by Serena Yates
Blinking to get used to the brilliant sunshine, Elryk looked around to see a tall, stick-like creature walking towards them. It looked like a cross between a human and a tree, its head a mass of tangled vines and new branches sprouting on its branch-like arms and legs.
Nysat touched one of its arms, and a wooden shovel formed, which he passed to Elryk. He pointed at the flower-covered ground at his feet.
"Start digging. I will take the guardian for a walk.” Nysat smiled as he started to move away, tugging the silent guardian with him. “Good luck."
Good luck indeed.
Elryk shrugged and started digging in the indicated location. He'd managed to go about two feet deep when he got tired. Kaythan took over and soon the shovel met resistance with a soft thud.
"I guess that's it.” Kaythan's cheeks were flushed as he bent down to carefully brush the earth aside.
He revealed a small wooden box about the size of three hand widths on each side. Its top was green and it felt warm when Kaythan put it in Elryk's lap.
"Just be careful when you open it.” Kaythan looked worried. “We don't know what's inside and I hate you having to take all the risk."
"I love it when you turn protective. Have I told you that?” Elryk bent to the side and kissed Kaythan on the cheek. “I'm not going to die."
"I don't care how safe you think this is.” Kaythan had relaxed a little and sounded less aggressive. “I just ca—I just want to make sure you're safe."
"I will be. You're right here with me, so I'm sure we'll be fine.” Elryk rubbed his hands. “I guess I just open this box and see what happens, right?"
Kaythan nodded and squeezed his shoulder.
Elryk put his hand on the lid of the little box and closed his eyes. Touch was an important part of earth magic and he wanted to know if he could find out anything before opening the box. The warmth against his legs increased and the box started to hum. The lid snapped open and there was a small egg-shaped crystal inside that, in turn, shimmered from a deep, vibrant brown to a bright green.
He lifted his hand and pulled it out, feeling waves of earth magic pulse into him. Kaythan's grip on his shoulder tightened and his mate moaned. The box tumbled to the ground and Elryk folded his hands around the crystal, absorbing all it had to give. Strength flooded the back of his neck, the scent of damp earth and growing plants surrounded him. He felt soft grass under his feet and heard the low vibrations of a small earth tremor.
After a while, the imagined perceptions faded and he returned to reality. His hands were empty, the crystal was gone.
Elryk turned towards his mate, Kaythan's big blue eyes burning into his, and smiled. He already felt so much stronger, so much more alive, and he'd only absorbed one of the five types of magic. But since this first step had worked, there was new hope for the rest to fall into place as well.
When Kaythan bent down to kiss him, he forgot everything and gave himself over to the feeling of being wanted. Surely they'd have some time to enjoy their newly mated status?
The earth magic soon started building inside him and he rejoiced. When it didn't stop until it grew into an overwhelming need to move—right now—he got worried. When a rolling rumble surrounded them, he almost panicked.
By the time he tore himself away from Kaythan's lips to see what was going on, there was a thunderous bang and the grass vanished from under them.
Instead, they were floating on a flimsy raft in the middle of the wide-open ocean.
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Chapter Five
* * * *
"Crap!” Kaythan's head reeled from the sudden change of environment. He grasped the logs making up their raft with all the strength he could muster.
Going from sitting on perfectly stable ground to floating along on a rickety raft that might or might not break apart at any moment wasn't what he'd expected. In fact, he hadn't expected to be moved somewhere else at all. He was used to initiating a transport to a new location with the appropriate magical devices. Getting transported by a wizard, the way Nysat had done, was also fine. At least he'd had some inkling of what was going to happen. But being transferred without his consent was a new experience, and one he didn't like.
"I guess water magic is the next one on the list.” Elryk gazed around them with wide eyes, took a deep breath and smiled. “Just look at those beautiful blues and greens. Not a cloud in the sky and absolutely nothing between us and the horizon. I love the open ocean."
"Humph.” Kaythan relaxed a little once he didn't see or sense any immediate danger. This much water made him nervous, though. It just wasn't his thing. “There's an awful lot of it around."
Elryk threw his head back and laughed. He'd never heard his mate laugh before, and it was a wonderful sound. He was going to make sure that he heard it as often as possible. After they'd made it out of their current predicament.
"All that water is sort of what makes this an ocean. “Elryk stopped grinning with an effort, but his lips gave him away. They kept twitching as he spoke. “What do you think we need to do here? If this next piece of the key is somewhere under the surface, we're in deep shit."
Just as Kaythan opened his mouth to respond, the water next to one side of their raft started churning, as though it was about to boil. Large air bubbles rose from below, causing small waves that made their raft go up and down in nausea-inducing movements. He really didn't like this chamber.
He grabbed Elryk's arm and held onto the edge of the raft with his other hand, trying to stabilise them as much as possible. The unpredictable waves caused by whatever was happening next to them didn't make it easy. But since he didn't know what creatures lived here, and didn't particularly want to find out, he wasn't about to let them take an involuntary swim. Not if he could help it.
What looked like sea grass started rising from the depths, joining the large air bubbles. A head followed, making him realise that those strands must be hair, not grass. A woman's delicate face was revealed, then naked shoulders. Her skin was as white as Elryk's, but with a bluish hue where his mate's was rosy. Her slender arms floated up, resting at the surface, and the splash of a fishtail where her feet should have been completed the picture.
"I'm Alwiil, the guardian of the second chamber of the temple of Tah'Muyd. As you may have guessed, I'm in charge of water magic.” Her voice was melodious but her smile held no warmth. “What is your business here?"
"We're looking for the second piece of the Muyd'Zel.” Elryk smiled. “Can you please tell us where it is?"
"That all depends.” Alwiil's eyes narrowed.
"On what?” Elryk's smile turned less certain.
"On who sent you.” Alwiil's tail vanished back underwater. “And on how strong your water magic is."
"Arith, the seer, told us what to do. Nysat, the earth wizard, sent us here after we retrieved the first piece in the last chamber.” Elryk's shoulders slumped. “And I have no water magic at all."
"Arith? So he remains among the living.” Alwiil nodded. “Since he has always been a good friend, despite being a lofty air wizard, I'll tell you where you can find this next piece of the Muyd'Zel. But obtaining it will not be easy if, as you say, you are without water magic."
"Of course not.” Kaythan snorted. “These things are never easy."
Alwiil stared at him as if he was slime that she'd just pulled out from under a rock. From her perspective, he probably was. After all, he truly didn't have any magic where Elryk had just temporarily ‘lost’ his.
"Kaythan!” Elryk flashed him an angry glance.
"The reason it won't be easy, warrior, is because the second piece of the Muyd'Zel lies at the bottom of the ocean.” Alwiil grinned. “Only a very strong water wizard would be able to lift it up from the depths."
"So how can we possibly do it without water magic?” Elryk frowned. “We don't even know its exact location."
"You can thank Nysat for placing you directly above it. You only need to dive straight down to get it.” Alwiil smirked. �
��However, only one of you can go. The other has to stay on the raft or it will vanish, making it impossible for you to advance to the next chamber. Also, your time is limited because once the diver enters the water, the raft will start to disintegrate."
Kaythan sighed. He knew where this was going.
"So it's a test of our trust in each other as well as of our determination to obtain the Magic Key.” Elryk nodded.
"It is indeed.” Alwiil turned serious. “Do you accept the challenge?"
Elryk looked at him, the question about who Kaythan thought needed to dive into the freezing water clear in his eyes.
"I think I should go.” Kaythan held up a hand to stop Elryk from protesting. “I'm physically stronger. You're still recovering from the gateway episode. And I think that you might be able to stop the raft from disintegrating too quickly, giving us more time."
"Huh?” Elryk's eyes widened. “Of course! The raft is made from wood and should be susceptible to earth magic."
Alwiil chortled. Whether in agreement or for a darker reason he really didn't want to know. He'd never liked any large body of water since his older brother had tried to teach him how to swim by throwing him into a lake. He'd been three years old at the time and if his mother hadn't seen everything and had come to his rescue, he would have drowned.
A dive of unknown length into unfamiliar waters was a challenge for anyone. His personal issues didn't make what he was about to do any easier, but sending Elryk made no sense at all.
"Let's do this.” Kaythan took off his boots, vest and tunic, briefly enjoying the interest in Elryk's gaze as it roamed across his bared chest. His belt and pants followed, leaving him in his briefs.
"Are you sure?” Elryk cleared his throat and tore his gaze away from Kaythan's crotch with an effort.
"I'm sure.” Kaythan cupped his mate's cheek and pressed a brief kiss onto his cool lips. Elryk looking at him as he undressed had him half hard, but there was no time to indulge. He had a job to do first. “Hold the raft for me?"
Before he could change his mind, he started taking deep breaths to increase the oxygen level in his blood. When he was ready, he smiled at Elryk, filled his lungs with as much air as possible and dove head-first into the cold water.
Alwiil had said the piece of the Muyd'Zel they were looking for was right underneath the raft, so he dove straight down. Arms and legs working in tandem, he made what felt like good progress. It was getting darker very quickly, and the cold would eventually make moving very difficult. Not to mention his air supply that was going to run out, probably before anything else could get serious enough to make him turn around.
He shuddered at the thought of being unsuccessful and having to try again. There was nothing for it but to keep going. He could only hope he'd be able to find the piece of the Magic Key on his first try.
Suddenly there was movement to his left, then to his right. Huge shadows approached him. Crap. They looked like oversized sharks. He was in his briefs, without any kind of weapon, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be able to swim faster than them. Whether that was straight down or back up towards the surface didn't matter. If they decided to attack, he'd be lost.
He might as well continue and hope for the best. Maybe they would ignore him. Hadn't he heard somewhere that they wouldn't attack as long as there was no blood? There were lots of non-aggressive species as well, so maybe these were some of the harmless type.
Eyeing his new companions carefully, he was amazed to see that they kept a respectful distance, swimming alongside him as though they were some kind of escort or honour guard. They were behaving like dogs. This was strange, but he certainly wasn't going to complain.
Just as the pressure in his lungs became noticeable and he started to worry about his air supply, there was a hint of light ahead. He increased his efforts, pushing downwards with all the power left in his straining muscles. He squinted to try and see better. There it was—a blue-green glow amidst a nest of seaweed. It sat on top of what looked like a coral reef. At this depth, it was bound to be something else. Then it hit him. This was the magical realm, not Tah'Nut, so a lot of the rules that he was used to wouldn't apply here. It could very well be coral.
Crap. He was beginning to babble in his own mind. His air was definitely starting to run out. He needed to hurry if he wanted to make it back to the surface without drowning.
He moved as close to the object as possible, briefly wondering where the light came from, but deciding that it was a magical object and that he wasn't going to complain about being able to see it.
It was a shell-shaped urn, which was green on the bottom and a swirling blue and white on top. He reached for it, grasping it with fingers that were beginning to go numb from the cold. Shit, he'd already been underwater for close to a minute, and he still had to make it all the way back to the surface.
He pulled the urn close to his body and turned around, heading back to the surface. Needing one arm to hold the urn slowed him down a little, and he hadn't risen too far when the need to breathe became so urgent it hurt. He was still too far below the surface when his legs gave out.
Fuck, he wasn't going to make it.
Briefly wondering if the small urn he was holding would float to the surface if he let go, so that maybe Elryk could retrieve it and continue on his quest without him, he noticed that the sharks were coming closer. Oh, great, now that he was even weaker than before, they were going to eat him after all.
Two of the large beasts swam alongside him. They pushed their noses under his arms, while a third one bumped his ass, and kept pushing. All of them moved in concert, and they increase his speed to three or four times as much as he'd managed on his own.
Amazing.
He looked up. The surface was approaching at an alarming rate. Just before he thought they might catapult him completely out of the water they slowed down, nudging him ahead with a gentle push. He was still moving fast enough to shoot up, gasping for air his first priority once he broke the surface. He got hold of the raft with one clammy hand and held on for dear life.
Made it!
* * * *
Elryk didn't like being left behind. He was the one who needed the pieces of the Magic Key so he could function again. Barely into the second challenge, he'd already had to let Kaythan do all the hard work. His mate had been reluctant to go into the water, Kaythan's wary looks had betrayed him. He hated that Kaythan had to risk his life for him, just because he'd lost his magic and couldn't seem to get it back unaided. Fuck! He hated feeling so powerless.
Every second that Kaythan remained underwater seemed to last hours. Who knew how deep down that piece of the Magic Key was going to be? Would Kaythan be able to see it in the darkness? Was he going to be able to hold his breath long enough, and withstand the water pressure? What about sharks and other dangerous sea creatures? This might be an artificial ocean inside the magical realm, but there was sure to be some sort of danger lurking underwater. He wanted Kaythan back and in his arms where the other man belonged, damn it!
"Are you worried yet?” Alwiil's voice and gleeful grin grated on his already raw nerves.
"Is that the point of this stupid exercise?” He wanted to yell at her, the universe and anything else that got between him and his mate. Tah', but he wanted Kaythan to be safe.
"It's not an ‘exercise.'” Alwiil shook her head and pointed at the raft. “It's a test of your willingness and ability to trust that your partner will do his part just like he trusts you to do yours. Only if you work together will you succeed."
Elryk took a deep breath. Arith had said the same thing back at his tree house. Apparently, cooperation and trust between them really were crucial if they wanted to succeed. Plus, he was dealing with water magic here. Unlike earth magic, which was solid and stable, water magic was more flexible and fluid. He was going to need it as part of his arsenal, so he better learn how to deal with it.
"As annoying as it is right now, you're right, of course.” Elryk sighed.
“But it's hard to sit here and know that my mate might be in danger. Not knowing what is going on and not being able to help him is killing me."
"He's your mate? You are bonded?” Alwiil raised her eyebrows.
"Yes. We've only recently met and found out.” Elryk shrugged. “We haven't had much time to solidify the mate bond, so that makes it a lot harder to deal with this situation."
"I see what you mean.” Alwiil giggled.
"What's so funny?” Elryk was ready to strangle this creature.
"It makes the whole point of this test even more valid.” Alwiil stared at him. “If you two are going to share your lives successfully, you'll need more than the stability of your mate bond to rely on. Just as earth magic is the easier type of magic to deal with, having the stability of the mate bond to rely on is the easy part of the relationship."
"You mean because the bond is already there, like the ground under our feet?” Elryk tilted his head, paying close attention to the guardian.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean.” Alwiil nodded enthusiastically, her green hair bobbing in the water all around her. “You'll always have that to fall back on. What water magic will give you is an ability to give and take, to let responsibility flow back and forth between you. It'll strengthen the bond by making it less susceptible to breaking from any strain that's put on it."
"So there is a link between all the types of magic and our mate bond?” Elryk's eyes widened. He'd never even thought about it. Not that he'd had an abundance of time for contemplation lately.
"There always is. Historically, the vast majority of mate bonds have involved a wizard, and the type of wizard largely determined the type of bond.” Alwiil grinned. “Bonds involving lightning wizards have always been more interesting, since lightning magic is more volatile. It also includes aspects of all the other types of magic, so the relationship is usually more varied. From what I can see, your bond with Kaythan seems to be no exception."
And with that, the vexing mermaid waved at him and vanished into the depths. Typical! Just when the discussion was getting interesting, the person you were trying to get information from took off. At least she'd given him something to think about.