Water

Water: an element, an essential; a source of life. Beneath the surface of the fathomless ocean depths, thrives a world unknown to man and the beings above the surface of the sea. Myths tell of mermaids, dryads, nymphs and many other underwater creatures. However, none even begin to describe the Nautithke or their great position as the rulers of the watery world that no living man has ever dreamt even existed. Scientists scoff at the idea, practical people dismiss such stories, but the most intelligent ones are those who know that there are possibilities. For in this universe, anything can happen. How the Nautithke came about is unclear, their history so extensive it is impossible to imagine the sea without them. Deep below the rolling waves, where beams of sunlight could not penetrate the thick darkness, Nautike watched everything.

"Xithe! Where are you going? Father will be livid when he finds out that you're not with Madame Kiolin."
"Let him Ryhana. What do you care? Just stay out of his way until I get back and you'll have no problems," he spat back at her. For the hundredth time, she wished that her mother was not ill. Caulique's infirmity had come about soon after Rhyana's youngest sister, Laeya, had been born four years ago. At thirteen, she was responsible for the household and her siblings. Xithe at fifteen was forever getting into trouble and mischief. Recently, however, Ryhana did not know what her brother was up to or where he disappeared to once a week. Each Saleir for the past five weeks, her father, Methaes, had got a complaint from Xithe's teachers. Very soon, Xithe would find himself in serious trouble. The Nautithke were not known to be lenient with their children, especially their first-born sons.

Ryhana escaped to her quarters, her violet tail propelling her forward through the seaweed and rainbow streaked coral beds. She would let her father deal with Xithe. She had to watch over Laeya and eight year old Edieb who tended to follow his sister around and generally get undertail. Lost in her thoughts she did not hear anything but suddenly felt eyes boring into her back and tried to turn quickly as a shadow fell over her. Too late! A hand was already covering her mouth and a steely arm around her torso held her back against a wall of muscle.
"Looking for me?" a voice whispered tauntingly in her ear.
"Deakt!" she exclaimed in relief and exasperation. She was rewarded by laughter and was released. Ryhana glared at the male Nautithke who had been her captor. He was sixteen and enjoyed annoying her immensely. "What do you want now?"

"Ryhana, Ryhana. Do you enjoy thinking the worst of me? I just wanted to know if you needed help with that brother of yours. And don't think I encourage him; in fact I'm trying to help you."
"Yeah right! Next you're going to tell me that he visits Yul'thar," she retorted in disbelief. Not receiving a reply, she gasped in shock. "I will not believe you."
"It's your choice. And Xithe not only visits Yul'thar but is his apprentice. I don't know what got into the kid. Only wanted to tell you that I've seen him swim straight into the cave and so far he's still whole so I figure he's got to be going there willingly. And there's word out that Yul'thar was looking for an assistant spell-caster and the space was filled about five weeks ago."

Xithe was busy labelling flasks and miniature barrels of strangely enchanting substances, some of which had scents that tickled the nostrils and others which left the mind in a maze. All around on knobbly shelves, there were brilliant blues, glowing greens, resplendent reds and pale pinks swirling together in a kaleidoscope of colour. He had yielded the battle to the mania in his head months ago and had given in to its incessant prodding. Yul'thar was mixing chemicals and eccentric objects that Xithe did not even want to know the name of. His potion was bubbling furiously within its sphere of oxygen while he peered at writing in a leather bound book. 'The Nautithke will no longer have worries concerning the world of men; they won't even be able to breathe anymore when I'm done with them,' Yul'thar smiled smugly to himself. His wild cackling could be heard miles away.

When Ryhana returned from the dining room that night, she realised that she had not seen Xithe for days, since last Saleir when she had run into Deakt. If he had done anything to her brother she would physically strangle him. She found Deakt in his dormitories and ignored his teasing that she liked his company. He grew serious when he realised that Xithe was really gone and went with Ryhana to search for him. Together, they swam as close as possible to Yul'thar's lair without being detected. His knowledge of magic of the world above was extensive and mysterious, as no one knew how it came into his possession. Deakt went ahead alone and when he returned, he had substantial news to report. Xithe had told of their existence and was planning with Yul'thar to make a sacrifice to the men - a sacrifice of Nautithke blood - in return for a powerful place in their world as ruler.

Alarmed, Ryhana immediately dragged Deakt to her father and insisted that Deakt - a much less cocky Deakt - tell him everything that he knew. As a member of Bourde, Methaes would know how to present the information properly before the Council. The head of the Council called a meeting where Deakt once again had to relate what he had witnessed. It was unanimously decided that the situation be handled systematically and an announcement was made. All male Nautithke between the ages of twenty and ninety years were to be called out to fight if need be, seeing as the average life span of a Nautike was approximately two hundred years. Silviren daggers were readied, shields prepared, if the men wanted a war, they would get one because the Nautithke refused to be deceived by one of their own for the sake of power.

'Men. Vile, evil creatures. Invading our domain after centuries of no known communication. How dare they!' The news spread like wild fire that the men from the surface had entered the underwater world in an attempt to make the Nautithke an extinct species. They had actually hoped to secretly meet Yul'thar to complete their contemptible deeds to no avail. The masked forms had barely hit the surface before they had been seized by the Nautithke and slain. One man had escaped injured and would doubtlessly bring more of the loathsome beings to challenge the marine folk. Already they were swarming like a shoal of fish towards the ranks of the deep sea kingdom. Defences were raised as the two armies clashed. Countless men's oxygen supplies were cut when swords hit their mark, reducing their numbers significantly.

Javelins soared as birds in the air, slicing the water. Ryhana was in the midst of the fighting with Deakt unbeknownst to her father. They saw Yul'thar in combat alongside the men, hurling yellow orbs which crackled with energy. Ryhana was looking desperately for Xithe in vain. It was Deakt who spotted him just as a spear pierced him in the chest. She surged forward in time to catch his limp body. His eyes were coal black and a foreign voice spoke.
"My intentions are clear and you will not survive the onslaught wrought by my hands. One day your kind will crumble beneath me." Shocked, Ryhana stared at her brother's body in silence. His once bright blue eyes were dark when he spoke again in ragged breaths, "Ryhana, do not let him win. Keep fighting...I was not strong enough and look at what my weakness has caused." His last words caused Ryhana to look around her in horror. How could her brother have caused this? It must have been that thing which possessed him, a human spirit. Yul'thar fell and most of the people as well since it was by his wizardry that they had survived thus far. The Nautithke won the war but the eternal battle over the open water would never end and Ryhana would never be at rest. Those deep blue eyes would haunt her to the depths of the ocean.