by S. E. Smith
They struggled to evade the menacing creature that was visible in the clear water. Ross pulled Gem close when one of the creature’s tentacles swept by them to grab the boat. The monster’s head looked like something out of a Jules Verne tale. They all looked up when they heard the sound of splintering wood resonate through the water.
Pieces of the boat slowly sank in the water around them. Ross reached out and pulled Gem away when a piece of the rigging swirled dangerously near her. His grip on her arm tightened when Orion grabbed him by the back of his collar and yanked him, along with Gem, away from the sinking debris. Ross’s lungs began to burn. He turned his head and looked at Orion. The other man understood his silent message and began swimming toward the surface.
The water swirled around them as they surfaced. Ross released his hold on Gem. He was still gripping the sword Ashure had given him with his other hand, thankful it was not heavy enough to act like a diving weight. He gaped in awe when he saw Nali. She once again had long, black wings, but now short horns curled upward from her head and her lithe body was covered in shimmering bluish-black scales. She swooped between the tentacles of the giant Kraken and spun around in an elongated twist when one of the long, black arms reached for her, maneuvering between two more as she headed for them.
“Raise your arms,” Ross ordered Gem. “Nali can carry you a safe distance away if you show her that’s what you want.”
“I don’t think so,” Gem growled. “Let her take you, Ross.”
“Son-of-a-bitch. Gem!” Ross yelled in aggravation when mist rose where Gem had been.
Gem soared upward. A shiver ran through her when she felt one of the tentacles pass through her. It was reaching for Nali. She twisted and materialized above the waving arm of the Kraken and drew her short sword. Her body dropped back toward the water without the support of her mist form.
Her arm swung out as she fell and the sword in her hand sliced through the tip of the Kraken’s tentacle. Her feet slammed into the thicker part of the flailing arm and she buried her blade into it. She cut a long deep slice, opening the rest of the limb like a fisherman filleting his prize catch of the day as she slid down along the contours of the moving appendage.
She barely had time to dive off the limb before another of the creature’s tentacles struck out at her. Nali soared down and grabbed her by her waist, catching her and carrying her out of harm’s way.
“Thank you. I didn’t see that limb,” Nali commented.
Gem looked up at the other woman and nodded. “Do you see Ross? We have to get to him. He is still in the water,” she said, looking around.
“I see him. I’ll get him,” Nali responded with a curt nod.
Gem nodded. She felt Nali release her arms. She shifted to mist again as she fell. On the other side of the Kraken, Drago breathed a long, intense stream of dragon fire. The creature snatched its tentacles back and suddenly disappeared under the water.
“Ross, look out,” Orion shouted below her.
Gem turned at the same time as she heard Orion’s shout of warning. Her eyes frantically searched for Ross. A silent cry of denial surged through her when she saw the shadow of the Kraken heading directly for him and Orion.
Please, Goddess, let Orion or Nali get him out of there safely, she thought.
Ross saw the wave from the submerging monster heading toward them. He drew in a deep breath, pulled his arms in, and stilled the motion of his feet. When he stopped treading water, the weight of his soaked clothing pulled him down. He rotated when he felt a ripple of movement. His eyes grew larger when he saw the Kraken reach out and wrap a tentacle around Orion’s foot.
Orion twisted around and aimed his trident at the creature. Before he could fire the glowing staff, one of its other arms came up behind Orion and struck him on the head. Ross watched in horror as the merman went limp, the trident slipping from his relaxed hand and falling end over end downward to the bottom of the lake.
Ross swam back up to the surface and took in another gulp of air before he dove down. He kicked his feet as hard as he could. The lake wasn’t as deep as he’d expected, approximately thirty feet. He’d done many free-dives deeper than this.
He grabbed the handle of the trident, which had become embedded into the rock strewn silt, and pulled himself until he was standing on the bottom. Then he gauged the movement of one of the Kraken’s arms.
When it moved past him, he lifted his sword and plunged it into the monster’s flesh. Ross gripped his sword and the trident firmly, the Kraken yanked its tentacle away, and the movement pulled the trident out of the rocky lakebed.
Ross tightly held on to his weapons and ducked his head. The sword was stuck fast within the fleshy top layer of the tentacle and the Kraken was pulling him through the water like a speed boat pulling a skier. Ross focused on keeping his heart rate as slow as possible. The longest he had ever held his breath was a little more than five minutes – and that was while he was still smoking. Of course, he’d done that when he was free-diving, not when he was being pulled through the water by a monster and on an adrenaline rush.
Ross turned his head when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Orion had regained consciousness and was struggling to break free. Ross waited until he was above Orion before he released his grip on the sword and swam down between the Kraken’s flailing tentacles.
He spun around when another tentacle shot by him. Kicking as hard as he could, he hoped that Orion would sense his presence and look up. As if he could hear Ross’s silent shout, Orion looked up at him. The merman’s expression was grim until he saw Ross holding his trident.
Orion reached out, and Ross felt the trident lurching out of his grasp. He quickly released his grip on the staff. Using his arms and legs to keep himself steady, he watched as the trident sped through the water and into Orion’s hand. The moment Orion grasped the shaft, the trident glowed with a brilliance that was almost blinding.
Ross nearly gulped in a mouth full of water when he saw what happened next. After a swift motion of Orion’s hand, the tentacle binding the merman was severed from the Kraken and dissolved. Orion swam back a short distance, and the barbed point of light emanating from the end of the trident speared the Kraken and lifted it toward the surface.
Ross sped toward the surface, his lungs burning. Through the clear water, Ross could see the blurred image of Drago flying above them. He didn’t know what Drago had done with Ashure. Ross was so focused on what was happening on the surface that he didn’t see one of the long tentacles sweeping through the water. The black arm struck him in the back and pushed him down toward the bottom of the lake as if he’d been handed a ton of weight belts all at once.
He twisted a second before he hit the bottom. His head snapped back and hit a large rock just as the Kraken broke the surface above him. The powerful combination of dragon fire and electricity from the trident created a blinding light that matched the one exploding through his head. Ross’s lips parted and a series of small bubbles floated toward the surface as darkness swept over him. His limp body drifted along the rocky bottom.
23
Gem reached for Ross as the wave of water Orion had created to carry him to shore slowly receded under him. She turned him over. He was deathly pale with a slight tinge of blue around his lips. Her fingers trembled as she caressed his cold cheek.
“We have to get the water out of his lungs,” she said in an urgent voice.
Her hands moved to the sides of his chest and she sent a gentle push against his lungs. A small, but steady stream of water slipped from his lips. Her throat tightened and she repeated the action over and over until she thought she had pushed all of the water from his lungs.
“Let me,” Orion gently said when she brushed the back of her hand against her cheek.
Orion placed his hands over Ross’s heart. Small electrical charges emitted from his hands and Ross’s body bowed. Orion bent over Ross and placed his ear next to Ross’s mouth. Gem watched with growing appreh
ension when Orion repeated the electrical charge again. He leaned forward and listened once more before sitting back and nodding at Gem with a half-smile.
“He breathes,” Orion quietly stated.
Gem reached for Ross’s hand. His lips were parted and they didn’t appear to be blue anymore but he still wasn’t moving. She laid her hand on his chest.
“He doesn’t look like he is alive. Orion, are you sure he is breathing?” Drago’s deep voice inquired.
“Yes. His heart is beating again,” Orion replied.
“But he was dead. That means Nali’s prediction came true and the rest of us don’t have to worry,” Ashure reasoned.
“Don’t say that! He’s not dead!” Gem hissed, glaring up at Ashure.
“I’d be careful, Ashure. I’ve heard Elementals can pull moisture right out of your body or even walk through you and take your organs with them,” Drago warned.
Ashure looked at Drago with a startled expression. “Really? I had not heard that before,” he commented with a wary look at Gem.
“We can do more than that when provoked,” Gem angrily snapped.
If Ross’s head didn’t hurt so badly and he hadn’t heard the tremor in Gem’s voice, he would have laughed. As it was, besides the pain in his head, his chest hurt and his stomach was roiling with the desire to expel more lake water. He didn’t want to think of all the Kraken crap he had probably swallowed.
“Ashure, might I suggest that now would not be a good time to bring up the possibility of death and dying – for your own safety,” Nali calmly stated.
A slow, crooked grin curved his lips when Gem’s fingers curled protectively over his heart. The grin turned to a grimace when his stomach finally heaved one too many times, and bile rose up in his throat. He turned his head and expelled the liquid, coughing and choking as he gasped for air.
Once it felt like he could breathe again without heaving, he fell onto his back and looked up at the ring of faces staring down at him. He slowly counted and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that all of them were there. He hissed when Gem suddenly wrapped her arms around him, yanked him into a sitting position, and squeezed him tightly.
“I knew you weren’t dead,” she declared with a relieved laugh.
“That’s good to know,” he mumbled against her breasts.
He uttered a low moan when she carefully lowered him back to the ground. When she rested her hand on his heart again, he laced his fingers through hers. He noticed two things – one, that he was dry, and two, that Gem had tears in her eyes. He reached up, cupped her cheek, and caught a tear with his thumb.
She laughed self-consciously. “You are either the most stubborn man I have ever met or the luckiest,” she softly informed him.
He gave her a crooked grin. “It is better than being the dumbest,” he playfully retorted.
“So, Nali, does this count as one of us dying or not?” Ashure asked.
Ross looked up at Ashure with a frown. “What is it with you and someone having to die?” he demanded in a raspy tone.
Ashure grinned at him. “Nali told us that one of us would die on this adventure. Since I have no wish to be the one and you were technically not breathing and your heart had stopped when Orion brought you ashore, I hoped we were finished with that part of our journey,” he explained.
Ross looked at each of the others before he shook his head. “Has anyone ever told you guys that you are just plain weird – don’t get me wrong, I mean that in a good way – but you are still weird?” he replied before he shook his head and winced. “I could really use some pain medication.”
“Perhaps I can be of assistance,” Ashure suggested, leaning forward and holding his hand above Ross’s forehead.
Ross crossed his eyes as he tried to focus on what the pirate was doing. Waves of color rose from his head to Ashure’s hand. He blinked several times after Ashure pulled his hand away. He moved his head back and forth and gingerly sat up. Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his head and grinned at Ashure.
“Not bad for a pirate,” he commented.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Nali said with a raised eyebrow.
Ashure waved his hand. “A simple parlor spell taught to me by an old witch in exchange for a trinket,” he nonchalantly dismissed.
“I’d like to talk to that old witch. It would come in handy when the kids tackle me or when Carly sees a mouse and hits me in my manhood with a broom,” Drago muttered.
The others snickered, and Ross sympathized with the man. No one could really understand how dangerous Carly was if they hadn’t met her, no one. He grasped Gem’s hand when she held it out and stood up.
He saw that they were on the beach. He looked up at the tall shimmering white cliffs. They reminded him of the cliff he’d climbed the day he met Gem. It was hard to believe that it was only a few days ago.
“So, where are we?” he asked with curiosity.
“On the shore of the Crystal Cliffs. The northern edge of the palace is at the top. I hoped that we would be closer to the southern end – that is where the gardens are and where I left my parents,” Gem answered.
Ross gently squeezed Gem’s hand when he heard the anguish that she couldn’t quite hide. He looked back at the towering cliffs. He hoped there was a set of stairs somewhere because he didn’t relish trying to climb the cliff without any safety equipment.
“May I ask how we get to the top?” Ashure inquired, shading his eyes and carefully studying the top of the cliff.
“There is a hidden staircase. I will guide you,” Gem said.
“I am sure the alien must be aware that we are here now. It may try to possess one of us,” Nali warned with a pointed glance at Ashure.
Ashure frowned. “Here we go again. It warms my heart that you are so concerned, Nali, but really – I think we’ve been over this enough. I will take care now that I know of the threat,” he grumbled.
“You should take heed of Marina’s grandmother, Ladonna, who warned her to keep you away from it! Your possession is not a remote possibility among many, it has been seen. It is too late to keep you away now. You’re here. We must simply guard you carefully,” Nali told him.
“Ladonna Fae? I obtained the spell I used on Ross’s headache from her. She is a looney old witch. Very strange, likes to talk in riddles, and has a cane that I once coveted until I realized it never shut up,” Ashure replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“She’s dead,” Nali dryly retorted.
Ashure had the grace to look repentant. “Ah, yes, how remiss of me to forget that part,” he remarked before looking at Gem. “You said there is a staircase, yes? I suggest that if Ross is up to it, we continue on. Of course I’d prefer a nice rest after our adventure on the lake, but since we need to confront the alien and prevent the Isle from crashing to the ocean below, I guess we should continue.”
“I concur with Ashure. It will be difficult enough dealing with the alien during the day. I would prefer to fight when it cannot hide in the shadows of the night,” Orion agreed.
“Follow me,” Gem instructed.
She started to turn when a violent quake struck the Isle. Ross reached out, wrapped his arms around Gem’s waist, and pulled her tightly against his chest. Normally the tremors lasted only a few seconds. This time, the shaking continued far longer.
The ground shook, almost knocking them all off their feet. Rock crystals started breaking off the cliffs; the sound reverberated through the air like the simultaneous cracking of hundreds of whips. One large crystal shelf suddenly broke like an iceberg calving, sliding down with a rumble before hitting the water.
A loud curse broke from Ashure’s lips. “We need to get out of here,” he said, looking at Gem.
“There is a narrow cut in the cliff that leads to a cave and the staircase,” Gem said, pointing to a dark crevice barely visible from where they were standing.
Ross looked up with a grim expression. There was a broad ledge not far above the
entrance. At the moment, it was holding, but he wouldn’t bet on it remaining in place for very long.
He started forward when Gem pulled out of his arms and grabbed his hand. Running across the swaying ground and keeping their balance wasn’t easy. Rocks large enough to kill rained down like hail. Ross regretted losing his wooden shield after a rock struck him in the shoulder with enough force to leave a nice bruise, but they were at the entrance to the cave now, so hopefully any falling rocks wouldn’t be coming from the same height as the ones sloughing off the cliff face – though they could still be large enough to cause injury or numerous enough to bury the group alive. Ross tried not to think about that as Gem released his hand, and slid through the narrow entrance, disappearing into the darkness.
He turned sideways and followed. Up close, he could see lines of colorful sediment embedded in the smooth, crystal wall. The narrow passage extended for ten feet. He looked up to make sure there were no rocks that would fall and crush him. Fortunately, the top of the passage made a triangular peak, so there were no large slabs to worry about – at least not at the moment.
Ross continued to shuffle through the cave. He could hear Ashure muttering curses behind him. He placed a hand on the wall beside him when another intense quake shook the Isle. He winced when he heard a loud rumble, and then all light from the entrance disappeared.
“Goddess, I should have stayed on the beach with the others,” Ashure groaned.
“The others didn’t make it?” Ross asked.
“Nay,” Ashure tersely replied.
The shaking stopped and Ross deeply sighed in relief, focusing on remaining calm. Gem was somewhere up ahead. Hopefully, the quake hadn’t destroyed the stairs – or their exit above.
On a good note, if we are stuck in here, at least Drago, Orion, and Nali know where we are and can help dig us out, he thought.
