by A. R. Cook
Gabriel tramped his way through the flooding water and drove his battlestaff through the titan’s hand towards the floundering body of Woasim. The battlestaff was long enough to tap Woasim’s head, and the Wind Hijn grabbed on as soon as he felt it. With a tremendous pull, with Desert Rain and Chiriku helping, they managed to free Woasim from the deadly water.
“Woasim! Are you all right?” Desert Rain asked breathlessly.
Woasim’s ear-fins were wrapped around his face, having created a sort of air pocket while he had been underwater. He retracted his fins and shook his head. “WhydidMerrosdothathe’ssuchaniceguyandIdidn’tdoanythingIjustaskedhowhewasdoingandhetriedtohavethatgiantswishme—”
Chiriku slapped a hand over Woasim’s mouth. “Stop talking,” she said.
“Merros is under possession of Katawa,” Desert Rain explained, knowing Woasim would stay still long enough if she kept it short. “He’s not himself, and there’s nothing we can do for him. You have to get us all out of here, Woasim, right now!”
Woasim’s whiskers shivered as Chiriku removed her hand from his lips. “Merroshasto…” He swallowed, taking a deep breath. He tried his best to slow down. “Merros has to remember who I am. We’re best friends. I’ll jog his memory a little. Be back in a flash.” He was up and off again before anyone could stop him.
“He’s going to get us all killed!” Gabriel fumed.
The Water Hijn’s titan swatted at the zipping Yopeis, who shot gusts of wind at the giant in defense. While the Water Hijn and Wind Hijn dueled, the cog rocked wildly on the plain of battle, staying afloat with a wing and a prayer. The longer the Hijn battled, the more infuriated they both became. The waters became rougher, the wind swirled harder and faster. The overwhelming energy of magic being exerted made the air heavy and hot, making every person on the ship tremble and unable to breathe. The Vermins and Mac, who had made their way to the mast and had been grasping desperately to it, were too caught up in the hurricane, and were ripped from the boat and sent tumbling about in the sky. Desert Rain felt such a crushing weight from the magic that she couldn’t even speak, and she dropped to her hands and knees, thinking her body was going to implode.
She saw a glow shining in front of her. Squinting through the wind and water smothering the air, she could see that the shine was coming from the black pouch, lying on the deck. She was not sure how it had got there, as she could not even remember dropping it. She reached for it, looking into the glowing mouth of the pouch. Reaching in, she grasped the hilt of Silverheart, which radiated such a warm, empowering light, it instantly removed the magical pressure from her. She freed the sword from its velvet sheath, its weight no more than if it had been made of straw. She swore she heard voices coming from that sword, voices of authority and power, voices of purity and life, voices of despair and death. It was the chorus of everything and nothing. She felt the sword lighten even more—it was rising out of her hands. She fought to maintain her grasp on Silverheart, entwining the fingers of both her hands around the hilt. She gritted her teeth, and her whole body shook wildly.
Was this Purelight? It couldn’t be. Desert Rain did not have the power of Purelight, and Skyhan was not here. It was not as if Skyhan had passed that power on to her.
Or…had he…?
A force erupted out of Silverheart. The might of it caused Desert Rain’s body to jerk back violently, yet she did not let go. She was as rooted and petrified as an oak tree. She watched as the white blaze engulfed all in her sight, radiated up towards the two battling Hijn, who stopped dead at the sight of it. The light pulsated and brightened so that Desert Rain thought she had gone blind. Through that blazing fiery light, she saw it—a shape morphing out of the light, writhing as if it were alive.
Yes, she knew that shape. The equine head, the long neck, the world-encompassing wings. She had seen it the last time Skyhan had used Purelight on Katawa, but now she was standing right under it. She could make out a brawny body, with great arms and legs, and a lashing tail that could smash the boat with a single swat. It was all so brilliant that she was not sure if she was truly seeing it, but she could make out that this great being was covered in shining, white-scaled plating.
The magic was too great. This light, combined with the water and wind magic, was like a dam bursting. Desert Rain could no longer breathe, and she felt all the feeling leaving her body. She closed her eyes, knowing that this power was ripping the life out of her.
It’s too much…she thought. It’s too much for me…
A voice, as terrible as thunder but soft as snow, came to her. Perhaps…but you will learn, bearer of the Moonstone. You will learn…
She felt her body falling back…
***
Desert Rain slowly opened her eyes.
Everything around her was still, quiet, and dark. Her body was suspended, drifting in an atmosphere of coolness and tranquility. She could see whisps of her hair float around her face, and everything was in slow motion. A light shown above her, far away, and shadows flitted past the light, swimming in graceful form. Desert Rain’s brain was fuzzy. She could not think clearly, but she could see that all around her was awash in shades of blues.
So, this is the Eternal Deep, she thought. It’s how I thought it would be, except it’s so empty. I thought this place would be crowded with souls, unless I’ve been sent to some secluded part of the Eternal Deep. The place that people with broken souls go.
She was not alone. Coming down from the light was a figure, shining with all the radiance of a star. It descended upon her, its arms beckoning to her. It was a man, encased in pearly armor, his face hidden by a metallic mask. His silvery hair floated behind him, and his warm eyes invited her, called to her.
He…he is here! Desert Rain felt peace and happiness wrap around her. She reached up towards the Swordmaster, praying that she would not pass right through him. But they were on the same plane now…she must be able to touch him.
Her hand grasped his, and it was warm to the touch. He drew her up towards him, into the light he shined…
He reached down and threw aside the piece of derbis that was pushing her down.
That was when Desert Rain snapped back into reality and realized she was drowning. The coolness of her surroundings was suddenly ice cold, and everything focused into sharp clarity. Gabriel held her close in his arms and kicked his way back up towards the surface of the water. Before Desert Rain’s lungs burst, they broke through the surface, and both gasped for air. Desert Rain floated limply as Gabriel swam with her in one arm. He hoisted her up onto a slat of wood, and she sputtered as Gabriel pulled himself up beside her. Once her sight cleared, she saw that they were floating on a section of the S.S. Vermin, and other pieces of the cog were bobbing in the water around them.
“Are you all right?” Gabriel asked, rubbing her arm.
Desert Rain nodded weakly, although she was far from all right. “Wh…what happened?”
Gabriel sighed, shaking his head. “All I remember was an exploding light, and then waking up underwater.”
“The others…where are the others?”
“Hey there!” In response to Desert Rain’s question, Mac Lizard came bobbing by in a barrel, his rear end stuck inside and his legs dangling over the edge. His hair—yes, hair, for he had once again assumed a human physique—was wet and plastered to his forehead. Yet for his miserable appearance, he smiled over at his friends. “That was something! I would’ve enjoyed that-tkk more if I had known I would live through it-tkk.”
“You crazy reptile!” The familiar gruff voice came from Chiriku, who was clinging to a floating piece of wood. Now her feathers were even more brown, most of her blue dye having been washed away. “We get blown up, and you think it was fun?”
“No sense-ssck in moping about it, since we’re alive. Need a hand there?”
Chiriku glowered at Mac. “Find me a bigger piece of wood to grab onto, will ya? This water’s freezing!”
Desert Rain breathed a sigh of relief
at seeing her friends all right. She looked around at the rest of the remains of the S.S. Vermin. She turned to Gabriel. “Did you find the Vermins? And Woasim? Or Merros?”
Gabriel shook his head.
Desert Rain was too numb to panic. She took a minute to regain her breath and wiped her wet hair out of her face. She looked into Gabriel’s eyes, those comforting blue eyes, the ones that had saved her. The ones that had called to her, pulled her out of the depths of darkness. Those eyes—they were hope. Her hope. Even now, in this moment of unknown circumstances, she felt that the others were still alive, that they would be okay. Mac and Chiriku had survived—surely the others did too.
“You…are him,” she whispered.
Gabriel squinted his eyes, either from confusion or exhaustion. He looked away from her, flipping up the hood of his cloak over his face as he had lost his hat. He reached for a plank drifting nearby. He started paddling with it. “You rest now. We need to get to shore.”
Desert Rain clasped him by the arms, turning him to look straight into his eyes. “You are him,” she insisted.
Gabriel sighed, and shook his head. “You think I’m someone else. I’m not.”
Desert Rain’s grip slackened. “You have to be him. For me. Then I can get through this. You have to be him...let me believe.”
She rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. He held her, whether for her safety or her comfort, she did not know. Gabriel gently rocked her as they drifted on the calm, open waters, unsure of their course, unsure of their fate. Despite it all, Desert Rain, for the first time, let hope fill her entire being, let it give her renewed strength deep within.
Let me believe…
End of Book Two.
A native of Riverside, Illinois, A.R. Cook currently resides in Gainesville, Georgia, and is the author of the YA fantasy series The Scholar and the Sphinx. She also has short stories published in the anthology "The Kress Project" from the Georgia Museum of Art, and the fairy-tale collections "Willow Weep No More" and “Shadows of the Oak” from Tenebris Books. From 2009-2013, A.R. was the book review columnist for the Gainesville Times, one of the most widely distributed newspapers in northeastern Georgia.
Visit http://scholarandsphinx.wix.com/arcook to learn more.
