Steven Universe: The Diamond Legacy

The Storm

"Are we there yet?" Chalcedony called from the spine.

I turned around and shouted below. "No, not yet! Stop asking!"

"But we've been out here for hours! We should've reached the island by now!"

"We've still got some leagues ahead of us !" I looked at my compass and phone GPS. "We're making good time." I sat down against the sea serpent's horn, patting her head and drawing my jacket's hood over my face to protect from the sun blazing down. We were making good time.

Skyla landed next to me. "Maybe you should head below. The sun's really strong."

The sun was very strong, and I felt my body push for hydration and shelter from the heat, but someone needed to act as lookout. "I can take over for you." I smiled at her from beneath my hood, tapping my fingers against the sea serpent's scales. She gradually lowered her head like a crane allowing me to walk down the length of her neck, using her spines as a hold. Once I was at the bottom of her long snakelike body, she lifted her head again far above the ocean's surface. Skyla took my position as lookout, sitting between herp horns.

"Captain, tis a find wind carrying us to shore." Chalcedony said in a sailor's accent. She rubbed my back.  I chuckled, watching Selene walk the length of the serpent.

"You need to drink." She said sternly. "It's a bad idea to stand up there for too long, I can feel the water evaporating from your body and your skin growing hot. Stay here from now on. Skyla will be fine taking over for you."

I brought the large canteen out of my dragonscale backpack and took a swig. "If you insist." I plopped down next to Bear, who rested on his paws against the sea serpent's back spines. Jeez it's like I have three moms. My actual Mom, my Aunt Bird-Mom, and my Magically Bonded Bird-Mom.

"Hey I know I've said this about a thousand times..." Chalcedony sat near me.

"No we're not there yet!" Selene and I shouted in unison.

"Ah not that! Wow the twin telepathy's getting strong with you two. I was asking what we're gonna do once we reach Mask Island."

"We find out where the Genesis is on the island and disable it." Selene said. "The machine is powered by the cores. Without the Power Cores, it cannot work. We must find a way to infiltrate the machine and disconnect the Cores." 

I felt a tight knot in my chest from her. "It won't be easy." She warned. "Squaridot will be there, maybe Aragonite and Gypsum too. We need to prepare  for a fight."

I heard one of them murmur doubt. "No we're not turning back! We made it out all this way and we are almost there. If we turn back now, we'll lose our chance to stop the machine."

Callie and Selene gawked at me. "Nora we never said anything about turning back." Chalcedony replied concerned. "We're sticking with this plan all the way through."

I nodded, feeling a slight pressure on the back of  head.

Turn back.

"What?" I darted my eyes around.

Turn back.

"Nora, are you okay?" Selene pressed her hand against her head.

"Did you hear that?" I said nervously. "That voice."

"What voice?" Callie asked.

"A whispering voice telling me to turn back. Don't you hear it?"

Danger

"There it is again!" I pressed my hands against my head.  Selene and Chalcedony looked at each other concerned. "Nora, we don't hear anyone." Selene said.