by Eve Langlais
“You think? About time you realized it. I’ve been saying that for a while.”
“And I’m saying you might have been right.” She’d let this thing with Karo and Raffie go on for much too long. But at least before it was simply warnings to protect them. This, getting Karo to act in defiance and then expect them to essentially head into the foulest-looking water to supposedly find him?
No way. It was a suicide mission.
“Right or not, let me ask you something. Do you think there’s a ship in there?” Kobrah glanced out over the lake.
“Honestly?” She nodded. “Yes. I do. Not that it does us any good. You are right. If it was viable, it wouldn’t be under water.”
“Unless someone hid it.”
“Which is getting far-fetched. Why would someone hide it? And why contact Karo about it?”
“How the fuck would I know? I don’t even know why the Rhomanii are chasing you.”
Neither did she. But every time they got close, she panicked. The reminder made her frown.
She’d always panicked for as long as she could remember. Even when she lived with her teacher, Annie.
“Here’s the thing. Let’s say there is a ship in the lake. How do you propose getting to it?” She gestured to the scummy body of water. “Are you really going to strip down and go for a swim in that?”
“Let’s find out how bad it is.” He first hovered his arm over the surface, checking for acidity levels, and waited for the all clear before actually submerging his wrist unit. “Dirty but not harmful,” was the verdict.
“Not harmful.” Dara snorted. “You tested the water. What about what lives in it?”
He eyed the calm surface. “We don’t know there’s anything dangerous in there. Thus far, we’ve only seen the one critter with sharp teeth, and it was seriously underwhelming.”
Rather than reply, she bent and grabbed a rock. She flung it, watched it arc over the water before descending and hitting the water with a loud splash. Ripples spreads outward, weakening the farther they reached from the point of impact until they faded.
For a moment after, nothing. Then a bulging hump as something rose and undulated above the water line.
A big something.
“Might be an herbivore,” he claimed.
She slapped him and walked away to stand watching the lake while Kobrah returned to Karo’s side.
“Sprout, any idea how deep the ship is?”
“Don’t tell him, Karo.”
Because she didn’t need him doing something so foolish as swimming in that water.
But of course, he wouldn’t do the smart thing. He was, after all, alpha.
“Don’t worry, Mommy. Daddy can find it.”
“He’s being an idiot if he goes in, and you shouldn’t be asking him, Karo.”
“But…” Karo’s lower lip trembled.
“Don’t cry, Sprout. Your mom is just scared for me. Heck, I’m a little freaked out, too, but sometimes you gotta face your fears and do things you don’t want to do. Right, Dara?”
She knew he didn’t speak of here and now. It didn’t mean she wanted him to go on a suicide mission. “You don’t have to do this. We’ll find another way.”
“What other way? We can’t get off this planet without a ship or at least a communicator to send for help.”
“Don’t you dare go swimming in that lake.”
He’d already begun stripping, his bared upper body a thrilling reminder her memories hadn’t played her false, whereas the marks on his skin were a stark slap that he’d experienced things without her since she last stroked him. When did he get that strange green-hued tattoo over his chest and arm? What did those thick and bold lines mean? And what was that purple scar down his thigh?
His body was a thing of strength, but also fragile beauty. How could he think of going into the water? What if he died? She’d just gotten used to the fact she might have a chance again with him.
He dug into his sack and pulled out a silver cylinder. A device used to pull oxygen from whatever medium it was used in. In this case, under water.
He really was going through with this.
“Sprout, I need you to help me out,” he stated as he handed over his pistol to Karo, even though it would work in the water.
Dara’s lips compressed. She knew the reason he handed it over was so it wouldn’t get lost if he failed.
Hugging the weapon to her chest, Karo stared solemnly at him. “I can help, Daddy.”
“I know you can, Sprout, which is why you have the important job of distracting that thing in the water.”
“Throwing more rocks?”
“Exactly. Let’s confuse it so I can sneak by and find that ship.”
“Sneak by a sea monster?” Dara hissed as she followed him to the water’s edge.
“I’ve done it before, surprisingly enough.” He winked. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back. Sprout needs me.”
What about the fact that she needed him? More than she’d realized. “Don’t get eaten.”
“I’ll do my best.” He gave her a hard kiss on the lips, and then he was gone, wading into the water, deeper and deeper until he dove under.
Dara hurried to grab a handful of rocks, throwing them as far as she could, drawing anything lurking away from his body. Karo helped by finding her the best rocks for making a splash. It became a game. Karo handing her the perfect stone, Dara tossing it in a wide arc, then watching as the hump appeared soon after.
But the trick didn’t work for long.
Soon the plop of rocks didn’t attract any movement. The circles from her last toss flattened, and nothing marred the surface.
It meant her gaze was drawn to where she’d last seen Kobrah. With his mechanism that filtered air into his mouth, he could stay under there awhile.
Or he could also be dead.
She waited and waited.
He didn’t reappear.
Karo said nothing, just stared.
“I’m sure he’s fine.” Said to reassure her daughter, and yet she wished she believed it.
It appeared Karo had more faith than Dara. “Daddy will be okay. Raffie says the monster won’t eat him.”
The statement startled Dara, but before she could question it, Kobrah’s head pierced the surface, and he exclaimed, “Damn this is some nasty shit.” He spat to the side. “Like seriously, don’t swallow it.”
She almost sighed in relief. “You idiot. Get back to shore so we can dope you with anti-bacterial meds.” And before he got eaten.
“Not yet. I need to figure out how to get aboard the ship.”
“Wait, you mean you found it?”
His white teeth gleamed. “Karo was right. It’s just under the surface.”
“It’s probably a derelict.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. The outer hull feels sound. It’s a big sucker, too. Stuck in the mud, I think. I’m going back down to look for a hatch.”
He’d barely put the mouthpiece in than he disappeared abruptly underwater. Her heart froze as the hump appeared in his place.
“Koby!” She shouted his name, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. She pulled both a pistol and a knife but had no target. Not until a coil humped above the water line. She took aim and fired, blasting a hole right through it. Which, in turn, caused the whole lake to shiver and shake.
More and more coils humped into view, and she shot at them all until there were none.
The lake returned to its calmness, and she waited again.
Not for long.
Kobrah emerged with a shake of his head. Even with the filter in his mouth she could see his grin.
Idiot.
“Get out of there.”
He shook his head and pulled the mouthpiece free. “Don’t worry. It’s dead. Massive bastard. Looks like this entire lake was its home and the ship was its toy. Now that it’s not hugging it, I’m going back down to look at it again.”
With words she’d surely regret, she began to strip. “I’ll come give you a
hand looking.”
Chapter 13
A gentleman would look away when a lady disrobed. This was his wife. He could ogle all he wanted, especially since his kid had chosen to perch on a rock and stare off into the distance.
No one to censure his behavior. To stop the lust.
At least no one could spot his arousal under the water. No one to see his lack of control caused simply by his wife stripping down to simple form-fitting black shorts and a bandeau across her chest.
Before she joined him, she handed Karo her pistol. The child, now armed with a pair, nodded solemnly a few times before returning to watch the water. Older than her years. It made him sad; he’d missed so much. No more. He’d be there now for the rest of her life.
A life that would get boring awfully fast if they couldn’t escape this planet.
Waiting for Dara—who dug out a liquid-to-air filter of her own, along with goggles—he treaded water. The murky depths got clearer, oddly enough, despite the dead worm in the water. The body had emitted some kind of chlorine-like ichor when stabbed, which eradicated the algae and allowed some of the sunlight to penetrate.
Kobrah waited for Dara to swim out to him before allowing a cocky grin. “Told you I could swim with sea monsters.”
“You’re an idiot.” Said with fondness, but it was the quick kiss she plastered on him that truly warmed him to his toes.
“Shall we?”
Together they dove, taking turns playing critter spotter as they roamed the surface of the ship.
On their third rise to the water’s surface to reconnoiter, Dara cursed. “I lost it.”
“Lost what?” he asked.
“My amulet.” She patted her chest. “I got too close to something on the ship and it snapped the chain.”
“That’s unfortunate.” Especially since it was the only thing that blinded her to the eyes of the drones. But there was nothing to be done about it now. It probably rested at the bottom of the lake.
They continued to dive and explore. The ship larger than expected. The shape appeared knobby with growths. Lichen covered every inch of it. Tough barnacles that scraped the palms. It made finding an opening almost impossible.
Almost.
Dara found it, and the only warning he got was the push of air and bubbles that suddenly lifted his body and flung him out of the water. He managed a startled yell that spat out his filter before hitting the liquid again, mouth open, taking in too much of it.
He wanted to cough, but he had to kick to the surface first. Spit. Then heave in a lungful of air. Choke. Sputter. Then try again.
It didn’t help the water got rough. Waves pushed at him, bobbing him like flotsam to shore.
Karo stood on the edge, ignoring the lapping waves, staring at something beyond him.
Was Dara in danger? He whirled, ready to swim back, only to gape as a large, misshapen form emerged from the lake—a dark glistening blob, with a cut-out in its side. From behind a shimmering haze, a shape stood, and he realized it was Dara waving.
Karo waved back before turning to beam at him. “Mommy found Raffie’s ship.”
Technically Karo had led them, and he’d found it, but he wouldn’t quibble. Not when the mother of all miracles landed farther along the shoreline where there was an area large enough to accommodate.
A gangplank emerged from the opening where Dara had disappeared. She reappeared and beckoned. “Are you coming aboard?”
Damned straight they were. After he got dressed. He slid on his pants and shirt before scooping up Karo. Long strides quickly saw him clambering the ramp. He entered a white chamber, and he meant white all around, even the floor. Only the light from outside penetrated.
A frown pulled his brow as he noted Dara playing with a screen inset within the white wall, the gleaming cleanliness of it jarring compared to the outside. “How did you get the ship to move out of the water so quickly?” A vessel abandoned, even for a short period of time, should have taken awhile to warm up. Or, at the very least, need some kind of help to maneuver.
Dara’s shoulders lifted and fell. “I didn’t do anything. One minute I was running my hands over stuff. The next, a door opened, and I was inside drip drying.”
“And it didn’t flood?” He noted the dry interior.
Her head shook. “It put up some kind of force field to keep out the water. Guess it’s running on auto-captain.”
“I could see the force field being environmentally triggered, but it doesn’t explain how it got here.” He set Sprout down and clambered down the ramp, the dull thuds of his booted feet the only noise. And he meant only. Despite the ship having emerged from the water using some kind of power, he heard no engine sounds at all.
A chill went through him as he stood in the shadow of the massive vessel. And he meant massive. Not quite as big as the Moth, but certainly more sizeable than the Widowmaker.
With the lichen covering its surface, it proved impossible to see any markings. Lumps all over it hid its original shape.
Yet…he walked around eying it from all angles. Noting how it didn’t sit on the ground, but rather hovered just above.
He made a full circle and found Dara at the top of the ramp, fingers clamped onto Sprout’s shoulder, more than likely to keep her from wandering.
Then again, perhaps they should let the kid wander. After all, she and her imaginary friend had found a possibly functioning ship.
Which begged the question, why was it abandoned and by who?
Heading back up the ramp, he joined them in the white antechamber. Despite the dampness outside, as soon as he crossed the threshold, the air became drier. Clean. Warm. Warm enough that Dara’s synthetic undergarments were already dry, and she didn’t appear cold despite her lack of clothing.
He ran his fingers along the wall. Not a speck of dust.
“Air is breathable. Looks like the filtration system is working fine. At least in this section.”
“Did you see anything?”
He shook his head. “But that’s good news. No holes means possibly no hull breaches.” Could they be so lucky as to have found a space-worthy vessel?
“Why do you think it was in the lake?”
Before he could answer, Sprout did. “Raffie needed to hide.”
“Is Raffie on board?” he asked.
Karolyne nodded.
“Can we meet him?”
Her nose scrunched. “He says yes and no. He says I should bring you and show you.”
“Show me what?”
Karolyne giggled. “He says you’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
He cast a glance at Dara, who shrugged. “I don’t have any better ideas.”
“We’ll follow, but stick close to me, okay, Sprout? Just in case the rats are hungry.”
The wide eyes lasted only a second before Karolyne smiled. “Raffie says there are no rats. No danger at all.”
He wasn’t ready to trust this Raffie yet. “Stick close to me, anyhow, Sprout. So I don’t get lost.” He held out his hand, and she grabbed it. Only then did he angle his head at Dara.
She had retrieved her gun and held it in one hand, the knife in the other. Apparently, she wasn’t ready to put all her faith in Raffie either. She crossed the antechamber and slid her hand over the console by the outline of a door.
The opening to outside sealed shut, the slam so sudden that by the time he whirled it was already closed.
No amount of slapping consoles or cursing opened it again. The portal to the hallway, however, loomed open.
“Guess we don’t have a choice,” he muttered.
“Think of it as an adventure,” Dara replied as she peeked around the edge of the opening. “Clear.”
The hallway beyond the antechamber loomed empty. And long.
Nothing to the left, right, or overhead… He craned. “How many stories do you think?”
“Too many,” she muttered.
The hall ran for as far as the eye could see, ahead, behind, overhead and even u
nder, the floor made of some clear material that she could see right through. Not exactly reassuring.
Neither was the lack of any signs of life. Which could also be considered a positive thing. What kind of thing would live in this dead ship underwater?
No one wanted to know.
The corridors only had the barest of illumination, their surfaces dark. Dull. Their footsteps sounded so loud.
Of them, only Karo seemed unperturbed, tearing free from Kobrah, skipping ahead, happy as could be.
Dara frowned. “This isn’t possible.”
“What’s not possible?” he asked, quickly catching up to Sprout. He grabbed her hand to keep her close. Something about this place unsettled him.
“It looks like the inside of a citadel.”
He didn’t ask how she knew what the interior appeared as. He imagined it probably related to her issue with the Rhomanii. What he did feel a need to point out was, “Citadels are supposed to be made of that weird black material like the drones, and aren’t they like ten times the size?”
“They come in different dimensions. I’ve seen one this small once before,” Dara said.
“Only the infected ones are dark.” Karolyne added her statement to the mix and stunned them both to silence.
“What do you mean by ‘infected,’ Karo?”
“The blood of the chosen one is the one to rule them all,” she sang.
Dara’s face blanched. “Who said that to you?” She dropped to her knees in front of Sprout and grabbed her. “Who told you the words ‘chosen one?’”
“Raffie did.”
“Raffie isn’t real.” Dara lost control for a moment and yelled at Karo, whose face crumpled.
“He’s here. I’ll show you.”
Kobrah had let go of her hand while she talked to Dara. Big mistake. The kid showed great speed as she took off, her pink jumpsuit shockingly bright against the white.
“Karo! Get back here.” Dara took off after her, only to scream as part of the wall seemed to detach itself and hover down before them.
Kobrah eyed the white, hovering body and the tentacles hanging down.
“Um, Dara, is it me, or is that…”
“A drone? Yes. I told you it was a citadel.” Dara eased her knife out in front of her, ready to attack, only the drone didn’t do anything.