Angst Box Set 1

by David Pedersen

  “Yes,” he finally confirmed. “Where are you taking me?”

  “I need to show you something,” she pleaded. “So you can save us.”

  “Here? Now?” Angst thought. “I don’t understand.”

  “Trust,” she requested, placing a hand on his chest. “Breathe out all your air then take in all that you can.”

  He did, sucking in until his lungs verged on bursting. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him into a deep dive. Angst mostly ignored his fear, which nested in his stomach and roiled with noisy anxiety. They shot through the water like an arrow, deeper and darker until the only sign of movement was his rolling cheeks. He swallowed hard, wiggling his jaw until his ears popped. How far had they gone? How could she show him if he couldn’t see? Moyra slowed and held him close, helping him through gasps. She gripped the back of his head, forcing their mouths together when he instinctively jerked back. Finally, he breathed normally enough that she eased her hold, finishing with a kiss.

  “I could really get used to that,” he teased, trying to take his mind off the numbing cold and darkness.

  “You are cute, for a hooman,” she thought. “Take another breath. Squeeze when you need me.”

  “Are we almost there?” he asked.

  “No.” She said nothing else.

  Angst breathed through her lips, adjusting her hold so they grasped each other’s wrists. They continued their decent into darkness, stopping when Angst’s lungs burned and his vision filled with stars. Their passage seemed to take a long time, in spite of her speed. He worried for his friends and could only imagine their panic.

  “These sweet potatoes are excellent,” Tarness said gratefully.

  “It’s the cinnamon,” Jarblech said with a proud smile. “Makes them taste like pie.”

  Tarness nodded with a full mouth, swallowing it down with some watery mead. He was every cook’s favorite customer, except at buffets. He smiled broadly at his friends; they knew this was his second favorite thing to do and that seemed to warm the room.

  “I agree, your chef is excellent,” Hector said raising a goblet. “Tamara.”

  They all repeated his toast before drinking deeply.

  “The food smells delicious,” Victoria said, hugging herself as she entered the small room. Dallow followed her closely.

  “You’re okay to eat?” Hector asked in relief.

  “Good enough to fight, good enough to eat,” she said sullenly. “Dallow fixed me up again.”

  “Glad to be of service,” Dallow said simply, putting away his memndus stone and feeling his way to a seat.

  Victoria sat, her head lowered. She sighed deeply.

  “We celebrate her life, Your Highness,” Jarblech said. “She lived and died a pirate’s adventure. That’s how she wanted it.”

  “I’d love to know more,” Victoria said with a nod before grabbing a plate. She created a pile of food that challenged Tarness’s.

  “What about Angst?” Jarblech asked. “Aren’t you worried about the mermaid?”

  “You said they are pretty?” Dallow asked.

  “Stunning,” Jarblech said in confusion.

  “If it’s the one we saw,” Tarness said, “she really is gorgeous.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes, but couldn’t speak her mind around the sweet cake in her mouth.

  “I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but nobody ever survives a mermaid abduction,” Jarblech said. “Ever.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Victoria said dismissively. “Please, tell us about Tamara’s adventures.”

  It warmed from a numbing cold to fall lake water. Their descent was met with dim lights, small dots below that looked like stars in the sky. A brighter one in the distance could’ve been the moon.

  “I like your thoughts,” she thought, slowing but not stopping. “Sometimes they are pretty.”

  “So are you,” he flirted.

  As their lips met, Angst almost broke the connection with a smile. His mind spun. How incredible was this? He was swimming toward stars at the bottom of the ocean with a beautiful mermaid. Moyra pulled away with a curious frown, and licked him teasingly as she brought him toward the lights. The distant moon grew as they approached, but was hard to make out at this speed. His ears flapped; she swam so much faster than he could even run. Angst strained to see against the rushing water and the light filling his eyes. They were close to the bottom now: a sandy landscape scattered with colorful rock and towering coral. Hard-shelled monsters with too many legs scuttled out of sight while a school of pan-shaped fish with wings lazily passed overhead. He recognized nothing. It was an entirely new world, so different from his own, and so amazingly beautiful that he didn’t have the words. She gripped his hand tightly, apparently loving the appreciation in his thoughts.

  Thick plants rose from the ocean floor, a dim ball of light the size of his head resting atop each. They were bunched together in groups, slowly swaying back and forth in the ocean tide.

  “What are those?” Angst thought, reaching out to touch one.

  She pulled his hand back. “Our children,” Moyra said sadly. “They remain unhatched after many, many years.”

  They swam until they arrived at a bevy of ten round glowing eggs.

  “These are my babies. Or could be,” she said quietly. “You can touch one, but gently.”

  With that same level of baby-caution he would’ve brought to holding his own newborn, Angst placed a hand on the glowing egg. It was warm, and flashed brightly at his touch. He jerked his hand back and shot her an excited smile. She nodded, and he placed his hand on another. It moved! Her babies were alive.

  “It’s... They’re beautiful,” he thought.

  “Thank you,” she replied demurely, kissing his cheek.

  “When will they, um...” He didn’t know if ‘hatch’ was the right word.

  “They will not,” she said, her smile thinning. “I wait.”

  “How long have you waited?”

  “Longer than you, An-gst,” she said. He assumed she meant longer than he’d been alive.

  “Why don’t they, um, you know, hatch?” he asked carefully. He floated on his own, holding out his arms, as if that helped him do anything.

  “They need a father,” she said, staring at her nest.

  “Wow. I...” He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to help, he really wanted to help, but not like that. “I-I don’t think I can do that. I’m not sure how that would work, and...I’m married.”

  She laughed so hard that precious air left her mouth in giant globules. She swam around and around him in apparent glee as she reveled in his thoughts. He looked around for something to hide behind, and wondered if he could make it to the surface on his own. When she finally noticed he was desperate for air, she stopped.

  “Oh, silly hooman,” she said in his mind. “No, we cannot mate.”

  He was embarrassed and relieved at the same time. He may not know everything expected of a hero, but he certainly knew what Heather expected.

  “Let us go,” she said, still giggling. “I am not done sharing with you. You will soon understand.”

  Angst actually felt the warmth of a blush in spite of the numbing cold water. She rested a hand on his cheek as if letting him know it was okay before pulling him quickly along to the brighter ball of light in the distance.

  33

  They leaned back on their hands, sitting on the deck of the ship with their legs shoved between slats of railing. Tori’s belly was full of good food and better rum, a gentle buzz tickling her nose. The air was still, warm enough, and the lapping water against the hull of the boat was hypnotic. An almost full moon danced with the waves, creating a thousand more stars than were in the sky. The panic was gone, the tugs on her heart were in Unsel and far, far below them, and for this one, brief moment she reveled in this well-deserved respite.

  Hector and Tarness rocked their legs like kids and smoked cigars like old men. Dallow’s legs were crossed, his eyes glowing brightly behind the kerchief a
s he puffed thoughtfully on his pipe. It was a perfect moment as they buried the chaos faced only hours before in quiet. Tori reached over and plucked the cigar from Tarness’s fingers, taking a long drag without coughing once. They all looked at her in surprise when she returned it, shrugged, and settled back to enjoy the stars.

  “How much time do you think we’ve got?” Hector said, his bushy eyebrows frowning.

  “Do you always have to ruin a moment?” Tarness chided, looking at his cigar before puffing. He followed up with a hearty draw of rum.

  “My cigar is almost out,” Hector said lazily, and looked squarely at the princess. “I wasn’t sure if I should get some sleep or sharpen my sword.”

  The vision in her mind was murky, a net that dragged through the sands of possibility. Angst could’ve been dead, but she was mostly sure he wasn’t. She saw hazy lights hidden by a large shadow that gave her goose bumps. He could kill the mermaid bitch, or save her, or fondle her. That last image was probably the right one, and she grimaced. Angst was her champion, and she shouldn’t have had to share. She grabbed Tarness’s rum, despite his frown, and gulped a burning mouthful. She handed it back, not empty, and he nodded. From the corner of her eye, she saw Dulgirgraut flash brightly. She peered at it as if it were the enemy. Had it actually flashed? Was it taunting her while splintering her visions more than usual?

  “Two hours, best guessh,” she failed at not slurring. Tori wanted them to stay up and wait with her, in case he needed her...them.

  Hector nodded once, but she thought he eyed her suspiciously.

  “Probably with a team of monsters in tow.” Tarness smiled wickedly.

  Dulgirgraut flashed again, and Tori envisioned a shadow that made her hairs stand on end. It was enormous, cold, and almost impossible to fathom.

  “Just one,” Tori said, raising several fingers.

  “Hmph, he’s getting soft.” Tarness grunted, drinking the rest of the rum like a shot. “Time for water.” He wrestled his legs from between the slats before standing and making his way to the cabins below.

  “Are you certain?” Dallow asked, looking at her with white eyes shining through the kerchief. “About the one monster?”

  “Nevvverr,” she said, fighting to get out the words. Her head was dizzy, and more than anything she wanted to cozy up with Angst for a solid night’s sleep. Wow, she hadn’t had that much to drink, but her tongue was acting like it. “Best guess.” Hadn’t she just said that?

  “Good enough for me.” Hector nodded, rolling back neatly over his shoulder to stand. He followed Tarness. “Be right back.”

  “You okay, Princess?” Dallow asked. He pulled his legs from between the railings and inched closer.

  “Um,” was all she said. “I feel good. A little too good.”

  “Could be the cure for your sea sickness,” he said, placing long fingers on her forehead. “It may not mix well with alcohol.”

  Long moments passed as she gathered her bearings. She still hurt inside from Tamara’s passing, but Dallow’s cure and the rum were blissfully numbing. The world spun a bit much, and she hadn’t been this drunk since sleeping with Angst, which made her smirk drunkenly. She lifted her head with a start; it was resting on Dallow’s shoulder. He leaned toward her, so she could find a comfortable nook, but was otherwise respectful.

  “Is Angst acting different?” Victoria mumbled, forcing her mouth around the words. “Ever since that fish bitch...”

  “He’s just excited to have a new toy,” Hector explained, sitting back down, and Dallow slugged him in the arm.

  “Oh?” she said with a raised eyebrow. “Am I the old toy?”

  “Of course not, Your Majesty,” Hector said carefully. “It’s just...it’s just Angst. He meets someone new and becomes fascinated.”

  “We all get tired of hearing about them,” Tarness said, sitting beside her. “I do, anyway.”

  “He went on about you for ages,” Dallow agreed. “Still does.”

  “It’s good, in a way,” Hector explained. “Every time he makes a new friend, he suddenly wants to become the hero we all need, or at least that’s what he thinks.”

  “Oh,” Tori said quietly. “He still does? Goes on about me?”

  “Yes,” they all replied with various degrees of sighs.

  And this made her smile.

  After several minutes of swimming, the nests were far behind them, and the only light came from the half-circle blob in the distance. They swam low between columns of coral, slowly, carefully. She was darting to and fro, avoiding rocky edges, but curiously chose not to swim above them. Her eyes flicked about nervously and his heart began to race. Moyra said, or thought, nothing, but he could sense her tension. Again, he heard a muffled song from Dulgirgraut, and the red hue from his eyes was strong enough to make out her curvy scales.

  “Dim your light!” Moyra said loudly, making him wince.

  “Wait, what is that?” he said in awe.

  Like a storm cloud blocking the sun, an enormous figure hid the light they swam toward. It must’ve been insanely large, or incredibly close, because the light was like a moon on the horizon. Angst couldn’t distinguish the outline of its body. It was round or oval, and bumpy, and...how big could it be? Moyra jerked him behind a coral pillar, and positioned their backs to the creature.

  “Please, An-gst,” she pleaded. “Your light eyes.”

  He’d never even considered how to dim his blatant advertisement that he was a wielder—it was his ego glowing as much as a tool to frighten away the foolish. That creature probably wasn’t foolish, and Angst hastily shut his eyes. He tried looking at the inside of his eyelids, focusing until they went dark. Angst opened them and began to peek around the rock, but she pulled his mouth to hers. Moyra’s lips were more passion than air, and her blue hair floated in the water, framing their faces. He breathed, but barely, and after a long moment, she withdrew, looking relieved.

  “I was worried you would alert the beast and had to distract you.” Her reason was solid, but her smirk made it flimsy.

  Angst smiled at this and tried to wink, a flirtation lost in the ocean or in translation. He frowned and jerked his head in the direction of the thing. “What is that?” he asked again.

  “Curse-bringer, unforgiving beast, stealer of children, millennial hatred, anti-good, monster of all, everything I hate about myself,” she went on and on, a rush of thoughts and emotions that made little sense in his mind. “We have no name. There is no name. It is nameless, that beast of monster. He is the oldest living creature in Ehrde, and not even your great weapon could stop him from killing us.”

  “Maybe,” he grumbled. “What’s he doing here?”

  “He traps my people.” She pointed then spoke so quickly it was hard to understand. “All of them in that city is why I have no babies and am all alone but for you and me.”

  He held her hand, squeezed it to calm her, and leaned in for another breath. Sharp bursts of air blasted into his lungs, making him cough. Whatever that thing was, it scared her, a lot. He let go of her hand and pulled her into a calming hug that did nothing. His sense of her was expanding quickly. It was exciting and frightening, as if they were letting down barriers, becoming closer in ways he couldn’t with any other.

  “City?” he asked in surprise, then remembered the spell he’d cast with Dallow, how it had shown a memndus stone next to a mage city in the middle of the ocean.

  “Long ago, too many of your years, the monster cursed them to that city,” she said, refusing to meet his eyes in spite of his desire and will.

  “Take me there,” he said firmly. Rose had to be there; he needed a closer look. He had to see what sort of trouble she was in, to see if there was a way to get to her.

  “Too much danger,” she pleaded quickly, her voice high-pitched. “It will see us.”

  “You brought me here,” he said. “Now let me hero.”

  She stared at him, her large eyes pinched with worry. “I will try.” Moyra sounded conce
rned.

  She breathed into him once more before swiftly pulling him toward the light. They swam along the ocean floor, diving in and out of rock formations at a breakneck pace. Angst caught glimpses of the city and the shadow of something beyond the light every time they cleared the rocks.

  When they finally stopped, he fought his natural reaction to gasp, releasing several bubbles from his open mouth. From a half mile away, he could make out a dome. It was like an enormous bubble had risen from the bottom of the sea, and stuck halfway. Inside the dome was a city with grand buildings that looked triangular, their tips almost reaching the top of the dome. It had to be the mage city, but how did it get down here? Water thundered in the distance, a constant low thrumming that reverberated in his chest.

  “What’s that sound?” he asked.

  “A hole in the ocean,” she said hurriedly.

  “Oh,” was all he could think to reply.

  He pointed to urge her toward the dome. Her cheeks sucked in with worry, but she rushed them forward without argument. They hugged the ocean floor closer than she’d ever held him, leaving a sandy storm in their wake. They reached the edge, and he rested his hand on the dome. It was like glass, like an air shield. It would take a team of Dallows to understand this spell, or curse. He cupped his hands and peered through them as if sneaking a look through a dirty window. Everything was blurry, but he made out three figures: two with their backs against the barrier, and a third smaller something hopping up and down. Rose had to be in there.

  Angst’s heart lifted, and he was so incredibly grateful she’d shown this to him. What a gift. How many people had ever seen this sight? It was possible he was the first. Moyra instantly reacted to his happiness by pressing her lips to his, not breathing this time, merely kissing. Her tongue flicked gently in his mouth once again and instinctively his reached out. He let himself give in to her desire. His hands were on her hips, and Moyra’s entire body shivered with hunger and passion. She leaned in aggressively and several sharp teeth caught his bottom lip. It hurt for only a second, but his mouth began to bleed.