Ash and dust settled, exposing a small black cave at the base of the mountain.
Araxie turned to Tertis. “Take Keel to Leena. Get a shark ready for a quick departure.”
Proteus wasn’t happy as Araxie swam towards the cave. It was dark and small with sharp rocks all around them. When the walls started to open up, an orange light illuminated a more comfortable space.
The floor was made of smooth dark stones, lava flowed along one side giving off heat and light. An old octomerman with grey tentacles slept in a stone chair. The small table next to his chair had a white crystal bowl on top. With each deep breath she heard a rattle from his chest. His arm farthest from the table was scarred and held by a fabric binding Araxie had seen Theia use to heal broken arms. Life had not been kind to him.
“Duxor?” Proteus asked.
His eyes opened and he asked, “What do you want, Princess?”
“You know who I am?” Araxie asked as she swam forward.
He nodded. “The shadows told me you were coming.”
“Can you help me?” she asked.
He stared at her for a long moment. “No. The curse has taken root in your soul, it is beyond my magic.”
“There must be a way.” Proteus urged.
Duxor turned to look at him. “Riva could remove it, but I doubt the old hag is feeling charitable.”
Araxie didn’t want to believe there wasn’t another way. “You know a lot about curses, your book—”
“You read it?” Duxor asked.
Araxie shook her head. “My sister was, until I broke it.”
Duxor chuckled. “Did the tantrum feel good?”
“At the moment,” she admitted.
“You've let the curse in too deep.” Duxor coughed and with a tentacle lifted a cup to his lips.
She thought over his words, was a curse so easily defeated that it was up to her to give it power?
Proteus asked, “How does it work?”
Sighing, Duxor set down his cup. “Riva spent many years researching curses with me. I thought it was because she found them fascinating. But no, she just wanted to create one to control the ocean. The shadow curse started as something very similar to a love spell.”
Araxie shook her head. “Nothing about this curse feels loving.”
“Of course not. Riva is smart. A love spell only works because it ties soul and heart together. As the spell grows it is bound to both spirit and body. Riva twisted it into something that would destroy any goodness in a soul. As that light diminishes, the anger and hatred turns the shadow curse into something else. The seeds of the curse can only take hold in a dark heart.”
Proteus shook his head, “Araxie is one of the kindest, and there was no dark in her heart before this curse.”
Duxor lifted a brow and looked at Araxie.
“That's not exactly true. I was pretty angry and hurt when the surge of darkness struck me,” Araxie said.
Duxor nodded and shifted on his stone chair and closed his eyes as if he would take another nap.
“So the curse is a war of good and evil in her heart?” Proteus asked. “We just need a way to increase the light?”
Duxor’s eyes popped open and he grimaced, “That simplifies it greatly.”
“A love spell?” Araxie asked, hope sparking. “If a love spell is light, it could counter—”
Duxor snickered. “Your mother thought so too, but I suppose she did get a King out of it so it wasn't so bad.”
“My father loved her more than the sea.” Araxie felt a tendril of heat flicker outside the box.
“Of course he did, and some of that might have been genuine by the time she passed.”
The tendril of heat flared through her. “Take that back. Her death broke him, because he loved her too much.”
“That's fairytale talk. If he truly loved her, he'd take care of his daughters too.”
She didn’t have a response for that. How many times had she thought her father callous and uncaring? His actions towards her and her sisters were cold.
“The shadows showed me more than your approach girl. They showed me Riva gathering her army of shadow cursed. She’ll grind the King into scale dust. They showed me the growing darkness in your heart, and how you have hurt those dearest to you. You will soon hear Riva's call, and you will be powerless to stop yourself from answering. Then Riva will use you to inflict the greatest pain on the royal family.”
The fear and darkness grew inside Araxie. Clawing like a wild animal to be set free of the box. Her body started shaking and her heart beat so hard it felt like a hammer striking the forge.
Proteus rushed to her, and held her arms. “Fight it.”
“It's too strong,” Araxie said. “I'm afraid. I can't let her use me like that to hurt them.”
“Don't let the darkness win Araxie. Do you remember what they said at graduation?”
“Face the fear,” She whispered.
“Fear is a part of life, but it is not set in stone.”
Duxor cleared his throat. “Touching really. Now is there anything else? I have a leviathan to free from the rock you cleverly hit it with. You have to prepare for a war you can't win.”
Proteus took her hand in his. “Let's leave Araxie. He obviously has nothing helpful to say.”
Araxie fought the fear, and forced it back into that cracking box. The next time the shadows were released she had a feeling the box wouldn't survive it.
She turned to Duxor. “My parent's truly cared for each other and their love is something songs will still be sung about long after I'm dead. If you don't understand that, then you've never understood love and I pity you for it.”
Proteus held her hand as they swam towards the tunnel that would lead them out, when a chuckle sounded through the water. More laughter rang out behind them. Araxie turned back to find Duxor picking up something from the small table near his chair.
Her curiosity peeked, and Araxie moved back towards him to see what he was doing.
“Bravo Princess. Perhaps there's hope yet.” Duxor lifted his clenched fist from the table as high as he could. “After all, your sister reeked of it plenty when she was here.”
Before she could ask what he meant or knew, he opened his fingers. Small white stones fell from his hand, five landing in the white crystal bowl. Proteus moved closer to her and his hand in hers brought her comfort. She’d seen Trite cast stones like these before, few had the true gift to read them. It was another thing Araxie couldn’t do without the gift of magic.
Duxor's eyes turned a light grey as he read the meaning of the cast runes.
“Warrior, the future–” His eyes closed, and snores rumbled out of his ancient nose.
Proteus let go of her hand and swam up to Duxor. He snapped his fingers in front of the old octomerman's face, but it only caused the man to give a louder snore.
Araxie moved closer to look at the five stones in the bowl. While she couldn’t read the runes, the white stones were familiar to her. As was the small gold bag, marked with her father’s royal seal, next to the bowl. A small white paper sticking out of the bag sparked curiosity and hope. She picked it up even as Duxor let out another snore.
Duxor, send word when my sister visits. You've read the signs just as I have. Trite.