by Eric Vall
“I’m glad that Rana is so confident in our abilities,” I said with a dry chuckle.
Annalíse turned around in her seat to look back at Carmedy and me. “She thinks we’re so helpless without her. Wait till she hears that we got to the dungeon with no trouble at all.”
“She’ll be so proud of us,” Carmedy giggled.
“If I know Rana, she probably won’t believe us,” I said with a dry chuckle. “She’ll probably say that we wandered around aimlessly for hours before we got there.”
“That’s true.” Carmedy giggled.
With the compass in hand, Annalíse did, however, take us in the right direction, and just as she had said, we arrived at the oasis within the hour. What Lady Tamsin had told Morrigan was indeed true. All that lay before us was a large body of water surrounded by palm trees. The hot desert winds caused the palm fronds to sway and sent ripples across the water. It was quiet here, almost peaceful.
“While we are here, it would be wise to take advantage of the oasis and replenish our water supply,” Morrigan said as she removed a few of the water skins from the sand sled attached to Tiberius.
“It’s a shame about those water demons.” Carmedy shook her head as she climbed down from Xerxes’ back. “If it wasn’t for them, maybe the people in Valasara could use this oasis as a source for water. Then again, maybe they tried and they ended up getting dragged down there.” The cat glanced over at the body of water.
“Speaking of which, Annalíse, you better put that candle wax in your ears,” I said as I turned to the freckled woman, but I spoke a few seconds too late. Annalíse had already fallen under the spell of the water demons.
While the rest of us had been talking with one another, the princess had dismounted from Scylla’s back and had started to walk toward the water slowly. Though I didn’t hear anything myself, Annalíse had become entranced by the water demons’ song. Their siren calls only affected humans just as Lady Tamsin had said, and while I looked human, this body I had formed was immune to such frivolous powers.
Annalíse’s arms hung limply at her sides as her feet dragged forward through the sand. The swordswoman’s expression was blank, and her brown eyes seemed void of life. Her head slacked to one side, and her mouth gaped open as she continued to shuffle toward the water.
“Carmedy, where is the candle wax?” I called to the petite cat as I rushed to stop Annalíse.
“Oh, uh, it’s in the pocket of Annalíse’s robes,” Carmedy cried back as she pointed at the female warrior.
Fortunately, I could run far faster than she could shuffle, and as soon as I reached Annalíse, I grabbed hold of her wrist and reached into her pocket. The stubs of candle wax were there just as Carmedy had said, and I quickly stuffed one of them into Annalíse’s ears. Even as I held on to her, the human woman continued to try to move forward toward the water and the voices that called out to her.
No sooner had I plugged Annalíse’s other ear than the freckled woman’s eyes fluttered, and she broke out of her trance. She looked around at us with a slightly dazed look and shook her head fervently as though to shake away any remaining traces of the strange magic.
“Boy, that was a close one,” Carmedy breathed. “I didn’t think the water demons would try to lure us in so soon.”
“They certainly do not waste any time,” Morrigan said with a slight frown.
“I could hear the water demons,” Annalíse shouted in her raspy voice, unaware of how loud her voice was.
“We already know that, silly.” Carmedy waved her hand. “It’s a good thing that--”
“It happened so fast, I’m not even sure when they started singing,” Annalíse yelled, inadvertently interrupting Carmedy. “I can’t really remember. I just remember hearing beautiful voices. It was like something from a dream.”
“Ooh, that sounds lovely,” Carmedy said with a soft sigh. “I wish I could have heard it… except well, you know.” The cat giggled at that.
“What did you say?” Annalíse said loudly. “I can’t hear you guys.”
“Just hold on,” I said as I held up a hand as a gesture for the princess to wait. Annalíse nodded, and she stood quietly. As I turned to speak to Carmedy, the small feline was staring at the water with widened eyes.
“Look,” the green-eyed alchemist whispered. “Maybe it’s them.”
Morrigan and I turned to follow Carmedy’s gaze, as did Annalíse when she saw the rest of us turn to look toward the water. A swarm of bubbles churned on the surface of the water. Something was coming. I slipped my hand into my void pocket and gripped the handle of the God Slayer, just in case the water demons had gotten upset that they’d failed to lure Annalíse into their watery depths and decided to use more… forcible methods.
As we watched silently, two ashen heads rose from the water side by side to reveal two pairs of obsidian-colored eyes. The water demons rose no further, their noses and the rest of their bodies still below the surface.
As water droplets rolled down their bald heads and pointed ears, and they blinked at us curiously. Without a word, Carmedy crouched down slightly and slowly began to walk forward as though she were approaching an unfamiliar animal. As soon as the feline took a step, the colorless creatures narrowed their eyes and abruptly disappeared beneath the water. Bubbles began to form on the water’s surface once more, and then one by one, they popped and left no trace whatsoever that they had ever been there.
“What exactly did you think you were doing?” Morrigan turned to Carmedy with a raised eyebrow.
“I just wanted to look at them more closely,” Carmedy said absently as she examined the water.
“You’ll have plenty of time to see them once we’re down there,” I said.
“And how exactly will we get down there?” Morrigan asked as she stroked Macha’s beak.
“Carmedy, I believe you had an idea about how we can achieve that?” I said as I turned to the feline alchemist.
“Yes, I did!” the cat said excitedly, and she knelt down on the ground and began to remove some of the pouches from her belt. “Just give me a few minutes.” With that, Carmedy removed a small mortar and pestle from the pack she had slung over her shoulder and began to pour the contents of various bundles into the little stone bowl.
“We have to figure out a way to get down there!” Annalíse shouted, her hearing still obscured by the wax.
I silently pointed to Carmedy who was busy mixing things together and mumbling to herself.
“Oh, that’s right, Carmedy said she’d figure something out.” The freckled woman nodded, and she silently clasped her hands behind her back as she watched the feline work.
A few minutes later, the black cat stood to her feet with the little bowl cupped in one hand. She reached down to untie another bundle from her belt, andfrom it, she pulled what looked like a small wooden object. The device had a straight handle, and at the end of it, the wood curved around to form an open circle.
Carmedy motioned for me to come toward her. “Master, I’m going to need your help for this part.”
“What do you need me to do?” I asked curiously as I approached the feline.
“Do you think you can sort of… pump some magic into one of my concoctions?” Carmedy asked enthusiastically, and she nodded to the bowl in her hand. I glanced down to see that it was filled with some sort of clear fluid.
“Yes, of course, but what sort of magic do you require?” I asked carefully.
“I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” the cat wiggled her eyebrows mischievously, “but I need you to imbue my mixture with magical energy to make it more powerful.”
“Alright,” I said slowly. I wasn’t sure what Carmedy had cooked up, but I had faith in her alchemic abilities.
“Good, I’ll tell you when to do it,” Carmedy said with a grin, and she playfully jiggled the wooden tool in her hand.
Without any further explanation, the cat dunked the circular end of the wooden object into the clear liquid. As she r
emoved it, I observed that the clear fluid had somehow filled the center of the circle and the sun’s rays bounced off it causing little glimmers of rainbow colors to appear. Carmedy’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she silently looked at the colors for a moment. Then she breathed in deeply and parted her lips as she blew into the center of the wooden circle. The fluid that had stuck to the center of the wooden circle began to stretch away and gradually took on the shape of a large sphere that was roughly the size of a melon. Within seconds, the bubble separated from the wooden tool and hovered in the air.
“Now,” Carmedy whispered to me. “Fuse some of your magic with my mixture.”
I nodded silently and raised my hand to the air. Then I channeled my dark energy into the translucent bubble as the others watched intently. The colorless sphere trembled as it floated in the air, and for a moment, it seemed as though it would pop, but it held its shape. My energy now transferred, I lowered my hand.
“Perfect,” Carmedy said gleefully.
“How is this perfect?” Morrigan said nonchalantly. “The bubble has not been altered.”
“Oh, hasn’t it?” Carmedy said with a twisted grin, and she walked up to the bubble that still hung in the atmosphere. She set down the bowl and wooden implement at her feet and slowly moved her hands toward the hovering sphere. The cat cautiously placed her hands on either side of it and instead of the bubble immediately bursting from her touch, it stayed firm, and the feline held it up for us to see. Annalíse and Morrigan raised their eyebrows in surprise.
“Pretty neat, huh?” Carmedy said proudly.
I nodded. “It is indeed.”
“Well, hold on, because I’m not done yet,” the cat said eagerly. “Check this out, it’s the best part.” As she spoke, the alchemist lifted the bubble into the air and began to lower it onto her head. The bubble seemed to have become a sort of gel substance during my part of the process, for when Carmedy poked her head through, the sphere only jiggled in response. The feline removed her hands and the clear bubble stayed in place and rested between her shoulders as if it were some sort of helmet.
“Remarkable,” I said as my eyes roamed over the bubble that surrounded Carmedy’s head. The fact that the feline alchemist had come up with something so innovative was quite impressive.
“Thanks!” Carmedy beamed. Her voice was a bit muffled, but I could still hear her. “With these babies, we’ll each be able to breathe under water.”
“This is all quite splendid, but how long will the air bubbles last?” Morrigan said dubiously as she walked closer to observe Carmedy’s latest invention.
“Uh, that’s the only thing,” Carmedy winced. “I’m not completely certain.”
“You would have us plunge into the depths of an underwater dungeon teeming with water demons with this as our only source of air, and you say you are not completely certain?” Morrigan furrowed her brow.
“Well, I’ve never fused any of my concoctions with magic before,” Carmedy said with an apologetic smile. “My best guess is an hour at least.”
“It may take longer than that to conquer this dungeon,” Morrigan said gravely. “I am not comfortable taking such a risk.”
“But we have no other way of getting down there,” Carmedy replied.
“We’ll use Carmedy’s bubbles,” I interjected. “Should they pop prematurely, I will make sure that you all make it to the surface safely.” While Carmedy’s creation was untested, it was the best, and most likely the only option that we had.
Morrigan hesitated for a moment as she glanced back at the spherical object on Carmedy’s head.
“Very well,” the pale elf finally said, but I could still see the concern in her eyes.
“What are you three talking about?” Annalíse shouted. “Shouldn’t we be making our way to the dungeon?”
“We are, just hold on a second okay?” Carmedy yelled back to Annalíse and gestured for the princess to wait, then she stopped down to pick up her bowl and wooden tool once more.
Annalíse nodded, but she tapped her foot impatiently. The black-haired cat dipped the wooden implement into the mixture once more and blew into it to create another bubble. As the orb bounced in the air, I transferred my dark energy into it just as I had with the last one. Once the process was complete, Carmedy cautiously plucked it from the air and squeezed it a bit test its firmness. Once she was satisfied, she walked over to Annalíse with the large bubble in her hands. Upon reaching Annalíse, the small feline stood on her tiptoes and raised the translucent orb over the human woman’s braided head.
“Take the candle wax out of your ears!” Carmedy shouted to the swordswoman.
“What?” Annalíse yelled back as she wrinkled her freckled nose.
“Take the candle wax out of your ears!” I shouted and gestured to the princess’s ears.
“I’m going to take the candle wax out of my ears, I can’t hear you at all,” Annalíse said loudly. Carmedy and I exchanged glances and chuckled as Annalíse removed the wax. As soon as the female warrior had done so, Carmedy placed the clear orb onto Annalíse’s head.
“Can you hear us now?” Carmedy giggled.
“Yes, but what about the water demons?” Annalíse asked in a muffled tone and glanced at the water quickly. “What if they try to lure me in again?”
“They can try all they want, but it won’t work,” Carmedy said in a sing-song voice as she rocked back and forth on her heels. “Not with this on your head.” The cat tapped lightly on the bubble that she had placed on Annalíse. “You notice how things sound from inside your bubble?”
“Everything sounds a little muted, as though I’m underwater,” Annalíse nodded.
“Exactly,” Carmedy said with a grin. “I don’t think their magic songs can’t work on you if your hearing is impaired.”
“Good thinking,” I said with a smile. “As I told you last night, you are quite the genius.”
“Awww, thanks Master, but it was nothing.” The cat waved her hand nonchalantly. “Now I just need to make some for you and Morrigan, and we can get going.”
“Do not forget Macha.” Morrigan nodded to her winged companion perched on her shoulder, and Macha cawed as though to support Morrigan’s words.
“Of course, I’d never forget about Macha,” Carmedy crooned to the raven. Carmedy quickly created two more large bubbles for Morrigan and me and a smaller one roughly the size of an orange for Macha.
“Everyone ready?” I asked once our magic infused bubbles were in place. Morrigan nodded silently and Carmedy grinned and gave me a thumbs up.
“All set,” Annalíse placed her hands firmly on her hips.
“Good,” I said as I walked toward the rippling pool of water. “Let’s see what lies beneath.”
Chapter 15
I approached the water’s edge and cautiously dipped a foot in to test the depth. It was deeper than I expected.
“It looks as though the sand just stops where the water begins,” I said as I pulled my foot from the pool, “so wading in won’t be an option.” I peered into the shimmering water, but it was so dark underneath that even I couldn’t see anything.
There was no telling how deep the water was or if those water demons were below waiting for us. They hadn’t attacked us earlier, but I wasn’t sure if that was because they had chosen not to or because they were constrained to the water. I had a feeling that one way or another, we’d soon find out and if the water demons turned hostile.
I’d be ready for them.
“Looks like we have no choice but to just dive in,” Annalíse said enthusiastically as she jogged toward the water. Without hesitation, the female warrior raised her arms over her head and did just that, leaping into the unknown waters without care.
“Oh, I don’t know about this,” Carmedy said nervously. “I really don’t like water, and now I’m going to be surrounded by it.”
Morrigan raised an eyebrow. “You knew already knew this. Why are you suddenly afraid?”
“I got so excited about my little invention that I sort of forgot where we were going to be using them,” the feline said awkwardly as she glanced at the body of water. “Here’s an idea, how about I stay up here? You know, watch the lizards and stuff just in case someone comes by and tries to rob us,” the alchemist said sheepishly.
Morrigan sighed, shook her head, and promptly dove in after Annalíse.
“Come on,” I said gently and reached for Carmedy’s hand. “Everything will be fine. And I bet there’s lots of interesting things down there that will make you forget all about the water.”
The petite feline gave me a soft smile and nodded. Then she took my outstretched hand, and together, we plunged into the dark waters. I allowed myself to sink for a few moments as my eyes adjusted to the gloom. Once I did so, I released Carmedy’s hand so that I could tread water, and I quickly found Annalíse and Morrigan a few feet in front of us.
“By the gods, this place is incredible,” Annalíse breathed as she gazed around.
Though few things could truly amaze me, I too was awestruck by our new surroundings. The watery domain was much larger than it appeared from the surface. What sprawled out before us rivaled the vastness of an ocean. As far as I could see, vibrant blue waters stretched out in every direction, green seaweed swayed back and forth beneath the currents, and the area was teeming with colorful fish.
Black-and-white striped fish that appeared to be rather flat and no bigger than the palm of my hand swam past us, their yellow fins waving back and forth. A school of striking orange fish with translucent tails darted past us and gradually disappeared into the blue beyond. A couple of turtles swam past us in no particular hurry and paid us no mind as they made their way toward a coral reef far below our feet. Everywhere I looked there were vivid colors and fascinating creatures.
As I had predicted, Carmedy was quickly engrossed by the surrounding wildlife and seemed to forget her distaste of water quickly. The black cat turned her head every which way whenever a new animal went past. She even swam toward a brown fish with tiny spikes jutting out of its skin that she found particularly amusing and the small creature inflated to a larger much rounder shape nearly three times its original size.
