by Mark Bowsher
After some time Krish began to catch his breath and he was able to nod.
‘Mate, I’m sorry,’ she continued. ‘But water ain’t actually my forte.’ He’d noticed that she stayed as far back from the shore as possible, eyeing the water reproachfully.
‘How did you master all these spells anyway?’ He was feeling calmer now. ‘I mean, how the hell d’you find the time? You’re, like, a bit older than me…? How d’you do it?’
Balthrir looked at the ground for a while, her eyes dark and reflective. He could barely make out her muttered response:
‘Perseverance.’
⁂
After a few more attempts Krish began to breathe underwater with ease, although it still felt more laboured than breathing out in the open air. His breaths were deeper than normal and he really felt the weight of the air itself as it entered his lungs.
According to Balthrir, the second spell, something Krish certainly wasn’t delighted to hear, was slightly more complex than the first. Krish had forgotten that lack of oxygen would not be his only challenge underwater. The deeper he got, the more water there would be pressing down on him, so to avoid being crushed under the extreme pressure, Balthrir gave him a parrel stone. She placed the parrel stone in a blue flame and enclosed both in a glass globe. Parrel, she assured him, was the hardest known rock in the world. The fire was an enchantment which would bestow the strength of the stone on the holder of the globe until the rock burnt out. The parrel stone would last three days, she said, at best. If it began to crack he must head for the surface at once. The blue flame would also light his way in the depths.
Despite this apparently being the more tricky of the two spells, Balthrir carried it off with considerable ease.
‘You’ll be coming too, yeah?’ asked Krish.
‘Wizards and spells are no different to ropes and cooking pots. All just equipment yer use on your quest, innit? But I’ve got a nasty feeling that if someone actually ’elps yer snatch that pearl it’ll be different.’
‘But how would the King know?’
Balthrir’s exasperated sigh was almost violent. ‘Because, laddie, the truth is pretty bloody important ’round ’ere! Thought yer’d’ve learnt that by now! The last king wasn’t the most honest o’ blokes and when the people found out how much of their money ’e was spending on banquets and stuff ’e was for the ’igh jump! Maybe the truth is pretty flexible where you come from but people swear by it ’ere.’
‘But still, how will he—?’
‘Because of Gul— Actually, yer know what, we ain’t got time for this!’
Tiredness had kept fear at bay in Krish for some time now but suddenly the idea of facing the blackness alone terrified him anew. And what was worse was that every time he thought about being tired he blinked and then he would see them. Just for a moment but a moment was enough for you never to want to shut your eyes ever again.
*
Balthrir continued to train Krish, first without the aid of any spells, then with each cast in isolation, then finally with both, having him dive deeper each time. The wizard seemed content that finding an oyster with a pearl would be the easiest part of the quest. The seabed was rich with them, she said (or so she’d read in some book years ago), and she gave him a knife for protection (just in case) and a metal bar she’d forged from a spare stirrup belonging to the mule to prise the oyster open with.
Balthrir sent Krish down for another test dive with both spells. He was still struggling with breathing underwater. Breathing. Something you did all the time, without even thinking about it, had become a slow, heavy, painful exercise. The cold water adding weight to the slightest movement. And even with the parrel stone fighting the pressure he still felt it. That crushing feeling, just a metre or so below the surface. Down there he felt like he was living his life in slow motion. The illusion of having more time was a momentary comfort before a shiveringly cold current whipped past his face, his eyes shut and he saw them… closer…
He jerked upwards. His body went from horizontal to vertical. His head broke the surface and he breathed normally.
‘Good. Yer lookin’ ready,’ said Balthrir, unprompted, unconvincingly.
‘I don’t feel ready,’ he said.
‘Where are they?’ Balthrir asked.
Krish closed his eyes.
*
Heads darting about … necks craned … running …
stopping … running … stopping … sniffing … running
*
‘I dunno,’ said Krish. ‘They seem lost.’
‘They sense yer but I guess the water did the trick and they can’t pick up our scent. Better make a move now though. Yer should be done in a couple of hours.’
‘They can’t find me underwater though, can they…?’
‘Shouldn’t be able to. Dunno. These aren’t usual creatures. Don’t risk it. Eyes open.’
Krish nodded. She was right. He should get going before… well, before he let fear take him over. He chewed a few more rubbery fungi and then it was time. He stripped down to his pants and T-shirt again, the parrel stone glowing blue on one side of the belt Balthrir had given him, the knife on the other. She had also gave him a bag for the oyster, which he used to hold the metal bar, and a flask of fresh water (he was not looking forward to trying to drink that underwater). Balthrir had recommended not gulping down even a little of the Night Ocean if he could help it.
One other thing he took, when Balthrir wasn’t looking, was the distress stone. The little red rock Balthrir had invented would send up a flare through earth, water, wind or fire, she had said. He wasn’t sure what she could do from the surface but he took the stone anyway.
‘Good luck,’ said Balthrir.
‘Balthrir, what if—?’
‘Yer can deal with it. Whatever it is. Yeah?’
Krish nodded at his friend. ‘Yeah.’ I guess, he thought. He stared into the black pool before him. He jumped.
CHAPTER 18
A DIVE INTO DARKNESS
Ripples broke the black, glass-like stillness of the water as the Night Ocean swallowed Krish whole.
At first it was difficult to adjust, even after so much practice. He found himself drawing water into his mouth but the bubbles of air he exhaled pushed the icy-cold liquid out again. This took a while to get used to. Each time he felt as if he was going to drown, that his body would fill with water, but it didn’t.
Freezing currents billowed sightlessly around as he dived deeper. Icy water rushed past his eyes and a few times the sting caused him to blink. The Vulrein were preoccupied with… It was the mule. They’d torn him apart and were feasting on his carcass. A wave of guilt spread through him. They should have searched for the poor creature. Anything that would delay the Vulrein was welcome but he didn’t wish this fate on such a loyal beast.
Down and down he dived, holding the blue light of the parrel stone in front of him. The pressure of the water adjusted itself around him as the stone did its work. He felt weightless, dizzy almost. He could see nothing. Just endless black tinged with blue. He was so afraid of this place. He swore he could make out his Mum’s tired face in the depths.
I’m coming … I’ll be there soon … You won’t be tired any more … I promise …
Suddenly Krish felt so alone that he could feel the loneliness dragging him down and down… That sinking feeling isn’t fear, he valiantly tried to tell himself. You’re just going deeper and deeper and that’s how it feels… He looked down into the blackness and convinced himself he could see her face smiling now… That’s why you’re here…You’re getting closer…You’re getting closer…
The seabed began to take shape. Ridges and trenches cut across the marine landscape but there were no signs of life. This shouldn’t be called the Night Ocean, he thought. The Dead Ocean, more like. Surveying the ocean floor from above, he spotted white dots in the distance. He swam in their direction. He was in luck. There were scores of giant oysters laid out before him. He swam down
and inspected the crusty shells. He gingerly tried to prise one open with the metal bar. To his surprise, he opened the oyster with incredible ease. The thing was dead and one half of its shell snapped clean off and floated away. But there was no pearl. He tried another. The same happened. He tried another and another and another and another. They were all dead and the pearls had deteriorated to a black fragments. It must have been a long time since they were alive for the pearls to have rotted away.
He swam around in panic. These creatures must have been dead for hundreds of years. Thousands, on this world! He swam in urgent circles, breathing hard and fast. It was a trick! The King had tricked him! There were no oysters left alive in the Night Ocean.
After several minutes his mind became calm again. He looked about and saw that the oysters were in a rough line, leading to the mouth of a trench. He swam over and looked down into the bottomless groove in the ocean floor. There could be nowhere deeper and darker and farther away from home than this, surely. But he peered into the darkness all the same. The blue flame illuminated very little but there was something… some little white shape in the unlit chasm. He was terrified of the dark now, so much more than before. What if it was some ravenous fish that had been waiting for a morsel of food for decades?
Krish was afraid but he knew that if he could just take a closer look…
He could take a closer look… When he’d seen the Vulrein his vision had been magnified. What if he could focus it on that white shape in the depths? He’d been able to look around a little when he’d seen them before. It was a mad plan but he knew that if he got that deep into the trench and there was something waiting down there, escape wouldn’t be easy. Just a quick peek… Just for a moment…
A fraction of a second was all it took for Krish to give in to temptation…
*
Legs beating the water … dark shapes moving …
deeper and deeper …
*
Oh, God! They were in the water! Not even in the shallows! Their red eyes saw him! They corrected their course and were on their way down to him. But how could they stand the pressure? How could they breathe? They weren’t usual creatures, that was what Balthrir had said. But Balthrir had said… She was wrong. The water hadn’t really put them off. Not for long anyway.
But Krish had also seen a cave. A faint light coming from the end of a long passage in the rock face. And at its end he saw…
He had no time. He dived into the pitch-black terror, praying he’d make it out alive to see his Mum, his Dad, his sister, to see Balthrir, to see anyone ever again. He shot through the water, his eyes fixed on the spot where he had seen the oyster.
He’d lost it. The blue flame struggled to pick out any details whatsoever. His head darted from one side of the chasm to the other. Nothing. The water rushed across his tired, stinging eyeballs as he sped through the blackness. He had no choice. To alleviate the pain at least, he shut his eyes.
*
… a glimmer in the depths .. .a tunnel of soft light …
*
… the shapes … dark shapes entering the chasm …
*
He opened his eyes. There! Just above him to the right. He’d swum right past it.
He turned, rushed towards the mouth of the cave above him. Curious lights of green and orange, dancing, mesmerising, on the walls of the—
A shot of pain. An excruciating sensation spread through his body in an instant, originating in his Achilles’ tendon. The light from the passage had blinded him and, for a moment, his eyes had been shut and a Vulrein had seized the opportunity. But all he could see now was blood pouring from the wound on his foot into the water.
Krish pulled out the knife and slashed and slashed around his foot. It had no effect. He’d have to close his eyes to attack them with any accuracy.
He closed his eyes.
Bubbles erupted from the beast’s mouth. He felt the vibration from its growl and its tightening grip sent another surge of pain through his body. He could see it up close now. The horrifying creature’s eyes were the red-black of magma but he saw something almost human in its stare. He was reminded of every cruel, vindictive person he’d ever encountered. Its charcoal coat clung tightly about its bones, emphasising its sharp features, and there were more of them homing in on him.
Krish slashed maniacally at the Vulrein, caring not if the blade cut himself or the creature first. The bag over his shoulder wasn’t helping. It was floating all over the place, getting in the way of both his seeing and hitting the beast. The blade tore across the creature biting into his foot. Blood of shadow poured from the beast and the others barked wildly in the deep, the terrible noise low and muffled by the water. But its grip was just as strong. In seconds the whole pack would be upon him. He thrust his arm back, the parrel stone helping push the water aside, and readied himself to dive the blade straight into the neck of the beast with all his might. The knife hit rock, the blade flattened itself against the mouth of the cave, the handle parted from his fingers and his weapon drifted out of sight. The bag blocked his vision once more. He thrust one hand inside and seized the metal bar. He struck the beast but its teeth simply sank deeper into his flesh. The bar was heavy and even with the parrel stone the water was slowing him too much. He jabbed at the Vulrein’s dull red eyes. Its fierce, unforgiving malevolence never dimmed as he struck the beast again and again. The others were paddling with remorseless purpose towards him. They were spread out to reduce any chance of escape. He had seconds. He struck once more and the Vulrein winced in pain, pawed at the metal bar as he retracted it for one more strike. A split second before he hit the creature it opened its mouth and bit at the bar. The relief was instant but the water stung as it moved in on his wounds. The rest of the pack were excited by the clouds of his blood which were now mixing with the water.
Then something caught his eye…
He was now lying just inside the mouth of the cave, rocks packed tightly into the ceiling above. He pulled himself backwards, until all but his feet were in the cave. The Vulrein were on his heels. Their jaws opened wide. He jammed the bar into the tightly packed rocks and a volley of stone deadened those red eyes.
All was quiet.
Krish was in pain but for a moment or two he relaxed.
He lifted a handful of rocks off his leg. His lower leg was riddled with cuts and grazes, clouds of red pouring into the water from his stinging skin. He’d seen how to cope with this on some TV programme his Mum had let him stay up and watch one night. He tore off the lower section of his T-shirt, brushed the grit from the gashes in his skin and bound strips of the length of material – roughly cut with some help from the metal bar – tightly around the most severe-looking of the wounds.
He took in the silence once more. There was certainly no Vulrein on his foot any more. But one could be in the chamber the rockfall had created. The fluctuating lights guided him as he slid backwards on his rear, searching for the knife. Once he’d found it he pressed himself against the wall, to make sure there wouldn’t be one behind him, then held the blade in front of him, his arm tense, ready, staring at the pile of fallen rocks that filled the cave mouth.
He shut his eyes.
*
… pawing at rocks … energy dwindling
… they were still … waiting …
*
His lids parted and he sat calmly in the underwater cave. He had outsmarted them. For now at least. He couldn’t tell if there were any fewer of them, if any had perished in the rockfall. He didn’t even know if they could die. They had bled, he’d seen that, and Balthrir said he would have to fight them at some point.
But this did not concern him for now. He had been awake for so long. He had run, he had swum, he had fought, and his eyes ached with tiredness. The parrel stone should burn for two to three days, Balthrir had said. And right now, he could sleep without any fear that the Vulrein could get him.
Just for a few hours…a few minutes… he thought. Must rest�
��
His eyes shut. The Vulrein paid him no attention and, for now at least, he barely feared those terrible creatures that filled his dreams.
The water swirled around Krish, the lights soothed him, drifting past like a mobile hanging from the ceiling above an infant’s cot. He slept in safety for the first time in so long. The only noise, which he hardly registered, was the tiniest crunch, like the sound of a light tap to crack the shell of an egg.
CHAPTER 19
THE CAVERN OF LIGHT & COLOUR
… sniffing at fallen rocks … some searching …
no other way in … waiting …
*
Krish opened his eyes and sat up. He’d rested more than slept. Visions of the Vulrein in his dreams told him they weren’t any closer to finding a way in. He still feared them but he was considerably more relaxed about their presence than before. Not that he should be relaxed: he was no closer to finding a pearl.
He floated through the cave. As soon as he moved, pushing himself along with his hands against the walls, he found he was still rather weary. But he was hungry more than anything. The amplified vision, staring into the cave from above with his eyes shut, had given him a false impression of how long the cave was. It had felt a lot shorter when he was looking from the top of the trench. The water meandered past his ears, making them deaf to the sounds of the cavern. It masked another sound too. The tiniest cracking noise.
