Inheritance

Part 2. Chapter 46: Dying Flame

While Pollyanna tried desperately to sleep that night, Them drifted off into a deep slumber that he could have done without.

Within his dreams, he encountered something familiar and something terrible.

He was pumping his arms and legs through black liquid that he thought must be water, but it neither looked like, nor felt like, water. The only clue that it was water were the bubbles erupting from his mouth as he swam through the liquid. Otherwise, he may as well have been swimming through a night sky.

He didn't know what he was looking for in the water, nor did he know how he ended up in the water to begin with. He just knew there was something very important within it.

Time passed as an endless black ocean flew by his vision.

Eventually, his lungs were begging him for air in that underwater sludge, but still his legs pumped. They pumped until his muscles were exhausted and sore.

In the distance, he saw the silhouette of the thing he was looking for; an Antler.

The yellow-skinned, double-jointed creature's back was facing him. The Antler was not swimming as Them was, instead, it was standing perfectly still as if it were on land and not floating in the ocean.

Them sped up his pace and pushed his muscles harder.

He came closer and closer until he began choking for air.

He was nearly close enough to touch the Antler when he felt himself getting light-headed.

He reached toward the creature with a wrinkled, blue hand. Tell me my destiny!

Them spluttered and coughed violently as his body forced him to swim toward the surface instead.

He lurched awake with his heart still pounding.

He glanced out the window. It was still dark out. He waited for his heart to stop beating so quickly, and then he went back to sleep.

__

Pete nudged Them awake in the morning.

The waif pulled his blanket over his head. "I can't do it today, Pete. I'm so tired."

Pete floated above him and jingled violently. I know you're nocturnal, but I refuse to let you miss breakfast!

Them gave an obnoxiously long groan but gave in and threw his covers off. "Fine, I'll get up."

He grabbed his uniform and joined the other recruits in the bathing room. He threw off his night gown and snuck a few glances at Taylor before she disappeared into the crowd. Or perhaps she's Eory right now?

After that, they all headed to breakfast together.

Pete noticed how quiet his normally talkative and sunny friend was being as the crowd of noisy and hungry recruits funneled down the cold, iron hall toward the mess hall. Is there something wrong?

Them rubbed his temples with a sigh combined with a laugh. "I'm just ruminating..."

On what the Antler told you? Pete guessed. You're so predictable.

Them nodded as he tried not to get stomped on by the other much taller and heavier recruits. "Yeah..."

He pasted himself against the wall and let all the recruits walk past him so they would stop shoving him and Pete. Afterward, he finished following them to the mess hall.

Them got in line behind dozens of other recruits who had grabbed glass plates and wooden bowls laid out on a table near the entrance to the hall. As the line moved up and Astral Elves behind the serving table plopped various foods onto his plate, he surveyed the mess hall for a place to sit.