“What’s he like?” asked Cap’n Bill.

“He is a dreadful creature, part fish, part man, part beast and part serpent.  Centuries ago they cast him off the earth into the sea, where he has caused much trouble.  Once he waged a terrible war against King Anko, but the sea serpent finally conquered Zog and drove the magician into his castle, where he now stays shut up.  For if ever Anko catches the monster outside of his enchanted castle, he will kill him, and Zog knows that very well.”

“Seems like you have your troubles down here just as we do on top the ground,” remarked Cap’n Bill.

“But I’m glad old Zog is shut up in his castle,” added Trot.  “Is it a sea castle like your own palace?”

“I cannot say, my dear, for the enchantment makes it invisible to all eyes but those of its inhabitants,” replied Aquareine.  “No one sees Zog now, and we scarcely ever hear of him, but all the sea people know he is here someplace and fear his power.  Even in the old days, before Anko conquered him, Zog was the enemy of the mermaids, as he was of all the good and respectable seafolk.  But do not worry about the magician, I beg of you, for he has not dared to do an evil deed in many, many years.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid,” asserted Trot.

“I’m glad of that,” said the Queen.  “Keep together, friends, and be careful not to separate, for here comes an army of sawfishes.”

Even as Aquareine spoke, they saw a swirl and commotion in the water ahead of them, while a sound like a muffled roar fell upon their ears.  Then swiftly there dashed upon them a group of great fishes with long saws sticking out in front of their noses, armed with sharp, hooked teeth, all set in a row.  They were larger than the swordfishes and seemed more fierce and bold.  But the mermaids and Trot and Cap’n Bill quietly awaited their attack, and instead of tearing them with their saws as they expected to do, the fishes were unable to touch them at all.  They tried every possible way to get at their proposed victims, but the Magic Circle was all powerful and turned aside the ugly saws; so our friends were not disturbed at all.  Seeing this, the sawfishes soon abandoned the attempt and with growls and roars of disappointment swam away and were quickly out of sight.

Trot had been a wee bit frightened during the attack, but now she laughed gleefully and told the queen that it seemed very nice to be protected by fairy powers.  The water grew a darker blue as they descended into its depths, farther and farther away from the rays of the sun.  Trot was surprised to find she could see so plainly through the high wall of water above her, but the sun was able to shoot its beams straight down through the transparent sea, and they seemed to penetrate to every nook and crevice of the rocky bottom.