Chapter 11: Ritual

The sea-witches were on the large stone-circle in their grotto, waiting where Alurel had left them. They passed the time mourning for Guinemere, who sadly left no remains for them to respect in any fashion.

Alurel came back into view. They all looked up at the great mermaid, who now held the Trident in her hands.

Maris frowned. On the one hand, this was what she had wanted, in a way, as it met things were on track to get their matron back. On the other hand, some part of her wanted Alurel to have failed, to have been killed. She wanted that woman to have fallen on the dagger, perhaps.

This was cause she knew such power in the hands of someone like Alurel would be bad news for the sea.

But, hope carried her on. Hope for that promised reunion with Ugsila. Her kind would survive, she thought, even under the queendom of someone like Alurel.

“Behold.”, said the great mermaid. “I’ve returned, with the Trident in my hands.”

“I had felt a shift in the magic of the sea, and thought you would.”, said Maris. She looked up with awe at that gigantic pronged artifact. The other sea-witches did as well. It was truly a powerful thing to behold. Its glow shined light upon them.

“Of course I would return. You’d be fools to ever doubt me. Now then, it’s time for that one more task I asked, one that needs you to work with the Trident itself.”

Maris nodded. “Yes, what would you have us do.”

“I want you to unlock the Trident. I don’t simply want to wield it, I want to wield its power. I want its power within me, completely mine. I want to hold the vast magic of sea and storm within me, make it part of me. When I hold the Trident, I feel a connection to this power, but only when I hold it. Surely you witches can open this bond can you not? Exploit it somehow, to let its power flood into me.”

Maris gasped, among many of the other sea-witches. What Alurel had suggested had never been considered before. It seemed greatly offensive to even suggest, but she held her tongue on that point.

“A-alurel.”, began Maris. “I... I do think that will be possible. But, we must warn you. The Trident embodies the full power of the storm and sea, including the deepest, darkest recesses of the ocean depths. The parts where no citizen of Atlantis has ever swam. Not even we practice whatever magics those areas could hold-”

“Enough!” shouted Alurel. She clanked the Trident against the sea floor, near the stone circle. A roar of current swirled around the great mermaid a moment before dispersing.

“You dare try to warn me? To suggest my command is flawed?”

She sneered.

“I was experimenting with the Trident earlier, I know what magics it could potentially hold. I am merely tapping into something great when I wield it now, but I want it all, and all within me. Its power will bend to my will. I will rule eternal, and I won’t make the mistakes Poseidon did. I won’t have *my* power be locked up in some artifact that any great mermaid could swipe. It will be within me. I will be that power. I will be the very power of the oceans and storm.”

Maris nervously gulped.

“V-very well Alurel, of course. We will do as you say, yes. If you would please lay the Trident onto the stone circle, best you can. We will begin the ritual.”

“Good.”, said Alurel. She lowered the Trident down. “But don’t you hags dare try anything against my wishes with it. I could squeeze my treasure-stomach enough to crush your matron. I could bring her into my throat and send her to my digestive stomach, or maybe just bring her up to my teeth for some chewing.”

Maris shivered at the mere suggestions.

“Of course not Alurel, we wouldn’t dare! None of us could even wield the Trident. It is much too big, and meant for a great merfolk. Also, the ritual will require you to hold your hand against it, and preserve a physical connection.”

Alurel was satisfied by that answer. She rested her fingers around the shaft of the artifact, near its forked head.

The sea-witches spread out around the Trident. They followed the lead of Maris, and all of them briefly touched the object.

They could feel great magic within the glowing artifact, the magic swirling and radiant in its form. They could see the bond the artifact would do with Alurel at the great mermaid’s touch. Indeed, it provided a connection to the magic within itself, but only a connection. It let magic be pulled, but only in comparative trickles. The vast majority of the Trident’s magic laid still when not in use.

Maris spoke.

“I must say Alurel, this is unexplored waters to us, so-to-speak. We can open the connection between you and the Trident so you can draw up all its power. The Trident will become but a catalyst after. We will do our best, but this has never been done before. We can’t promise-”

“You *will* succeed.”, spoke Alurel. “You care to see your matron again, right?”

“O-of course.”, said Maris.

The witches released their touch from the Trident, then began chanting. They were still able to feel the artifact’s magic without touch, and waved their hands in dance-like gestures to move the magic around within. It was an intense thing to do, requiring all their focus and skill. However, together, they began to broaden the bond between the Trident and Alurel, whose fingers curled around the artifact still.

The channel of magic from the Trident to Alurel began to grow and widen. The sea-witches were working to push the magic within the Trident towards Alurel, which expanded the bond.

“Yes!”, spoke Alurel. “I can feel its power flowing into me.”

Her voice sounded different, with a radiant timbre. Her body begin to gently glow a subtle golden light as the Trident’s own illumination began to fade.

“Yes! It’s working! Keep going hags!”

The sea-witches obeyed. The bond widened as more magic flooded through it, pushing against the limits of the bond. That channel of magic from the Trident grew bigger till eventually the rules of it broke.

Alurel felt the intense magic in the artifact. Better still, she felt like she could call upon it all, take it all in. She didn’t hesitate. Once the sea-witches had made it possible, she pulled all the Trident’s magic into her body.

Alurel’s 500ft foot form buckled.

“I-I-It’s a flood!”, she said. “An immense flood of power!”

Her voice roared with a radiant timbre now. Her body shined near-blindingly bright for a moment. She curled her head back and let out a coo of utter delight.

“It feels... so good... so right~”

The roar of light settled. The Trident was dim. She lifted it off the circle. Even with its glow gone, its golden sheen was still splendid.

That glow was now Alurel’s, it belonged to her, as did all the power the Trident held. She closed her eyes and focused.

“Alurel, a-are you alright? Did it work?” asked Maris. She hoped it did, so she could see her matron again.

“Silence.”, said Alurel. Her voice retained a radiant, divine timbre to it, even though her glow had calmed.

Focusing, she felt her awareness vastly expanded. She could know, with just a thought, what was going on at the far reaches of the sea. Focusing, she saw waters on the other side of the planet without actually ‘seeing’. Focusing still, her mind then plunged the deepest recesses of the ocean. The next moment, with her power, she felt Atlantis without touching it with her physical form.

That was just her awareness. She felt so, so much more power within her. It was constant. She felt like a true mistress of sea and storm magic.

She opened her eyes, and the sea-witches saw they now shined a visible golden light. Her irises were still green, but her eyes now glowed with that light-golden hue like much of the rest of her body.

“It worked.”, said Alurel. “This is amazing. This power, it’s on the level of divinity.”

Indeed, her voice had a godly thoom to it.

Alurel wiggled her finger and bisected one of the stone towers further ahead in the grotto. Just a wiggle, and she had made a current far away so fierce it could cut through stone.

“W-we are pleased to see it worked, queen Alurel.”

They bowed their heads.

“If we could humbly request, as you promised, we would like our matron back.”

Alurel looked to them, smiling.

“Ah, of course you do. Very well. I’m tired of feeling her scuttle about in my treasure-stomach anyway.”

Alurel pivoted her body in the water so her face was before the coven. Her throat lurched, and she spat out Ugsila. The raven-haired and tall sea-witch moved to embrace the other sea-witches in a hug.

“Ah, it is good to be back.”, say Ugsila.

“It is good to have you back, our matron.”, said Maris.

Alurel leaned back up, looming over them with her whole body once more. She watched them as they exchanged sentiments and hugs. Eventually, the sight bored her past the point of tolerance.

The sea-witches felt their bodies tingle. It was subtle at first, but quickly turned to a shocking pain. It became difficult for them to move. They let out surprised cries of agony.

Maris turned to Alurel, who had her left and free fist clenched. She grinned down at them.

“That’s enough of that.”, said the great mermaid.

The sea-witches had an idea of what was coming. A few of them tried to swim away, darting in various directions to try and split up. It was hard and slow to move with the electricity rocking their forms though.

“Ah, you’re not going anywhere.”, said Alurel.

She twirled her finger and currents encircled the area around her and the ritual circle. Ugsila and the other sea-witches who tried to flee ran into the moving waters, only to be pushed right back in. Alurel had surrounded them with a series of currents that moved in a sphere, keeping them all stuck near her.

“You monster!”, said Maris. “After all we have done for you, you’d seek to betray us.”

Alurel giggled. All the sea-witches moved and huddled together, since there was no point in running.

“Think, now. Now that the power of the Trident is within me, is *mine*, you aren’t needed anymore.”

“So because we aren’t needed, you’ll kill us? Betray us?”

Alurel laughed.

“You dumb hag, there are other reasons. Now that I have innate mastery over sea magic, well, that means the only other people who can use sea-magic are you witches. You’re also the only other ones who know how to weaponize Dayshade. Of course, your powers, and even the poison of Dayshade, are nothing to me now. I can feel your so called ‘mastery’ of sea-magic, the bond is so very weak compared to the magic within me now, which roils at my merest though.”

She wiggled her finger and spun Maris around in a little whirlpool for a few seconds, just for fun.

“Still, I might as well be safe rather than sorry, right?”

“You are a liar, a betrayer!”, cried Maris.

“Monster!”, cried another sea-witch.

“Foul, cruel monster!”, said Ugsila.

“Silence!”, said Alurel. She used her powers to make her voice bellow even more. Hearing her voice echo that much amused her, and she giggled.

“I didn’t lie, you did see Ugsila again right? You had your hugs and your words. That’s very generous of me.”

“Monster.”, whispered Maris. Alurel raised her finger and the shock coursing through Maris intensified in its agony.

“You think I care for your opinions? Hags?”, she laughed.

“You know, there’s something more you can give me before your end, I think. I can feel your feeble innate magical potential. Some sea-magic resides within you all. I think I’ll take it. That’s better than letting it go to waste.”

“No, You can’t.”, said Ugsila.

“Watch me!”, said Alurel.

The great mermaid leaned in closer. She intensified the shocks to the point none of them could move. She pursed her lips, and inhaled. She sucked in tot their bodies, but the very magic in their tinier beings. It flooded into her mouth as streams of subtly-glowing pale-white light. She felt it fill her body, absorbed as mere trickles compared to the flood of magic she possessed now thanks to the Trident.

As the magic was sucked out of the sea-witches thus, their magic no longer kept their forms youthful. Their stark raven hair was now white. Their skin no longer had any luster, but was now wrinkled. They were still healthy, of course, but their old age was very apparent now.

Alurel giggled as they writhed in their ‘true’ forms before the might of her shocks.

“I always knew you were old hags beneath all that magic of yours, but to see it for myself like this is another matter. You poor and unfortunate, dumb little hags.”

She laughed, then waved her hand and canceled the magical shocks wracking their bodies. The sea-witches caught their breaths, zapped to exhaustion and tapped empty of their magical powers.

“You know, I think I’ll be even more generous. One more reward as thanks for your help. You can all die together, as one loyal coven. You’ll have one more reunion, churned to chum in my stomach.”

She leaned back down towards the sea-witches and licked her lips.

“N-no.”, stammered Ugsila.

Alurel opened her mouth before them, wiggling her tongue to invite them in. She didn’t inhale or anything, nor lunge at them. Rather, she simply focused and worked the waters with her new powers. She made a current, irresistible to the sea-witches, which brought them all into her mouth.

She didn’t care to savor them much in there. She did, however, chew down on one. She cut off not just the tentacles of that sea-witch, but also a chunk of their middle body. She felt the taste of their blood, but they still lived and squirmed.

She thought that wounded sea-witch be something else for them to fuss about in her stomach, and the thought amused her.

She swallowed them down.

Alurel’s body now glowed on the inside with a golden light, gently. This meant the witches saw the inside of her mouth even with lips shut, and they saw the slick flesh of the throat bringing them down. They trashed their tentacles thrash against Alurel’s throat muscles in vain; all it managed was making their devourer giggle.

They plopped into the stomach, which was also lit. They could see the digested remnants of past meals. They saw the bones of merfolk among them, and of course the eels they had fed her earlier.

Within there, a single churn knocked them all over. They were at Alurel’s mercy. They always were, even before she obtained such power.

Alurel drummed her fingers against her stomach, as she often did after eating a nice meal. She liked the idea of teasing her food like that. It often made them flutter about more, and the sea-witches were no exception. There were trashing about in there, scuttling around.

The great mermaid sighed.

“Wonderful, everything is turning out just wonderful.”

She looked down to her stomach as she spoke.

“Now, it’s time to introduce Atlantis to its new queen.”