Dark Water

Chapter Seventeen

The second journal has far fewer entries with larger amounts of time between them.

The first few are descriptions of how Ceaserni is decorating The Oasis, sketches of designs and sea creatures and the occasional Polaroid photo of him in the boat, out in the rocks or out on the little rocky outcrops that are dotted around the surrounding water.

One later entry catches Flynn's attention.

'They have found me, the sons of heaven have returned to my life once more.

They were asking me to join them, to convert and let me their healers try to cure me. I declined once again, their leader became angry once more and began calling me all sorts of names.

I have no interest in their juvenile behaviour, why should I follow a god that did nothing to care for me in the beginning and stole my mother from me?

Their threats do not concern me. Let their arrows rain.'

Flynn takes notes and in the following entries Ceaserni describes finding his nets damaged, decorations vandalised and other acts of annoyance that the angels have cast upon him.

Flynn wonders how such childish behaviour turned into murder, then he turns the page.

It's a photo of Caeserni, bruised and beaten.

He explains that one of the angels disturbed him while he was swimming and when he swore at the winged being they attacked him.

The tribal man still does not fear them, simply vows that next time he will not be the one walking away with bruises.

Flynn turns the page again and the next entry is far longer than any other.

'I killed an angel. One of God's greatest warriors is dead by my hand.

I have no doubt that there will be retaliation but I do not regret what I have done. They should know better than to attack me in the water.

They are birds and I am a shark.

I had been out on the south outcrop doing a bit of night fishing, got a good catch with enough to see me through the next two weeks.

All of a sudden I hear wings beating and then I'm flat on my front because one of them has kicked me forward and their leader is laughing at me for not being aware of my surroundings and offering me the chance to convert again.

I kicked out and caught him in the thigh, pushed forward off the rocks and slid into the water.

I held my breathe and swam into the crevice below the outcrop, heard them muttering and swearing before they left.

I knew that climbing onto the rock would be risky so instead I began swimming away and then I was under water with an angel on top of me. The fool was obviously trying to knock me out but he was putting on such a show that every fish for miles must've felt the vibrations.

The sharks were circling below us and I didn't fancy being eaten so I grabbed him by both wings and twisted until the joints popped and he opened his mouth to scream, must've inhaled quite a bit of water because he started gagging and trying to get to the surface.

I was so angry, everything seemed to boil over and it was as though I saw red because I was holding him under and squeezing his throat.

He stopped moving, stopped gaping and clawing at me.

I let go, swam to retrieve my belongings and left the body to the sharks.

They know what I have done and I no longer care.

If they wish to kill me, then let it be known that I shall fight.'

He has signed the bottom of the page with his name and the Hollow Borne symbol, exactly like the one painted on the side of his boat.

There are no more entries after that, just blank pages that Flynn cannot bear to look at.

He leaves his notes with the demons, steps out onto the deck and climbs across onto the rocks of the Oasis - lying down next to the water on the plateau.

He stares up at the sky and wonders how many times Caeserni saw the stars of the gods and prayed to be saved.