Skimming the Surface

Chapter 2

Shit

Kairi registered shock on the diver's face. He attempted to bring attention to her but she bolted away before the other divers turned to look. She heard the clickings of their communication devices. The confusion on why the sea lion was immobilized would be solved once they figure out about her. With her injury, Kairi's movement proved to be slower but she could still swim faster than those divers.

Kairi navigated through the reef ducking under coral formations and rocky ledges. She found the lack of sea animals disturbing but she needed to escape first. Hopefully they return later. Kairi didn't know if mermaids could use magic so she avoided using any even though she knew the men had started to cast some around the reef. From the clicking, she realized that they were starting to pinch her in.

The soldiers' formation casted an enclosing net between them and a rocky section of shore that lined this side of the island. Thankfully, there were quite a few small holes in the rock ledge that often led to caves. Dodging in and out of the coral, she discovered a cave entrance that she would barely squeeze through. She dove for the entrance but her hips were trapped by the walls. Panicking, she squirmed and wiggled until some of the rocks gave. It agitated her wound but her adrenaline kept her going. Using her rune knife, she cut a section of rock large enough to cover the entrance.

Squished in a dark tunnel was certainly better than tied to a lab table. At least that was what her parent's always told her. They warned her multiple times about the danger of being discovered. Just the thought of being used as a lab rat caused her great headaches. She never wanted to experience that and she would have to be extra careful from now on if she wanted to keep it that way.

Kairi felt around in her pack until she found her waterproof flashlight. She carried one just in case she stayed out in the water too late. The light revealed that the tunnel continued further up. Placing the flashlight in her mouth, Kairi continued squeezing through using her arms to maneuver forward. Sadly, the cramped area prevented the use of her tail. At some points the area became too narrow and she worried about being stuck again. Each time Kairi ended at an area like that, she would cut the opening larger with her knife, just in case. The jagged rock would also brush against her side sending jarring pain through her. At one point, Kairi almost passed out from the pain of one jutted rock touching her side.

Finally the tunnel widened as Kairi surfaced. She expected to breath in stale air but instead a fresh breeze passed over her. At least there must be an opening to the outside to cause this draft. A smooth rock ledge bordered one side of the pool that Kairi climbed out of, huffing from the exhaustion. She laid down for a moment, her tail shifting into legs again.

Kairi avoided looking at her side too closely but it did need attention now. She took the flashlight and shined it at her side. The sea lion's claws caused a very clean wound because it took the cut a second to start bleeding again once out of the water. It was a clean cut all the way from her obliques down to her mid thigh. The amount of blood started to nauseate her.

Normally, her tail could withstand damage and if she did get injured, one of her abilities was self healing. The claws apparently blocked her healing. She wasn't a Venus mage so she didn't know any healing magic. Kairi dug into her pack pulling out her wet t-shirt. Ripping it apart she fashioned a makeshift wrap. She tightened the wrap to apply as much pressure as she could handle. She didn't know if the wrap around her leg would last once she turned back into a mermaid though.

Kairi winced as she stood up to look around. If she found an entrance to the surface she could leave from a different part of the island. Her flashlight reflected off of something further into the cave. As she approached, she discovered that a large metal door stood at one side of the cave. Its smooth exterior showed no way of opening. Nearby, in the cracks of the cave wall, laid a hand scanner covered in a layer of grime. Poking at the hand scanner produced no results, just a blank pad and a sticky hand.

Next she tried her rune knife to see if she could take a chunk out of the door. She pressed the knife against the door but it stopped as soon as the tip came into contact with the edge. There must be an anti-magic seal on the door. An alarm started to blare echoing off the walls of the cave. She didn't know who would respond but she knew she didn't want to be there when they arrived.

She limped around the rest of the cave, eventually discovering a small pathway to the surface. Thankfully, the path was wider than the one she took through the water. After a short, steep climb, she appeared in the island's forest. Blood soaked through her makeshift bandages and started to drip down her leg. She didn't know how much more blood she could lose before passing out.

After a few minutes' walk, she reached the edge of the forest. Carefully peering out, she could still see the military boats. Some of the soldiers started to search the beach area already. Kairi could hear one of them barking orders to the others. Probably bonus day if they caught two magical creatures. Some of the soldiers headed towards the forest, her signal to continue before they reached her.

Once the soldiers disappeared from her view, she dove into the water. The wound caused the transformation to be even more painful than she imagined. With no divers in sight, she darted out of the island vicinity. With plenty of time, she casted a small spell with the last of her energy to boost her speed. Blood trailed behind her but it dissipated quickly. Sharks were the least of her worries though. She could tell the effects of the adrenaline were fading.

Kairi's vision started to swirl as she swam. The mid afternoon sun was bright and jarring. At one point, she couldn't tell what was up or down. What was usually a fifteen minute swim felt like hours. Finally she recognized her boat house, she made it home. Swimming under the doors she popped up in the dark shed between the dock and the small boat. She heaved herself onto the dock, flopping onto her back. She briefly realized the docked boat seemed unfamiliar but it was a fleeting thought as the world turned black.