Scarlet Tempest, #1

by Juniper King

  Pulling my knees close to my chest, I let my head fall forward as fierce sobs wracked my body. I cried and cried until my anguished sobs turned into silent tears streaming endlessly down my face.

  “Excuse me, are you alright?”

  I jumped at the unexpected and unfamiliar voice behind me. A young man looked down at me, concern etched on his face. I must have been so preoccupied with my own melancholy I hadn’t heard him approach.

  “I’m fine,” I lied as I wiped my face with my sleeve.

  The man crouched down. “I don’t mean to argue, but you don’t seem fine. Hey, look at me,” he said softly.

  What the hell was this guy’s deal? I was about to shout at him to leave me alone when I met his gaze. The sneer melted from my features and a wave of tranquility rolled over me. There was something about the man’s face, something about his eyes that just washed all my misery away.

  He looked to be in his late twenties, possibly early thirties, lean but not incredibly tall with the body of an elite swimmer. I noticed because he was shirtless, perhaps getting ready for a swim when he’d noticed me. His short hair looked brownish blond under the light of the moon, but I only cared about his eyes. Beautiful azure orbs that seemed to glow in the darkness.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” The mystery man placed a consoling hand on my shoulder while he spoke, but I barely heard a word he said. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his.

  “No, I’m… fine…” I was having trouble concentrating.

  “But I want to help you. Why don’t you come with me,” he coaxed, his irises seemingly growing even brighter. I went dizzy, like I was walking through a dream. Wait, when had I started walking?

  In my trance-like state the man had stood me up and walked me close to the ocean’s edge. The inexplicable reverence I had felt for him evaporated, replaced by sheer panic. I pushed out of his embrace with as much force as I could muster and stumbled back several feet away from the water.

  “What are you?” He looked human, and I didn’t see any aura, but I knew better.

  “What am I?” He repeated as he took a tentative step closer to me, his hands raised in front of him in a placating gesture. ‘What do you mean?”

  An intangible force struck my head, making me gasp. The pull he had on my mind returned, this time even stronger, I couldn’t think straight. The world was surrounded in a rose-colored glow. Elation filled every cell of my body. I had to follow this creature wherever he wanted to take me.

  My legs gave out and I collapsed on the sand, sweat building on my brow.

  The man crouched in front of me and swept the hair from my face, placing his palm on my cheek. The impulse of his magic became even stronger. “Don’t fight it,” he whispered.

  “Don’t…” I struggled to speak, “Don’t touch me,” I panted.

  I gathered all the concentration I could muster, my body shaking with the strain, and pushed out as hard as I could. The man sailed through the air and landed heavily, skidding through the sand on impact.

  With an explosive gasp, I burst back to awareness like I had just woken up from a nightmare. The spell was broken. My face was slick with a cold sweat and blood poured from my nose as lucidity slowly came back to me.

  “That wasn’t very nice.” His voice was smooth and nonchalant as he lied in a prone position.

  “I’m not in a very nice mood,” my voice dripped with venom.

  Still woozy from the effects of whatever kind of enchantment he’d used on me, I tried to stand. I was on my hands and knees trying to find my equilibrium when a huge wave crested over me, the force of the water dragging me into the frigid ocean.

  No matter how hard I fought against the surge of water, I couldn’t swim up to the surface. I spun and thrashed underneath the waves, my feet scraping against the rocky ground. I kicked the seafloor as hard as I could and burst through the surface, sucking in a lungful of air. I struggled to keep my head afloat above the waves, my wet clothing and oversized boots trying to drag me back down.

  My attention locked on the man standing at the water’s edge, watching as I struggled to stay above the tide. He ambled into the water and the surrounding waves quelled. I realized with a horrifying dread there was no way I could fight him in his element. As soon as he was waist deep in the ocean, he dove under the water’s surface and within a fraction of a second re-emerged in front of me.

  “Take a deep breath,” he said with a nasty sneer, his formerly flat, human teeth now resembling those of a shark. He grabbed me by the waist and dragged me underwater; I barely had enough time to take any breath, let alone a deep one.

  Right before my head was submerged under the surface, I was sure I’d heard someone call my name from the shore.

  15

  The bitter chill of the ocean enveloped my entire body, freezing through to my bones. Water ripped and tore at my clothing as we sped through the sea. I held my breath with a desperation I’d never before experienced.

  Pushing and pounding against the Super’s chest, I tried to break free from his hold and swim to the surface, but his grip was like an iron band around my waist.

  My lungs burned, air slowly eking up my throat and through my lips to relieve the unbearable pressure in my chest. I fought every instinct to breathe in, furiously trying to prevent myself from sucking in that detrimental mouthful of ocean water.

  The tearing strength of the current suddenly calmed as we slowed to a stop. A hand grabbed the back of my head, pulling painfully on my hair, and then the Super’s mouth was on mine. A rush of warm, second-hand air filled my lungs and, as much as I hated myself for it, I clung to him, desperately clutching his face to mine as he expelled the precious oxygen.

  Once my lungs were replenished, I shoved him away and began frantically kicking and clawing through the water in a last-ditch attempt to get to the surface. I kicked down with my foot, using what felt like his shoulder to launch myself upwards, trying to give myself that extra little burst of momentum.

  I heard a sound that could have been a laugh before he caught me by the ankle and pulled me back down. Water flooded up my nose, burning through my sinuses.

  He grabbed me around the waist and continued to swim with a speed that made my escape attempt look laughably slow.

  Pressure began to surround me as we started our descent. Intense pain spread through me, my whole body felt like it was creaking and caving in under the immense force of the ocean. All I wanted to do was scream out in agony.

  I was ready to give in when something different from the ocean’s current began wrapping around my body and the squeezing force started to subside. Whatever was weaving its way around me felt strangely comforting and familiar. His magic, I realized. Pouring it into the surrounding water must compensate for the pressure of ocean depths, making it possible for these creatures to descend so quickly with their land-based prey.

  The ebb and flow of changing pressure was too much for my body to take. I went dizzy and became sleepy. I wanted nothing more than to let go, to let my unconsciousness carry me somewhere far away from here.

  Which is exactly what I did.

  When I opened my eyes, I thought I had to be dreaming.

  A rocky, grey ceiling had replaced the night sky. Sparkling gems and rocks, all emitting a soft phosphorescent glow that lit up the room, had replaced the twinkling stars.

  Gone was the freezing ocean and ripping current. Gone was the sheer terror and helplessness.

  Everything was quiet and calm.

  A damp but refreshing scent permeated the air, like pavement after a warm spring rain, mixed with a hint of salt and seaweed. I could feel the hard ground beneath me and came to the realization I must be lying on the floor of a cavern. My hands twitched to life, fingers scraping against the rough, stony surface.

  The sodden clothes clinging to my body and wet hair in a tangle around my face and neck gave me a distinctly waterlogged feeling. I licked my cracked lips and was met with the intense taste o
f salt.

  Rolling my head to the side, I heard a metallic clicking sound. I began to sit up and noticed a substantial weight wrapped around my throat and heard the slithering of metal across stone. My hands trembled as they floated up to my neck, where my fingers met something cold and hard. A gentle probing touch at first, then panic began to set in. I groped and pulled at the iron band, but it wouldn’t budge.

  The pace of my breathing quickened even further as my situation began to dawn on me.

  I turned to see heavy chain links trailing along the ground and snaking their way up to the ring around my neck. The other end of the chain was attached to a thick metal hook embedded in the wall.

  And my chains were not the only ones. There were other shackles fixed into the rock-face, and a set of manacles hanging empty and ominously. Unused lengths of chain were left discarded in the corner of the room.

  Dark stains on the walls and floor… blood.

  I felt lightheaded with panic. This was no dream; this was a nightmare.

  I scuttled across the rocky floor. Bracing both of my feet against the wall, I heaved at the length of chain with my entire body weight. It creaked and groaned, but it didn’t budge. I grabbed the collar again and groped for the lock; it was a small padlock. My head whipped around in near hysteria, desperate to find anything of use to pick the lock. I couldn’t even find a loose rock to break it.

  Calm down. I was near hyperventilation. Calm… down.

  There was no sign of the Super who had brought me here, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t return at any moment. I had to get out of here fast, and I had to be composed to do it.

  Several deep breaths later, I regained my ability to think straight.

  The only other tool at my disposal was my magic. But how could it help here? I could try ripping the chain out of the wall, but I doubt I was strong enough for that. Even with my whole weight, it hadn’t budged. I assumed he kept the key to the lock on his person, but even if he didn’t, I couldn’t bring something to me if I couldn’t directly see it. Pulling the lock apart might work, but I still didn’t have the strength or dexterity to yank two different directions at once. Especially when the band was around something as fragile as my neck.

  My thoughts went back to my training with Aksel and I immediately felt nauseous with rage. Screw him and screw his training. I would get through this on my own, without his two-faced ‘help’.

  I wracked my brain for a solution, then a thought hit me. If magic is an intangible force, then it has no shape. It takes the shape I choose for it.

  I sat crossed legged on the ground and closed my eyes, trying to imagine my magic as a liquid, something fluid. It seeped from me, from my pores, oozing across the collar and pooling formlessly around the lock.

  I engulfed the outer casing of the lock with my magic and, with an incredible amount of focus, I imagined it seeping into the keyhole, flowing in as easily as water filling a crack. I shivered. The sensation of my magic being inside of something was like a feather brushing up against my brain. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but something I had never felt before.

  Now that I was inside, I tried shifting and moving mechanisms and pins.

  It was a long, relentless process. I was becoming light-headed and a little sick, but I couldn’t pass out or all my progress would be gone. Warmth oozed steadily from my nose onto my upper lip and down my chin. My head was pounding, I was shaking.

  Then, with one final twitch of movement, I was rewarded with the most satisfying click I’d ever heard in my life. I let go of my magic and it was like a vice being released from around my brain.

  Throwing the opened lock on the floor, I unclasped the band and flung it across the room.

  Jumping to my feet, the blood immediately rushed from my head. Staggering, I sank back to the ground. I had never put that much delicate focus into my magic before.

  While I recuperated, I took a moment to think about the situation I was in. I knew I must be underwater, though I had no idea how far under I actually was. I needed to get out of this room and explore my surroundings. I needed to find a way out.

  I peered around the room and saw crystal clear pools of water. In the small basin closest to me, I could see colourful urchins and starfish, and seaweeds silently undulating. This room might actually be beautiful if not for the fact that it was clearly some kind of dungeon. I splashed some of the cold, fresh water on my face.

  I got up, slowly this time, and stood with my hands out from my sides. Once I was certain I wouldn’t fall over again, I moved forward.

  My first step was met with a clunk and an ear-splitting squeak. After a moment of sheer panic, I cursed at my stupid giant shoes. Removing them and my wet, squishy socks, I continued along in much quieter bare feet.

  I cautiously walked through an arched doorway and into the next room, wary of who or what I might find there. The area was large and open. Looking around, there was a small stone table with a few seats in an area that resembled a kitchen space, and a sunken sitting area with cushions on the opposite side of the apartment. On the wall across the room I saw what I was searching for—a doorway that looked like it might lead to the rest of the underwater city.

  I crept across the suite to my chance at freedom. Rather than a proper door, the entrance was covered by a curtain made of something that looked like heavy silk. I quietly poked my head out the side of the curtain, and peeked down the corridor, a wide hallway with several other curtained doorways, residences of the other Supers, I imagined. Everything appeared quiet. I slid from behind the curtain, turned right, and snaked along the wall.

  There was no sound but for the faint slapping of my bare feet softly echoing through the stone cavern. Just as in the Super’s home, there were faintly glowing stones throughout the tunnels, providing light and heat.

  I felt like a mouse creeping through a barren field, just waiting for a hawk to swoop down on me. I stuck close to the wall, the feeling of something solid grounding my frantic mind, but as the quiet seconds passed, I became more and more paranoid.

  A fork in the hallway broke ahead of me, one path continued straight before curving to the right and out of sight, the second was a new corridor to the left.

  As I was about to slip around to the left, a Super rounded the corner right in front of me. I staggered back against the wall, pushing against it until my spine hurt, wishing I could melt into it. But it was too late, he had already seen me, his eyes already locked with mine.

  He towered over me, looking down his flattened nose. The soft lighting in the cavern reflected off his bald head, his bluish skin nearly translucent. We stared at each other for several nail-biting seconds.

  “If you continue to act so obvious,” he said calmly, “Others will realize you shouldn’t be out here. Humans can walk freely in these halls as long as they have permission from their masters. Don’t draw anyone’s attention and no one will even notice you.” With that he continued past me, down the hall from which I’d come.

  If I hadn’t been leaning against a wall, my knees would have buckled. Was he helping me? He knew I wasn’t supposed to be out here, yet he did nothing.

  The question was whether or not I should follow his cryptic advice. I pried myself away from the wall and tried to stand up straight. On wobbly legs, I rounded the corner to another identical looking hallway.

  Two female Supers were halfway down the long corridor and coming right towards me, tendril like black hair flowing over their blue skin.

  Just keep walking…

  Though I was still shaking, I tried to walk on steady feet, keeping my gaze forward. As I drew closer to the women, one gave me a scathing look. My eyes flicked to the ground, waiting for her to scream at me, demanding to know what I was doing out here.

  “Did you see that?” Her voice carried as they continued walking in the opposite direction. “No respect at all. Someone really needs to train her better.”

  Nothing happened. We passed each other, and nothing happe
ned. It took everything in me to keep my pace steady and not take off running.

  After a few more twists and turns, I eventually made it to the end of the hallway and couldn’t help but gape in amazement.

  The corridor led out into a cavernous room with a towering ceiling. The grotto was so vast and well lit, had I not known any better, I would have thought I was outside under the sprawling sky. In the center of the cavern was a huge stone walkway that arched over a massive pool. I looked out over the water and saw dolphins frolicking alongside the aquatic Supers who lived here.

  Peering up, there were large transparent panes in the ceiling that acted as giant skylights. In one of the windows, I could see a whale leisurely drifting by, lilting sounds of its song floating through the cavern as it passed. On another window, I saw an octopus sprawled out. If I had been closer, I could have counted the suction cups on its tentacles.

  This place gave the illusion of an undersea utopia, and for the Supers who inhabited it, it was probably just that.

  I couldn’t help but feel small and insignificant while I stood there admiring the wonders of the sea, until the true horror of my situation finally dawned on me. I was trapped at the bottom of the ocean surrounded by hostile Supers.

  Finfolk. I should have realized it sooner. They were notorious for stealing humans, male and female, and forcing them into a life of servitude in their oceanic city of Finfolkaheem.

  I searched around the room and saw dozens of the aquatic Supers milling about and scattered throughout them was an assortment of humans, walking by themselves or with one of the finfolk alongside them.

  Many of the humans had the sunken, broken expression of someone who had resigned themselves to their fate. How long had they been here? My heart clenched, knowing that I couldn’t do anything for them.

  I have to find a way out of this cavern before I end up like them.

  But even if I could escape, how would I swim to the surface before I ran out of air? If I was so lucky. What if I happened across a hungry shark or any other abyssal predator?