Tangled Up in Blu: Part Six

      “You, you have the gift!” he exclaimed. Blu was surprised to hear that it was pride, not fury, that oozed from his rumbling voice. But unsure of what ‘the gift’ was, she stared blankly at the smiling king.

      “Goodness! Do you not know of the gift? Let us enlighten you.” Kelpbeard called for the legend keeper to tell the tale. The legend keeper, a tiny Maraquan JubJub, stepped forward from his place on the right side of the room. Hobbling on his stubby legs, he ascended the few stairs before the king’s throne. Standing humbly next to the king, he began to weave his tale in his squeaky albeit intriguing voice. His blue-black eyes were vortexes that hypnotized you. His features kept you completely intrigued by the tale; once he started, you hung on his every word. The JubJub opened his petite mouth and began to form words.

      “Hello, my name is Quazha, and I am the Maraquan legend keeper. Today we are in the presence of a Gift-Wielder who does not know of her power. It is my job to enlighten her as well as all that do not know of these most mystical abilities.

      “Long ago on Mystery Island, the very first elemental faeries were gathered. A faerie of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Light, and Darkness were present. They decided that they would bestow some of their powers into pets in case of emergency. And so each faerie found a tribe of pets and granted their powers unto one pet in their selected tribe. The tribes’ names were Brezelai for Air, Pintuyaw for Earth, Hawetive for Fire, Blaklitox for Darkness, Xenaiiq for Light, and Imohakua for Water. The pets in these tribes were usually Island colored. As you know, island pets have white fur and tan markings or vice versa. But the pets with Faerie abilities have scars that crisscross their markings. The scars are actually words written in the ancient language of the faeries, spelling out prophecies on the very bodies of mages. The faerie pets are born into their respective tribes every fifteen years. The species varies, and it does not travel through family bloodlines. The pets are usually trained in the ways of their element by the previous mage of the element (the very first pets were trained by the Faeries themselves). These pets must learn to harness their powers in case they are needed. A fire mage may be needed to help in Tyrannian volcanoes, or an air mage may be needed in Faerieland. Mages are not immortal; their time comes as does everyone else’s. Mages are still being born today, and we have in front of us a Water Mage of Imohakua.” Quazha finished the legend. His bottomless black eyes met Blu’s cobalt ones, and their gaze remained unbroken until the king began to clap.

      “Very good, Quazha. Thank you.” King Kelpbeard smiled at the humble JubJub, who simply nodded, never meeting the king’s eye. “Now what’s the name of our water mage here?”

      “Blu,” she replied. Her mind was swimming with questions; she was surprised she even heard the king at all. Why hadn’t anyone told her about this?

      “Your tribe was greatly damaged by the Great Mystery Island famine, correct?” The JubJub’s voice broke Blu’s madly buzzing thoughts. She nodded. “And this is why no one has told you of your powers. It is supposed to be done by on of the elder mages, but the mages in your tribe had all perished. Fortunately, one has managed to survive.” Blu was ecstatic. Maybe this mage could teach her about her powers! If only she knew where the mage resided.

      “The mage resides here in Maraqua. Her name is Vzelle,” Quazha said, as if reading Blu’s mind. “She’s thirty years your senior; the more recent mage died in the famine.”

      Blu struggled to keep her voice from showing her excitement. “Do you think she can teach me?” Quazha nodded.

      “She is very hospitable. I’m sure she would be happy to serve as your mentor.” The JubJub’s answer made Blu grin. She was going to be taught be a real water mage! King Kelpbeard smiled at her obvious excitement.

      “Zwane! Since you are responsible for Blu’s appearance in our fair kingdom, you are hereby assigned the duty of her escort. And if needed, a bodyguard. Now take her to Vzelle,” King Kelpbeard told Zwane. Zwane, still holding Chrysanthe’s flipper, left his place in the row and came to Blu’s side. Zwane tried to lead her away, but Blu resisted.

      “I can’t leave! The whole reason I came to Maraqua was to warn you!” Blu cried.

      The king was alarmed. Warn us of what? he thought in dismay. “Go on; tell us what you have to say.” The king’s voice was calm, but he was panicked inside.

      “I might as well start from the beginning.” Blu sighed. “I was relaxing on the beach of Mystery Island with my island alkenore, Liletia. She disappeared under the water, so I chased after her. I swam for a while, and then I saw a Maraquan mazzew swimming away with my petpet in tow. Instinctively, I took chase to it. I followed it deep into the ocean until it escaped into a ruined kingdom. There I was met with a monster, and was then thrown in jail for intruding in the weapons room, where I was hiding. When I confronted the king, he told me that a pet with scars like mine had stolen their Trident twenty-five years ago. He believed it was me, but I am only fifteen, so it couldn’t have been. I accidentally told them the Trident was in Maraqua, and so the king declared war on you. The prison guard helped me escape, and I came to warn you of the war.” Blu's story was rushed, but Kelpbeard nodded solemnly.

      “Ah, yes, the kingdom of Dehytrezn. True, their Trident now rests in our kingdom, but it is locked away so its power cannot be used for evil. Twenty-five years ago, a water mage stole it to found Maraqua. The power had corrupted Dehytrezn’s citizens, so we sealed it away to keep it from happening to our kingdom. So now they are going to war with us, but we shall be prepared. Thank you, Blu. You may go."

     ***

      “So you expect me to believe that you had no idea you were a water mage?” Zwane was still in disbelief of the Gelert’s powers. Blu moaned, having answered this question several times already.

      “Yes! All of the water mages on my island passed on in the famine, so there was no one to tell me,” Blu replied, annoyed at his inability to comprehend that she had powers. Chrysanthe swam in naïve bliss alongside the two Gelerts, her young mind unable to process the JubJub’s rambling.

      “Faerie mages are uber cool! Can I be one when I grow up?” Her randomness never failed to entertain Zwane. Covering his mouth to hide his laughter, Zwane took the hand of the baby Flotsam. Blu kept her unblinking eyes on the horizon, her tone deathly serious.

      “I’m not sure you want to be one, Chrysanthe.”

     ***

      The trio arrived at Vzelle’s house in fifteen minutes. It was a fairly small house made of light orange coral. The roof was an oversized clam shell, pale yellow in hue. There were about a dozen windows dotting the house’s exterior, circular in shape. A larger, rectangular window sat above the driftwood door. Through it, Blu could see the inside was furnished with seashell-like furniture, and of course, seaweed hung from various places. A table made of driftwood sat in what Blu assumed was the dining room, with four coral chairs around its perimeter. In the living room, a coral couch with sea sponge cushions sat beside an amber coral table. Floral shell curtains were hung by each window, and Blu saw a shell mirror mounted on the wall. A dyed seaweed carpet covered the floor, a very light yellow in color. Before she could see any more of the interior, someone came to the door.

      “Zwane! Always a pleasure. And look at young Chrysanthe! You are growing up so fast. But who’s this?” An island Eyrie greeted them warmly. She had light tan fur covering her entire body. Her elegant wings were cream colored, as was the tuft of her tail. She had burnt orange bangles on her tail and forepaws, as well as burnt orange flowers in the mane of fur around her neck. Blu could immediately tell she was the water mage; her island markings were crisscrossed with scars similar to Blu’s. Her eyes were a mirror of Blu’s; she had twinkling cobalt irises around black pupils. She had a warm smile that made you want to trust her. She gazed at Blu with mild surprise and interest; she could tell the Gelert was a water mage.

      “This is Blu.” Zwane smiled at the Eyrie.

      “Pleasure to meet you, Blu. I’m Vzelle. I can see you’re a water mage, as am I. I suppose I am to mentor you?” Vzelle assumed correctly. Blu nodded at her.

      “Yeah, King Kelpbeard told me to see you,” Blu replied.

      “Wonderful. I suppose we should get started, then. Zwane, Chrysanthe, you two can come in and relax while we talk.” Vzelle opened the door wide, welcoming them all inside. “Please take a seat.” The four of them sat down at her dining room table which was laden with snacks. Blu slipped her backpack onto the back of her chair.

      “So, Blu, I suppose we should begin by me asking you how you got here.” Vzelle had her hands folded on the table, staring intently into Blu’s eyes. Blu retold her story to the Eyrie who listened quietly.

      Vzelle nodded, taking it all in. “I see. Since you seem to have no knowledge of what exactly being a water mage means, I’ll enlighten you. Water mages have the abilities to control water with their hands and minds. We have great healing abilities as well. And there is, of course, the ability to breathe underwater.”

      “I guess it explains how you were underwater for such a long time without any air or an Enchanted Seaweed Necklace,” Zwane commented. Blu hadn’t realized that she hadn’t taken a breath of air since she first left.

      “Wow. I just noticed that now.” Blu was a little surprised at Zwane’s observation. Guess he was paying more attention than she thought.

      “Yes. You may not have noticed it, but you’ve been breathing through invisible gills on your neck.” Vzelle reached for a Stramberry Sausage, munching thoughtfully. “Another thing. As a water mage, you are responsible to help settle affairs in the water. So because this war is underwater, you must aid Maraqua. The residents of Dehytrezn are corrupted by the power of the Trident, and so it is your duty to purge the evil from them. This can only be done by combining your powers with the power of the Trident. But be warned, you can only accomplish this in a great moment of power.” Blu swallowed the last of her Twirlyfruit Blend and nodded.

      “In that case, let’s get started with the training. Zwane, Chrysanthe, you’re welcome to stay, but please don’t interrupt.” And with that, Vzelle rose from the table and exited through the backdoor. Blu rose from her chair and began to pad towards the door.

      “Are you sure you want to do this?” Zwane’s eyes were filled with concern. Blu turned her head slowly to face him. Eyes glassy, she spoke barely above a whisper.

      “What other choice do I have?”

To be continued...