by J. J. Egosi
“What are you saying?” Isabella wondered.
“I’m saying there might be something supernatural at work here. Something beyond our understanding.”
Alexa grinned. “Have you been reading those comic books I gave you?”
“And what do you mean by vindictive?” Julianna said, growing curious.
“I think this guy might have a score to settle with the lizardmen.”
“A score to settle?” Alexa said with a pensive glare. “Interesting theory.”
“I guess that would mean I’m not the only one out there with an aversion to them,” Ursula said.
“Unless you’re the one that posted the bounty and just forgot,” Alexa said with a snicker. Ursula laughed, too.
“Could you imagine?”
The joke freed the atmosphere of tension. Smiles and relaxation went around—the girls didn’t seem bothered by his suggestion at all.
“Maybe you’re right,” he looked out of the window, moodily wishing they’d taken him more seriously.
“By the way, how are we going to be alright driving back like this?” Isabella looked out toward the dents of the exterior. “I know the engine or whatever’s running, but we’re in pretty bad shape.”
“Michael could fix it,” Alexa suggested. “But like you said, we’re not in the best of shape.”
“So, what are our other options?” Julianna asked.
“We could wait for a mechanic, but since the tank is pretty full, I can go on ahead and do this.”
Alexa smiled as she flicked a switch bearing a symbol of many tools forming an entity resembling a hydra.
“Do what?”
They all went silent as the sounds of gears twisting and turning bellowed across the ship—drills buzzing and other strange mechanical sounds unfamiliar to them.
“What’s going on? What did you do?” Isabella asked.
Julianna looked outside the window. With astonishment, she noticed the dents buffing themselves out.
“No way. This ship is healing itself.”
Alexa examined the levels in the circular screens and verified the many pre-drive checks. All was clear. With a smile, she flipped all the switches. Water sprayed across the exterior, washing away the mud as wipers appeared shortly after to finish the task. “It’s a little gas-intensive, but I have some extra gallons in the trunk if we need it. I just hope it didn’t all evaporate under the sun.”
“I’m not sure what any of that means, but this is so amazing,” Michael said.
“Yeah, doesn’t your steamcraft run on steam?” Ursula asked. “I think I remember you telling me that.”
“Good memory,” Alexa smiled. “This steamcraft is made out of pretty old parts. As a result, the way it operates is a bit out of date.”
She listened in to the sounds of thuds and scrapes taking place inside the vehicle fixed itself with a sense of pride.
“This means it needs gas to power the coals that then boil the water and ignite the steam within.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to get a new steamcraft?” Isabella asked.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to find a husband that isn’t mine?” Alexa sneered.
The shattered windows retracted into the doors. After a humming noise for a moment or so, fresh new windows rose to replace the old.
“I’m glad you think so,” Alexa smiled. “Just try to relax and enjoy the rest of the trip. Whatever you think is out there, remember we have most of the titans on our side.”
“Yes, not to mention Julianna’s swamp beast and all the lizardmen we captured,” Ursula said, smiling.
“Thank you again for giving me Xendrazi’s core.” Julianna smiled.
“My pleasure.” Michael nodded with a smile, too.
“That’s right. Until we sell them, they’re still technically familiars, so they can defend us, as well,” Alexa said.
Michael continued to look out of his window, concerned about Alexa’s overconfidence.
“I don’t know. I think Julianna has a point. She knows first-hand what it’s like to run into a bad deal. I think we should be careful.”
“We’ll be fine. As long as we focus on the money, we can’t lose!” said Alexa.
She descended the steamcraft toward the island’s coast and parked it by one of the large rocks at the cliff’s end. The air was misty from the water below. There was a brash wind that blew through the high grass that was both alleviating and haunting. The group proceeded to exit the ship; into the freezing night again.
“We’re here!” Ursula said, excited.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Michael said.
“Oh, cheer up. We’ll be fine. Remember, I’m your tour guide in these mysterious lands.” Ursula spoke in a chipper tone.
Michael flashed an anxious smile. “You certainly seem to be in higher spirits.”
“Yeah, well, I’m just glad we’re done with those lizard freaks,” Ursula said, smiling as she gazed out into the restless sea.
“Hey, something isn’t right,” Alexa interjected.
Michael’s eyes widened with panic. He and the others turned toward her with the same level of nervousness.
“What is it?” Julianna asked.
“These coordinates lead underwater.” Alexa looked closely at her steamdroid; making sure she didn’t misread it.
“That can’t be right.” Ursula leaned in to get a closer look.
“I knew something was wrong,” Michael added.
“Relax, Michael. I’m sure the merchant’s located in some underwater cave. We’ll just quickly dive in, get our money, and dive right out.”
“You say it like it’s so simple,” Michael said with a somber gaze.
“This ship is waterproof, so we’ll be fine.”
“Well, if you say so,” he said.
He then heard something that dragged his attention away from them. A beautiful, but haunting, hymn broke through the deathlike silence of the night. Michael had never heard anything like it before.
“That voice… it’s so beautiful.”
As if called by the sea, itself, he walked away from the group, following its alluring chants.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Alexa asked with a bewildered gaze as she suddenly saw him walk toward the cliff’s edge.
“Such a wonderful voice,” he said as he continued to follow the singing voice.
“Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you!”
“I must find that beautiful voice,” he mumbled with a vacant expression on his face.
He continued to walk toward the voice until he reached the end of the cliff. “Hey, what are you doing?!” Isabella said, panicking.
Michael then turned around and looked at the girls with a crooked grin on his face.
“I have no time for women who can’t sing. They can’t heal my spirits like she can.”
He spoke to them in an eerie tone that left them shaking. They gasped as he edged toward the end of the cliff and then he walked off the edge
“Michael!”
The girls all screamed as they watched him disappear into the mist. They released their wings and flew toward him, hoping to catch him before he fell. The growing fog and misty air impeded their vision as his silhouette faded.
“Shit, I can’t find him!” Isabella said in a fit of panic.
“What the fuck did he even do that for?!” Alexa yelled. “What was he thinking?”
“I think that might answer your question.”
Julianna pointed at a strange feminine figure mounted on a rock on the coast of the beach below them.
“Is that… a mermaid?” Ursula asked.
“Looks like it. I thought they were only legends,” Isabella said.
“Apparently, they’re very real, as well as their tendencies to lure men into the sea,” Julianna said.
The creature had the upper half of a seductive woman. Her lower half resembled a fish. Her shades were vibrant: flashes of pink and blonde and a sea
of darkness. She was a fantasy forged by many sailors.
“No kidding.” Isabella’s eyes widened at her alluring presence.
She and the others watched, unnerved as she smiled before sliding off the rock and disappearing into the endless ocean.
“Yes, if my memory serves me, mermaids are known for that trait. They use their chanting vocals to bring them in. Then, when the men get close enough, they drag them into the sea,” Alexa said, looking over the ledge.
“There’s not a lot of shoreline down there. Do you think he landed somewhere down there?” Ursula said, scanning the narrow strip.
“Possibly. Either way, though, he was most likely already dragged down by that sea whore.” Isabella gritted her teeth.
“What the fuck are we doing here, then? We have an archangel to rescue!” Julianna said.
The girls nodded in agreement. The four of them quickly piled into the steamcraft and ignited the ship’s engine before they could even buckle down. In less than a minute, they took off and descended toward the vast ocean below.
They plunged with a vicious slash and soon found themselves several feet below the surface. The moon’s glow was so faint now.
Enveloped in the blackened seas, Isabella watched out of her window, distracted by the aquatic life around her.
“This place is incredible!”
“Yes, welcome to the Jurassic seas. Beware, as these waters are filled with voracious predators,” Alexa said.
“Predators?” Isabella said, nervously.
“Yes, meat-eating monstrosities who hide deep in the trenches of the sea, waiting for their next victim.”
“I see. In that case, we better get out of here sooner, rather than later,” Julianna said.
As they moved further down, a fish the size of a whale swam by their ship, flashing the darkness with its bioluminescent eyes and teeth.
Isabella watched it swim by, horrified from its deep green gaze.
“That’s just a sichthys. They’re more afraid of you than you are of them,” Ursula said, watching the fish open its gaping jaws to swallow the school of tuna up ahead with a single unhinging gulp.
“I doubt that,” Isabella said, taking a deep breath as she watched hundreds of fish enter its mouth.
“Focus on finding Michael, you guys. He could be anywhere in these waters,” Alexa said, as the ship moved deeper and deeper into the blackened sea.
“How deep do you think she took him?”
“Given the seas are vast, I suggest we use a tracking spell,” Julianna said.
“That’s actually not a bad idea.” Alexa looked down at her steamdroid’s battery level. It had dwindled to its final quarter. “My steamdroid is running low on power, but our spells can far outlast them.”
“I guess technology isn’t so great after all.” Isabella chuckled.
“Do you want me to eject you?” Alexa snapped.
“Sorry.” Isabella gulped.
“Well, does anyone know any tracker spells?” Ursula asked.
The four of them paused for a moment or so. Frustration began to build. They discovered in moments by the stares in one another’s eyes they were all less than fluent in that line of practice. Alexa took a deep breath.
“There should be a spellbook in the back seat. Isabella and Julianna, I want you to read it, Make sure Ursula masters it.”
“Wait, why Ursula?” Isabella asked.
“And why can’t she read it?” Julianna asked.
“Her reading skills are poor at the moment from being raised out in the wild,” Alexa said.
“I see.” The realization saddened them but they nodded in acknowledgment.
“However, her sense of scent is fantastic. Paired with a tracking spell, we should be able to find him in no time,” Alexa said.
“Sounds like a plan.” Julianna smiled.
“Good, now get to work.”
The three of them nodded. Julianna and Isabella rifled through the storage compartment behind Ursula’s seat. They found several nuts and bolts, along with some old snacks and a newspaper, before finding the spellbook.
“Here, we are,” Isabella said.
She flipped through the pages until she found what appeared to be a tracking spell simple enough to learn in minutes.
“This looks good.”
“Can I see it?” Ursula leaned over her seat to get a closer look.
“Are you able to read it at all?” Julianna asked.
“Just a little,” Ursula said.
“Well, how about we read it out to you and you can read it once you’ve mastered the spell?” Isabella asked.
“Deal!” Ursula smiled.
Isabella and Julianna nodded. They took turns reading the same three-line passage of the spell. They repeated it several times until Ursula had it devoted to memory. The girls helped her recite it too and she caught on quite effortlessly. Alexa looked over in her mirror. She smiled upon seeing the progress they were making.
They moved further down into the dark waters. Feet became yards—hundreds—as the last of the moon’s light vanished and the creatures grew more scarce. All that glowed were the luminescent fins of abyssal beasts hovering in slow motion.
“This place is really freaking me out,” Isabella said.
“Yeah, tracking or not, going here at night was a big mistake,” Ursula added.
“What do you mean?” Isabella asked.
“Since you’re from here, can you tell us anything about those predators Alexa mentioned?” Julianna asked.
“Well, I can tell you even the weakest ones have an advantage over us since we’re air breathers in their territory. Other than that, I don’t really know anything. I’ve actually never seen what lives down here, despite my many years of studying them.”
“Then, how do you know there are really predators down here?” Isabella asked.
Ursula looked at her with a cold glare in her eyes. “If you’ve seen what I’ve seen on these lands, you’d also have no doubts these waters are plagued with monsters, as well. Though, the washed-up carcasses of both dinosaurs and sea monsters upon the shores prove convincing enough.”
Julianna, shocked by the serious expression on her face and the deep conviction in her words, gasped at the sight of the creatures suddenly appearing around her from the darkness: from giant squids to reptilian sea monsters, many clawed crustaceans, and anglers. Each one was larger and more terrifying than the last.
Ursula nodded and turned off the light in their ship, leaving them with only a red light to accompany them.
“Hey, why’d you do that?” Isabella asked.
“One more thing. It’s worth mentioning that these creatures feed at night, so try not to make any sudden movements,” Ursula said, gazing out the window.
“They can’t detect the color red, however,” Alexa added. “So we can see them, but they can’t see us.”
“That’s one way to level things out,” Julianna said.
“And didn’t I tell you not to touch any buttons?”
“Whoops.” Ursula giggled as Alexa rolled her eyes and groaned.
As they moved deeper in the water, the sea creatures around them began to disappear after completing their hunts and fighting, leaving behind just the blood and darkness in their ocean path.
Isabella’s heart began to beat very quickly, noticing how dark everything was becoming.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually feel even worse without the sea monsters around. At least I felt some sort of presence nearby. Now… I feel nothing.”
“That happens when you’re more than ten thousand feet beneath the surface.” Alexa looked toward the ceiling. “Luckily, the ship is equipped to handle far greater pressure. Still, I recommend we all take one of these.”
She dug into the front compartment and grabbed a bag containing tiny cube-shaped tablets. She reached behind them with a handful.
“What in fresh hell are those?” Isabella asked.
“They�
��re abyssal tablets,” Alexa replied. “In the case water penetrates the ship, we’ll be able to not only survive the pressure of several raptors crushing our shoulders but even be able to swim our way out.”
Alexa took one from her hand, placed it in her mouth, and chewed on it.
“They’ll filter out the water as if you have gills. You’ll be breathing like any other fish. Perhaps better.”
Julianna and the others stared with incredulous looks on their faces before following suit and sitting back.
“And I thought being around nothing was bad. Now, I have to consider the possibility of being out there with all those creatures,” Isabella said.
“Then, prepare to feel even worse than nothing.” Julianna looked ahead, completely horrified at what she found.
From the infinite darkness, strange humanoid shadows hid in the distance, peering toward them with large eyes.
“What are those?” Isabella spoke with a tremble.
“Even I don’t know,” Alexa said, transfixed on their appearances.
As they moved forward, they were met by the most horrifyingly ghostly figures they’d ever seen. They were pale in complexion and were covered in fins and scales. The vacant whites of their eyes sent shivers down their spines.
The ghastly creatures grabbed onto their ship and shook it out of control.
“Shit. We’re under attack!” Alexa screamed.
The girls all began to shout in a fit of panic, holding tight under the impact.
“They’re breaking through the ship’s shell!” She exclaimed in terror.
The walls began to crack as the bolts holding them untwisted, releasing water into the ship. Slowly, it began to fill until they were up to their necks in the blackened waters of the Jurassic abyss.
Chapter 6
Blackwater Cult
T
he girls released themselves from their seats and swam toward the ceiling of the ship as the water bucketed in.
“There has to be a way out of here and away from these things.”
Isabella planted her face against the ship’s ceiling. Though the water didn’t tester her breathing, she couldn’t stand to face those haunting features in the eyes.
