The Halls of Amenti

“What the hell did I say?” Jake was still protesting his innocence as they swum slowly, with torn and damaged mantles, towards an ever-darkening western horizon…

But Michanius was in a particularly sullen mood, and so he chose not to answer his human friend…

“Hey! Don’t forget I was just trying to cover for you when you chose to hide the fact that my sister is a mage…” Jake wasn’t about to let this go easily, as he really liked the tritons and felt torn that that he had said something to upset them… Something so bad that it had warranted their immediate banishment…

Sylanthra, who was herself a little unclear as to what exactly had transpired, tried to console him by way of an explanation… “‘Innocent blood’ – I can only assume refers to the cost of using vril’ya magic… Magic, so powerful, it can even restore health and youth….” She held Jake’s hand to comfort him, “It is one of the main reasons we Lemurians choose not to use it – the fact that it always comes at a cost or great sacrifice…”

“So, for my sister to live – someone else must die?” Jake concluded…

Sylanthra couldn’t meet his eyes just then, but it was Michanius who finally spoke up… “Yes Jake, someone else has to die. But now ask yourself if you – or anyone of us for that matter – would you not die to save her after all she had done for us…”

It was almost impossible to respond to such a fatalistic ultimatum, but he tried nonetheless…” I don’t think it’s our blood the queen was referring to, besides, we are hardly innocent… In any case it should be up to her…” He looked back to where his sister was being towed on a makeshift seaweed-woven stretcher.

By this time, they had become so lost in their conversation, that they didn’t at first notice that the surrounding depths had become so dark they could barely see their way ahead. They had entered the sea-bed’s equivalent of a great forest… Gone were the barren wastes, and rocky cliffs and canyons, or at least, they had become completely hidden from their view by a vast thicket, or forest rather, of giant kelp-like ‘sea-trees’. In a unique way, the submarine forest of densely waving branches and leaves had its very own mystical beauty… It also had its very own profound sense of danger as the encroaching shadows were easily able to hide any number of predators. Though admittedly, it was unlikely that anything other than sea snakes would be able to thread their way through this tangled mass….

Michanius did not appear to be overly concerned, however, as he boldly led them into the midst of the dark green vegetation… So tightly packed it was, that they soon found they had to squeeze and slide their way past a claustrophobic maize of entwined foliage… Jake was reminded of a child trying to climb beneath, bunched drapes of heavy velvet curtains…  Perhaps this was what saved them from any dangerous encounters in the end, as they were able to pierce their way through this veil without incident or injury…

All of them were growing increasingly weary by now, and Jake was beginning to worry about Bella’s wellbeing again. He had no idea where they were, or whether or not they were approaching some kind of destination, but he was aware of the fact that the Atlanteans at least, seemed to have lifted their spirits, despite the tough passage through the dense vegetation…

“Where are we headed Michanius?” he eventually asked, after having to wriggle his way past a particularly cloistered patch… But he need not have bothered asking, as no sooner had these words been spoken than they broke through the darkness and into the light…

“Behold…” Michanius announced triumphantly… “The Halls of Amenti!”