~ Chapter 5 : Into Darker and Colder Waters ~

Melody turned her head ever so slightly and caught Dash's eye before quickly looking back at the Manta. Dash got the cue and caught Jeremy's eye on the other side, and the young merman nodded. Tip caught the exchange and rubbed his flippers together, ready for action.

The Manta hovered above them, equally still.

The stand-off did not last long as the Manta suddenly flung his wings back dramatically and soared towards them.

Melody and the gang stood their ground for as long as they could, and at the last moment they all simulatenously moved away from the Manta's line of fire, causing the Manta to swim right into the cold water of the Chasm. The Manta shouted in protest and struggled against the cold with his wings and tail.

That one moment of confusion was all they needed. Tip threw his smoke shell and it exploded right in front of the Manta.

"Swim!" Melody shouted, and they did.

What they didn't expect was that the Manta didn't really solely on eyesight to find his way. His long muscular tail shot out from the smoke and grabbed Melody by her own tail.

"Jeremy!" Melody shouted, and threw the rolled up paper at him.

The Manta slid out of the smoke just in time to see Jeremy catch the paper.

"Want it? Come and get it!" Jeremy challenged, waving the paper at him.

The Manta growled under his breath and tossed Melody aside like yesterday's rubbish before swimming toward Jeremy. Timing himself just right, Jeremy then threw the paper at Tip, who threw the food bag at Jeremy in exchange. The Manta started toward Tip, who then threw the paper at Jeremy and received the food bag in return. The exchange happened a few more times, and the Manta twisted his head this way and that, watching them carefully before deciding on making his move.

Which was why the Manta was taken unawares when Dash landed right on top of him. The Manta hit the seafloor hard under the weight of the walrus, all breath slammed out of him.

"Help!" Melody screamed from behind them. The Manta had thrown her into the cold water of the Chasm, and she was just about ready to fall in.

"Melody!" Jeremy cried, and he tossed the paper one last time at Tip, grabbing the bag automatically in the process. "Go, Tip, go!"

Tip nodded, clamped the paper in his beak and began to swim.

"No, not that way! Back to Atlantica!" Jeremy shouted.

"Shorry!" Tip changed course and shot off like a bullet in the water.

"I'm coming, Melody!" shouted Jeremy, heading toward Melody who was clinging onto the edge of the chasm with her fingers. He was stopped midway when Dash came flying right at him, and the two were thrown backward and hit the seafloor with a loud double thud. The Manta shook himself off, very angry that he had been taken by surprise and turned to look for Tip. The penguin was a faster swimmer than he had thought, and had totally disappeared from view.

"Hmph." The Manta shook his head, disappointed with his own slack, and decided to go to Melody. She was still clinging onto the edge of the cliff, eyes shut tightly, skin turning blue. The Manta grinned at her, then gently took each arm into each of his hands. Melody opened her eyes, and they went wider when she saw it was him and not one of her friends.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Princess," he told her. "But it was foolish of you to fight me like that."

"What d-did y-y-you expect?" Melody asked between shivers.

The Manta thought about that. "Nothing less, actually."

And then he was hit on the head with a rock. Dash appeared overhead, rock in hand, and Jeremy reached out to grab Melody as the Manta's grip relaxed, but missed her by less than an inch.

Melody started to fall.

Dash dropped the rock and started to swim in when the Manta's right hand darted out and grabbed him by the neck. Dash gulped when the Manta's two glowing eyes came level with his own. "That was the wrong thing to do," he said softly, and then using his tail, grabbed Jeremy by the torso and threw him into the Chasm after Melody. Dash watched in horror as two of his best friends fell into the darkness.

"Do you still want to go after them?" the Manta asked.

"Yes," Dash managed to say.

"Good boy." And with a final flourish, the Manta flung Dash into the Chasm.

*****

"I'm cold..." Ariel murmured, turning over in her sleep.

"Okay, darling," said Eric, lifting the blankets up to Ariel's neck.

But still Ariel continued to toss and turn, and to Eric's surprise she started shivering. "Cold... Everywhere cold... It's so dark, Eric... I feel like I'm falling..."

"Just a bad dream," said Eric, stroking Ariel's head gently. "Just a bad dream."

"Why is it so cold?" Ariel shivered, nestling even deeper into the heavy blankets.

Immediately Eric thought of Melody. Sometimes, although it didn't happen as often now as it did before, Ariel could sense what was happening to Melody. If that were true at that moment, Melody could be falling somewhere cold and dark. But it could just be the poison at work, which was hardly anymore comforting.

"It's okay, it's okay," Eric said. "I'm sure it's nothing."

*****

Melody used to have nightmares like this, when she was much younger. But as always, actually experiencing it first hand was much more terrifying.

After the initial panic had worn down, Melody had tried to stop the falling and swim back up, but as soon as she tried to slow down, the freezing cold water attacked all her senses and she became helpless once again. As long as she was falling the cold wasn't so bad, and she spread her arms as wide as she could to slow herself down as much as could while still falling.

Is there really no bottom? Melody asked herself. It was completely dark, so she had no idea how fast she was falling. What if she fell right through the entire earth and came out on the other side? What if she was to live forever in this absolute darkness, falling and falling until she was nothing but a little mermaid skeleton?

"Melody..." Was that Jeremy? Could he have fallen in after her? Melody flailed helplessly and tried to shout back, although she wasn't sure whether her voice was strong enough to carry. "Melody..." Dash? Dash had fallen in, too? Dash had a better chance against the cold, but how could they swim up together like this? Could she find them? Could they find her?

Her last thought before she passed out was, Oh, there is a bottom.

*****

The Manta returned to the Sorceress' cave to report the events of the day. The Sorceress, hidden in the shadows of the cave, listened in perfect silence until the Manta had finished. Then she was quiet for a little while more.

"Well, I suppose I should be angry that they've gotten the antidote list so early in the plan," the Sorceress said. "But Melody's been sidetracked into the Great Chasm, and that balances things quite well."

The Manta nodded, although he wasn't sure that she could see him. "Shall I be off, then?"

"Yes, yes," said the Sorceress. "Watch the palace. Make their gathering of antidote ingredients as difficult as possible. We need to delay their success until other portions of the plan are set in place."

"Of course, Sorceress," he said, and swam off.
 

*****

Aquata stared out into the darkness of Atlantican night through the window. Her hands were clasped tightly behind her back.

"I'm really sorry," said Tip, breaking the silence. "I really really thought they were right behind me."

"If it's anyone's fault, it is mine," said Aquata softly. "I was the one that sent you out there all alone with nothing but smoke bombs to protect you. Of course the Manta would be trying to stop anyone trying to get the antidote ingredient list, what was I thinking?" She was started to shake in anger and regret.

"Melody was determined," said Tip. "And you know, giant seahorses can't drag her away once she sets her mind on something."

"You think we should be telling da King?" asked Sebastian.

"No, not yet," said Aquata. "Tomorrow, or the day after, maybe. I'll set out to find Melody myself tomorrow."

"You can't do dat!" objected Sebastian. "The antidote! Ariel needs you."

Yes, that's right, Ariel was still in danger. Although they already had the list that would produce the antidote, they needed to gather the ingredients, put them together properly and have it sent out to Ariel safely. And the Manta was sure to be there holding them back every step of the way.

"If only we knew whether Melody is all right..." said Tip.

Aquata was hit with an idea, and looked at Sebastian. "There is a way," she said. She swam off without another word. Tip and Sebastian frantically started swimming to follow her. Aquata swam through hallways and caverns one of the western wings of the palace, carefully avoiding places her father would be, until she finally she reached a deep red seashell door and knocked.

"Coming coming!" a muffled voice called from behind the seashell. There was the sound of somebody trying to clean up a terrible mess, failing miserably and then giving up with a sigh. Then finally the door opened, and a mermaid with bright orange spikes shoved into the recesses of her thick brown hair peeked out.

"Attina, may we come in?" Aquata asked.

"Sure, sure," said Attina, eyes darting nervously to the room behind her. "It's a bit messy, sorry, bout that. I didn't expect any visitors, especially at night, and you know, Gidae has gone out on an expedition and..."

"Attina, this is important."

Attina looked at her sister. "Of course, come in."

Sebastian swam in and made himself comfortable on a pile of old stone cuttings. Tip wandered into the apartment Attina and her husband shared in the palace, careful to keep his distance behind Aquata. It was a bizzare little place that had been decorated with the intense purpose of making sure it looked nothing like the rest of the palace. Ancient Atlantican relics and humble wood furniture decorated the place, and at the moment scraps of paper were littered all over the floor.

"Sit down, please," said Attina. Tip noticed there were no chairs.

"Melody is in trouble," said Aquata. "I need you to find her."

Attina stared at Aquata. "Where is she?"

"In the Backyard, probably somewhere near the Great Chasm. Last we know."

Attina sunk down onto the floor, tactfully refraining from mentioning how Aquata had told their father at dinnertime that Melody was staying at a friend's house. "That's far out. It's going to take a lot of my strength."

"I just want to know whether she's hurt," said Aquata.

Attina didn't ask what happened, whether it involved the Manta, or whether Aquata thought that Melody was in more danger than she let on. She simply folded her fins carefully under her and nodded. "I'll try."

Aquata sat down directly in front of Attina and they held their hands out palm to palm, touching ever so slightly. Then they both shut their eyes and became perfectly still. Tip went to Sebastian and asked, "What's going on?"

"Not many know dis, but each of da members of the Royal Family have a special magical gift all their own," explained Sebastian. "Like Lady Aquata can sense health problems and injuries. Attina here can find any of her direct family members anywhere in da seven seas. Combine 'em together and and dere you have it, dey can find Melody and sense if she's okay."

"Cool!" exclaimed Tip. "Never knew that."

Aquata and Attina were 'gone' for quite a long time. When they finally came back, they both still looked slightly worried, but visibly more relieved. They hugged for a moment, and Aquata said thank you over and over again.

"So is she okay?" asked Tip. "Is she? Is she? Is she?"

"She's all in one piece, and still well," said Aquata. "But it's where she is that bothers me a bit." Then she smiled. "But I have a feeling that she'll be fighting to get back here, and like you said, giant seahorses can't drag her away once she sets her mind to something."

"Then where is she?" asked Tip.

Aquata looked at Tip. "At the bottom of the Great Chasm. No, no, no don't look so worried. I'm sure Jeremy and Dash are nearby, and all three of them will work together to get back here. And tomorrow, you will head the rescue party to help bring her back."

"Me?" squeaked Tip.

"I have a plan," said Aquata. "And Sebastian can keep daddy from noticing meantime. Right, Sebastian?"

Sebastian's eyes bulged. "Oh, all right."

"So right now, get some sleep little penguin man," said Aquata. "Thank you again, Attina."

"Always happy to be of help," said Attina.

As they started to leave, Tip asked Aquata, "Does Melody have a magic gift like you?"

Aquata nodded. "It's a fact that the eldest daughter of the royal line inherits the same gift as her mother. And Ariel has shown the effectiveness of her own gift over and over again."

"What was Queen Ariel's gift, then?" asked Tip.

Aquata grinned. "The uncanny ability to get out of trouble, of course. Did you really think Ariel and Melody rely on luck all the time?"
 

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