Water

Wave Sixty Nine

Evidence of the storm’s devastation was everywhere. Reeds, torn from the seabed, floated freely. Sand covered everything. Bodies of jellyfish lay scattered, torn to shreds on the rocks they’d been hurled into. Leira was used to the inky black waters, but they were usually clear. The storm had turned her world into a murky domain. Even using the light of her orb, Leira could barely see the space before her. More than once, she realised she was off course and had to turn back. But she continued, determined, in the direction of the Nest.
         
As the tide wore on, Leira noticed Marilla’s orb was not depleting. Absorbed, she drew on some of its energy and felt it swirl into her. She peered at the orb. It still shone brightly. How could that be? Leira looked at her wrist-orb. It too, was still full. But she’d been drawing on them since leaving the Black Tails, and was sure they’d been fading. Why were they suddenly replenished?
         
And then she realised. She must be drawing on a Source! There had to be one nearby. Remembering her training with Anahita, Leira quietened. She emptied her mind. The stillness around her grew, and she began to sense other beings. A small squid, a little pod of shrimp, an eel, and something larger – Leira pushed this to the back of her mind. She continued to sense her surroundings. The slightest of whispers brushed her mind, and she welcomed it. Leira turned in the direction of the whisper, keeping her eyes closed. It intensified. Leira opened her eyes. She raised Marilla’s orb to light the waters around her.
           
Cliffs loomed above her, reaching high into the sea. Curtains of sea weed cascaded down them, dark green against even darker rock. Leira swam to the bottom of the cliffs. They were completely obscured by the seaweed drapes. She adjusted Marilla’s orb, turning off the light inside, then did the same with her wrist-orb. Leira panicked for a moment as the complete darkness overwhelmed her. Her eyes adjusted quickly. They were drawn to a section of the long seaweed. It was glowing.
         
With a triumphant snarl, Leira pushed the seaweed aside. It revealed an alcove inside the cliff face. A whisper reached her mind, much louder this time and Leira began to swim into the alcove. She paused. The whisper hadn’t come from inside the cliff. She listened.
(-eira…e’re….oming…wait the…) Someone was trying to reach her! Frustrated, Leira let the curtain fall back into place. She strained to hear the thought again, not letting herself believe it was real. She was still many lengths from her Nest, but a flicker of hope blossomed in her chest. Silence grew and Leira knew she had to continue her search. She slipped into the alcove, the seaweed falling behind her as did, cutting her off from outside.
         
The Source floated freely near the back of the alcove. It was unanchored. Ropes of molten light trailed from its core and it burned with a brightness that was almost unbearable. Leira halted, assessing it. It was smaller than the dying one Anahita had shown her. But compared with the piece she’d been able to hold in her hands for only a few seconds, it was huge. She needed something to store it in. She looked around the alcove, knowing what she’d find: nothing. A quick search confirmed her thought – the alcove was bare. Leira’s mind was suddenly filled with Naeco’s memory. She thought about the Seer who’d been with them. She’d had nothing with her before they stormed the Nest. But she’d left carrying a large stone chest in her arms. Had she just happened to find it? It seemed too much of a coincidence to Leira that the Warrior herd would’ve left such an important detail to chance. If she hadn’t found it, then she must have-
(Made it!) Leira hissed to herself. Trembling, Leira knew what she had to do.
         
Drawing upon the Source, Leira pictured a stone chest in her mind. She moved to the cliff wall. Running her hands over the rock, Leira channelled the Source into the stone. Chunks of rock began to fall away. Gradually, a box emerged from the cliff. Before it was fully formed, Leira connected her mind to the Source. She called it toward her. Amazed, she watched as it burned through the water and settled into the box. She hadn’t even had to touch it! She continued to carve the rock, slamming the lid down on the Source as soon as it was made. She released the Source energy and looked at her work. It was roughly hewn and uneven – but it would do. She drew on the energy that lay inside to help her lift it free of the rock. It stuck fast.
         
Leira fumbled with the chest and a slew of bubbles escaped her lips as she gasped in frustration. Flashes of speech started nagging again, as though someone was trying to draw her away. Mismatched and garbled sentences filled her mind. A shadow blocked her light and she paused. Something had changed.
           
Leira drew her hands to her neck, feeling suffocated now by the thick, dark water. A strand of hair broke free from the shell she’d woven through it. It floated in and out of her vision. She turned her attention once more to the chest. With a heave, she managed to break it free from the cliff. The jumbled projections stopped. Frightened now, Leira brushed the larger remnants away. Stone broke off and splintered, leaving jagged flakes in the webbing of her hands.
         
(He’s coming.)
Leira froze, paralysed by her dread. It was Hali’s voice, but it sounded strained and full of concern. It had obviously taken a lot of effort to project it through.
(Leira, he’s coming now.) Louder this time and more fraught with panic.
         
Ignoring the pain in her hands, Leira frantically negotiated her way through the alcove as the shadow that had been watching her, waiting for her, closed in. She sensed him now, felt he was close. But his mind was silent. She caught a glimpse of him before his attack, her mind giving way to his almost instantly, relinquishing control. She had time for only one fragment of awareness: his tail was black.
         
She had failed.