A World No One Knows (bxb) [editing and rewriting]

Chapter 12

What just happened? I hear a shout and race over to help Zander with the serpent. I keep swimming and wonder how far he managed to lure the serpent away. Finally, I see Zander fighting it, and I'm glad to see that he's winning. The serpent is far enough away from the lava that it's getting weaker. It still fights to tooth and nail though until, with a final swing from its tail, it collapses. Zander inches closer to it, and ice materializes from his hand. It looks like an ice spear, and I realize what he's going to do. I swim out from behind the rock and stop right between Zander and the serpent.

"Stop! What are you doing?" I shout, confused.

"Blaise? You shouldn't be moving! You're hurt."

"Stop worrying about me. I'm fine." I point to the serpent. "But it won't be when you kill it!" I glare at him.

"Why are defending it? It tried to kill us. It hurt you!"

"You didn't tell me that you were going to kill it!"

"I didn't think it mattered. It hurt you. Or it did? You're healed. How?"

"That doesn't matter."

"Blaise."

I cross my arms. "Put the spear down, Zander. It won't hurt us anymore."

I'm not an it. I'm a girl.

"How do you know? How can you be certain?"

"Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The guilt the serpent has? It's practically oozing out of her."

"Her?"

"Yeah. She's a girl."

"How do you know that?"

"She told me."

"She told you?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"Right now."

"I don't hear anything."

He better not be able to hear me. I have some things to say to him. Trying to kill me. I'll kill you instead!

"How can you not— ow!" I hold my head. "Stop yelling."

"I'm not yelling."

"I'm not talking to you." I look at the serpent. "I can hear you just fine. No need for yelling."

Sorry. Also for attacking you.

"It's okay. Why did you though?"

I don't know. One minute I'm eating, and the next I'm up here with you. I feel so weak.

"It's okay. I got this." I turn back to Zander. "She's weak, and she needs to get to the lava. But I can't move her by myself."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm supposed to believe that you can hear it? I'm not stupid."

"I didn't say you were, but can you really not hear her? She's really quite loud." The serpent blows hot air from her mouth, and it hits me in the back of the head. I laugh. "Sorry, but it's true."

The only true thing here is how fucking rude he is.

I gasp. "How did you not hear that? Isn't this some kind of weird mer magic? Like the water things."

"Not that I'm aware of. And trust me, I would know."

Now I look at him and see how serious he's being. "Wait, really? You're not messing with me?"