Tales of a False Treasure

If it hadn’t been for Ava’s magic, they would have surely died. Rex pushed the wooden door of the ship’s cabin open first. The brawny first mate had always been overprotective. He crept out onto the deck and Ava followed, refusing to be left behind. At first glance, the ship seemed to be intact. Rex moved slowly toward the mast and looked up. Ava’s gaze followed to find the sails ripped to shreds. They wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Which meant they were vulnerable to whatever caused the violent uprising in the cove waters. They had locked themselves away in the cabin with magic when the mutiny happened. Shortly after, the ship had been passed around like a cheap wench in a local port with not one of the crew in sight.

           Ava turned to see the wheel missing from the upper deck. They really weren’t going anywhere soon. Even if they could repair the sails quickly with magic. It would take too much energy between just the two of them. Especially with Rex being a poor magician. On the other hand, Ava was smaller and weaker but had to make up for it with magic. If the crew hadn’t been mutinous, and dove down after the mythical treasure themselves, they would have a chance at escaping.

           Are you willing to do whatever it takes?

           The question Ava’s employer asked surfaced. It wasn’t normal for her to take on a job as a pirate captain the way she did. But the payoff would have set her and Rex up for life. He was particularly interested in this treasure. Legends told of sea dragons hoarding it over past centuries from merchant ships and if found, it would be comparable to that of all the royal families in the world.

           Rex was looking over the hull while Ava stared into the stormy sky. The clouds threatened to rain as the wind blew her wild hair off the back of her neck. She walked over to the railing and saw blood swirling in the water. Whatever happened to her recently hired crew was something she longed to avoid.

           Whatever it takes, Ava thought as she walked over to a chest near the cabin door.

           Inside, lay the box containing surfweed. It had been jostled inside the chest but still whole. She opened it to find two pieces left. Just enough for Ava and her brawny first mate, Rex. She slowly walked over to him with the open box. He stopped checking over the hull and looked at her with wide eyes.

           “No.” Rex said flatly.

           “Why?” she asked but knew the answer.

           “Why? Did you really just ask why? How about that the crew committed mutiny so now it’s just the two of us to fix this entire ship.” He towered over Ava as he spoke but she didn’t shrink away. She was the captain. A title earned over years of hard work and unspeakable acts. Rex continued as he noticed his argument having no effect on Ava. “The hull has been ripped. We must be sitting on a shallow reef to not be sinking right now. Whatever is out there did a number on the ship and looking at the blood in the water, killed our entire crew. And you want to dive into that ocean?”

           “You do what you need to do and I’ll do what I need to do.”

           “Ava…” Rex grabbed her shoulder and held her gaze. He had been like a father to Ava most of her life but she knew those kinds of bonds only lasted so long. Eventually he would leave her. She thought today would be that day until he said, “Let’s go.”

           Tears threatened to collect in Ava’s eyes but she held them back. She would not dare show that weakness. Not even to Rex.

           She handed a piece of the sea plant to her first mate as she chewed on the other herself. After dropping their swords onto the deck, they stepped over the railing and hung over the wavy surface of the ocean. None of the waves were actually breaking, so, Ava determined it as deep enough to jump.

           Ava turned to catch Rex anxiously watching her. She gave a big smile and said, “It’s a pirate’s life for me.”

           He smiled back as she let go of the railing. Part of what kept Ava living the pirate’s life was the adventure. The risks that came with the job. Jumping into the unknown cove was no exception.  A smile spread across her face as her pulse quickened with the wind in her hair.

           Then came the cold.

           Ava instinctively held her breath as she splashed into the water. Eventually, she came to an equilibrium in the water column. She opened her eyes to find darkness. The cloudy weather above allowed very little light to penetrate deep into the cove’s waters. This is not going to be easy, Ava thought.

           Burning pain emanated from the sides f her neck. She went to scratch but stopped herself knowing that it was the surfweed working. The transformation was small but significant at the same time. Slits that would act as gills formed at the base of her neck which would pick out the trace amounts of oxygen in the water. The first sailor to discover the marine plant’s use was simply looking for something to eat while trapped on a deserted island.

           The pain subsided and relief spread through Ava’s lungs as her gills went to work. She looked around and found Rex to her left. The agony that came with the metamorphosis had distracted her so much that she didn’t notice he plunged in next to her. His gills formed as well.

           They had an hour. An hour to find the mythical treasure for their employer and get the biggest payday either one of them had ever known.

           “Refulgous,” Ava said.

           Being underwater muffled the word but it didn’t matter. For magic to work, the word only helped focus the mind when manipulating it. Truly great magic users could use a spell without muttering a single word.

           The warmth of magic fell upon her body and chased away the chill of the saltwater. An orb of pale, white light appeared above her head and would follow her as she swam. She couldn’t do the same for Rex. So, he would have to say close.

           They dove down into the darkness which fell away from Ava’s spell. As they swam deeper into the darkness, pain in Ava’s ears cropped up as she passed certain levels. It did not stop her though. She kept swimming while pinching her nose and blowing to relieve the pressure. Ava had to find this mythical treasure regardless of the sensation that she was moving too quickly without thinking. Rex might have been right not wanting to dive down into the ocean.

           Eventually, the light illuminated the bottom of the cove. It had not taken them long but Ava felt a change in the gills that indicated they used up a third of their time. They didn’t have long before they would be forced to return to the surface and leave.

           The copy of the map was not specific as to where in this cove the treasure could be found. As Ava floated above the sandy bottom, she slowly spun in place in search of any indication as to which direction they should go. A faint, blue glow off in the distance was her only hope.

           Ava sluggishly moved her hand through the water as she grabbed Rex’s tunic and pointed him in the direction of the light.

           They swam.

           Ava kept her eyes on the goal and tried not to think about what might be lurking outside the reach of the weak light floating above her head. Whatever had killed their crew, had not shown itself yet. Imagining a huge set of jaws racing through the water and taking Rex was an image she struggled to rid of herself. Anticipating the worse case scenarios was draining her and Ava could feel the exhaustion seeping into her bones.

           The far-off glow got closer and closer until the t wo of them were upon three large, blue-green stones. Each had intricate designs carved into them. It wasn’t the treasure of jewels or gold she had imagined but it was all they could find in their short time. If only the crew hadn’t been so impulsive. Then we could have worked together in searching this whole cove.

           Ava no longer needed her spell because the stones in front of her provided plenty of light. So, she released her hold on the magic and ended her spell.

           Ava’s heart skipped a beat as the water pressure changed. She whipped her head around as quickly as she could through the water and searched for the cause of the sudden change. Shadows just inside the light swarmed around them. There were too many to count. They wouldn’t make it much longer when the creatures decided to attack.

           Next to Ava, Rex reached for his sword but they had left their weapons aboard the ship. She reached out and connected with magic. A list of dangerous spells filed through her mind as she figured out which ones would cause the most damage underwater. If they were going to fall, then Ava wasn’t going down without a fight. Nonetheless, she still held out hope they could retrieve the stones and make it back to the surface.

           The creatures stopped swarming and the water stilled. Slowly, a huge reptilian head, three times the size of Rex, came into view from the darkness and hovered over the stones. The frills flowed from around its head as he came forward into the light. The snout came to a point like a beak and its yellow eyes fell upon Ava. The dragon’s body was still hidden in the darkness, behind its long neck.

           The urge to flee was strong but her stiffened muscles kept Ava in place. After a moment of clarity, she realized there was no running and there were no creatures. What she had originally thought was a group of enemies was only this dragon. Its body was so large that as it wrapped around them, its limbs made it seem as if there was a group of sea creatures.

           A glow from the dragon’s eyes caused Ava to go limp for a moment. She looked with wide eyes to find Rex completely fold over on himself and float as if dead. She rushed over and was relieved to find a pulse.

           Vibrations in the water brought Ava’s attention back to the dragon. It tilted its head at her curiously as if it wondered why she did not fall asleep like Rex. Ava left her first mate and cautiously swam toward the dragon. There was something about this sea dragon that pulled Ava closer. It must have been this beast that caused the damage to her ship and killed her crew. If that were true, then why was she still alive?

           The sea dragon’s eyes glowed again and Ava stopped involuntarily. Her mind felt foggy and clear at the same time. Images bombarded her mind. The longer this strange connection with the sea dragon went on, the clearer the images became.

           The glowing blue stones were not stones at all. They were the dragon’s eggs. This cove had been a nesting ground for sea dragons for a millennium. Ava shared with the sea dragon her own knowledge about legends of a treasure hoarded by sea dragons were passed down from generation to generation. That those legends led Ava here, to this cove.

           Then Ava’s own memories surfaced and were shared with the mother dragon. She had been five years old when she was given to Rex. Or better put, sold to Rex. Her own parents didn’t want her and she remembered clearly that there was a monetary exchange between Rex and her real father. Ava never broached the topic with her first mate. There wasn’t anything to talk about.

           But Ava would be damned if she were the one to take these eggs from their mother.

           Ava’s senses returned to the current setting. It felt as if the connection with the sea dragon had only lasted a few minutes but another change in Ava’s gills indicated that very little time was left. They would never make it back to the surface in time.

           Well, it’s a pirate’s life for me. Ava thought.

           With great risk came great reward. The eggs would have been incredibly valuable and without anyone returning with a tale, Ava’s employer would only send more ships to the cove. Eventually, this nesting site would be under high scrutiny.

           Ava flinched as the sea dragon lunged forward and dipped her head low. It took Ava a moment before she realized the dragon was inviting her to hold on. She swam over to Rex and carried him to the dragon’s neck. Ava found that the frill around the dragon’s head was strong and she could hold on to it. She barely held on as the dragon thrust upward to the surface. The water threatened to tear Rex from her hand. Whatever connection Ava had with the dragon was gone, so, she couldn’t tell her to slow down. Ava would just have to hold on long enough not to lose him.

           As they swiftly swam to the surface, Ava squinted her eyes at the brightness of the sky. It was still cloudy but the difference between the bottom of the cove and the ocean surface was significant.

           Suddenly, they exploded from the water and Ava felt the cool air against her skin. She struggled to pull Rex onto the dragon’s neck as it swam over to the shipwreck.

           The mother dragon lifted herself out of the water enough for Ava to drop her first mate onto the deck and hopped off after. She was surprised to look over the railing and find the dragon’s neck was all that could be seen. How big is this dragon?

           Ava held the yellow eyes of the giant beast for a moment before the sea dragon slipped beneath the water’s surface. She stood at the railing wondering if the dragon would have a change of heart and return with a vengeance. Then she fell to the wood deck next to Rex. It wouldn’t take long for the diving sickness to find them. The sea dragon might be able to surface as quickly as she did, but humans were not made for such abrupt pressure changes. Ava would have to use magic in order to alleviate the symptoms. Unfortunately, there was no magical cure for diving sickness.

           Ava placed her hand on Rex’s wrinkled forehead, and said, “Trezi.” She was pleasantly surprised that Rex’s eyes fluttered open. She wasn’t sure if the spell to wake would work on someone put to sleep by a dragon.

           “What… what happened?” Rex asked as he lifted to his elbow. “The last thing I remember is…” He looked with wide eyes out at the ocean’s surface. “How are we alive?” Rex turned to face Ava with an open mouth.

           “The sea dragon spared us and have to protect her by spreading tales of a false treasure,” Ava said with confidence. “This cove must never again be explored.”