Music From The Deep

More Than You Know

Sedrick, come here!

Sedrick twisted in the water, swimming quickly to where he could feel Mare's vibrations in the water. When he was by her side, she turned and grinned at him, before pointing down. Below was just inky blackness.

Or so he thought.

Mare dove deeper, outstretching her hand to something. That's when Sedrick felt the vibrations of something very large, rising from the bottom of the sea. Mare flashed her light up scales, and through their light Sedrick was able to make out the form of a massive fish, well over twice as long as he was tall.

It bumped its rounded snout into Mare's chest, making her float up a little. She rolled over backward before swimming underneath the fish's belly, running a hand along the length of its body. It made some sort of noise, almost like a contented hum.

Cautiously, Sedrick swam up beside Mare, eyes wide as he looked at this beast. He didn't know what it was, he had never seen anything like it before. Its nearly pitch black skin looked rough, though it wasn't scaled. It had a long flowing tail, though he could tell it was laced with thick, corded muscles that propelled it through the water.

This is Rika, Mare explained, swimming so close to the creature that their tails brushed with every stroke. Isn't she beautiful?

As he watched Mare and Rika swim, he found that he couldn't disagree. Despite how unusual Rika was, she was a beautiful creature. A spiky fin stuck out of her back, and Sedrick could see the points of sharp teeth poking out of Rika's lower jaw. And while her eyes were big, they were black as bottomless pits with only a tiny spot of white at the very center.

Can she see? Sedrick found himself asking, swimming close but not enough to touch the strange fish. I've never seen anything like her.

She can see a little, but not much. She doesn't need to be able to see in the dark, she can feel things move. That's how she always finds me. That and sometimes she can see my lights. Mare spun away from Rika and made the lights on her tail and fins pulse. The big fish turned her snout toward Mare again, swimming under the Mer's belly. Of course, you haven't seen anything like her. She's not like me. I can go to any depth I wish. Rika cannot. If she were to go any higher than where we are now, she would die. There is more than you know under the waves.

Despite the unease that crept up Sedrick's spine at that statement, he just asked about Rika. How come?

I don't know. Magic? Rika and her kind don't have magic, not like I do. She is of the natural world.

Mare let her hand slide over Rika's back as the fish started to descend. There was a wistful look upon her face, as though she wanted to join Rika, before she turned to Sedrick with a smile. To him, it looked almost forced.

We can follow her if you want. Sedrick said, as much as it made his scales itch to think about descending any further than they were.

Mare's face lit up slightly, literally. The bioluminescent patches on her face took on a hint of a glow, before Mare shook her head.

I think you would be fine in any depth like I am, but I want to be sure. Besides, you lived all your life seeing the sun. Do you... want to go look at the sky again?

Sedrick's heart leapt and he nodded quickly. Mare smiled at him, and it made his stomach hollow. Then it rumbled and he took a stroke back in shock. He had completely forgotten about food. Mare giggled at him, flicking her fin to come to float beside him.