of the sea devils must know where the enchanted castle was located.

"I knew this prince, and where to find him, for he always lay on a hollow rock, on the bottom of the sea, and never moved from that position. His people brought food to him and took his commands. So I had no trouble in finding this evil prince, and I went to him and asked the way to Zog's castle. Of course he would not tell me. He was even cross and disrespectful – just as I had expected him to be; so I allowed myself to become angry and killed him, thinking he was much better dead than alive. But after the sea devil was destroyed, what was my surprise to find that all these years he had been lying over a round hole in the rock, and covering it with his scarlet body!

"A light shone through this hole, so I thrust my head in and found a great domed cave underneath, with a splendid silver castle built at the bottom. You, my friends, were at that moment swimming toward me as fast as you could come, and the monster, Zog, my enemy for centuries past, was close behind you.

"Well, the rest of the story you know. I would be angry with all of you for so carelessly getting captured, had the incident not led to the destruction of the one evil genius in all my ocean. I shall rest easier and be much happier, now that Zog is dead. He has defied me for hundreds of years."

"But, about that third pain," said Trot. "If you don't tell us now, I'm afraid that I'll forget to ask you."

"If you should happen to forget, just remind me of it," said Anko, "and I'll be sure to tell you."

While Trot was thinking this over the swimmers drew near to a great circular palace made all of solid alabaster, polished as smooth as ivory. Its roof was a vast dome, for domes seemed to be fashionable in the ocean houses. There were no doors or windows, but instead of these several round holes appeared in different parts of the dome, some being high up and some low down, and some in between. Out of one of these holes, which it just fitted, stretched the long, brown body of the sea serpent. Trot, being astonished at this sight, asked:

"Didn't you take all of you when you went to the cavern, Anko?"

"Nearly all, my dear," was the reply, accompanied by a cheerful smile, for Anko was proud of his great length; "but not quite all. Some of me remained, as usual, to keep house while my head was away. But, I've been coiling up ever since we started back, and you will soon be able to see every inch of me, all together."

Even as he spoke his head slid into the round hole and, at a signal from Aquareine, they all paused outside and waited.

Presently, there came to them four beautiful winged fishes with faces like doll babies. Their long hair and eyelashes were of a purple color, and their cheeks had rosy spots that looked as if they had been painted upon them.

"His Majesty bids you welcome," said one of the doll fishes, in a sweet voice. "Be kind enough to enter the royal palace and our ocean monarch will graciously receive you."

"Seems to me," said Trot to the queen, "these things are putting on airs. Perhaps they don't know we're friends of Anko."

"The king insists on certain formalities when anyone visits him," was Aquareine's reply. "It is right that his dignity should be maintained."

They followed their winged conductors to one of the upper openings, and as they entered it, Aquareine said in a clear voice: "May the glory and power of the ocean king continue forever!"

Then she touched the palm of her hand to her forehead in token of allegiance, and Clia did the same; so Cap'n Bill and Trot followed suit. The brief ceremony being ended the child looked curiously around to see what the palace of the mighty Anko was like.

An extensive hall, lined with alabaster, was before them. In the floor were five of the round holes. Upon the walls were engraved many interesting scenes of ocean life, all chiseled very artistically by the tusks of walruses, who, Trot was afterward informed, are greatly skilled in such work. A few handsome rugs of woven sea grasses were spread upon the floor; but otherwise the vast hall was bare of furniture.

The doll-faced fishes escorted them to an upper room where a table was set, and here the travelers were invited to refresh themselves. As all four were exceedingly hungry they welcomed the repast, which was served by an army of lobsters in royal purple aprons and caps.

The meal being finished they again descended to the hall, which seemed to occupy all the middle of the building. And now their conductors said:

"His Majesty is ready to receive you in his den."

They swam downward through one of the round holes in the floor and found themselves in a brilliantly lighted chamber, which appeared bigger than all the rest of the palace put together. In the center was the quaint head of King Anko, and around it was spread a great coverlet of purple and gold woven together. This concealed all of his body and stretched from wall to wall of the circular room.