by Jaymin Eve
Tipping my head back, I watched in horror as the creature descended, its four powerful claw-tipped legs extended. The sunlight glinted off the red of its scales, blinding me in the last moment before it would snatch us from our position.
Desperation surged through me. It forged past the exhaustion to gather my remaining energy. A blue spark fled my body and crashed into the creature. The last thing I remember before my knees hit the ground was an intense burning heat engulfing me. I face-planted, tasting blood, before everything went gray around the edges.
My skin was burning. My screams seemed extra loud as I thrashed to escape the powerful heat. And it was strange: I couldn’t cease my screams and at the same time I also couldn’t breathe.
I could hear my friends, but the pain was too intense to open my eyes. A firm grip on my legs increased my panic. Did the creature have me? The high pitch of my screams increased as my body was dragged across the rock-hard ground. A bump knocked my head into a stone. At the same time the light and heat were cut off. I let myself drift for a moment, hoping to escape the pain.
“Abby ...” The words sounded from far away, disturbing me in my darkness.
“Abigail Swish!”
I wanted to respond but I couldn’t feel my lips. How did one speak without lips? Maybe if I lay there a little longer that annoying voice would disappear. And maybe my lips and eyelids would return, because I couldn’t feel my eyelids either. That was weird, right? I used to have them.
As clarity returned, and my strange inner voice quieted, I realized that I was in a reasonable amount of pain. My skin felt as though someone had left me in the oven and now I was crispy and well done. I attempted to moisten my non-existent lips, but my tongue was a swollen hot lump inside my mouth. The air tasted dry, dirty almost, as if a layer of something else was mixed in with the oxygen. It did nothing to soothe my ravaged skin.
I must have made a pained sound, because rustling echoed around me.
“Get her more water. She’s drying out again.”
I didn’t recognize the harsh, guttural tones, but the words were understandable.
“Look.” I heard Talina’s soft voice. “She’s starting to heal.”
“Thank eff for that. Red might be Abby’s color, but all-over third-degree burns was taking it too far,” Lucy joked, but I could hear her worry.
I jolted then as a cascade of water covered me, starting at my hair and working its way along my body. The burning pain receded as the soothing liquid was absorbed into me. My mouth opened, despite the lack of lips, and let the liquid flow into my body. I expected to choke, since I was lying down and unable to move any muscles, but I absorbed the fluid without any problem.
“Someone tell me what the hell just happened.” My words garbled over each other, my tongue still too swollen for articulation.
“Geez, one would think a little sun-baking would lessen your bossy-ass nature.” Lucy sounded closer.
My eyelids were back again. I fluttered them a few times, testing for pain, before slowly opening them. The light was dim enough that there was no disorientation.
“Sun-baking? I think maybe you mean oven-baking.” I was relieved to see my friends’ worried faces as they peered over me.
I noticed everyone had the thick glasses pushed up to rest on top of their heads. I could feel the brief weight of my own on my curls.
“Word.” She nodded.
“You really should be more careful, Abby.” I flicked my eyes across to Lucas. He was slouched against a rock wall. “You saved us, but it could have cost you your life.”
I didn’t answer straight away, as I was struggling to sit up. Lucy’s arms flapped as she attempted to find a non-painful spot to jam her hands and help me. Finally she slipped them under my armpits, which must have avoided the worst of the burns, because there was no pain. Once I was sitting, I breathed in the thick air a few times, letting my body adjust to the new discomforts. After a few moments I glared at Lucas.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Lucas. I’ll risk my life in whatever way I feel fit at the time. You don’t get any say in the matter.” I looked at my white suit, which was tattered, with burn holes scattered along its shiny surface.
I owed my father thanks for this outfit. It seemed to have protected me from an all-over scorching.
Lucas straightened then, his normally jovial features hardening.
“You might not care how I feel, but you have a responsibility to every person on the seven worlds, Abigail. So maybe you do need to think of others before making stupid-ass decisions.”
I gave him one last look before turning my head away, determined to ignore him. Although his damn words kept running through my mind. Sometimes I forgot this massive mantle of responsibility that had been dropped in my lap. But forgetting wouldn’t change the truth.
“Tell me what happened?” I looked from Lucy to Talina. “Where are we?”
“Still on Crais, under the ground where the people live.” Talina shifted uncomfortably.
She looked less pink, more pale than usual, and her emerald hair was dull, hanging in lifeless strands down her back.
“Are you okay, Talli?” I hadn’t seen her looking this frazzled since the day Raror had died.
She nodded, her gesture conveying immense exhaustion. “Yeah, it’s just the lack of moisture in the air here; it won’t kill me, but it’s very uncomfortable.” She looked around. “The man has gone for more of the water. I’ll feel much better after a splash or two.”
“He saved us,” Lucy piped up. “Well, you and he both saved us. You dropped the shield to shoot energy at the dragon thing. But you only dropped it from yourself. Lucky we were in the shade or you’d have been instantly incinerated.”
I must have acted on instinct because I was sure that my intention hadn’t been to drop the shield at all.
“Was it the man that we chased to the cliffs?”
Lucy nodded. “Yep, he must have been watching us, and when you hit the ground he jumped back out and dragged us all inside this weird folding rock.”
Talina added in her quiet tones, “We’d have never found the entrance on our own. They have them cleverly disguised.”
“What happened to the dragon?” I doubted my little burst of energy had killed it.
“You must have shocked it with your blue electrical charge. It flew off and was circling up high when we were dragged to safety,” Talina said.
I took a moment to observe my surroundings. We were definitely underground; and although it was much cooler than the surface it was still quite stifling. There was very dim lighting, and it took me some time to find the small lichen-type creatures hanging high on the walls. They emitted a faint luminescence, lighting up the cavern.
“We aren’t far from the outside. The man wouldn’t take us any further until this ceremony the rest of the Crais tribes are doing is over.” Lucas shifted closer.
I could make out his features and see the strain around his eyes. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead; he looked uncomfortable and irritated.
“So again this planet’s inhabitants speak English,” I muttered.
The continuity between these worlds never ceased to amaze me.
“A rough version anyways,” Lucy said. “They definitely have one or many other dialects, but they do understand and can respond.”
I’d clearly been out long enough for these three to gather intel on the Crais man. I shifted then, the burn on my skin almost gone. I was about to pull myself to a standing position when the man walked back into sight. I watched him cautiously, never underestimating those I didn’t know. Trust must be earned. It’s too late if someone I love ends up dead. So, for now, I reserved all judgment.
“You awake. Skin healing. Need more water.”
He spoke roughly, before stepping forward to place a stone bowl on the ground. A drop of water sloshed over the side, the bead falling into the dirt. He moved back then. Talina was the one who strode across the space to collect the bowl.
She immediately sank her face into the liquid, lifting her head to let the water stream off her. The relief she felt was obvious.
“Here, Abbs, make sure you drink some of it in. This water is amazing and it definitely has healing properties.” She placed it gently before me.
I reached forward to grasp the bowl, lifting it to my face, letting a small portion of the contents pour over my head and into my mouth. I immediately understood what Talina meant. In an attempt to describe it, I’d say it was thicker than water, with a much higher viscosity. It reminded me of honey. It moved slower, absorbing into my body and replenishing the fluids I’d lost.
Feeling a million times better, I passed the bowl to Lucy, who had her share before Lucas finished it off. I turned back to the man. It took me a moment to find him, as he blended into the darkness that surrounded us. What an awesome camouflage technique.
“Thank you,” I said, hoping he’d understand.
As he moved, the purple-black of his skin reflected the dim light. I examined him the best I could. At first glance I didn’t notice any obvious differences between us and him, but there had to be some features that marked him as unique to this world.
He moved closer, watching me just as intensely, and a few of his unique characteristics became clear. His skin was rough, almost scaled, although I doubted without Walker vision I’d have noticed the slight mottling that indicated a rough texture. He was very thin, but the muscles on display showed a honed strength. He had no hair that I could see, not even on his head or face, just smooth skin. There was also something strange around his rib cage. I’d have sworn I could see an extra rib or a larger bone structure.
“Why are you here?” His eyes were dark and he never took them off me.
“We’re looking for someone.”
There was no point elaborating too much. Firstly, this man didn’t need to know, and secondly, his English appeared to be very limited.
“Are there others close by?”
He tilted his head, the way a predator did as it sized up its prey. I straightened, as did Lucas. Were we about to be attacked?
“You must follow me now.” He waved both hands at us, reiterating his words.
I glanced at the girls. This didn’t feel safe, but since my instincts appeared to be off recharging with my powers, I wasn’t sure what decision was right.
“We don’t have a choice, Abbs. This is our best chance to figure out where the people are.” As usual, Lucy had no problem diving in. The girl was fearless.
He gave us no more time to decide, turning and disappearing around the corner of the stone wall.
The four of us moved quickly. It would be far too easy to get lost in this semi-darkness, even with my awesome vision. I was glad the residual burn pain was gone now. I could move with ease, although I felt a bone-weary tiredness, deep where my energy flowed.
We were in a long tunnel, which appeared to be sloping at a downward angle. We weaved in and out, zigzagging along stone paths. On each level the air cooled and cleared, the ashy taste lessening. I kept losing sight of the man as he moved ahead and he never turned back once to check on us. Thankfully there seemed to be only one main path down into their territory.
“I’m pretty sure this is going to the centre of Crais,” Lucy complained after a few hours.
Yes, I said hours. We just kept walking, going down, down, down.
“Excuse me, are we almost there?” Lucas’s voice travelled along the lengthy tunnel.
He hadn’t spoken much but continued to linger annoyingly close to me. I could almost see him holding out one arm in case I stumbled. How did he know I was almost dead-on-my-feet tired?
“Quiet now. We very close.” The man was about five feet from us when he spoke in hushed tones.
Ahead in the dim lighting I could see the tunnel widening, until finally we emerged into a large stone room. And when I say large I mean gi-freaking-gantic. The area spanned, at minimum, the size of Central Park back in New York. And I couldn’t see very well in the dark, but I was pretty sure there was water sparkling somewhere across this space.
We continued to follow as he began to cross the vast distance, and that was when I noticed them.
Sitting in large groups were hundreds or thousands of Crais inhabitants. It was hard to distinguish the number in this darkened room. I finally registered the low buzzing that I’d been ignoring; they were chatting amongst themselves, although there were pauses as their curious faces turned when we passed.
“Are there more of them down here?” Lucy leaned close to me and whispered.
I realized her eyesight wasn’t strong enough to see their midnight-black skin in the lichen lighting.
“There are thousands of them in this room,” I warned her.
“Note to self, get eyes tested,” she muttered as we continued to follow.
I suppressed my smile.
The man stopped abruptly. “This is sun cycle meeting time. The tribes discuss all important matters, and cleanse in water.” He gestured to the stone under his feet. “You sit here. Wait for return.”
He didn’t bother to stay around for our compliance.
I decided now wasn’t the time to push our luck, so I flopped to the ground, plus I was so tired and it was critical for me to get as much rest as possible. In case we needed my shield again soon.
“Our welcome in these worlds is always so warm,” Lucy said, sitting cross-legged next to me. Her face screwed up a little. “They invite us in, give lots of hugs and make us feel at home.”
Talina, who’d sat very delicately, her feet tucked under her left side, smiled. “Come on, Lucy, this is much better than Spurn.”
I nodded. She made an excellent point. We hadn’t been captured yet, and that was a bonus since this time without ... I paused as pain lashed at me, it hurt to think his name, but without Brace we would have more trouble trying to escape. I just wasn’t that great with my powers yet.
“It’s amazing how the humanoids have adapted on these worlds,” Lucy said. “No Earthling would survive either Spurn or Crais’s environment.”
“I can’t believe any human could survive this planet,” I replied. “But then Crais has apparently provided this underground sanctuary for them.”
“And yet there are some of us who can survive under the suns.” I spun around to find the source of the low, accented voice.
A woman stood there. She looked to be a little older than us. Medium height with the midnight-black skin of the other inhabitants, and she was also hairless; in fact, from what I could see in the dim lighting, no one had hair here. But for this woman her hairless nature did nothing to detract from her large eyes framed by striking features.
I stood and faced her. “We need to speak with someone who can help us. I’m sure you’ve guessed that we’re not from your world; we’re on a deadline and cannot linger.”
She interrupted me with a brief wave of her hand. “I’m not the person you will deal with. My tribe leader and life-mate has requested I bring you to him. My name is Channa. Follow me.”
She waited for us to fall into step beside her before she started to move.
“Do you have any problem seeing in this semi-darkness?” I asked.
Channa turned her head to smile. She seemed to have larger, flatter teeth than mine, and they were an ivory color, not as if they were dirty but as if that was simply their color.
“No, of course not.”
I raised my brows, waiting for the rest.
“Most of us are born down here and never step foot above ground in our life spans. This is the only light we know.” Her English was much better than our initial guide’s.
Channa continued to lead us across the expanse of cavernous space. It was crazy big, and at the same time eerie. I didn’t like the feeling of being covered by thousands of tons of rock. Suddenly I paused, stunned by the vast expanse of lake spanning the entire side of the cavern, its ripples reflecting off the dull spheres of light.
“Th
is is the sacred water, the most revered of all places on Crais. None of the tribes reside here; this is the meeting ground where once a year we convene for catch-up and restoration.” Channa halted us on the edge of the water, and despite my best efforts I could not see the other end of the lake. “If the water accepts you, then we will do our best to assist you.”
What the hell did that mean? Were my last thoughts as a hard shove from behind sent me, and I’m assuming the others, straight into the dark depths.
Chapter 5
I panicked as an inky blackness closed over my head. I’d taken a second to prepare myself for the icy cold, but the water was warm and thick as it sucked me down. Despite the fact we’d been standing on the edge, this lake did not have a gradual tapering down to the deep part. I sank like a rock, and there was no ground in sight. I expected the white suit to fill with water, dragging me down faster, but it stayed light and close to my body.
It felt like hours, but could have only been seconds before my survival instincts kicked in and I started to fight the cloying suction surrounding me. But I was helpless, unable to fight and unable to rise against the powerful force. Closing my eyes, I reached for my energy. I was still weak but one thing my training on First World had done was teach me to control my power. And to find more even when I thought it was empty.
I drew a shield around myself, expelling the water and finding free particles of oxygen to fill it. I then sent out small energy balls to light the surroundings. From what I could see I was alone; there was no person or animal around me. I was still sinking at a rapid rate through this never-ending lake.
Screw this.
I was not drowning there that day. Dying was not an option for me or my friends. I needed to be alive to fight, for the worlds, for my family and most of all for Brace. Because I knew without any doubt he was fighting for me. As I had this thought a light appeared beneath me.
Okay, anyone want to explain how there’s a light at the bottom of the lake?