Sordid Depths (The Cursed Seas Collection)

by Heather Marie Adkins

  The knife lost purchase in the temnokit’s blubber, and Rivka slid off the whale. Her hands were slick with her blood and the temnokit’s green spew, and her knife tumbled away to the sand below. The current from the beast’s trajectory threw her against the rock face. She smashed into the rock, her head bouncing off the surface.

  Stunned, Rivka began to sink, trying to regain her wits.

  The shark was the last thing on Rivka’s mind. The temnokit would be a sizeable meal for it to chew on, but as luck would have it, things that leaked green blood weren’t very appetizing.

  Rivka clutched the rocks behind her as the shark sniffed the water. Its beady black eyes searched for the source of blood. The ocean held unlimited food sources, but the shark knew a good meal when it saw one.

  So much for obtaining “help.”

  Her rescuer was about to become her murderer.

  24

  Lesya

  Lesya didn’t even have to think about it. She didn’t second guess it, much like how Rivka didn’t second guess jumping in front of the frost dragon to save her.

  She lunged for the great white’s back and latched onto its dorsal fin. She plunged her knife into the shark’s gills on one side, using all her strength to yank it back and rip them open.

  The shark bucked wildly, and she lost her grip on its dorsal fin. She slid off into the open water with the shark’s sights now set on her.

  As the shark snapped at her, she shoved her knife into the top of its open mouth, then ripped her arm out before it could bite it off. She still caught her skin on its rows of sharp teeth, and her blood joined Rivka’s in the water.

  But the shark was defeated. It convulsed as it sank into the dark water, following the temnokit into the abyss.

  Rivka swam closer to look over Lesya’s wounds. “Are you okay?”

  Lesya nodded, shaking out her scraped arm. “Stings, but it’s going away. How’s your leg and hands?”

  “Stings,” Rivka parroted with a laugh. “But I’m not bleeding anymore, so that’s a plus.”

  “Can’t say the same for me.” Lesya pressed her hand against the shallow cuts. “Hopefully the shark doesn’t have any friends close by.”

  “Great whites are solitary creatures,” Rivka said. “So I doubt it. Are you good to keep going?”

  “We can’t turn back now, can we?” Lesya joked, but there was truth in it, too. Even in the middle of the adrenaline rush, the fear stayed close.

  “No, we can’t.” Rivka patted her empty holster. “Let me track down my knife. I dropped it in the struggle. Can you latch on to the stone and figure out which direction we’re going? I’ll be right back.”

  Lesya pulled the stone from her pocket. She realized for the first time she was in just her bra and jeans. At least she’d worn a bra.

  More power to Rivka for free-balling it, but Lesya's modesty ran bone deep.

  By the time Rivka swam back to her side, sheathing her borrowed knife, Lesya had opened her mind to the legacy stone and was waiting to move.

  “The power is so much stronger down here.” She held out the stone so Rivka could feel it.

  “Tingles.”

  Lesya slid the stone back into her pants and angled for the darkness. “We’re close. Let’s hope we don’t run into anymore mutant whales.”

  It took longer than she expected to reach the bottom of the ocean.

  The darkness here seemed absolute and impenetrable. Rivka had evolutionary night sight, while Lesya was in pitch black. She clutched the siren’s hand, pushing her in the right direction, blindly leading as she followed.

  “I see mountains,” Rivka murmured.

  Lesya startled at the sound of her voice. She hadn’t realized how silent the world had become. Absolute darkness. Absolute silence.

  “How do you live down here?” Lesya asked, embarrassed by the hint of hysteria in her voice.

  “Where I live doesn’t look like this. We’re a lot deeper than my home.”

  “It’s so isolating.”

  “Those that live down here aren’t reliant on their vision or hearing. They're solitary creatures who have evolved to survive where we do not.”

  “Just… don’t tell me about the creatures that live down here. I’m blissful in my ignorance.”

  “Noted,” Rivka said. “We’re entering the mountain range. Navigating may be a little more difficult now with you being blind in the dark. I see a cave beneath us. If you wait here, I’ll go find some phosphorescent algae.”

  “Leave me alone to get eaten by some mutant eyeless fish? No.”

  “Nothing is going to eat you. Everything I see is small.”

  “You can see mutant fish swimming around?” Lesya sucked in a breath and moved closer to Rivka. “You are definitely not leaving me.”

  “They’re small. They wouldn't eat much.”

  “What?” Lesya clutched the siren's arm tighter.

  Rivka sighed. “Fine. Come on.”

  They made a detour even deeper. Lesya almost sensed when they passed through the opening in the cave. The water grew colder, and the walls seemed to close in around them, even though she couldn't see it.

  “Oof.”

  Lesya felt the impact through Rivka's hand. She reached for her knife, expecting an attack.

  “Sorry!” Rivka said in a pained voice. “I ran into the cave wall. Ugh, that hurt.”

  “Can you not see?”

  “I can see just fine. it's this stupid scale. I think the temnokit gave me a concussion, and my corrective swimming isn't working like it was before. You didn't notice we weren't swimming in a straight line?”

  “How could I? I can't see.”

  Rivka laughed. “Good, because we looked ridiculous.”

  They rounded a bend, and the world illuminated.

  Lesya gasped at the beauty of the dimly glowing algae. She could see Rivka’s dark silhouette as she let go and swam to gather the stones. And she was swimming a little wonky, for sure.

  “It won’t light up like fire does, but it will help you be able to see around you. I know it’s not safe for you to make this journey blind.” Rivka passed a large flat stone to her. The algae cast Rivka’s face in green.

  “It’s so light in the water.” Lesya tossed the stone up and caught it as it drifted down.

  “You can still kill a mutant creature with it, too. It doubles as a weapon.” Rivka winked. “Come on. Let’s end this.”

  The algae wasn’t enough to illuminate the mountains around them, but it was enough to allow Lesya to take the lead. Her connection with the stone grew stronger as they swam. She could feel the distance closing between them and the resting place. She could feel the stone’s excitement.

  Only Rivka’s low Wow indicated that they’d come upon the volcano.

  “It’s huge,” the siren murmured, staring high above them. I can’t even see the top.”

  “The stone says there should be a cave nearby. Can you see it?”

  Rivka’s face glowed in the algae as she searched the face of the volcano. “There. I see it.”

  “That’s where we’re going.”

  Following Rivka’s lead now, Lesya fell in behind her on the way to the cave.

  The silent and still sea around them suddenly rocked. Lesya jerked around at the obvious sensation of water moving.

  As if something large had swam past them.

  “Rivka,” Lesya hissed. “Something’s out there.”

  The siren looked around, squinting into the darkness. “I don’t see anythin-”

  A white streak larger than the temnokit flashed past Lesya and collided with Rivka. Lesya shrieked and rushed forward to help her, then recoiled at the sight of the creature now circling Rivka like a predator.

  The creature was pure white and featureless. The top half was humanoid with two arms and normal hands, but the bottom half looked like a whale’s tail. It bared sharp teeth at Rivka and an eerie hiss filtered through the water.

  Rivka lashed out wi
th her knife, but the creature disappeared in a tunnel of bubbles.

  Lesya scrambled to swim to her side.

  “What the hell was that?” Rivka said, staring at the darkness around them.

  “I think that might be a ningen. And I think I might have a heart attack.”

  “What is a ningen?”

  “It’s not even supposed to be real!” Lesya said, waving her knife at the black around them. “It’s a legend. A mythical sea creature. They’re supposed to be huge, though. Like more than sixty feet.”

  Rivka blanched. “I’m not going to be upset that it’s only a third of the size lore says it should be.”

  Lesya took a breath to speak and stopped cold. The oxygen in her air bubble felt thick. It had been harder to draw a breath. Panic hit her hard. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Rivka, I’m almost out of air.”

  “Now?” Rivka screeched. “With that thing swimming around us and the stone’s resting place literally right there?” She jutted a finger at the volcano.

  “I didn’t pick the timing!”

  Their spat was interrupted as the lightning-quick ningen darted back in. This time, it chose Lesya, hitting full force in her abdomen with its strangely human shoulder. She tumbled backwards, algae stone in one hand and knife in the other, but the ningen was too fast, gone before she could use either weapon.

  Rivka joined her by the thick rock wall lining the volcano. “It’s playing with us.”

  “I don’t think it wants us to go inside,” Lesya observed as the white form darted into the cave. “It must live here or something.”

  Rivka readjusted her grip on her knife. “It’s not keeping us from that volcano. I don’t care how quick it is or how deadly. I’ll chop it into pieces.”

  “Like sushi?” Lesya joked.

  “You’re joking right now? Seriously?” Rivka groaned.

  Lesya sat her glowing rock on the sand beneath them and took Rivka’s shoulders in her hands - though she didn’t put down her knife. “Look. We’re in this together. You’re the one who has to actually place the stone. I got us this far. I’ll hold off the ningen while you sneak inside.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You’re almost out of oxygen.”

  “And you look exhausted from swimming sideways. Don’t argue with me on this. We have a mission to complete.”

  Rivka glanced at the mouth of the cave, but there was no sign of the ningen. She hugged Lesya.

  Lesya hugged back. Fiercely. “It’s been an honor to do this with you. Thanks for dragging me into it kicking and screaming.”

  “Don’t die,” Rivka said, her voice thick.

  “Don’t stop swimming.”

  They didn’t have to break their embrace, because the ningen did it for them.

  Lesya reached out and latched on to the creature’s arm as it slammed between them. She caught sight of Rivka tumbling away, and her pale, haunted face as she darted into the cave.

  Then Lesya jammed her knife in the ningen’s back.

  The creature roared, a sound eerily reminiscent of the frost dragon. It backhanded Lesya, and even with the friction of water slowing his movement, lights exploded in her eyes as she rolled away.

  She threw out her arms and legs to halt her movement. She barely had a chance to catch her breath before the ningen bashed into her. Prepared for the attack this time, she brought her knife around and stabbed the ningen’s bicep. She yanked the blade back, like she’d done with the sea bear, like she’d done with the great white, and the ningen screamed in anger.

  He circled her so quickly, she couldn’t keep her eyes on him. Then one huge white hand appeared and ripped her air bubble from her face.

  Leaving her at the bottom of the ocean without air.

  25

  Rivka

  This whole mission turned out to be one big death sentence. Rivka only hoped the world was a better place after the sacrifices she and Lesya had made. Because of Lesya’s selfless act of staying behind to distract the ningen, Rivka could continue.

  No one in their right mind would be able to best a creature like the one Rivka had left Lesya with. Her stomach twisted in knots, thinking of the ways Lesya could die at the hands of that hideous thing.

  Rivka wiped at her eyes. Her tears mixed with the water surrounding her. This better all be worth it, she thought.

  The cavern beneath the volcano emitted a sulphurous stench. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Upon entering, darkness swallowed her whole. Light would never touch this far down in the ocean. She paused a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Her night vision took but a moment to kick in.

  She drifted in farther, the space opening to reveal a large room with a plethora of nooks and crannies. Rivka jumped and squealed when an eel slithered by her, though the docile beast paid her no attention.

  More eels and octopi lurked in the shadows, their tentacles coiling and uncoiling. Every movement spooked her more. She kept envisioning grotesque monsters coming to life to consume her. Every fin or suction cup brought about panic, knowing it could be connected to something bigger and more powerful than herself.

  She jerked and turned as a sharp sound echoed through the room. Her gaze darted to the mouth of the cave and circled back to the path she was taking. Nothing seemed intent on killing her.

  The creatures that lived here appeared benign. When she ventured farther, they steered clear of her, more frightened of her than she was of them.

  She clutched her throat, willing her gills to slow down. She needed to stop making up imaginary enemies. Creating a problem where one didn’t exist wasn’t going to get the stone to its resting place.

  Up ahead, the tunnel split. Indecisive, Rivka looked left then right. Both paths were identical to each other. Both were dark and craggy. Both held sea creatures lurking in the shadows. Both offered her no clues.

  The stone in her hand warmed. She needed to trust the stone more than herself. She took a deep breath and settled her nerves. If she could connect with the stone once again, perhaps it could divulge which path to take.

  Suddenly, the walls around her closed in and the darkness took on a whole new life. Rivka realized she was no longer inside the volcano, but somewhere else. The area brightened, revealing walls made of smooth black stone streaked by rainbow colors.

  The stone. She was inside the stone!

  But how could that be?

  A woman sat across from her: beautiful, ethereal, and elegantly poised.

  “Hello, Rivka,” she said, her voice coming from everywhere all at once. “I’ve been waiting to meet you. Now that we’re so close to the resting place I came to earth for, I’m able to manifest myself inside your mind.” She raised one slender leg and crossed it over the other, leaning onto the arm of her stone throne.

  “But, how? Am I still in the volcano or…” Rivka can’t wrap her head around it all.

  “You are still in the cavern, held in suspended animation. No harm will come to you while I’m here.” The woman raised a hand and combed back her hair. What Rivka thought was black hair shimmered with a multitude of colors as her fingers ran through it. Once her hair settled back into place, the illusion was gone, replaced once again by onyx strands.

  “Sit. Please.” The woman waved a hand. A chair manifested from the floor, the same black threaded by rainbow.

  “Why am I here?” Rivka sat gingerly on the new chair. But if she sat here in this place, was she outside her body?

  As if reading her mind, the woman said, “Don’t worry about the physical constraints right now. Now, I came to tell you that you were right.”

  “I was right? About what?”

  “You were meant to find the letter. I orchestrated everything metaphysically to get that letter into the right hands. Your hands. Nothing in life is by chance. Everything happens for a reason. Remember that, Rivka.”

  This woman had to be a goddess. Who, but a goddess, held the power to bring about such events?

  This goddess, this stone goddess, continued.
“I am the spirit of the meteorite. My goal in coming to your dying planet was to save it. Restore it. My brothers and sisters have also manifested change in their own locations in the best way they could.”

  “There...there are more of you?”

  “Yes, many more. One for each region of your world. One to help cure the disease and pestilence that plague each area.” The spirit paused, bringing a hand to her heart. “I want to thank you, Rivka, for believing in me. For following the path laid out before you and trusting that it was the right thing to do.”

  “You’re welcome, spirit.” Rivka wasn’t sure what else she needed to say. What did a siren such as herself, one filled with self-doubt and insecurities, say to a spirit such as this?

  The spirit nodded. “You’re almost there. Take the path to the right and continue. You will dig beneath the light coming from the volcano’s opening. There, you will find the stone’s home. My home.”

  Before Rivka could say any more, she was pushed out of the manifestation and returned to the dark cavern of the volcano.

  The stone in her hand tugged her toward the right, proving to her that she hadn’t hallucinated everything. It had been real.

  She veered right, following the path all the way to the end, just like the stone spirit had requested. The path opened into a large cavern. One possibly larger than the first one she entered.

  Light filtered down from above, a sweet golden glow. She could see the open top of the volcano overhead.

  She followed the cone of light all the way to the ground. She fell to her knees and began digging into the sand, scooping it gently and placing it out of the way. Before long, her hand struck against a smooth surface.

  Wiping the sand away, she discovered a large smooth rock with an indentation. This small dip appeared to be the perfect size for the stone.

  This was the moment Rivka had been waiting for. All of the hardships she had faced, and all of the near-death experiences had brought her to this point in time to save all the beings of land and sea.