The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 69: Into the Whirlpool ()

The Killer Whale glided across the surface of the sea, her fins cutting through with perfect ease, picking up momentum and speed the further she went.

Up ahead, the whirlpool gateway had not stopped raging and churning ferociously, it’s bottom reaching down to the bottom of the ocean like a vortex that opened up to the darkest abyss,

For reasons Zariah could not understand she stood the closest to the head of the great beast which meant that it’s two massive horns were in Zariah’s direct line of sight in all their terrifying glory,

Having such a close view of it’s horns, Zariah realized that they were much more sharper than she had thought them to be at first glance

What was worse, right behind Zariah stood King Askel waiting impatiently and perhaps even hoping that she would stumble and fall right back into his arms,

As if that would ever happen! Although Zariah found the great beast unsettling, that did not mean she feared it or was unsettled enough to loose composure

All her life Zariah had known only the world within the Crimson Barrier and although they did have great beasts of their own, the terrifying beauty of the Killer Whale was a spectacle that Zariah had not had the opportunity to witness afore.

One could say Zariah was in stunned awe to finally witness the excellence of one of the most ancient beasts that existed in the supernatural realm,

Or it could be regarded as a deep sense of recognition and reverence for a beast that shared the touch of the truest form of ancient magic, the very ancient magic that flowed through Zariah’s veins,

Moving back to the imposing presence of King Askel behind her, Zariah swore she could not decide if she was more unsettled by the pair of horns in front of her,

Or the fact that despite the vast expanse of the Killer Whale and the abundance of space behind, King Askel had chosen to stand right behind Zariah, with barely an inch of distance between them.

Despite the chilling cold sea wind, Zariah could feel his body heat encase her completely, she could practically feel his breath even,

Zariah wanted to believe she was so aware of him because he was too close to her, however Zariah knew within her heart that he could be standing out in the ocean and her awareness of him would not dim in the slightest.

’Stupid mate bond.’ Zariah cursed within her heart as she crossed her arms over her chest and kept her narrowed gaze on the sea ahead.

Zariah made a mental note to give Nile a piece of her mind the moment they got some time alone,

It was annoying enough that Prince Treyton had chosen to perch on one of the Killer Whale’s fins, excusing his actions by claiming the position was easier for navigating.

Zariah knew that was a load of bull, the sea was home to the Killer Whale, it could navigate just fine on it’s own and probably even much better than Prince Treyton could ever hope to do,

So why exactly would it need Prince Treyton’s help to guide the way back?

And if the fin had been so perfect for navigating, then why had Prince Treyton chosen to stand atop the beast while coming out to the shore?

And then there was Luther, King Askel’s second in command who stood a great distance away from his King which was very much unlike him,

But what angered Zariah the most was Nile’s relaxed position, sitting a little ways away from the tail end of the Killer Whale and humming a quiet tune.

Clearly, he had forgotten he was charged with protecting his Alpha who he maintained such a great distance from.

Zariah blamed King Askel and his imposing presence, he had successfully achieved his aim of driving everyone away without even saying a single word.

"Brace yourselves, I fear it will be a difficult change to adjust to." Prince Treyton called up to them,

The Killer Whale had covered the distance from the shore and the furiously churning whirlpool lay right ahead of them.

Without a moment’s pause, the Killer Whale dove straight into the churning whirlpool and Zariah felt her entire world tilt as it spun down to the depths.

Zariah was grateful that the whirlpool was restrained by Prince Treyton’s magic which held off the water, and so it served as a gate way only.

Zariah was not sure for how long the Killer Whale plunged down, but as they approached the very end of the tunnel like passage, the waters came together again, suddenly closing up over them and sealing the entrance.

They were all completely swallowed up by the chilling cold water and Zariah gasped quietly, bubbles escaping her lips as she took in a deep breath in the water.

Zariah had previously been reluctantly grateful for King Askel’s coat but now that it was entirely drenched along with the rest of her clothing, Zariah shivered slightly.

Zariah’s gaze roved around their surrounding, it seemed they were only halfway to the bottom of the sea and there was still a great distance of darkness beneath them.

Zariah wondered just what the actual depth of the great sea was but she felt she could take a guess.

"This is as far as the whirlpool entrance goes, I apologise for your clothing, we merfolk do not wear it often but the oracle has prepared some enchanted clothing back at the Sea Palace, please bear with it for a little while longer."

"The Sea Kingdom is far up ahead, Gretha will travel at full speed now. She is my mount and is accustomed to transporting guests and so you do not have to be worried about toppling off."

"Of course, I will swim at her side, just in case. Again, fret not, this is the Sea Kingdom and within my territory, your safety is guaranteed." Prince Treyton’s voice reached them.

Zariah glanced over to him, wondering how he was able to speak beneath the water when all that was emitted from her lips were bubbles.

Zariah noticed his words seemed to be conveyed to their hearing with streams of his magic and so he was not truly speaking aloud but transmitting his thoughts, somewhat like a mindlink in the case of wolf shifters.

Prince Treyton then stepped off the fin of the Killer Whale and Zariah could guess what he was about to do.

The merfolk could switch between forms at will just like the wolf shifters, however they tended to prefer their true form whilst in the comfort of their territory.

Zariah watched with awe as a surge of ancient magic encased Prince Treyton and his transformation took place.

His legs fused together in a flash, becoming a single large tail, a deep blue shade that stretched for as far as ten feet and glistened enchantingly as though adorned by gems.

His bare chest was littered by gleaming silver scales and the gills at the side of his neck became more visible.

His ears elongated at the tips and his gaze became sharper and seemed to be glowing.

His arms and chest were adorned with the finest jewels, from armbands to rings to a large bejewelled cuff around the thinnest part of his tail,

A sharp fin portruded from the mid part of the back of his tail and there were two smaller versions of it sticking out from the back of his elbows.

If Zariah had been awed by the Killer Whale, it was definitely an understatement compared to her awe at this point

Zariah realized she knew so much theoretical knowledge of the supernatural realm, but there were many sights she had never witnessed in person.

The transformation of a mer was nothing short of glorious and as Zariah saw Prince Treyton in his true form, surrounded by his habitat, with ancient magic exuded from his very being, she understood exactly why he was called the Lord of the Killer Whales.

Prince Treyton turned and nodded once at them before he flicked his tail powerfully and shot off ahead at blinding speed,

The Killer Whale followed close behind and the waves of water brushed past Zariah as they surged at a great speed.

Zariah found it was amazing that the Killer Whale could somehow maintain a stable position while moving at such speed,

So much so that Zariah did not even feel as though she was standing on a moving beast, but rather a stable plane.

Zariah soon eased into the movement and let her gaze wander around the deep blue sea.

Various schools of fishes of all colors skitted by in a flash, dashing out of the way at the sight of the incoming Killer Whale.

Zariah’s lips twitched in amusement, at the very least she was not the only one who had such a reaction on sighting Gretha.

The sea water glided over them easily and Zariah felt the slight taste of sea salt on her tongue.