Princess Master 3, page 18
“Um, okay, so I know we can make it through this…” Ariana began as she briefly let go of the reins to wring her hands. “I’m going to have to think of a strategy. Luckily, they seem to be traveling at a fairly even pace and pretty far apart, so I just need to try to avoid them. No, I’m not going to try, I can definitely stay away from them, right everyone?”
“Yes, you can definitely do this,” Cienna encouraged her sister-wife, and Jessamine and I nodded firmly.
The whales seemed to be traveling at least fifty yards apart, and they were moving so slowly I knew it was going to be possible. I also believed in Ariana’s abilities to navigate this living obstacle course. The seahorses still seemed fairly calm, and I attributed that to her gentle hand with them.
I just wished we didn’t have to play this insane game of Frogger right now.
“Alright, the sooner, the better.” Ariana seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as anyone, but she sighed, gritted her teeth, and signaled the seahorses to move forward when a path opened between two of the gigantic lavender beasts. The redhead made a loud clicking sound with her mouth and called out to her lead seahorse. “Faster, Callie!”
The whale smell, their resounding voices, and the sheer magnitude of the creatures was starting to overwhelm me, but I tried to stay focused as Ariana expertly navigated us past the first giant. There were about fifty feet between us and the next series of whales, who seemed to be traveling in fairly straight lines, but then my mermaid wife gasped and halted the chariot for a moment.
“Ariana, I don’t want to rush you, but I think you need to move us along every time you have the chance,” I urged her gently.
“Yes, I know, this is just really stressful.” She was breathing heavily, and she wiped her brow. Then a large space cleared between two whales, and she realized she had to go. “Alright, Callie, giddyup again!”
I held my breath as we passed the next creature, who was close to hitting us from our right. The vibrations from their songs were so intense that I had to grab ahold of my seat for stability, and I pulled Cienna closer. We barely seemed to be able to get out of the way before the giant beast swam past the back of the chariot, and I could feel my blonde wife shaking. She was on the far-right side of the coach, which was the side the whales approached from, and I wondered if I should switch places with her so I could better protect her. I had the urge to grab Genie’s Wrath, though I wasn’t sure stabbing an animal this big would do us any good.
Ariana directed the chariot forward in front of another line of whales before I could speak, and I was relieved when I realized we were almost through the valley. It seemed like we would only have to pass one more row of the purple behemoths, and I crossed my fingers, because it seemed like we were actually going to make it through safely.
“Alright, one last time!” Ariana said when we’d passed another whale, and it seemed like she was talking to herself as much as anyone else. “Callie, girl, you’re doing amazing. We’re almost there…”
She pulled in front of the last whale whose path we’d have to cross, and I held my breath for the entire fifteen feet or so it took to pass its giant face. Its snout alone had to be the size of an elephant, but its black eyes appeared gentle and kind, and it almost looked like it was smiling.
“Hey, we did it!” I yelled, once I thought we were through. “Amazing, Ari--”
Suddenly, I felt a huge jolt to the back of the chariot, and Cienna and I were thrown out into the water. I held Genie’s Wrath in one hand, but I was able to grab the blonde princess around the waist and throw her back down into her seat. I watched Ariana reach out for her and pull her back onto the bench, and the blonde princess’ mouth was agape with shock.
And that was my final thought before I was completely overcome by the sulfurous odor of whale breath.
I looked to my right, and I realized we hadn’t completely made it through the series of obstacles. A whale was headed toward me with its mouth wide open, and suddenly I was pulled through its strange, cone-shaped teeth and sucked deep within the orifice.
Chapter 10
The whale’s mouth had to be at least as big as the cave behind the sandfall, and I struggled to find something to hold on to. I reached out for the sides of its mouth and its huge tongue, but everything was either out of my reach or so slippery my hands couldn’t grasp it. Then I saw the beast starting to close its jaw, and I tried in vain to swim back out, but the current pushing me back into its mouth was too strong. I knew being swallowed by the creature would be a death sentence, but I was quickly sliding back toward its throat.
Everything grew even darker around me as I slammed up against something huge. It was slimy and bumpy as a frog’s back, and I soon determined I was under the animal’s giant tongue, which seemed to be as big as a car. I knew I was going to have to make it to the side of its mouth where I was out of the tongue’s way, but I was running out of time.
The rough surface of the whale’s tongue started to press down on me, and I struggled to crawl out from under the giant appendage. I could feel the pressure bearing down on me like an elephant was stepping on my back, and a stream of bubbles floated out of my mouth as I gasped for breath. I could barely see, but I was immediately grateful for my weighted leg armor, which held me down to the floor of the whale’s mouth as I struggled to scramble to safety. I was glad I’d managed to hold onto Genie’s Wrath, because the violet stone was glowing and gave me a little light. Nonetheless, carrying the huge golden blade made it more difficult to move.
The tongue was coming down so low on top of me that I had to crawl on my belly to avoid being totally trapped, but I finally made it to the side of the beast’s mouth and collapsed for a moment next to its huge, cone-shaped teeth. Each dirty, yellow, chipped tooth was about five feet tall, and they were snarled with seaweed and old pieces of fish. I was back near where the molars would be on a human, and I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to get out of my predicament.
I tried to focus, but I was overcome by sensations. While the roaring of the sea was somewhat muffled, it was still incredibly loud, and I struggled to hear my own thoughts.
Inside the whale’s mouth was truly one of the grossest places I’d ever been. If I’d thought the whale smell had been strong from the outside, I was now completely overcome by the rotting-garbage stench combined with the intense aroma of dead fish. The water was thick and slimy on my bare skin, and it felt disgustingly warm after being out in the chilly ocean for so long. I wished I was wearing a full HazMat suit instead of just my shorts, because even in the faint light, I could see random chunks of fish flesh in the viscous liquid.
Despite the dimness, I was able to make out a huge crack in one of the giant teeth, and I realized it presented me with an opportunity. So, I used all my strength to jam my fingers into the crack with my free hand, and I was able to use the leverage to pull myself into the space between the whale’s teeth and the side of its mouth. The current toward the back of its mouth was still fairly strong, so, although I didn’t want to hurt the creature, I raised up my arm as high as I could and jabbed the tip of Genie’s Wrath into the whale’s flesh in an attempt to hold on.
I didn’t think stabbing the whale would hurt it more than getting poked with a toothpick would hurt me, but the creature immediately opened its mouth and sang out in its deep, vibrating voice, which I assumed meant it was in pain. The force of its voice almost pushed me out of place, but I soon realized Genie’s Wrath was lodged far enough into the whale’s gums that it was holding me in position. So, I grabbed the hilt of my sword with both hands and held on as tightly as I could.
The creature’s mouth remained wide open, but I was so far back, I wasn’t sure I could let go of Genie’s Wrath due to my very real fear of being swallowed. As I stared out into the ocean, I realized I’d lost sight of my wives in Ariana’s chariot, but the whale seemed to have slowed its swimming when I stabbed it, which gave me an idea. It would be risky, and I hated to do it, but I decided I had to try to injure the whale enough again to try and stop it in its tracks. The further away I got from my wives, the more I feared getting lost in the ocean forever.
It appeared I’d already damaged the whale’s mouth, however, because all of a sudden, a piece about a foot in diameter broke apart from the rest of the tooth it was attached to and hit me in the face. Pain flashed in bright colors behind my eyes, and I could tell the blow had split my lip open because I immediately tasted blood. I didn’t have a free hand to push the broken tooth out of the way, but the crumbling material floated away from me, and I was left choking on saltwater and the coppery taste on my tongue.
The broken tooth had cleared more of a space between it and the tooth next to it, though, and I realized I could lodge myself into a more secure position if I could manage to get myself in between the two teeth. The broken tooth added a few more feet to the original space, and I was able to wedge my ass into the spot.
Now that I was more secure, I was in a better position to pull Genie’s Wrath out of the whale’s gums. When I tugged the sword free, a huge cloud of sticky, bright red blood floated out of its injury, and I tried not to vomit as I waved my hand to clear the water in front of my face. I didn’t have time to waste, though, so I raised my sword up with both hands and brought it down as hard as I could.
The whale cried out again, and I silently cheered when I sensed it stop swimming. It tried to push me and Genie’s Wrath out of its mouth with its huge tongue, but I was wedged too far between its teeth for it to dislodge me. The vibrations of its voice were so intense that I struggled not to be shaken from my position, but I managed to stay in place.
I had more to worry about than the vibrations, however, as a huge jolt suddenly struck the animal. As I grabbed onto the hilt of Genie’s Wrath with both hands to hold on, I realized another migrating whale must have bumped into the one whose mouth I was in. The situation was definitely precarious, and I needed to come up with an escape plan.
“Come on, Joe, think,” I muttered to myself.
Then I snorted briefly when I thought back to Pinocchio and the way he and Gepetto had lit a fire to make the whale sneeze so they could escape. I wondered if sparks from Genie’s Wrath would work the same way, but it still wouldn’t solve the problem of me having to make it to the front of the beast’s mouth, and I didn’t want to hurt the whale any more than I had to. I felt slightly ridiculous, but I removed one of my hands from my sword to try to tickle the inside of the creature’s cheek. I didn’t have high hopes, so I wasn’t surprised when nothing happened.
I looked down at the spot where Genie’s Wrath was jammed into the whale, and I suddenly had an idea. A vision popped into my head of people climbing glaciers using an ice pick, and I wondered if I could grab onto the whale’s teeth with one hand while using my sword as a tool.
I knew I was risking a lot by moving from my relatively secure position, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. So, I slowly pulled myself out of the space between the whale’s teeth as I held onto Genie’s Wrath, and from my position between the animal’s teeth and the inside of its cheek, I wedged my fingers into the crack in the next tooth. Then I crossed my fingers as I pulled my sword out of its spot and jabbed it into a space a couple feet closer to the front of the creature’s mouth. It seemed I’d actually made it a couple feet closer to where I needed to be, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The next few minutes passed slowly, and it seemed like every time I jabbed the whale it opened its mouth in its version of a roar. The vibrations rattled me to my bones, but I white-knuckled the golden hilt of my blade and kept inching forward. When I looked toward the opening again, I finally caught a glimpse of the princesses in Ariana’s chariot, and I silently cheered. As far as I could tell, I had no way to communicate that I was safe, but I was glad my wives were aware of my location.
I continued to use the cracked teeth as handholds and Genie’s Wrath as a pick to make my way toward the front of the whale’s mouth. It seemed like its teeth were never ending, and I was starting to grow exhausted from the effort it took just to pull myself a couple feet forward against the strong current. I also felt a little bad about the pain I was inflicting on the whale, but I didn’t see any other way to navigate around its mouth and keep myself alive.
Finally, I started to get closer to the space where the whale’s mouth was large enough for me to fit through. I thought it would only take a couple more times of pulling myself forward to finally escape, and I was incredibly relieved.
But the next time I stabbed the whale with Genie’s Wrath, the mouth didn’t open.
“Fuck,” I cursed. I was so close to freedom.
As an experiment, I lifted my sword up and then stabbed it down as hard as I could into the whale’s gums, but nothing happened. I paused for a moment to try to figure out what was going on, and I realized how heavily I was breathing.
Something had changed, but I wasn’t sure what.
I looked around, and I suddenly realized how still the animal was all of the sudden. Its tongue had stopped poking around trying to find me, and it was no longer making any noise. The change was eerie, and while the whale’s lack of motion was certainly to my advantage, I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
I continued to move myself forward, but there was still no sign of movement from the whale. I was now almost close enough to squeeze through and head out into the open ocean, but its mouth wasn’t budging. I gritted my teeth with frustration and started to imagine being stuck inside the disgusting orifice forever, but I knew this was no time to panic.
Just then, Genie’s Wrath began to buzz in my hand, and I realized the purple gem was flashing rhythmically as if it were trying to send me some sort of signal. I’d never seen it do that before, and I stared at the purple glow with fascination as it lit up the entire cavern.
Soon, the vibrating sensation spread up my arm, through my shoulder and neck, and up into my head itself. I briefly laughed as it tickled my body, but I soon grew a little dizzy, and I wondered what was happening to me. The last thing I needed was to lose control of my senses, and I stared at the flashing light to center myself.
And then I started to hear voices.
I hoped I wasn’t losing my mind, but I thought I could hear Ariana’s voice through the buzzing feeling in my brain. It sounded incredibly far away and fuzzy, like I wasn’t quite tuned in to a radio station, and I struggled to hear her words.
Hypnotize…
That one word came through loud and clear from amidst all the noise, and it occurred to me what might have happened to the whale. If Jessamine had sung in Ariana’s voice, it could have been possible for her to hypnotize the giant creature.
Then it occurred to me through the fog in my brain how strange it was to hear my wife right now.
We’d never had this sort of telepathy in the past, and I wondered if it had something to do with the magic amulet. In any case, the effect was pretty incredible, and my mind was slightly blown. I wondered if it would be possible for me to communicate back to the princesses, and, if so, what it would make sense for me to tell them.
I couldn’t think of any way for my wives to open the whale’s mouth, so I struggled to come up with a solution. I assumed Jessamine was concentrating on her singing with her sister-wives’ help, but I wasn’t sure how long she could hold the spell. I decided to keep pulling myself forward until I could come up with something, but the buzzing in my head was distracting me.
Help, Joe… I heard Cienna say.
Suddenly, the spell must have broken because the whale’s tongue started to jerk around. I thought maybe it would open its mouth if I stabbed it again, but then I noticed something new. A stream of fish that were about a foot long had started to swim into the creature’s giant mouth, and obviously they had to be coming from somewhere. I peered through the dim purple light, and I realized there was a small opening in the whale’s snout, even when its mouth was closed.
The animal’s tongue stopped moving again, so I realized the princesses must have been focusing all their energy on keeping the whale hypnotized. I wished I was the size of a fish so I could just swim through the hole myself, and then I had an idea.
I grabbed hold of Genie’s Wrath to try to focus my power, and then I tried to concentrate through the buzzing sensation. I tried to think of only one word, “small,” and I hoped as hard as I could that the princesses would be able to hear me. I listened to the fuzzy radio in my head, but I couldn’t make out any of their communication.
“Small,” I said it out loud, to see if that would make a difference. “Small, small, small, small, small.”
Joe… small… I suddenly heard through the static, and I cheered out loud. I couldn’t believe it had actually worked, and I couldn’t wait to talk to my wives about what was happening, if and when I actually made it out of this nightmare.
Suddenly, my entire body began to tingle. The whale’s mouth seemed to be spinning around me, and I felt dizzy and nauseous. Sparks in all colors of the rainbow danced in front of my eyes, and I struggled to maintain my composure amidst some of the oddest sensations I’d ever felt.
Then I looked up, and I realized the closest tooth now loomed above me. I couldn’t have been more than about six inches tall. It seemed Jessamine had actually managed to get my message and transform me, and now I just needed to make it out of there.
The whale came out of its hypnosis again, so I pulled the now-tiny Genie’s Wrath from its spot and stabbed it further along my exit route. Unfortunately, it seemed my jabs were now too small for the animal to feel them, and its mouth didn’t open. Nonetheless, I knew there was still hope if I could make it to the place where the fish had swum through.
The fish now looked as big as whales from their position above my head, and I knew I had to keep from being eaten. I laughed grimly at the thought of being inside a fish inside a whale, but I knew I needed to focus. The buzzing in my head was growing quieter, but since I’d already conveyed my message to my wives, I didn’t think it mattered.
