Chapter 7

7 Grace and Zoe approached Sofia and peered into the crack. "I get the feeling you're planning to dive down there," Grace said. Sofia nodded. "It's clearly where the Fire Sparks took Nara," she pointed out. As she spoke,

the shell on her bracelet began to glow. Sofia held it up to show her friends. "Even the shell is saying it's the right direction." "Okay, then! Let's go," Zoe said, trying to sound brave. "We'll come, too," Toothy said, slapping his fins against his side to get the others' attention. "Come on, everyone. Let's follow these Sea Dragons!" Instantly, all the narwhals surged at the crack in the palace floor, getting tangled up in a scrum of horns, flippers, and tails. The Sea Dragons had to gently pull them apart by their tails and then calm them down. Once the narwhals were all free again, Sofia came up with a plan. "I will dive first," she announced to the group. "And if it's safe, then the rest of you can follow." Sofia knew that she was the best diver out of her friends, and while the narwhals meant well, they seemed very accident-prone.

Sofia wanted to get down there as quickly as possible. And she definitely didn't want to get tangled in any narwhal horns along the way! Zoe nodded. "Yes, you go on ahead. We'll come as soon as we can with the narwhals." Grace sighed. "I don't like splitting up, but I can see it's the best thing to do." Sofia took a deep breath and focused her thoughts. Then, before her nerves got the better of her, she dove through the crack. The dark, cold seawater swirled around her. As she got farther away from the palace, Sofia felt more and more alone. Just as this thought entered her mind, JellyJo appeared! And this time, she was glowing with a gentle pink light. It was very handy! "You're not alone, Sofia," JellyJo said. "I'm here with you—to keep you company and to light your way." Sofia felt instantly better.

At first, the gap they were swimming through was very narrow. At some points, Sofia had to tuck in her wings to squeeze between sharp rocks. But luckily, JellyJo was by her side, lighting up the area and showing her where the dangers lay. Gradually, the gap grew wider and wider until it opened up completely.

The strange light that Sofia had spotted from up in Narwhal Palace grew brighter. Soon three giant shapes loomed up from the gloomy seabed. As Sofia got closer, she saw that there were three clamshells on the bottom of the ocean floor. They were huge—almost as big as Sofia herself. And each one emitted a strange blue-green light. "What is this place?" Sofia wondered aloud, looking around. "We're in the Undersea," explained JellyJo, pulsing beside her. "It's a vast ocean that runs below the one we were just in. It's where the Undersea Garden is found." Sofia's heart leapt. "The Undersea Garden! Isn't that where the Water Watch is?" "It is," JellyJo said. "It is very close, in fact. Very close, but also very far." Sofia turned to JellyJo. "What do you mean?" But before JellyJo could explain, a new light suddenly appeared. Unlike the cool bluish light of

the giant clams, or JellyJo's gentle pink glow, this light was unbearable. It was so bright and hot! The figure of a tall woman appeared. She was draped in a dress made of fire, and her flaming hair crackled with electricity, even though they were all deep underwater. Sofia instantly knew who it was. She gasped. "The Fire Queen!"