The messenger's look of affront only grew. "I was told to lead the prince inside, not some stranger."

"Called Cerulin has my full confidence," Leor sang out. "Obey him as you would myself."

It looked for a moment as though he would argue, but the green-finned merman visibly suppressed his pride. With one last disconsolate grumble, the messenger led the way around the back of the hill they'd hidden behind. Around another curve, they entered a short tunnel just before they'd have had to cross into the open, then emerged into another of the ubiquitous ravines that criss-crossed the ocean floor.

This ravine was as dark and lifeless as the silt flat above, black jagged stone softened only by a thin layer of dirt settled overtop which swirled up into the water at the slightest provocation. The glinting obsidian shards were cracked and sharp as though splintered apart by an earthquake.

Dim shapes moved distantly in the murk, the perpetual dirt in this area making it hard to see.

The messenger mer dove down, twisting cautiously between outcroppings to avoid being sliced open by the sharp jutting rock of the ravine walls, and Zane had to stay close to avoid losing sight of him.

Then they came to a stop beside a hollowed-out section that regressed darkly into the side of the cliff wall. "Through there. It's a direct shot to the back door. We mostly use it for covert visitation. You'll need me to get in." He said this last with a hint of defiance, as though he thought Zane were about to murder him and try to break in on his own.

He turned as though to swim back up, but Zane reached out and snagged him by one leg-fin. "Not so fast, you're coming with me." If this was some kind of trap, he wasn't going to wander into it alone.

Another part of his mind whispered that he was being paranoid, and he should go collect Leor as soon as possible. Even though he'd only been the prince's escort for a couple days now, it already made him feel uneasy being separated. Nothing had gone wrong the last time, but he couldn't keep pushing his luck and trust it to always turn out fine.

He'd rather mistrust someone he later discovered to be trustworthy than put his faith in someone who turned out to be undeserving. Especially when it came to Leor's safety. The prince had already been betrayed once when Vylen murdered his family, and he now had only a handful of allies to his name. Some hero Zane would be if he allowed a simple deception like a fake messenger to lead him into a trap.

The green-finned mer scowled, but led the way through the passage. It was long and twisting, but had no divergences or ambushes. Only a long tunnel of water, then a door closed and sealed with silver lines.

The mer gestured impatiently. "There, you satisfied?"

Zane nodded. "Let's get back to the others."

By the time they backtracked through the tunnel, back up the uneven dangerous ravine, and out to where Duon, Leor, Myli, and Faihar waited, Zane was growing convinced that this had been a diversion to keep him distracted while another group attacked the prince.

Once again, thankfully, his paranoia proved unwarranted. Leor was right where he left him, Duon as displeased as ever.

Myli swam forward in a rush of bubbles, only to slow when she neared him and loop around him in a tight circle, her fingers and leg-fins barely brushing his arms and legs. Somehow, even that brief contact was enough to make him smile, warming his stony emotions just a bit. "You took so long, we were worried."

"Had to scout the full route. It looks safe."

"And we're really going to sneak in the back door of a known location where the Usurper might be looking? Where they're being watched so closely a secret message is necessary to avoid disaster?" Duon made no move to follow, and blocked Leor's attempt to do so. "I say we about-tail and swim the opposite direction. If the acoseers want to tell us anything, they can come to us."

"If it wasn't safe to come at all, they wouldn't have sent a guide." Leor slipped below Duon's reach and evaded the retaliatory snatch, shooting off after their guide in a flurry of purple and swishing water.

"Leor!" Duon hissed. He couldn't shout, because they weren't in entirely safe territory, but he rushed after the escaping prince at a pace even Zane would be hard pressed to keep up with. Before Leor could more than round the hill, Duon had reached him, grabbing both his hands and dragging him to a halt with a sudden reversal of momentum that Zane desperately wished to study for replication. "If we are going, we are going together, you're not going to rush off and leave us behind. Stay on my tail."

Leor's defiance melted and he nodded, looking closer to apologetic than Zane had ever seen him. Leor fell into formation behind Duon without further argument. Zane and Myli flanked him on either side, with Faihar bringing up the rear. They had to switch to single file for the tunnel, and as they emerged Zane kept looking around, over his shoulder, to the sides, above... he still felt incredibly uneasy about this whole situation.

Their guide slowed when they reached the jagged-edged ravine. "Be cautious, the walls are very sharp."

Leor slowed even more, staring about first at the ravine, then back towards Currantine in the distance. "I've never seen this place," he said, sounding awed. "I thought I knew everything about this region."

"Come along," the messenger called, already descending into the crevice.

"I don't like this," Zane said aloud. "This all feels wrong."

"Don't tell me Duon's dourness has gotten to you too, Called Cerulin?" Leor laughed. "Where has your sense of wonder gone?"

"My sense of wonder is alive and well, but there are way too many coincidences here." The tension was making his back fin stand up tight, prickling in the dirt that swirled in the water here.

"If you had met the acoseers you'd know this is commonplace. When you touch the flow of destiny often enough, it swirls around you in eddies that draw in coincidence."

"And is that coincidence always for the better?" Zane demanded.

Leor fell silent and did not reply. It was Myli who answered instead.

"There are always stories. Attempts at following the prophecies gone wrong. Acoseers who think they're above fate being brought down by it. 'What hubris inflates will more readily puncture.'"

"Here we are," the messenger interrupted, waving toward the dark opening in the chasm wall. "Follow me, and stay close." He dove into the tunnel without waiting for acknowledgement.

"I don't think we should go in there. I've got a bad feeling about it."

"If you wish to guard this end of the passage, you may."

Zane considered it, but letting the prince out of his sight felt more wrong.

When he hesitated too long, Duon spoke up. "I will guard here, if Called Cerulin will remain Leor's personal escort." He unstrapped two spears from his back, offering one to Zane.

Zane took the weapon and his anxiety eased the slightest bit. Duon wouldn't let anything past. "Thank you. I will guard Leor with my life."

Duon nodded, and for the first time Zane saw no hint of disdain in his expression. "See that you do."

Duon took his position just inside the tunnel entrance.

With only a brief glance back, Zane followed Leor into the dark passage after their guide.