Chapter 60: Storm (Patreon)

“I’m surprised how quickly you adapted to life underwater.”

I gave a small smile at that. Tula was giving me the full tour of the Conservatory of Atlantis, while the King and Queen were busy attending to matters of state. After the initial awkwardness, we got along well enough, I suppose.

“Dad was a dock worker,” I said. “But actually, I’m cheating a bit with magic. Didn’t you notice?”

Tula looked surprised at that, slowing as we passed another rack of scrolls. How they protected them all from the sea water was…well, it could only be magic. “But…where was your incantation?”

“Aren’t you using magic right now too?” I asked. “The water pressure this far beneath the surface must be insane.”

“Yes but that’s innate magic, something all Atlanteans are born with.” She shook her head. “The secrets of that branch of sorcery are long since lost to us.”

“Interesting…” I said. It was true that the enchantments wound into her and the other Atlanteans were cut from different cloth. I hadn’t even seen them at all until we’d begun our decent into the deep ocean yesterday evening.

At first I’d thought the magic was woven into their bones, perhaps even with blood magic to carve runes beneath the skin. But clearly, the old Atlantean sorceries went even deeper than that. Even now, it was hard for me to pick out the fully active array through the blur that was my own protective spells…

“What?” Tula asked. She shifted slightly, arms coming halfway up to cover her chest.

I coughed. Turning away. “Sorry, it’s just, I’m surprised how different your approach to magic is here. Even though I’ve spent some time learning the way this world approaches sorcery, Atlantis feels like a whole separate world yet again.”

Tula paused for a moment, but apparently my apology was enough to soothe some ruffled feathers. “You have mentioned that before. Do you truly travel to different planes as you say?”

I just smiled. “It seems like we’ve covered most of the Conservatory,” I said. “But I remember you mentioning something about a dueling arena?”

Tula giggled. “You are very focused on that, I see.”

“What can I say, I’m eager to see your own system of magic first hand.”

“Well, it is good that we’ve finished the tour then.” With a flutter kick she put on a bit of speed in the water. “There is Queen Mera waiting for us by the roof portal. And…Kaldur?”

I felt that poignant brew of emotions, faded with age, that swirled inside of her at the sight of my teammate. Kaldur had a similar sting of loss and regret, though he hid it much better than the girl. The Queen, on the other hand, held nothing but calm and pride in her students…along with a sharp curiosity towards me.

I suppose I could hardly blame her.

“Your Majesty.” Curtsying underwater was what magic was for. “Kaldur, come to see my bout?”

We clasped arms. “I could do no less.” At my presence, his emotions smoothed out into that placid lake I’d grown used to from the Atlantean. “But I am also here to inform you that the team will be undergoing a special training exercise soon. It would be a good opportunity to meet any potential…new teammates.” His eyes pointedly did not flick to Tula, but I could still feel the trend of his emotions.

Since my return, my empathy had grown more powerful. Or perhaps I was simply no longer drowning out the emotions of others in a pool of my own misery. “Sounds good to me,” I said. “I’ll make sure to clean out my calendar.”

“Destiny,” Queen Mera said. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” I paused. “Forgive me if I miss the formalities, but are you hear to watch as well?”

The queen waved. “It is nothing. An outsider that comes to us, eager to learn and willing to use our tongue, that more than deserves ample welcome,” she said. “As for your question, I’ll be adjudicating your match. I would love to test your will against my own, but…” She placed a protective hand on her stomach, which had a slight bump. 

I gave a small smile. I’d heard stories about pregnant women looking radiant, but Queen Mera, her auburn hair swirling around her in subtle currents, smile illuminated by soft azure light? She looked otherworldly.

“Of course,” I said. “It’s an honor.”

Kaldur laughed as the four of us swam towards the opening in the roof of the conservatory. “Where was this respect when we first met?”

“If I remember correctly, you never told me you were the next best thing to royalty.”

A flicker of embarrassment passed over his face. “Yes well.” He coughed. “All I may say that it is a relief that the burdens of rule will never fall on my shoulders.”

Queen Mera smiled at the implied compliment. “It warms my heart, knowing that my child has so many stalwart protectors already.”

“This would be the part where they start jockeying for Godfather status,” I said.

Tula looked at me in askance. “God…father?” she asked. “Is this some spiritual right?” 

“No its…” I blinked, remembering that we were still speaking Atlantean. “Kaldur, can you translate.”

He shook his head. “While I have studied English more extensively than most in Atlantis, I have not given much time to the affairs regarding a newborn child.”

“Men,” Queen Mera said, but with a gentle smile. “Still, Destiny, please explain this surface custom.”

I shrugged as Tula and I swam to our respective starting positions on the dueling ground. “A Godfather and Godmother,” I said, switching to English for the words, “are akin to a second set of parents. Usually the parents will pick two people, either family or close friends, and name them the child’s Godparents.” I tapped my chin. “These days it’s mostly for show, I believe, a sign that they trust those people with their child, though, more like a close aunt and uncle than another set of parents.”

“I see.” The Queen hummed, eyes glimmering. “Orin and I will have to discuss this. And also when he chose not to bring such a delightful custom to my attention.”

I smiled. “Men?”

“Men!” Tula and Mera chorused. Kaldur just chuckled, spreading his arms as if to say, ‘what can you do?’

“Thank you for the knowledge, Destiny,” Queen Mera said after a moment. “But I believe we came here for matters of sorcery. So let us begin.”

I nodded, settling into a more relaxed posture as Mera gave a brief opening convocation. Tula and I shared a ceremonial bow.

“As the challenger,” I said. “I think it’s only fair that I give you the first move.”

Tula raised an eyebrow. “Are you so confident in your abilities.”

I smiled, and I felt a frission of amusement run through Kaldur as well. “Some months ago, I asked much the same question during our first sparring match,” he said. “I advise you to take her offer, Tula.”

She looked at me again, but I only spread my arms, waiting.

With a breath, she raised her arms, palms out. Mana roiled through the waters of the deep, and with a short incantation, Tula released a cyclone that rippled through the water like a snake.

Interesting spell. A quick glance to Tula showed she was actively maintaining it, but I shook off the urge to throw a wave of light at her. Unsurprisingly, it seemed that Atlanteans were proficient at water magic, so I would limit myself to the same.

With a flick of my wrist, I hardened a pane of water in the middle of the cyclone’s head. It cut the spell lengthwise, slicing apart the currents. Without the ability to rotate the currents, it sputtered and dispersed into the water.

“What?”

“Think fast!” I shouted. I mirrored Tula’s posture, easily spinning motes of blue mana into the water to recreate her spell. Of course, if mine just happened to be a bit bigger and faster, that was due to my power coming straight from the source.

I saw Tula’s eyes widen as she stumbled through a counter incantation. A ring of glowing blue light shot from her hands. 

I took a page from the Witch Boy’s book as I twisted my typhoon. Her spell clipped the edge, disrupting the spin much as I had.

But then, that just meant I didn’t have to hold back the force as I reconnected to the front end of the spell just in time to blow Tula off of the Conservatory Roof and into the waters surrounding the building.

She’d mentioned that duels usually finished when one practitioner was forced from the circle, so I cut the power to my little cyclone shortly after, letting it peter out. A disheveled looking Tula blinked back at me, floating upside down in the water.

I raised a hand to cover my smirk.

Slowly, the Atlantean righted herself in the water, and began kicking her way back to the rest of us. Off to the side, however, things were markedly less calm. Kaldur was relaxed as ever, but Queen Mera was tense.

“Kaldur’Ahm. You showed this girl our magic?”

How quickly I went from ‘honored guest’ to ‘this girl.’ Still, I could understand. No doubt any nation would be upset at the thought that one of their own was giving away military secrets. This time, at least, there was an easy explanation.

“My Queen, even if such a spell was within my current abilities, I would never show it to an outsider.” Kaldur bowed his head slightly. “I have shown her no magic from our home, save for perhaps witnessing the abilities of my water bearers.”

She gave the young man a look, still, betrayal from one so close wouldn’t be an easy thing to stomach, so she went looking for an alternative explanation. “Then how were you able to master that incantation so quickly?”

I spread my arms. “That is my gift,” I said. “Most spells I can learn after seeing them a few times, due to my ability to see the flows of mana, magical energy.”

The Queen folded her arms, chewing over that statement as Tula finally reached the dueling platforms again. She’d no doubt caught the tale end of that conversation, and remained silent.

“That is quite the claim you have made,” Mera said. 

“I’d be more than willing to prove it to you,” I said. “Of course, that would involve showing me more Atlantean magic. Though, I suppose I could recreate the enchantments you have placed on the scrolls in the library below?”

“You even learned those spells during your visit…” Then the Queen’s eyes widened. “If you learned even those enchantments from a glance, do you claim to be able to understand the innate magic that allows us to live underwater as well?”

There was a sharpness to that question, one mirrored in the way Tula’s gaze snapped to me as well. 

I shook my head. “I never even saw a hint of those magics until we were well below the water,” I said. “And it’s a subtle thing, much more nuanced than a simple offensive spell.” I shrugged. “Maybe given a few years, I could unravel it, but asking seemed impolite.”

The Queen allowed herself a small smirk, and I sensed the danger was almost passed. “My, but you did not think blatantly copying my student’s spells would be viewed in the same manner.”

“Well, the only other option was to lie about my abilities.” I couldn’t completely hold back my grin. “And the expression on Tula’s face was worth it.”

“Still, it would be unwise of me to take your words on blind faith,” Mera said. “Would you be so kind to demonstrate Tula’s counter incantation as well then?”

“Of course,” I said, turning back to the open water. “It was an interesting one, but rather limited isn’t it? Counteracting the spin and inertia is all good against cyclones but…” Raising my hand, I shaped and released small cyclone of water. Then, with a flick, I sent a blue circle chasing along its length, nullifying the spell and returning the water to its placid state. “It would have difficulty with other types of magical attacks.”

Queen Mera clapped at my display. “It is exactly so,” she said. “But when it comes to the arcane, specific responses are often more powerful than general ones.” She gave Tula a conciliatory glance. “And perhaps she and her yearmates are overfond of the cyclone spells, to the point where learning that specific counter was thought prudent.”

Tula blushed lightly, rubbing the back of her head. She opened her mouth to speak, when a wave of pressure rushed through the water, pushing all of us into a spin.

The shriek of an alarm followed only a moment later.

I righted myself, quickly pushing myself to the edge of the conservatory roof. Streaming in through a gap in the Conservatories protective enchantments were a small force of Atlanteans clad in grey-black armor. 

And at their head, a man in dark purple, with a frilled helm obscuring his face.

“Ocean Master!” came Kaldur’s voice. I looked over at him. “I apologize, my friend, but it appears your vacation is to be interrupted yet again.”

“It does look like it,” I said, cracking my knuckles. “But I suppose I can help out a friend.”

Reaching out with my senses, I pinpointed several likely attackers, as well as sever other compromised spots in the Conservatory’s protective enchantments. 

“You should protect the Queen, this isn’t the only group.” I raised my hands. “I’ll search and destroy.”

“Good hunting.”

“And you.”

With that, I shot through the water towards the attackers. They were armed with energy rifles of some sort, but the attacks splashed helplessly against my shield. With a wave of my hand, I spawned three of Tula’s cyclone attack.

The Ocean Master’s trident glowed bright to my senses. Blue rings shot out—

Directly into my waiting counterspells. 

I could feel his surprise as half his men where whisked away. I smashed them into the ocean floor, cracking bones and armor both.

The next group charged me, no doubt thinking I would be vulnerable closer in. 

I gave them a lesson on the mystical properties of lightning, frying the first wave.

Ocean Master left his men to die, slipping into the conservatory.

With a frown, I finished off the last few attackers, leaving them imprisoned in shackles of ice as well as magic. A quick return to the roof showed Kaldur, water bearers in hand, with three unconscious bodies floating around him.

“Traitors from within the Academy itself,” he said. “I fear what the rest may be doing inside.”

“Well, it looks like I’m about to find out.” I floated over to the opening, looking down into the darkened Conservatory. “I handed the first wave, but Ocean Master slipped inside.”

“As have the rest.” Kaldur frowned, glancing back towards the queen. “On any other day I would assist you in cleaning out this infestation.”

“Go,” I said. “The palace is nearby, and the last thing we need is the death of a Monarch under the league’s watch.” I quirked a smile, “or else a giant Cthulu monster ripping through Atlantis.”

“I’ll go with you,” Tula said. “As a student, I know the layout of the building.”

I shook my head. “That would leave Queen Mera down a guard, and I don’t have time to baby sit a civilian.”

She looked offended at that, but I kicked off, swimming down without another word. At once, I dimmed the spells giving my light, minimizing my magical signature as I floated through the now empty halls. They were dark, light stones either dormant or smashed outright.

The sheer number of enchantments surrounding me blinded my mystical senses, and empathy as ever remained fuzzy at best. Slowly, I slipped around a corner, finding more empty halls.

Turn by turn, I made my way deeper into the conservatory. 

Then I turned a corner into a squad of Ocean Master’s flunkies.

With a curse, I snapped a shield into place as bolts of light filled the air.

My returning lightning proved much more effective, frying the four man group.

Still, I could vaguely sense more converging on my position already.

Kicking off the nearest body, I launched myself towards the closest group. Spells and lasers filled the water, churning it like a feeding frenzy. 

This next group was canny, hiding behind cover and their heavier weapons posed a threat to my shield spells. With a huff, I layered multiple domes of protection, before flying forward on a jet of water. 

The grunts recoiled as I flew past them, guns tracking too slowly.

I spun, arms splaying out as waves of frost froze them and the water around them into solid blocks from the tips of my fingers to the very walls.

Hope their gills worked that.

“There she is!”

A sudden hail of shots broke my first shield. I zipped around the corner, right into close combat with a third group.

A man grabbed my wrist. I boiled him from within, kicking off. My second shield cracked beneath a massive blow before I released a massive wave of force. The bodies jerked like puppets, before blood started seeping out from within the armor.

“Right,” I muttered. “Water is incompressible.”

Before I could say more, multiple attackers pinned me down from both sides of the hallway, raining laser bolts and spells down on me.

“When do you run out of bodies?” I shouted, throwing out more waves of force.

Walls cracked, and one unlucky Atlantean got cracked like an egg. But then the rest were on me. Green waves of magic swept out, counteracting my next few pressure waves.

I switched back to ice, sealing off one entire side of the hall and taking more than a few with it as I spun.

And then jerked. 

Looking down, I saw Ocean Master’s trident impaling my stomach. It pulsed once, and I felt my magic scramble. I stiffened.

“I have you now,” the man said, yanking his weapon from my guts. Yet the interference remained. Slowly, I began working through it, feeling the way it changed my magic. It was a strong spell, but inflexible…

“The Queen’s long gone by now,” I said, grinning up at him. “So I guess you’ll have to settle for me as a consolation prize.”

The rest of his men surrounded me, rifles up.

I tried to walk, only to moan and slip sideways in the water instead.

If that spear had canceled my own enchantments too, they wouldn’t even need to shoot me.

Please do the monologue thing, I thought, pushing out subtle waves of confidence through my empathy.

Fortunately, it seemed like luck was on my side this time.

“Fool,” Ocean Master said. He held out his Trident over my head, and the prongs began to glow. “The Queen was never the target. Only you were.”

The he twisted his wrist.

I gasped as something was ripped from my chest, streamers of gold and red energy leaving my body and flowing into his weapon. “A pity you didn’t bring the halfbreed as well.”

I grunted as my vision blurred. I couldn’t cast a spell like this even if something else wasn’t blocking me. “Even the fish are…racists now?”

“Whimper whatever you like, ape.” The Ocean Master grinned down at me. “You fell right into my trap all the same.” With a flourish he presented a glowing stone, just looking at it made my senses blurry, cutting off my Empathy and Mana sight save for the barest bit. “Never even wondering why you could not see.” The Trident glowed brighter. “Now all of you power will be mine, and with it, I will tear down this city and rebuild it in my own image!”

Slowly, I blinked. “That’s your plan?”

“Yes,” said the man. “One, sadly, that you will not live to see.”

I nodded. “Yeah about that…seems like you guys only did half your homework.”

With a hiss of effort, I pushed.

Suddenly the mana streaming out of my chest doubled and redoubled. It gushed into the trident like a tsunami, the weapon glowing brighter and brighter in Ocean Master’s hands. Cracks began appearing on the blades.

“What--?” 

Then the torrent of power doubled again, and the trident shattered.

With a flick of my wrist, manacles of light snapped around Ocean Master and all his remaining men.

“All of that,” I said. “And you barely managed a drop in the bucket.”

“I-impossible! That trident stored the powers of Typhon himself.”

And all of that, less than a single elemental plane of mana.

With a smirk, I reached out and plucked a fragment of the trident from where it floated in the water, and my mana flooded back into its rightful place.

Sometimes, being the equivalent of a demi-god had its perks.

“Now then,” I said. “Let’s see what the King and Queen of Atlantis have to say about you.”

Teleportation was a rather simple spell, when you thought about it. 

Or at least, when you thought about it from the perspective of an extraplanar entity.

The rebels continued to struggle as a massive arcane circle slowly spiraled out from beneath my feet. It wrapped up, enveloping us down to the Nth dimension.

And then we were in the Throne Room.

No one was even bleeding out of their eyes this time. A success on my new spell!

I ignored the plethora of weapons suddenly leveled at me. “Your Majesty, I have captured Ocean Master, along with disabling a large number of his men.”

Aquaman, or King Orin in this setting, finished rising from where he’d frozen halfway out of his throne. “Destiny.” He walked down the steps from the daze. “When I welcomed you to my Kingdom last night, this is not what I expected.”

“Sometimes, fate works in mysterious ways.”

“Indeed.” King Orin gestured, and a pair of guards quickly swam out of the room. They returned a few moments later with Queen Mera and Aqualad. “Now, I believe it is only right for my wife to know the face of her assailant.”

I floated over to Kaldur, gesturing for the King to do as he pleased. As Queen Mera went to stand with her husband, King Orin tore the masked helm from Ocean Master.

A gasp ran through the throne room as the handsome face of an Atlantean was revealed. Of course, I didn’t have the slightest idea who he was, so I turned to Kaldur only to find him similarly struck dumb.

“Orm…” The King groaned. “My brother… why?” I blinked. Oh. “Why would you do this to us, to our people.”

Ocean Master spat. “I have nothing to saw to an ape masquerading as an Atlantean.”

King Orin recoiled as if struck. Then his face hardened. 

“Guards,” he said. “Take the prisoners away, then ensure that the Conservatory is secured.”

Orm and his men said nothing as their weapons and armor were confiscated, and my bonds replaced with those of metal. 

Orin, looking as if he’d aged a decade in that short moment, returned to his throne, a downcast Mera at his side.

“I would never have even suspected…” he said.

Mera nodded, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder. “I suspect that was the point…who would ever suspect the King’s own brother, second in line to the throne himself.” She paused, resting a hand on her pregnant stomach. “Or would that be third, now.”

“Indeed. He never seemed jealous for the throne, but then, it seems as though I never truly knew that man.” Finally sitting back in his throne, Mera taking her place on the elegant clamshell themed one right beside it, King Orin turned to address the room.

“Let it be known that Ocean Master has been defeated, not simply by the prowess of our own, though no man was lacking, but through the aid of our friends from the surface!” I bowed at the polite applause. “Destiny, you have our deepest thanks for ending the scourge of Ocean Master on our society and saving our Queen from his attack. I hope that it will foster a new era of cooperation between our peoples.”

It seemed like a bad time to mention that Ocean Masters true target had been me. I’d let King Orin know later.

“Let it be know that Atlantis remembers its friends. You have done us a great service this day, name your reward.”

I let a small smile flicker over my lips. “Would it be amiss if I asked for a chess board…?” I muttered, before shaking my head and swimming forward in the water. “Your Majesty,” I said. “As a hero, protecting the weak from the predations of those like Ocean Master is nothing more than my duty.”

“An often thankless duty, as we are well aware,” King Orin said. “But let that not detract from your wish.”

I bowed. “In that case, I came to Atlantis to study sorcery. I have no deeper wish than the pursuit of knowledge, and to learn of the wonderful works of magic your kingdom has created.”

“So it shall be,” he said. “Now…”

Queen Mera leaned forward. “I believe there is one more matter to address, my king.”

“…Oh?”

She nodded. “Yes, you see, before we were so rudely interrupted, Destiny informed me of a wonderful surface custom of selecting a godmother and godfather for children…” she said, quickly explaining the finer details as well. “Which leads me to the question, my dear husband…when did you plan on informing me of this? Would it have been five years after the birth of my child, when I stumbled upon it myself?”

A titter of laughter ran through the throne room. I did my best to burgeon it, helping Queen Mera break the tension. 

King Orin let out a weak chuckle. “Ah we were…” Mera raised an eyebrow. Orin coughed. “I simply assumed, my beautiful and intelligent wife, that you were already aware of that custom. And I was waiting for you to select whomever you felt most suitable!”

The feely of barely suppressed mirth lingered in the next moment of silence, before Queen Mera relented with a smile.

“God save,” I murmured to Kaldur.

“The King is most wise,” he replied.

“Very well,” Mera said. “In light of recent events, there can truly only be one option. For godfather, I name Kaldur’Ahm, who has safeguarded Atlantis and its people for many years.” The applause rose once again. “And I name Destiny the godmother of my child, the crown prince of Atlantis.”

I blinked in surprise.

But then, what could I do but bow.

“It is an honor.”

Though, I felt like I’d been saying those word a lot today…