by C. S. Harte
Maria looked at Naveed.
He shrugged his shoulders.
Maria chose the left path. Naveed tugged on the makeshift rope between them and shook his head. She quickly swam back to the start.
The dais was completely submerged. The little ledge was gone, leaving Maria and Naveed no place to rest, forcing them to tread water to stay afloat.
“I think we may have thirty minutes of air left,” Naveed said in between gasps for air.
Maria nodded, her expression solemn.
“I don’t know how you can swim so much. I’m tired just holding on to the rope.”
“I think we’re close. You saw how the fish reacted to the alien markings?”
“Let's hope so. Not much time or air left.”
“I’m going to make this trip myself. Wait two minutes then go to the first fork. I should be coming back around that time. If you see something big following me, collapse the tunnel on top of it.”
Maria went back in before Naveed could argue.
“Good luck,” Naveed whispered.
Maria swam with more intensity than before. The school of fish was behind her instead of guiding her.
Fork number eight.
One minute underwater.
With all the light in the cave coming from behind, the tunnel took on a more menacing quality. She swam toward darkness and away from the light.
She reached the markings. An important decision loomed in front of her. Left or right.
Two minutes.
Time was running out, only affording her one chance to choose correctly.
Maria went left.
The school of fish did not follow her.
She swam in complete darkness essentially feeling forward with her hands.
A new light source resembling a lantern appeared.
Maria paddled towards it.
As she approached the lantern, she saw a cable connected to it.
Two more light sources turned on. These appeared to be globes.
Maria froze. She could feel a current pulling her closer towards the lights.
The two new light sources were eyes.
Maria’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Her mouth opened as if in a scream. Precious bubbles of air escaped her body.
Floating in front of her was an enormous mechanical fish. Its metallic frame took up the entirety of the tunnel. The jaw was disproportionately huge, easily the largest part of its body. Where teeth would normally be, this monstrosity had jagged saw blades. It was a Frankenstein of sea monsters, and it stared straight at Maria.
She immediately flipped around, swimming faster and harder than ever before.
Three minutes.
Even with her head start, it was catching up to her.
She passed the alien markings. The tunnels became brighter. Her entire chance of escape rested on whether or not Naveed was waiting for her at the first turn to collapse the cave system.
Three minutes, thirty seconds.
Two-thirds of the way back.
Maria’s arms were slowing. Her movements became less graceful. Her body was tired and starting to cramp.
Three minutes, forty-five seconds.
Naveed was indeed waiting for her at the second fork, buying precious seconds for Maria.
Naveed immediately placed his palm on the nearest wall to collapse the tunnel.
A falling slab grazed Maria. She winced and cried out in pain, losing more precious breath.
Naveed started the collapse too soon.
Three minutes, fifty seconds.
Naveed realized his mistake and tried to slow down the collapse.
Fatigue settled in Maria’s muscles. She was swimming at less than half-speed.
The colossus behind Maria unhinged its jaw, opening it wide in anticipation of a kill.
The boulders continued their fall, gradually filling the tunnel.
Maria’s was nearly at her limit. Her speed was slowing further still. Only a small gap remained in the stone wall meant to seal the monster inside. Her legs stopped responding. She was relying entirely on her arms.
Three minutes, fifty-five seconds.
Maria finally made it to the wall but was too big to fit through the remaining hole.
Naveed grabbed her arm through the hole and with his added strength, she was able to slip through.
A second later another boulder tumbled from the tunnel roof closing the wall, forming a permanent seal.
Naveed slammed his hand into the rock wall and triggered a cave in of the entire tunnel system. Everything began shaking violently. The shockwaves reverberated throughout the cave.
Maria didn’t wait for the collapse to finish and continued her swim back to the surface. Her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen.
Naveed followed her, albeit at a much slower pace. He had a confident smile on his face.
After about ten seconds of rumbling, the entire cave went silent.
Imperceptible at first, a rock shifted position behind Naveed. Neighboring boulders began to stir and fall.
Naveed stopped his ascent and turned around. Multiple rocks exploded towards him. A medium-sized one, roughly the size of a small dog, struck Naveed in the chest and knocked him down to the tunnel floor.
In its final death throes, the metal nightmare sea creature launched all of its bladed teeth at Naveed.
A pink cloud formed where Naveed once was as blood mixed with the ocean water.
Maria was above the surface, unaware of Naveed's critical status, fighting hard to catch her breath. She began laughing and crying. As far as she was aware, the sea creature was defeated. But Naveed never rose to the surface. She yelled his name repeatedly. No response. Her face became frantic. She dove back down to see a giant pink cloud spreading over the floor of the cave. Naveed’s body could be anywhere. She disappeared into the opaque water. Visibility was virtually non-existent.
If the loss of blood didn’t kill Naveed, the loss of air surely would.
Maria’s search became frenzied. Precious seconds of life continued to tick. Her legs began cramping, her chest burning with pain. Every moment underwater was agonizing, but she persisted in her search. She was Naveed's only hope of rescue. After a minute of searching between the limits of life and death, she found him. Maria used all her remaining strength to pull him to the surface. She held on to his unconscious body as she paddled to stay afloat.
“C’mon Naveed! We did it!” She cried. Her tears were indistinguishable from the water streaming down her hair. Maria’s voice shifted softer. “You did it. It was all you. I owe you my life. Please don’t leave me.” She brushed his hair back with her hand.
A ball of light slowly moved up toward her from below. It enveloped Maria but not Naveed.
She instantly fell asleep.
Naveed’s lifeless body, freed from Maria’s arms, drifted down into the darkness below.
The ball of light shrank with Maria inside and disappeared.
45
“Try to steer him towards me!” Helen yelled. She adjusted the gears of an ice ballista loaded with a razor sharp ice bolt. Masa created a dozen of these anti-dragon weapons around the ice fortress he built earlier.
The dragon was circling again, spewing giant orbs of fire at Masa’s defenses as if probing for weaknesses.
Masa met each fireball with his own ice orbs. The two elemental flares detonated upon collision, producing a fireworks display of light and sound.
“Almost…” Helen whispered to herself while adjusting her aim. “Just a little to the left…”
The dragon flew directly in front of Helen’s sights.
She quickly fired her missile.
It immediately dove, avoiding the oncoming projectile.
Masa reloaded the ballista with a touch of his hand. “You will need a second one. It's too smart. The first shot will be a diversion.” He palmed his hand on the floor, and another ballista materialized, preloaded with its own ice bolt.
Helen
nodded. “Get him in range again. I won’t miss.”
The dragon perched itself on a trebuchet.
One by one, large boulders magically appeared, filling the slings of the trebuchets surrounding them. Each stone ablaze as if ignited by an imaginary hand.
“I don’t like the looks of this,” Helen said. Both hands covered her mouth.
Masa rubbed his chin. “I wonder if the dragon is the mind controlling everything. Perhaps killing it will stop all the…”
Before he could finish, all the trebuchets unloaded their arsenal. The air suddenly filled with shrieks and sharp whistles coming from all sides. Dozens of flaming boulders, a barrage of shooting stars, rocketed their way towards the ice fortress.
Masa and Helen stared at the oncoming missiles, quiet and emotionless, seemingly resigned to their fate.
The black dragon roared in the distance.
Jaime watched Kayla as she slept next to the fire within the safety of their cave. He was the only member of the trio to escape without injury. His right hand was forming and dissipating fireballs with ease. His left-hand was stuck in a permanent clench. After some time, he got up and walked to the edge of the mountainside. He dropped to a crouch and stared down the cliff into the forest. “I really hope those snakes didn’t follow us.”
Victor joined Jaime at the edge. “I think the combination of the river we crossed and the steep mountain terrain should be enough to stop them.”
Jaime glanced at Victor’s shoulder and grimaced. Blood was still seeping through the multiple layers of bandage made from shirt sleeves and pant legs. “How’s your shoulder doing?”
“My arm is still attached. Can't complain.” Victor tried to move it, resulting in a wince. “How’s Kayla doing? I saw you staring at her for almost an hour.”
Jaime shrugged. “You’re the closest thing we have to a field medic. You tell me.”
Victor sighed and returned to the cave. He knelt beside her injured leg, scrutinizing his patchwork bandage. “She's asleep. No fever yet. No infection. Overall still alive, so good as can be.” Victor sat and continued to sharpen a stick he found into a spear.
“Mind if I take a look at that spear?”
Victor handed Jaime the makeshift weapon.
Jaime began twirling it like a baton. He pointed it at Victor’s shoulder. “That wound looks like it needs stitching.”
Victor swiveled his head to look at it. “Wish I had a needle and string.”
Jaime pointed at the sky. “Those oversized flying turkeys have stopped circling us at least.”
Victor peered up. “Where are they now?”
“I see them perched on a treetop eyeing us.” He used the stick to help Victor find them.
Victor adjusted his bandage, wincing again. “Your fire didn’t seem to do much the first time around.”
Jaime shrugged. “It was a weak attack on my part. Something quick to get them off you.” He refocused his attention on the stick again spinning it behind his back.
Victor tapped his chin with his fingers. “Say that we find a way to bait them. You still think you can make a fireball big and hot enough to take them down?”
Jaime grinned. “Oh, I can make my fireballs pretty hot if I had sufficient time to charge up.”
“OK, you see that ledge over there?” Victor pointed towards a rocky outcrop to the left of the cave reachable by a walkable path.
Jaime nodded his affirmation.
“I can stand there and draw their attention. Then when the vultures get close, you throw the biggest, hottest fireball you’ve ever made in your life at them.”
Jaime’s eyebrow raised. “You’ll be able to get out in time?”
Victor grabbed the spear from Jaime in mid-spin.
Jaime continued his twirling motion, taking him a few seconds to realize it was now in Victor’s hands. “I see your point.”
Victor grinned and placed his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “I’m still very fast.”
“When do you want to do this?” Jaime asked.
“Now would be a good time. Before I go into shock from the blood loss.”
Jaime nodded. “That makes sense. My schedule is currently free so now works for me too.”
Victor stood on the rocky outcrop he pointed to earlier.
The giant condors launched into flight as if sensing an opportunity. The two beasts reformed their circuitous flight above Victor.
“C’mon. Come and get me,” Victor said waving his arms at the flying monsters.
Jaime stood just outside of the cave, his feet shoulder width apart. Both palms faced up, nursing tiny flames. Jaime grunted, and the flames began to stir as if given an infusion of wind. They grew dramatically in size, swirling violently within an invisible sphere. Jaime tilted his hands inward. The fireballs began to merge, like two white dwarf stars becoming a red giant. His grand fireball was ready.
Kayla heard the screeching of the flying beasts in her sleep, waking her up. “What’s going on? Are they back now?”
Jaime did not turn around. “Can’t talk right now, busy making my fireball super hot and big.”
Kayla pulled herself towards the cave entrance getting a better view of the action. Pain coursed through her leg as she moved. “What is Victor doing out there?”
“He’s the bait,” Jaime said, casually understating the gravity of the situation.
Kayla was horrified. “He’s what?” A question and an exclamation.
One of the condors broke away from the circle and disappeared behind the volcano.
Jaime shook his head. “That’s not good. I was hoping to hit both of them.” The fireball was now the size of his entire torso.
Kayla noticed a glint of light, moving in Victor’s direction. That’s odd. What could that be?
The remaining condor started its dive towards Victor.
Jaime pushed his hands forward, sending the fireball towards its target.
Kayla raised her hands to her face when the realization hit her — a snake whose scaly skin was reflecting the moonlight was heading straight towards Victor. “Run, Victor!” Kayla screamed at the top of her lungs. She tried to stand but instantly fell when pain poured into her broken leg.
Jaime turned to see Kayla on the ground in tears. “Don’t worry. Victor’s going to dodge in time.”
“Snake!” She pointed at the moving glint next to Victor.
Victor did not hear Kayla’s warning. He stood still, baiting the condor.
The snake crawled up between the rocks, got on its hind quarters, and lunged at Victor.
A split second later, the fireball and the diving bird of prey collided just above Victor. The sound of the blast echoed through the mountainside. Flames engulfed the condor, consuming every inch of the bird. The air filled with the smell of roasted meat as the giant beast fell into the forest.
Victor was stunned from the snake bite and was not able to use his speed to escape as planned. The force of the impact threw Victor off the edge.
Jaime and Kayla watched in horror. The sequence of events that lead to Victor’s fall was too quick to stop.
Jaime rush to the edge where Victor dropped. Relief washed over his face.
Victor was hanging on to the side of the mountain with his one good arm.
Jaime tried to reach for him, but Victor was too far below.
“Hang in there bud. I’m gonna get Kayla to lift you up.” He dashed back to the cave to retrieve Kayla.
The second bird of prey swooped in and pounced on Jaime with its claws and carried him into the sky. The razor- sharp talons punctured Jaime’s legs, arms, and torso leaving behind a pool of blood where Jaime once stood.
“Noooooooo!” A surge of adrenaline filled Kayla. She started to levitate. Her body was now upright, floating. Her irises had disappeared; she looked possessed. A field of light surrounded her, the air hummed with electricity.
She floated to where Jaime last stood. With her left hand, she reached for the flying beast.
> It stopped in its tracks — neither flying nor falling. Kayla was its puppet master, pulling its strings. The monstrous bird began thrashing fiercely, screaming an ear-piercing screech, fighting to escape Kayla's will.
With her right hand, she made a closed fist and slowly opened her fingers. The claw holding Jaimie released its grip.
Jaime’s unconscious body plummeted.
Kayla opened her right hand and faced her palm up. Jaime was suspended in mid-air as if floating on a magic carpet. She lowered her right hand, controlling Jaime’s descent, navigating him to safety on the ground in front of her.
She closed her left hand into a fist, punching it into the ground. The skin around her knuckles split open. Droplets of blood dripped from her fingers.
The last condor slammed itself into the mountain at a supersonic speed. Its body flattened on impact, falling harmlessly down the mountainside.
She glided to the cliff edge to help Victor.
“I can’t hold on forever!”
Kayla nodded. She held out her right palm.
Victor tried to reach for Kayla with his damaged arm, but his strength gave way. He lost his grip and tumbled.
Kayla caught him with her talent.
Victor’s descent halted in mid-air.
Kayla raised her hand.
He slowly floated up.
Kayla placed him on the ground next to Jaime.
The relentless snake was still attached to his leg. She used her Chi to pry its jaws open and launched it far away.
“Thanks! And wow! That was badass!” He leaned over to examine Jaime. “He looks pretty bad. Gashes everywhere and a lot of blood loss. He needs medical help now, or he’s not gonna make it.”
Kayla nodded.
Victor suddenly fell over, seizing. He struggled to speak. “Snake… Poisonous…”
Kayla’s milky-white eyes returned to normal. Her levitation ended. Whatever supercharged her talents had drained from her body. She pulled herself towards Victor and Jaime, crawling despite the pain.