Southern Secrets: Book 2 in Southern Charms Series

Chapter Fifteen: The Below

Rose

Okea's response to my sentencing should have clued me in that below was a place far worse than somewhere two stories down. We left the world of light and glass behind, returning to stone and damp, and ended up somewhere dripping and murky. Okea's scales banded together on her legs, providing a shield against the cold water that rose to my knees. The black leather jeggings I wore provided no such protection, and within minutes, my teeth clattered together loud enough to echo through the tunnel.

"Those with magic struggle to survive in the below," Okea said, pressing her palm against a swirling symbol. Amethyst light flared beneath, and the rock wall split like it had in the cave, one half sliding to the side until we had an opening big enough to walk through.

"And those without?" I asked.

Okea did not turn to look at me. "We've never put an impoten in the below."

You're not putting one in there now. I thought, hope blossoming among the fear tightening my chest. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on me. Getting my magic got me into this mess, but having it might be the only thing that would save me.

The girl ahead of me stopped, spinning around, purple power fizzing at her fingertips while her dark eyes swept the small space. I looked around too and saw nothing, though the chances of me seeing anyone in such low lighting were slim, anyway.

"I thought I heard someone following us."

"Who would follow us to the below?" I asked, shooing my hands at her in the universal sign of get a move on. "I can't imagine it's the destination spot in Atlantis."

"I am glad you are in such good spirits. Enjoy them while they last."

Gulping, I vigorously rubbed my arms to fight off the cold winding its way through my body, a product of both the icy water now sloshing at my thighs and the terror Okea's words summoned. The bluster and bravado that landed me in the below fled when the floor gave way completely, leaving me to tread water. Okea swam as if she possessed fins rather than feet- not an altogether impossible scenario considering her scales, but it was too dark to tell if she'd transformed.

"We have to go underwater to reach our destination," my guide and guard said, pointing to a spot where the small space between the ceiling and water disappeared.

"Oh, n-n-no, we don't," I said, swimming backward and shaking my head so hard chilled slimy bits of hair slapped me in the face.

"You can follow me, or I can magically bind you and drag you through. I promise you, it is much better to be in control when swimming through here. It is not far."

Tears formed in my eyes, the warm liquid spilling over my lashes and briefly warming my cheeks. It was tempting to let her bind me, but after spending my life at the mercy of others, I couldn't do it. Slamming my eyelids shut, I gave myself a fierce pep talk.

Acantha Rose Wych, you are a Siphon and the granddaughter of the Queen and King of freaking Atlantis. You can swim through a freaking little hole. Hell, how do you know you won't develop gills?

My magic woke and unfurled inside me, its gentle hum growing louder as if it was shouting in agreement with every word I said. Calm invaded every limb, soothing my nerves until at last I opened my eyes and found Okea staring dumbstruck.

"No power?" she muttered, snapping her fingers and creating a bright light. Setting it in the water, it dove into the depths with an eagerness I couldn't match. "This will be our guide."

Then she dove, leaving me no choice but to follow her. Despite having been almost completely submerged earlier, the cold intensified a thousandfold when my head went under. It was almost enough to make me forget myself and suck in a shocked breath, but self-preservation won out, and my lungs remained free of frigid saltwater. Yet, I could not move, the numbness invading every vein and limb froze me to the spot.

Okea's face appeared before me, and she touched my face, sending a jolt of white-hot heat into my body, giving my limbs enough power to follow her and the bright light. Follow her into a place where we could not surface to catch our breath. A place where if we drowned, our bones would drift to the depths, never to be found.

These thoughts paraded through my mind as I kicked and paddled, fighting against a current Okea had not warned me about. The reprieve from her magic was gone, and every movement was an effort. I was convinced each would be my last until all of a sudden, fingers curled around my collar and dragged me up until fresh air slapped my wet face in an icy gust that was so welcome, I almost cried.

"Well, you made it. The last three didn't even do that," Okea said, tossing me against a sandy ledge. "Let's go. If you sit too long, you'll never get up."

"That doesn't sound terrible," I murmured, my vision hazy.

The girl shoved her hands beneath my armpits and lifted me to my feet. She didn't offer anymore magical assistance, but her sharp shove propelled me forward. The floor was the same gray stone, only now instead of being under water, it was covered in mounds of white sand that shimmered like stars, offering us the only light as we continued our journey to the below.

"How are we not still under water?" I asked, not understanding how this wasn't all flooded.

"Magic."

"Of course."

Neither of us spoke for the next thirty minutes. The air grew stale and humid the further we went, but at least the chill was gone. In fact, I shrugged off my jacket as the heat became too much and pressed my knuckles to my cheeks. They were on fire.

"Fabulous."

"What was that?" Okea asked.

"Only that I'm going to die of fever, and I've not even made it to the below yet."

"It's a possibility," the girl replied, slapping her hand on the wall again and revealing yet another opening. This one, she did not walk through; instead, she pointed. "In you go."

Eyes narrowed, I considered disobeying, but Okea wasn't a fool. Her magic surged to her hand, flickering above her palm threateningly. Wishing I was skilled enough with my power, I stuck my nose in the air in the best imitation of Harmony I possessed and flounced into the room like I wanted to be there.

What I found was nothing like what I expected. The room was perfectly round- the floor perfectly flat. The walls were the same glass as the floors above, but rather than ocean outside them, it was just dark gray rock. It was a giant tube in a cave below the ocean.

I walked toward a spot in the center of the room. It looked like a drain. There was no bed or toilet or anything suggesting any kind of comfort, but overall, not terrible for something that had caused Okea to tremble and witches to die.

"This is it?" I demanded, spinning to face Okea.

Sadness weighed down her delicate features. "It is enough. Goodbye, princess."

The rock wall closed, and I was alone. Left to walk in circles, but other than die of boredom or eventual starvation, I couldn't figure out what made the below so fearsome. They'd even been kind enough to cover the floor in the glowing sand, so I wasn't left in the dark.

Then I felt the first drop. Touching my forehead, I pulled it away and glanced up. It wasn't terribly surprising to find that water dripped from the ceiling, but the drip turned into a trickle that became a steady stream of water that the sand tried to absorb. Within minutes, it was up to my ankles, and there was no sign that the water was slowing down.

Lights flashed around the rim of the tube, just bright enough to highlight the lid sealing me inside with the rising water. Trying not to panic, I floated on my back to conserve energy, but my adrenaline heated my blood, urging me to fight against my fate. It didn't understand there was nowhere to go.

And now I understood Okea's fear of the below.