Water

Wave Forty Three

Leira raced through the murky water, stretching her pale arms out. Her wristpiece glowed brightly, sending light beams shimmering along the smooth scales on her arm. She searched for her team, but they were further ahead. Their scarlet tails cut through the water like trails of blood. Leira stayed in formation, but knew when they neared the old nest, Hali would make her take the lead. Joyful projections bounced off her friends. They were ecstatic to be out in the open waters and free from the confines of the musty chambers. Tal began to chase Nerida and Leira laughed as they lunged up and up, twisting about one another in a rush of bubbles.
         
Catching sight of Hali’s glowering face, Tal resumed his place in their formation and the four continued. They grew more and more quiet as they travelled further from the Nest. It was the furthest they’d ever been, Leira realised. Only she had been out this far, and she watched her friends closely as they gazed around them, wide-eyed, at their surroundings.
         
Wordlessly, the four Mer continued to swim up. The water temperature changed and Leira tensed in the warmer atmosphere. They reached the hatching site. The area itself was several lengths below the old nest and had been formed from a large overhang of rock that framed it. A long thin slab of stone extended from the base of the rock. The slab had a circular depression in it, one that had been worn smooth from the hundreds of mothers who’d carried their young to it to lay.
         
Nerida reached the slab first and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
(What is this?) she asked, holding up a gloopy transparent sphere. At first, Leira thought it was one of the jellyfish they’d been sent to track. Then she spotted more of them littered across the rock.
(It’s a membrane.) Leira thought it quickly to Nerida, who’d been joined by Tal. Tal was also holding one of the membranes, shining his wrist-orb onto it. Leira could see a little blue scale glinting inside it.
(A membrane? What’s a membrane?) Tal thought over to Leira.
(A birthing membrane, Tal. We all hatched out of them; look at that scale. I bet these were laid by a Carver and hatched not long ago.) Hali looked around as though expecting to see dozens of infant Mer materialise. Tal continued to peer at the membrane.
(Birthing membrane…birth…urgh! Disgusting!) He threw the membrane and it hit Hali square in the chest, landing with a loud slapping noise.
(Tal!) Hali reared up and lifted her tail, ready to slash it in Tal’s direction.
         
(We wonder if they made it back.) Nerida’s soft voice tinkled across to them. Hali lowered her tail and swam to Nerida’s side. Tal glanced at Leira with a sigh of relief, glad of the distraction.
(We see no reason why they wouldn’t.) Leira nodded her assurances to Nerida, but privately, she wasn’t so sure. Lately, fewer and fewer hatchlings had managed to make their way back to the Nest. Leira wondered how long it would be before Firth started posting Scouts up at the hatching site on a permanent basis.
         
(Aargh!) Tal’s scream sliced through the water, stopping Leira’s train of thought. Tal clutched his arm; three streaks of red were slashed across his shoulder.
(Tal, are you alright?) Hali projected quickly.
Tal pointed above his head.
(We think we found the jellyfish.) The others followed his finger and gasped. Above them were hundreds upon hundreds of jellyfish; a true swarm. The one closest to Tal had merely brushed its tentacles against him and still inflicted damage. With worried glances, the four Mer retreated. Nerida grabbed Tal’s arm to inspect it.
(It’s just a bad reaction, a sting. No venom.) Leira breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to gaze at the jellyfish nearest to them.
         
It was beautiful. Its tentacles were thin, delicate pearlescent strands, almost the same length as Leira’s tail. They moved about gracefully as the jellyfish drifted. Thicker stands that looked like clear seaweed hung from the main bulk of the jellyfish, which fanned out above the tentacles. The main body of it was dome shaped, transparent, but lined with florescent stripes that lit up the water around it. Its body rippled and flowed as it moved itself back to join the others. Just one jellyfish caused a small, insignificant glow in the ocean, but the whole swarm lit up was dazzling. But they shouldn’t have been this far down.
         
Without knowing why, Leira moved toward them.
(Leira, wait! What are you doing?) Nerida’s thought, laced with concern, reached her. Leira ignored it and kept moving forward. She reached the edge of the swarm and, tentatively, manoeuvred her way around the closest jellyfish, until she was out of reach of its tentacles. Cautiously, she held out her arm and extended one finger toward the body of the jellyfish. She tapped the edge of it with her forefinger and recoiled, waiting. Nothing.
         
Emboldened, Leira placed her whole hand on the giant beast’s body. It was bigger than her outstretched handspan.
(It’s fine. Only their tentacles sting.) She thought this down to the others and turned her face up. The water was thick with the jellyfish. Gently, Leira reached out her mind to one of the creatures. Slowly, she settled her mind against it and felt its primitive thoughts: hunger and, something else that she couldn’t quite fathom. Fear, perhaps. Or despair. She wasn’t sure.
         
Leira jumped as something brushed against her shoulder. Tal’s face smiled over at her.
(Couldn’t let you have all the fun,) he thought to her. Nerida and Hali quickly joined them, carefully avoiding the long tentacles.
(Shall we?) thought Tal, as though a sudden idea had sprung into his mind.
(Shall we, what?) Nerida asked.
(Go and see the old nest.) The others looked uneasy. The old nest had been abandoned since the attack of the old days, left to decay and rot after the Mer had left it. Although not superstitious, most Mer feared it and felt it was a place of bad luck and ill omens.
(We can’t,) Hali snapped. (Firth forbade us.)
(No,) Tal replied, choosing his words deliberately. (Firth told us we couldn’t go up beyond the old nest. He didn’t say we couldn’t go to the old nest.)
Hali smiled at this.
(He still won’t like it though,) Leira interrupted. She was keen to avoid the old nest; being here at the birthing site was beginning to stir painful memories of her mother. She wanted to return to the safety of the Citadel.
(How will he ever find out?) Hali challenged. She pushed past Tal, who shot her an irritated glance, and swam to within inches of Leira. Hali tilted her head, her dark red hair fanning out. Her emerald eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a grin that showed a hint of her sharp teeth. Leira lowered her eyes and forced herself to supress a response. If the others were going, she didn’t want to be left out because she’d annoyed Hali. Meeting Hali’s eyes, Leira shrugged.
(He won’t find out from me.)
(Good.) Hali relaxed her posture and the atmosphere softened.
         
The Mer made their way through the jellyfish swarm, bending and winding their tails to avoid the gossamer tentacles. It looked like they were dancing intricately amongst the clear white mass of bodies, their faces lit up by the jellyfishes’ illuminations. Gradually, they cleared the swarm and before long, they were free of it. Leira twisted and looked down upon the mass of jellyfish. She saw ripples of light shimmering below her as the swarm continued on its way. She turned, and there it was. The old nest.
         
Silently they entered it, awed by the dilapidated grandeur. They turned up the orbs they wore, sending bright, thin beams into the darkness around them. Their lights uncovered the old city. Huge cathedrals, bigger than any buildings Leira could’ve imagined, towered above them. The streets were wide and open, lined with glimmering mosaics of tiles. Colourful murals decorated buildings, faded now. Schools of fish darted in and out of the buildings, the city’s only inhabitants. Leira couldn’t believe the sheer size of the abandoned place. The Herd, her Herd, must have been colossal to have filled this space. They swam close to the ground, as though reluctant to rise up and explore the higher buildings. Maybe the others were more scared of Firth than they’d implied, Leira thought to herself.
         
Leira’s great tail kept grazing the seabed, scraping along the tiles of the streets. She glanced down and bright colours glinted in the light of her wrist-orb. Dozens of jewels lined the tiles. They were scattered everywhere in this section of the city, all of them different shades and colours. Her heart sank to her stomach as she realised what they were. Scales. Torn from the tails of her ancestors as they’d battled to defend the nest from the attackers.
         
Nerida followed Leira’s gaze and her hand flew to her mouth as she realised what she was seeing. Hali must’ve felt their distress because she swam back to them, and the three of them gazed down sadly at the horror.
(Can we leave now?) Nerida asked, looking at Hali with mournful eyes. Hali didn’t answer; she simply flicked her tail and span around, agreeing with Nerida’s request. Leira could tell that she regretted bringing them here.
(Wait, where’s Tal?) Leira thought suddenly, projecting loudly.
(I swear, if he’s hiding and trying to jump out on us…) Hali thought the last four words especially loudly, trying to threaten Tal. Leira impatiently reached out her mind, searching for him. She sensed him.
(He’s this way,) she told Hali and Nerida, flicking her hair away from her face as she turned and continued deeper into the city. She felt the others following her, but, impatient to find Tal, Leira raced off ahead.
         
She found him sitting on a lone boulder, head in his hands. The tip of his great ruby tail was dug into the sand below, anchoring him. Torn, ragged scales littered the seabed. He swayed slightly in the current. It was stronger up here. His head was clasped in his hands, his long hair flowing through his fingers. Leira joined him and placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. He twisted to look at her and she saw tears in his eyes.
(I had no idea this place would be so-)
(I know.) She thought it kindly, and he rose to leave with her, shaking the sand from his tail. Leira glimpsed Nerida and Hali still rushing toward them and she raised her arm to wave at them.
         
Her arm snapped back. It almost hit her in the face as the strength of the current whipped about her. She was pushed backward into Tal, who responded by grabbing her hand, trying to battle against the sudden surge of cold water that hit them.
(It’s no use!) she thought desperately to Tal as the water streamed around them and they struggled to swim against it toward Nerida and Hali.
(Swim across, not against,) she urgently projected. She felt Tal change direction with her. Managing to turn her head, Leira viewed Nerida and Hali through a blur of bubbles. They watched helplessly, safe from the freak channel of water that was sweeping her and Tal away.
         
Her arms tiring, Leira tried to drag them down toward her sides, meaning to let her tail do the work. But the force of the current would not allow it. Leira frantically attempted to swim across the channel of the rip current, bumping against Tal as she did. With a sudden ferocity, the current intensified. She was being swept along. She hurtled through the old city until the unrelenting tide shot up, dragging her and Tal with it. Up and above the old city they flew, until the current threw her and Tal into a dark cavern. They were slammed into it, hitting the back wall with a mighty force. Leira landed heavily on the cavern floor and looked up just in time to see the mouth of the cave go black.