6: The Dome of Pleasure Floated Midway on the Waves

Chapter 6 of "A Grail for Eidothea"

The boating incident goes terribly awry with Eidothea falling in and instantly transforming into a draig môr, which should have been impossible as only one of her parents is a sea dragon. Llyr helps her to a rock where she manages to put on some clothing before being rescued by Jasper Tregallas.

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Freshly bathed and thoroughly warmed by hot soup and tea, I accosted Father in his study. I closed the door behind me. He peered at me through his reading spectacles and then removed them. He had said little on my return, casting only anxious glances my way.

“Father, something very unexpected happened today.” I spoke mildly, sitting across from him, a low wall of books and stacked papers between us. “Mother said I would never be like her, but I very much am.”

He folded his spectacles and placed them on the desk. He kept my even tone. “What do you mean?”

“I always knew immersing myself in the sea would give my skin the illusion of scales. It was why you were so upset when I was young and fell in.”

“One of the reasons.” He nodded. “Your mother hinted that scales might be a risk for her offspring. Thank heaven it was not permanent. But, my darling, I was not upset about that but because you nearly drowned.”

“I did not drown today. I became draig môr. How is that possible?”

He ran a hand through his thinning grey hair. “I am not sure. Your mother did some magic to heal your lungs when pneumonia developed. You are … you are like her?” His eyes filled with tears. “I wanted you to live. I did not imagine you would pay this price.”

For me it was a mystery to be solved, not a curse. Father seemed to know about dreigiau môr, our existence, but little more. “I will be going away tomorrow, to see other dreigiau môr,” I told him. “I do not know for how long.”

“You will come back?” He looked sunken and his fingers trembled while smoothing paper in front of him.

I dashed to him, flinging my arms around his neck. “Of course! I do not know how long I will be gone. I have never taken a journey like this before—“

“Your mother was always gone for a week.”

“I do not remember, her—“

“She stopped shortly after you nearly drowned. Perhaps she thought she would draw you in and accidentally drown you, like a siren.”

I kissed his forehead. “Maybe she loved you too much to stay away from you.”

Father harrumphed, wiping away tears.

“There is something else, Father.” I resumed my place opposite him. I drew out the pearl ring via the chain around my neck.

Father’s lips stretched into a weary smile. “Ah, yes. I expected you would have some questions about that. I apologise for not giving it to you on your eighteenth or in the years since. That ring brings back too many memories.”

I tucked it away in my bodice. “Mother wrote a note. I am to ask you about a quest?”

“It is how your mother and I met.” He sighed. “She was so passionate about it and badgered me at every moment for information. I did not know what she was about until much later. I thought my passion for history and her passion for hunting down artefacts was fate.” He shrugged. “She loved me but not enough to let me in on that particular secret. The number of times I discovered her rifling through my papers. Perhaps when you visit her family—and yours— you will learn more.”

30th March, 1814

You may have noticed a gap in entries. Apparently, I was quite ill, I am fortunate to have recovered to a point that we can now have Mr. Jasper Tregallas over as a guest. He is also rejoicing in my renewed health. I hear from Jenni that many wonder if an engagement will soon be announced.

In my spare moments, I have compiled an account of my time at Caer Morgana. Not even my slender dissembling magic will render that many pages invisible to the untrained eye. It is almost an entire notebook itself.

If you have found this you will not need to look far to find this account.

You may be wondering about the note on the front of this page. My aunt had to remain ignorant of my true nature, so we agreed that I had returned, ashamed I had run away, and the whole time had been concealed by my falling ill from my spill into the sea.

There is much I dare not share, even in this hidden space. There are secrets not mine to tell, such as how long it took to reach Caer Morgana, although I am certain Llyr purposefully slowed our journey, teaching me the finer points of our mental communication, swimming, basic magics as well as a thorough briefing on dreigiau môr etiquette and society.

Llyr waited for me in the cave, dressed simply in a shirt and breeches, despite the cold. Around him lay my clothing I had been unable to don from the boating adventure, spread out to dry. He held up a pair of boots. “The seawater has ruined these.” He dropped them onto a rock. “Probably your cloak is ruined also. I worried you would not be coming.” He eyed the leather bag in my hand. “What is that for?”

“I am running away, or at least that is what those upstairs will think. If I left in this—“ I gestured to my nightgown and robe. “—they might think I threw myself off the cliff instead.”

Llyr rubbed at his head. He had been out of the water for a while. His long dark hair stuck out at angles where he rubbed. He glanced at me, at the cave depths, and at me again.

I drew my wrapper closer around me. How much of my naked form had he seen? “I will go hide the bag—“

“I will wait for you out—“

We both stopped and grinned at each other, our awkward tension dissolving.

Llyr continued. “Let me show you where I hide these clothes. Meet you in the water?”

I nodded, my stomach twisting. Was I really going to plunge into a completely unknown world? Yes, yes, I was. If Mother could live on land, I could visit her watery home. I would gain answers about this quest and my horrible vision.

Llyr rested his hand on my shoulder. “Eidothea, I was afraid you might have second thoughts. I am happy you decided to come with me.”

He showed me the hiding spot and left me to disrobe. I hid my bag, now with the addition of nightclothes. All I wore was my mother’s pearl ring on a long chain around my neck.

In the soft morning light, I saw Llyr’s figure enter the surf. His long black hair reached the top of his buttocks, which flexed as he ran straight into the water. He dove into the waves.

I hurried to follow suit, feeling incredibly vulnerable in my own nakedness.

Llyr’s head and shoulder popped above the ocean’s surface. I squealed, covering myself. He grinned. “Go further out before you dive under. You’ll need space to transform, else you’ll graze yourself on the rocks — and I don’t want to explain that to your family.”

He sunk under the water and I realised he could see me just as well under the water as out of it, so I plowed forward, finally sinking beneath the sea’s surface.

I do not know if I will ever become used to the way my flesh melts, lengthens and becomes serpent-like.

Llyr taught me much, not the least in helping me become used to my new form. We swam far from the shore, slowly descending. Llyr seemed to be in no hurry and together we explored the capabilities of my draig môr body.

We spiralled around each other. My keen examination of his scaled body did not seem to bother him. It was both difficult and natural to reconcile Llyr’s handsome human form with the reddish-gold lithe form that swam with me. He showed off, making figure eights with his long body.

I tried to mimic him, almost tying myself into a knot.

Laughing (it involves a lot of bubbles), Llyr helped me untangle and then tugged on my whiskers. :Catch me if you can.:

We sprinted through the ocean, Llyr taking refuge behind seaweed clusters. Before long, I executed a sharp turn and a figure eight.

:Can you tell when I am thinking just to you?: I asked him.

He demonstrated how it sounded in my head if I spoke to more than one person. :And this is just for your ears.:

:Like this?: I glanced at him . He nodded at me, a wide smile upon his thin lips. :Then I need to tell you what happened. What I saw—: I began to tell him about my vision.

Llyr interrupted. :You can think in images to me. Share with me what you saw.:

I stopped my descent to focus on this task, making sure that only Llyr would receive it.

His murmured :Good: faded. He stilled next to me, his twitching tail the only sign of his agitation. I realised I could feel his distress and it spilled out beyond us.

I touched his forearm. He focused upon me, the length of his serpentine body shuddering.

:Do you get them often?: His colourless thought sounded as if he had locked every emotion deep within.

I shook my head. :I am sure it is because I touched your birthmark. Are they magical for every draig môr?:

:What birthmark?: Llyr twisted to search every part of himself.

:Right here.: I had no desire to touch it again, in case it sparked another vision, so I laid my finger near it on his upper arm.

Llyr stared at it, even sniffed and licked it. :There’s nothing there.:

:There is, Llyr. I can see it. Why do you not —:

:Shh, this is important.: He took my clawed hand in his. We faced each other, drifting closer with the contact. :Would you touch this mark again?:

:Llyr, I do not know … it is frightening. What if I cannot control what I do?:

His right arm curled around me, holding me in the midst of where I imagined my back could be. He still held my hand in the other. :I will not let anything happen to you. I will be right here.: His scaly cheek nuzzled mine.

Fingers trembling, I touched the mark on his upper arm. The same vision pummeled me and I shrieked, engulfing the two of us in bubbles. I lost myself in the vision, reliving the ocean creatures dying, the seabirds slick with noxious black…

When I came back to my senses, my entire body shook. If Llyr had not still been held me, I would have rocketed to the surface. He held me until my until my trembling ceased, our tails entwined.

:Did I yell at everybody?: I managed after a time.

Llyr seemed to be scanning the ocean. :Yes, but not in any coherent way. You saw the same thing?:

:Mmm.: I felt no inclination to move out of his embrace, his body pressed against mine. Had we been on land, would I have been so reluctant?

:Your body went stiff and it was like you were not present.: Llyr paused. :I think we should change our plans. You mother’s family can wait. We need to bring this to my mother’s attention first.:

:But why?:

:I have heard stories of the Old Days, of the Chosen Court, but I think, I think you might be the first of the Court, the prophet. What you described is like a prophecy.:

:Or a nightmare.: I drew in a shaky breath, my gills flaring wide. (Oh, yes I have gills. They run around my neck.)

:Prophecies are warnings. We can avert the catastrophe.: Llyr seemed confident. :My mother serves on the Council. She will know what to do.:

Llyr seemed reluctant to release me and I was content to remain in his embrace, exhausted by the vision. :Are you well?: he murmured, his lips close to my ear. The warmth of his breath drew me back to full awareness. My dreigiau môr form was still quite unfamiliar to me. Our bodies coiled together. Every part that touched him became very sensitive.

My heart thudded. :Is … is this proper?:

:Not if we stay this way.: Llyr sounded more amused than affronted. There was tenderness also in his thought. :I didn’t know what would happen. I wanted to keep you safe.: He released me.

We hung together on the same current for a moment, until Llyr flicked a fin to put a little space between us. :As much as I would love to laze about with you, I would like us to reach Caer Morgana before we lose the sunlight.:

With the sun fading above, the ocean grew dark, light percolating down in the deepest of greens and turquoises. Our bodies held bioluminescence to see by. Llyr told me I could control the strength of the light, and we spent a short time, not slowing our pace, practicing this technique.

A golden glow lay ahead, growing brighter as we approached the ocean floor. Giant half orbs shone, stacked and nestled amongst large rocks the size of the western cliffs of my home. Within, I saw simple two storey structures.

:Caer Morgana.: Llyr’s arm swept across the scene. :The great miracle given us by the Goddess. Now, there is one more thing we must prepare to do…:

We descended to the nearest rocks. From our perch, we saw the city entrance, shell-pink opaque, A few dreigiau môr entered and left.

:We will transform again once we enter.: Llyr told me. :Don’t fight it, just surrender to the flow of energy around you.:

An indigo-scaled draig môr curled over the upper lintel of the entrance. He watched us approach, a silver iridescent shimmer to his scales. :Who is this? I’ve not seen her before.:

:She is new,: Llyr allowed, :but she is one of us.:

The guardian let us pass. We entered another chamber. Nervous, I clutched Llyr’s scaly claws. He squeezed my hand. :It will go well.:

I was not nearly convinced. I am half dreigiau môr and yet wholly so. Who knew what would happen?

OK, who guessed where the hidden journal block was before I did? Thoughts? Comments? Share below in the comments or join the read along in the Chat!

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