Enchanted Ch. 11

She tilted her head. "Good and evil... pointless. I am what I am."

He nodded. She was a predator, plain and simple. A predator of the deep. Eating fish would barely sustain her, she needed more. Magic... and life... Not so different from him, maybe, but different enough. At least in the important ways.

"Are there more like you? There used to be, I know."

She nodded. "Yes."

"How many?"

"I don't know. It is rare that when two of us meet two swim away. Rare, but not unheard of. My realm is these isles. Beyond it there are others like me. Most are not as strong. Others may be stronger."

John nodded even though that told him nothing. "Billie?"

"Billie is back on the surface."

"With my friends?"

"No, he was returned to the place I agreed to protect for him in return for fresh souls."

"I see. So, have I satisfied you?" John asked.

Her eyes widened. "Satisfied me? Yes.... I am far beyond satisfied. I have tasted you, John. I now know there are some things I wish no part of."

John chuckled, forcing her eyes wider.

"Take me back to my friends then and grant us passage."

"Yes, that is our agreement," she said. "We must hurry."

"Hurry? Why?"

"If you wish to return to them sooner, rather than later."

"I don't understand, why the rush?"

"I must rest, John of the Surface. You have given me so much I must rest and... this is how my kind go on. I will divide and this new part of me will go off to begin a life of their own."

John stared. "I was told I couldn't have children..."

"This is not a child of man. It is... a part of me that will be new. You gave me the strength. Without you I don't know how many years it would have taken me to gather enough to do it."

"Oh... okay," John said and felt a tension leave his shoulders. "Good... I think. That's good for you, right?"

"I don't know. It just is. Come, John, I must take you now. We cannot wait."

"Let's go then," John said. "Take me... to the surface... to my friends, I mean."

She nodded and slowly rose up from the coral. She winced and then reached out to take him in her arms. John let her. As soon as her arms hugged about him they were swimming through the water at her incredible speed. John struggled to take in the sights but they were moving so fast they burst free of the surface before he realized they were near it. Instead the setting sun he was greeted with a star light sky and a blazing fire made of drift wood on the beach.

"John!" Red and Steff screamed as John and Sprite surged through the water and left wake that splashed up on the shore. They stopped with John only knee deep in the water.

John opened his mouth to respond and found he couldn't talk. His eyes widened as the pressure in his chest started to hurt.

The water sprite pressed her lips to his, calming him with the familiarity. She sucked the water out without warning. John shuddered and pushed at her, only to have her turn back into water and fall into the inlet in a splash. He staggered back and suck in a ragged breath, which burned his moist lungs and forced him to start coughing.

He was doubled over and gasping for short, shallow breaths before long. The worst of the pain was behind him but he found his body aching from the ragged coughing fit he'd endured. Steff was rubbing his back and holding him against her while Red stood with her hands on her hips and one foot tapping the sand.

Zynga caught his eye first when he raised his head. She winked at him and gave him a nod of approval.

John barely kept himself from choking on a laugh that turned into a cough. When he had himself under control he stood up straight and looked at the two pacing women. Red crossed her arms and glanced down at his nudity before lifting her eyes back up.

"Oh... right," John said. "Where did I— thank you, Zynga."

"Don't want you giving Red second thoughts about her choice in lovers," Zynga chortled.

John saw Red's eyes narrow as he struggled to find the bottom of his robe. He pulled it over his head and sorted it out before facing both women. Zynga studied the water where John had emerged but stayed safely on the shore.

"You were gone a while," Red said. "I wanted to leave but Steff insisted we give you until the morning."

"Thank you," John said, letting his gaze take them both in but ending with Steff. She smiled back at him.

"This had better be worth it, you've turned my hardest crewmember into a kitten and I don't like it," Red said.

"I'm only his kitten," Steff said. "The rest of the crew best watch their backs or they'll have me peg up their arse!"

Red smirked. "That's good, at least. So John, what happened? Who was that woman?"

Zynga chuckled behind John.

"She was a water sprite... or something. Some sort of water creature. She made a deal with Billie long ago and protected his hideout. It is through their... and I've secured passage for us."

"How'd you manage that?" Steff asked.

"Just us?" Red asked.

John nodded toward the lights off the shore where the Red Witch was anchored. "We can take the entire ship in."

"The rocks and shallows will just let us pass?" Red asked.

"She'll... do something. It'll be safe, don't worry."

Red studied him and then nodded. "All right then.

"Wait... how?" Steff asked.

John turned. "I, um, I had to agree to an exchange. The deal she had before was every time she let's someone through she takes one of them under the water with her. They live and don't age a day while she keeps them. Then, when passage is needed again another takes their place and they're returned to the surface, unharmed. Well, that or a hundred years passes."

"A hundred years?" Red sputtered.

"Billie swapped out his crew and... trust me, he protected his people and they weren't likely to complain, from what I saw," John said.

"What exchange did you make?" Steff demanded.

John hesitated.

"You fucked her?"

Zynga cackled behind him.

He nodded.

Steff scowled.

"One fuck and she's thrown open the gates?" Red scoffed. "You've got a nice cock, John, but I can't believe any man's that good."

"He is," Steff muttered.

Red snorted.

"I gave her a taste of my power," John started.

"Oy? A taste? Like you done with me and Little Red? So she's going to be part of this too?" Steff asked.

John winced. Zynga's laughing was getting on his nerves. "No! She didn't do...um, that. I meant the magic. I let her feel it so she knew she couldn't defeat me."

"He filled her full is what he means to say," Zynga clarified. "Probably had it dripping out of her twat when he was done."

Steff's eyes nearly fell out of her face.

"Sires of Exerion!" John spat. "Stop helping me, Zynga!"

Steff held up a hand. "As long as Little Red and I are still special."

John smiled. "You are very special," he agreed.

Red shook her head. "This is too weird, even for me. Come on, let's get back to the Red Witch. Come morning, we'll find that fool's treasure and be done with this accursed place."

John scooped up his spear and hurried to catch up to the women on their way to the boat. Zynga walked beside him, her short legs managing to keep pace beside his longer ones with ease. He scowled at her but she only grinned back and nodded.

"What?" he snapped.

"You did good, Master. I feel the power in you... anymore and you'd be leaving scorch marks on the sand."

"Oh.. I know, she is an old and powerful creature."

"And you fucked her into submission."

John sighed.

"You should tell them, you know."

"They already know."

"No... the other part."

"What other—" John sucked in his breath as he remembered the other part. By agreeing to her terms she'd released her prior guest... Billie the One Eyed was free again. Not only free, but he'd been the one to come up with the terms with the water sprite. He most likely knew that if he was free ahead of his time, it meant someone else had come to take his place.

John broke into a jog and called out, "Red! Wait... about tomorrow... Billie will be there... and he knows we're coming."