Fathoms

Summary: Duo tests his limits. See previous chapter.

Author’s Note: Sorry to break it up. I’m working with stingy time constraints and a lot of “real life” stuff going on. A LOT. If I don’t get back to this right away, or even for months, then it isn’t for lack of wanting to continue this for the people who like it. It just means I’m occupied.

The first thing Duo did was find the wallet in his chamber, tucked away in a trunk of odds and ends. It wasn’t any the worse for wear. He crammed it into a tiny pouch on his belt before he anchored it around his waist. He darted around the chamber, but he couldn’t find the scrimshaw knife. He knew his father probably had it, and he didn’t want to risk his wrath by demanding it back.

Duo had enough of being told what to do.

Once again, he armed himself with a wrist harpoon, but he chose small darts that Noin engineered that were infused with a special nerve toxin derived from blowfish excretions. Better safe than sorry if he ran into mersharks again, and it wouldn’t help to let them get so close if he could avoid it.

He contemplated the shackle sensor, noticing that it wasn’t glowing now. Probably because I’m still tucked away in the dome, he thought sourly. He spun it idly around his wrist, knowing it wouldn’t do to tamper with it. But in the meantime, it was futile to stay where he was considered to be such a liability. Duo had no clue what his future held. He knew that succeeding Milliardo was out of the question. He wasn’t blood, and he wasn’t even the oldest sibling in his family. That left Duo at a loose end.

Duo was a live-mater, no less, and a half-breed. If he wasn’t Milliardo’s ward, he would have been an outcast, lower than chum among the community housed in the dome. I never asked for this. Resolute, Duo made his way from his chamber and flitted toward the main hall. His father’s servants nodded to him, and some of them even looked sympathetic as they noticed the gleaming shackle.

The guards asked for him to show his scale. He held it up and stared sullenly into their faces. The eel-tailed sentries bristled slightly, but they gave him no resistance, and they slithered apart from each other as they opened the gates. Duo nodded a goodbye, glad they didn’t question him on his reasons for leaving the dome.

His only plan was to test the limits of the shackle and to find out how far he could go before he tripped the sensor and alerted the palace guard. From there, it was only a question of how he could avoid electrocuting himself to death. This should be fun… Grimly, he realized that Zechs might not mind if he pushed the envelope too far. His relationship with Zechs had always been grudging at best, and uneasy and stifling at worst. Zechs wasn’t much older than Duo; the palace guard delivered him into Milliardo’s care and guardianship when he was a mere squirt, only a few decades old in human years. His fingers had still been webbed and his eyes hadn’t shed their opaque, protective film yet. Zechs automatically resented him, once Milliardo declared that they would share a chamber. But Milliardo wanted them to grow close and develop the strong bond of true siblings, and it wouldn’t happen if Zechs was given too many opportunities to ignore his new foster brother.

Duo gradually grew accustomed to life in the palace, far more lavish than he was accustomed to while his mother was still alive. He still dreamt about her, and it felt like the object of his strongest yearnings was torn from his grasp when Une’s spell over him was broken. Maybe it would have been better for everyone if she’d gotten me, he mused. Zechs sure would have been happier. Then he chided himself.

He cares. Idiot. He meant well. And he was just doing what Father told him. Duo’s restless thoughts followed him as he made his way through the grotto. He enjoyed the precious feeling of freedom, even though he knew it was fleeting, and that it could be ripped from his hands at any moment.

The bracelet buzzed slightly and emitted a light shock. Duo hissed. Damn thing’s already snitching on me. But he ignored it, still not content with his trek. He needed a truer test of its limits. Sunlight filtered through the depths, making the water above him appear a deep, shifting green shot through with gold.

The surface.

He removed the wallet from his pouch again and fingered the leather. Heero. The name and those amazing blue eyes still lingered in his memory, as well as the feel of his skin, so smooth and firm. Duo remembered the feel of his weakened yet rapid heartbeat and the sound of his voice, so odd to hear it coming from his mouth. All of the sounds of the surface world were sharp and unfamiliar to Duo; everything somehow seemed louder and less muffled. There was no buffer that the sea afforded him to block it out. Initially, the sound of Heero’s boat’s motor assaulted his senses.

He wondered if Heero thought of him.

Duo dismissed it. The human would probably prefer to forget that night and nearly dying in the waves, but Duo couldn’t help but feel wistful. What kind of life did Heero live? What kind of man was his father, the man in the picture with him? What would he think of Duo if they met again? He burned with curiosity, but the ocean was a vast place, as was the surface. Who knew if they’d ever meet again.

Youngling. The voice was low at first, and it startled Duo. He whirled around, looking for its source.

Who’s there?

We’ve come to beg your presence, young prince. Duo watched incredulously as two young caecelii came swimming out of a crevice in the reef, freeing themselves from the thick rushes of seaweed. He recoiled; they were homely, miserable things with their pallid skin from the waist up. Impressive, billowing tentacles unfurled, bunched, then unfurled again in the sinuous, almost hypnotic way that characterized how they swam. Their lower bodies were a deep, brackish violet, and their underbellies were a mottled, pale gray. They eyed Duo without malice, but he sensed their grim purpose in their expressions and bloodshot eyes.

What do you want from me?

It’s what our mistress wants, Prince Duo. We bid you, come with us. Come to the caverns.

Have the geysers steamed your brains? No! I’d never make a guppy move like that! Tell Lady Une thanks, but no thanks.

She’s your kin, young prince, the smaller of them protested, gesturing with her long, spindly fingers to come.

The hell she is, he argued sourly. He watched them warily, backing off when they continued to approach him. Their eyes flitted to his wrist harpoon warily, but they smiled at him disarmingly.

Mistress wishes to make you an offer. Let her show you her hospitality.

How? By letting her fillet me? Or brainwash me again? Better yet, why don’t I wait for her to finish what she started by killing my brother when he comes after me again? Sounds like a fun-filled afternoon…I’ll pass. The caecelii eyed each other, expressions hardening with determination. Duo turned his back on them, but he felt an odd slithering sensation at his waist. What…hey! The long tendril that tapered from the end of the taller maiden’s tentacle looped around his belt and pulled, jerking it free. She snatched it away from him before he could grab it, and she met his glare with a smooth, satisfied smile.

Finders, keepers.

Give that BACK!

Come with us, she shrugged as they both darted away. Anger rose up into Duo’s chest. He took aim with his wrist harpoon and missed the interlopers by a hair.

Damn it! Get back here! COME BACK HERE! But they picked up speed, covering more breadth more quickly with their multiple tentacles. The one holding his belt grinned back over her shoulder triumphantly. Duo fired again, but his dart disappeared in a cloud of noxious ink. Duo gagged as it enveloped him, wanting to vomit as he choked on its bitterness. But he followed them, focusing only on getting the wallet back.

Duo felt the low shock from the bracelet, and it made him fret. Great. Just what I need. What if his proximity to the caverns triggered the bracelet’s alarms? He swam faster, taxing his muscles to their limit, and they discharged another blot of ink into the water. He kept his eyes focused on their tentacles and lank brown hair, barely able to distinguish their tentacles from their pale limbs in the dark murk.

Duo panicked when he felt a rash of stinging prickles sweep over his flesh. Jellyfish! He saw their gleaming bodies swirl out toward him, right before they pricked him and burned him with their poisonous touch. Duo sickened as the venom began to work its way through his system. But he kept swimming hell for leather, feeling his lungs burn. He was so close to his prey…

…but he didn’t realize that he was now theirs.

He neared the caverns and braced himself. That’s not yours! I’ll make you pay for this!

You’re welcome to try, young prince, one of the maidens teased back. Enjoy your visit. That was the last thing he remembered before a large man-o-war loomed out from the rushes and engulfed him. Duo screamed in agony at the burning acid it exuded. It penetrated his nervous system, paralyzing his muscles, and he went limp, unable to even writhe in pain.

He blacked out. Duo never even felt the webbed, taloned hands that wrapped around his wrists and tangled in his hair before he was dragged away.

The shackle gave off a series of shocks, glowing each time, but his captors ignored it. Une could deal with the troublesome little thing however she chose; it didn’t matter to her minions. They’d done as she commanded, avoiding her wrath for another day. The shocks illuminated the dark walls of her cavern with brief flashes of light as Duo was dragged inside, farther, deeper. Gaggles of mersharks eyed him smugly, satisfied at the sight of him incapacitated and helpless. He looked delicious.

Une waited patiently in her throne chamber, pleased at how little effort it took her pets to bring him to her. Stubborn little wretch. Just like his father. But he’s so much more fun to play with. Has more spunk. Gets it from his mother.

Where would you like him, Mistress?

Over there. Bind him up. Duo was hauled toward a wall outfitted with an enormous set of shelves containing various jars and containers full of gruesome, terrible specimens and elixirs. Some held live, pulsing organs of her minions or victims whom she’d eviscerated for their failures. Some were trophies, here an eye, their a finger, sometimes torn fragments of tailfins. Une kept most of them as trophies, but others she retained for use in her experiments and spells.

Duo never stirred when he was bound to the wall using a set of iron shackles. A mean-looking, barbed collar was fastened around his neck, allowing only scarce movement. Une rose from her throne and wallowed through her chamber smoothly, in no hurry. She hummed to herself as she considered the potions and various implements as she dug through a large chest. She reached inside and found an item she’d almost forgotten about. She smiled as she held it up to the dim light, turning it this way and that. Yes. This would do nicely, indeed.

Can we have him now, Mistress?

No! She lashed out at the mershark who’d crept into her den, lingering over her shoulder. He was licking his lips at the sight of the young, healthy prince, slavering over the succulent, sweet blood he knew coursed through his veins. He arched in pain as her tentacle darted out and gouged itself into his throat, puncturing his flesh with a spiked barb. He gurgled in surprise as gouts of ichor flooded the water between him, and his eyes beseeched her. Don’t get any clever ideas. He’s mine. Let your brothers and sisters learn from your folly. She cast him out, hurling him from her chamber. Several caecelii watching grimaced, but two mersharks swam up and hauled his twitching body away. Une smiled to herself once her chamber door was sealed; she heard the sounds of her minions enjoying their fresh, unexpected feast from outside.

She turned back to Duo, taking in his piquant beauty undisturbed. She ran her fingers through his tresses, appreciating its rich color. Magnificent, she murmured. Yes. So much like his mother. His body was compact and lean, with the same bone structure. His lips were full and rosy pink, and he was long-limbed and graceful, although he was much shorter than his foster brother.

His half-brother, she corrected herself. Foolish Milliardo. So noble and misguided. Hiding the truth to protect Duo from her had only brought about his own ruin by thrusting him into her hands. Milliardo had always been so easy to manipulate. He thought she was out of sight, out of mind when he banished her from the dome and rose to power over Sanq. She brooded sourly over the memories of those darker days, when she was ousted and her followers were cast out with her.

The caverns were her territory, home to the sea’s predators and all who owed Une their allegiance. Une was the stuff of merfolk legend and squirts’ nightmares, looming vast and terrible in the darkness, spreading evil and poison wherever she drifted and promising nothing but doom to any who pleaded her favor. Une was a sorceress, practicing forgotten, dark magicks, one more reason why she was banished. Too many of Milliardo’s followers fell prey to her whims, not least of which was Duo’s mother.

Sheila Maxwell was a marine biologist, only twenty-two when they first met. Milliardo was a juvenile male, out hunting with two of his father’s cadets when he encountered something – or someone – struggling in the rushes. A scuba diver. Milliardo was horrified when he discovered that it was a human, garbed in an odd suit of some thick, rubbery feeling substance. Frightened violet eyes stared out at him from behind a clear mask. The creature’s movements were awkward as she tried to free her tank from where it stuck, wedged and trapping her.

He managed to free her, but she was tired from the effort. Milliardo ignored his cadets’ warnings and ordered them to escort her back to the surface, swimming back more quickly than she would have managed herself on her dwindling air supply.

They burst through the surface of the water, shocked at the feel of the frigid, salty air. Despite his cadets’ protests, Milliardo dragged the diver over the edge of her boat, disoriented by the sound of its noisy motor and the rumble of its hull. She collapsed, heaving and struggling to free herself of the constrictive mask. When she succeeded, her long spill of chestnut hair tumbled down her back, and her face peered up into his. Eyes the shade of the rim of a quahog shell stared up at him, searching his for answers. “Thank you,” she breathed, raising her hand in greeting. The male with long, platinum hair plastered against his neck and back and compelling, silver-green eyes stared at her from where he hoisted himself against the ledge. She couldn’t see any of him from the ribcage down, and therefore didn’t realize how remarkable her savior was, indeed…

Milliardo didn’t know what to say. He nodded, then disappeared back into the waves.

But the damage was already done. She’d captivated him.

She returned to him, more than once, on her various dives to the same coordinates. Some days, she merely let her motor idle while he came to her. They learned to communicate via sign language. She spoke to him simply because he seemed to enjoy the sound of her lilting voice. She could swim without her apparatus, he learned, but she needed it to move about underwater. That irked him; it was so cumbersome, and so limited.

But he enjoyed their sojourns and treks together in the deep. She could feel him, more than hear him when he communicated with her telepathically. He showed her the reef and the caverns, protecting her with his charges and making sure they had an escort from his father’s guard when they explored the area outside the dome. She came to love the grotto for its beauty and endless discoveries.

And she came to love Milliardo, not knowing that she’d sealed her fate.

*

Une enjoyed an infusion of wine while she waited for Duo to wake. She heard his low groan in her head and smiled. Poor dearie…

Rise and shine, sweet nephew. Duo’s eyes were bleary and confused. The chamber around him was eerily dark and unfamiliar, and the voice was too sweet and feminine. He knew it wasn’t Noin.

Uhhnnnh…

He ached. He felt the welts rising on his skin from the jellyfish venom, and his muscles throbbed from his arduous swim. Something was chafing his wrists and neck. Dimly he remembered the shackle, and that stirred him fully awake. Damn it! Panic filled him when he tried to shift himself and found that he couldn’t.

Don’t waste your time. Relax. We have a lot of catching up to do, dearie.

You, Duo whispered, aghast. His eyes widened at he stared his fill of Une in all of her terrible glory. She was at once hauntingly beautiful and hideous at the same time. Shrewd, cold gray eyes stared out at him. Her light brown hair was bound up in plaits that reminded him of his fathers, but hers were more tangled and wild, entwined with bits of seaweed and crawling with tiny minnows and hermit crabs. Her features were patrician and her skin was pale, translucent to the point of being able to see her blood vessels. She had prominent gills and slightly fanged teeth, not unlike her shark minions, and she was nude, eschewing any bodice or bandeau to shield her assets. Her nipples lacked any rosy tinge; they were a strange, dingy tan, and Duo cringed at the sight of the silver, spiked ring anchored through one, clearly an ornament.

Who else would it be? Who did you expect? Make yourself comfortable, if you can. Plan to stay a while.

Father will find me!

Don’t be so sure. Wait, you mean because of this? Une smirked as she indicated the glowing bauble around Duo’s wrist. Useless flotsam. She snaked out her tentacle toward it and sinuously wrapped it around the metal. Duo writhed away from her to avoid her unnerving touch.

Get away from me! Don’t touch me! he hissed. The bracelet emitted a shock, this one stronger than any of the last, no doubt because of Duo’s distance from the dome’s perimeter.

You’re in no position to make demands, nephew. Now hold still. Then she added, Easier said than done, however… She manipulated the bracelet while he struggled, and Duo was suddenly bathed in electricity that tore through his nerve endings, engulfing every pain receptor in his body. He screamed long and uncharacteristically shrill, body wracked in spasms while she tinkered with the sensor in the bracelet. Poor dear, she tutted in his mind. If she couldn’t make it painless, than she would be quick, she mused.

The bracelet stopped glowing and fell to the ocean floor, inert and deactivated. There. That’s much nicer, don’t you think? Duo didn’t respond. He jerked and twitched, struggling to breathe until finally, his body lay still on the floor of the chamber. Tendrils of his chestnut hair fluttered over his pale cheeks.