The Coral Kingdom - Douglas Niles [90]
"Had he regained his senses?"
"No, Excellency. He remained as dull and clumsy as ever."
"Splendid," gurgled the avatar. "Though if it becomes necessary to take his other hand, we shall have to allow the potion of forgetfulness to wear off, that he may fully grasp the horror of his fate."
PART III: THE UNDERDEEP
14
The Helm of Zulae
Working the Princess of Moonshae free from her coral trap proved remarkably easy with the aid of a rising water level and a large contingent of sea elves. High tide occurred at sunset, and by the time the sun touched the horizon, the aquatic folk had lashed a dozen long, supple lines to the stricken longship's transom.
Hundreds of sea elves hauled on the ropes, and gradually the longship slipped gently off the reef, though seawater gushed into the hull from several holes that again dropped below the waterline.
Guided by Trillhalla, the men of Gnarhelm rowed the bruised and waterlogged ship through a wide channel in the coral barrier, a channel so cleverly aligned, Brandon realized, that no sailor in the world would find it.
This was the final layer of Evermeet's defenses, the captain reflected with chagrin-the barrier that had finally stopped them. It had all worked out as well as they could have hoped, of course, but there was something grating to the prince about having his vessel towed from the reef by people who had him at their mercy.
They approached the shore of looming forest, recognizing splendid maples and towering firs among other, more exotic trees. Even the familiar types grew taller than the humans had ever seen, with straight trunks and lush foliage. At first, it seemed as though the Princess steered toward a surf-swept beach, but as they neared the coastline, a channel appeared, slanting sharply to the left, all but invisible from the reef or beyond.
In the growing darkness, they entered the passage. Rugged cliffs of limestone rose as high as the masthead to the left and right, and elves with torches lined the top of the heights, illuminating the watery path as full night soon encloaked them. The crew rowed the weary longship along this channel, watching the firelight reflect from the water in a hypnotically beautiful display. The bright flames illuminated multicolored schools of fish meandering through water as clear as air.
Finally, with the last traces of sunset lost below the horizon, they passed beyond the torches and emerged into a cliff-walled basin. Splashing sounds indicated a waterfall somewhere nearby, invisible in the darkness, though the humans could see the encircling horizon of their deep grotto etched against the starlight above. Once they anchored, it didn't take more than a few minutes before the entire ship's complement found comfortable sleeping places-aboard ship, for most of the northmen; on land for Brigit and all of the Ffolk. Alicia found herself a soft and mossy niche between several rocks, comfortable and spacious enough for her to stretch and move around. Her mother and Tavish found similar alcoves nearby, and they collapsed with a sense of exhaustion mingled with accomplishment.
Alicia awakened to daylight, pleased to find that several thick ferns screened heir bed with as much privacy as she could desire. Rising quickly, she pushed through the verdant growth to emerge onto smooth sand, a stretch of beach just coming under the light of dawn.
Sunrise revealed the true splendor of the voyagers' new surroundings, beauty that took Alicia's breath away as she beheld a small valley, lined all around with limestone cliffs-cliffs that enclosed a tiny enclave of paradise. Her eyes went irresistibly to the three waterfalls trilling into the rock-walled shelter, one sparkling like diamonds in the sun, the other two still cool in the morning shadow. Twin groves of great trees grew on the floor of the grotto, one on each side of the natural harbor where the crystalline water collected.
Much of the