The next room was dark and silent. With everyone at the ready, we entered slowly and cautiously, illuminating it with our crystals. It turned out to be another chamber similar to the one we'd just passed through, with a few pieces of rotted furniture. But what immediately stood out the most were the piles of treasure lining the room. Coins, jewels, trinkets, you name it, were scattered throughout in messy stacks. We all glanced around with a bit of wonder and awe at the sight. It was as though someone had dumped several chests of riches down here to waste away. Necklaces, tiaras, medallions, goblets... It was almost ridiculous how many there were. Bracelets and earrings, though tarnished by the years, glinted in the light of our crystals.

  Thorne rubbed his hands together. "Ohoho, look at this haul." He stooped down to examine one of the stacks, sifting through it for anything particularly interesting. "Her Majesty would love this!"

  "Uh oh. His childhood thief instincts are kicking in," Tyrath said with a grin.

  Kadia gave him a stern look. "Thorne, these are historical artifacts. We are not going to simply rob them."

  He made a disappointed noise, dropping the ring he'd been looking at. "You're no fun..."

  "I will have to report this to His Majesty, but these things should belong in museums, not private collections," she sighed.

  Shaye was busy admiring a collection of diadems, and it took a bit to coax her away from the piles. "Uneis did have a penchant for crafting and collecting jewelry... This really is amazing."

  "I'm just hoping she didn't hide her gem in plain sight," I murmured. "It would take hours to sort through all this."

  Despite the sheer quantity of glittery baubles around the room, we started combing through the treasure in search of the relic. It was slow, painstaking work, with Shaye often getting sidetracked by certain pieces that piqued her curiosity. But we didn't have any foreseeable alternatives. The whole thing was starting to seem a bit fruitless after a while. The floor was scattered with small heaps of coins – none of which belonged to a currency I recognized – which clinked and glittered whenever anyone moved.

  However, any progress we might've made came to an abrupt halt when a sizeable group of spri'lers emerged from the dark recesses of the room. They'd likely been alerted to our presence by our activity and lights. It was wholly unsurprising for them to reside in a treasury like this, but it made our job considerably more difficult. I watched a few creatures grab hold of a tarnished silver choker Ashkan had picked up. Their grip strength was impressive. Upon him yanking the piece of jewelry away, they attacked his arms with the barbs on their spines, forcing him to relinquish his grasp.

  "These things are really getting annoying..." Ashkan muttered. He glanced down at his forearms, where several small holes now riddled the material of the suit.

  I swam over to check on him. "They must view all this as their property. Are you okay?"

  "I'll survive. I think the suit fabric dulled their needles a little," he noted, examining the tiny pinpricks. "I'd be more concerned if they were venomous."

  "Oof. We do not need a repeat of that," I said with a wry laugh.

  He smiled a bit at me. "No kidding."

  More spri'lers were popping out of hiding now that our focus had shifted from sifting through treasure to pest control. As we moved towards the back of the room, we discovered nests built into the wall. Clumps of sticky, bright yellow webbing lined the area, holding small clusters of miniscule eggs in place. Several creatures skittered up and down the wall in our direction, some dropping from the ceiling, or crawling out of a hole in the floor. Thankfully, they seemed intent on leaving us alone unless we disturbed their possessions too much.

  "If the gemstone is not here, then we should move on. Let's hope for a less...infested area," Kadia ordered after several more minutes of futile searching.

  "Wait," Reyshore called from where he'd drifted down to inspect the centre of the floor. "There is a grate here. It appears there is even more treasure below us."

  Everyone stopped in their tracks, turning to see what he was talking about. Indeed, there was a rusted grate that'd been covered by piles of gold pieces. It was only about one foot long by one foot wide. The depth of the room below was indiscernible. However, as the combined glow of our crystals began to dissolve the shadows, I could see several more piles of trinkets, coins, and jewelry.

  Reyshore cast a glance up at us. "Perhaps it lies down there?"

  Tyrath floated closer. "We can probably break this grate. Let me–"

  Kadia's voice interrupted him. "We shan't damage anything unnecessarily."

  "We have no other options here," he replied, tone tinged with exasperation. "I think the gem's more likely to be down there than up here. Besides, the opening isn't big enough for a person to fit through. It can't hurt to have a quick peek around."

  She huffed and looked away for a few seconds. Then, with a reluctant sigh, she nodded.

  Oddly, the grate had no lock, seal, or protective enchantment to speak of. Tyrath only needed to give it a good pull, and it snapped loose of its rusted fastenings. A couple of spri'lers immediately scrambled up and down the walls to see what had been disturbed, before receding again into the dark.

  Reyshore poked his head down through the square opening. "Well, there are quite a few pieces of treasure here." He ducked out again, then conjured a sphere of light, which floated down to illuminate the new chamber.

  Thorne hummed with interest at the sight. "More goodies..."

  "Anything sticking out?" Morgina asked.

  Reyshore shrugged. "Some pieces of furniture, some more jewelry and coins, and... I cannot discern anything else from here, actually. Although..."

  "What is it?" Kadia queried.

  "Much of the treasure is fairly similar in colour down there, but I see something a bit prominent in the distance," he answered. "It looks... Hmm..."

  Shaye drifted nearer. "Where?"

  "Over there." He pointed in the direction of what seemed to be the room's far wall.

  Not even one full second later, a giant rush of water shot out from under the grate. Everyone jumped back in surprise. Reyshore, who still had his arm extended through the hole, yelped and immediately yanked his arm back up. The jet instantly shut off.

  My eyes were glued to the spot as my heartbeat accelerated. "...What the hell?!"

  "Was that...?" Tyrath trailed off.

  Thorne's gaze was narrowed in confusion. "A pressurized jet system? Still functional, too?"

  A low hiss rumbled out from beneath the floor, and a series of bubbles gushed upwards.

  "Oh, stars. One moment..." Reyshore straightened himself up again and cradled his wrist, a grimace on his face. I noticed a small, C-shaped wound near the base of his thumb.

  "Did it clip you, mate?" Thorne asked in concern.

  He nodded. "Water can be just as dangerous as a blade when under enough pressure. This was a mere glancing blow, thankfully, but still enough to scrape skin off the bone." He got to work healing the injury. "I...do believe it is in our best interest not to enter that chamber, though. We have a fairly good view of what lies within, and I see nothing resembling a particularly holy jewel."

  Tyrath crossed his arms with a thoughtful look. "How in the world could it still be running after so many centuries? I didn't think infinite enchantments were real..."

  "What was it that you saw before?" Shaye inquired. "The thing that stood out from all the others."

  "Hmm?" Reyshore glanced up from his hand, and the expression of discomfort faded to one of realization. "Oh. Near the back, there was a rather large headdress or crown. It was quite ornate. I thought I might've recognized it from somewhere, but..." He trailed off and shrugged. "I could be mistaken."

  Shaye was quick to grab onto the information. "Perhaps we have discovered a piece of her regalia? She was most often depicted as wearing some form of headpiece..." She peered through the opening with interest, careful not to go too far.

  Ashkan hovered beside her. "Watch it, Shaye. There's a chance something else could spring."

  Ignoring him, she exclaimed, "Oh, I see it! It's certainly much more eye-catching than any other object down there. Brielle, could you shine some light back there, please?"

  "Sure." I obliged and aimed a soft beam of light through the opening.

  Her face lit up in awe. "Oh, wow. It really does look like one of her diadems. This could be something important."

  "Even if it isn't, we may as well retrieve it," Tyrath mused. "I'm sure Opios would want that on display."

  Shaye turned to look at Kadia. "May I?"

  "As long as you're careful. But please hurry. We need to keep searching," she replied.

  Without reaching too far, Shaye cast a spell at the object of interest. The piece of jewelry began floating towards her as if pulled by a magnet. However, Ashkan soon halted its movement by grabbing onto her shoulder.

  "Wait, there's no way the jets aren't going to damage it," he warned.

  "Then how are we supposed to get it out?" she asked, clearly disgruntled.

  We all glanced at one another with a bit of confusion and hesitation. Seeing what those jets could do to covered flesh, it was no question that a piece of fragile metalwork wouldn't fare too well. It was true that we couldn't be certain we even needed it, but if it did belong to Uneis... Well, we'd have something to show for our time and efforts down here, if not the holy relic we needed.

  Ashkan wondered, "I don't suppose the jets are on a timer, are they?"

  Morgina grabbed a handful of coins, then flicked them one at a time into the lower room. Right as each one passed into the chamber, the jets activated with the same pressure and volume as last time, spewing out a powerful rush of water that had just enough force to break them to pieces. The system shut off again right afterwards.

  I whistled in mild surprise. "Nope."

  "Can you not disarm the mechanism somehow, Morgina?" Reyshore inquired. "It is rather...disruptive."

  She gave him a dubious look. "Disarm an enchanted system that has survived the last six hundred years without an operator? Not to mention one that I can't even see? Sure, why not?"

  He looked a bit embarrassed. "Ah, well–"

  She cut him off with a shake of her head. "I wish, Rey. Alas, no. Not without bringing this whole place down."

  "A shame," he sighed.

  A few more beats of silence passed as we all stared at the opening, stumped. Soon enough, though, Kadia's voice rose to interrupt our trains of thought.

  She snapped her fingers. "...I know." With nary a word more, she crouched down by the square hole in the floor and outstretched her palm.

  "Careful, love..." Thorne murmured to her, a hint of concern in his tone.

  We all watched as a twisted thread of ice particles emerged from the end of Kadia's glove. She cast it through the hole, and we held our collective breaths as it made a beeline for the diadem. Somehow, the jets didn't activate as it snaked towards its goal. Upon touching the headdress, the entire piece froze over into a block of ice, encasing it in a frosty shell.

  "Um, not to be a pessimist, but I think the torrents can probably break through ice," I pointed out.

  She dismissed, "Not if you are quick."

  In one rapid motion, she used a magnet spell to reel the diadem in. Her hand curled into a fist before jolting sharply upwards. As expected, the dual geysers shot out parallel to the floor in an effort to crush anything in their path. But, thanks to Kadia's reflexes and some good timing, they were too late. She managed to yank the frozen crown through the hole fast enough so that the icy casing only got chipped.

  I blinked in mild shock. "Damn."

  Thorne snickered with pride. "I never doubted you."

  "Good thinking, Kadia," Reyshore commented.

  "Now how do we break the ice off of it?" Tyrath inquired, reaching towards the block. "I could probably melt it with some warm water."

  Kadia handed the piece over. "Be careful about it."

  He gingerly took the frozen headdress. "Don't worry, I've got it."

  To everybody's chagrin but nobody's surprise, the spri'ler population became increasingly aggressive once more of the diadem was revealed. It was almost as if they were confirming there was something special about that specific piece of jewelry. Thus, we were forced to leave the chamber. The hordes of little creatures didn't give us much of a choice. A few groups of them followed us as we fled, spinning like tops in warning, their spines raised threateningly. On the bright side, they were basically oversized mosquitoes – which meant a strong gust of air was enough to knock them off course.

  Kadia used the amulet to eventually lead the group back to the first room with the bust of Uneis. After ensuring we weren't followed, we finally took a pause to breathe.

  "Well, that was something," Morgina remarked, half-exasperated and half-amused.

  The chunk of ice in Tyrath's hands was already half-melted. "Just a bit longer," he mumbled in response, redoubling his focus.

  "Anybody need anything?" Thorne offered. "Healing? More energy? Lantern crystal? Air refill?"

  "I wouldn't mind some navistae, please," Reyshore spoke up with a sheepish chuckle. "All this swimming, underwater casting, and healing has depleted me a tad."

  "Say no more." He searched through his belt bags for a relatively large syringe of pinkish-clear liquid. "It's been a bit since you've asked for that."

  Reyshore chuckled again. "Yes, well... I would usually only request it after an exhaustive battle, or a very long training session. But today's activities certainly qualify." He paused to remove a glove.

  Thorne attached a needle from a packet to the syringe, then carefully jabbed it into the vein of his companion's exposed wrist. A small jolt of pain crossed Reyshore's face, followed by a wave of serenity.

  He breathed a content sigh. "Much obliged."

  Thorne patted him on the shoulder. "No worries. Anyone else? I've got about a dozen doses left."

  "Navistae... That's an energy tonic, right?" I inquired, gazing at the syringe curiously.

  He nodded. "Yep. Standard potion for keeping people on their feet after long-term, strenuous physical exertion, whether they've used too much magic or what have you. It's one of the main healing and recovery supplements for mages, actually. It's not as good as eriterg, and it gives more of a physical boost than a magical one, but it's cheap and reliable. ...And ethically sourced. Can't go wrong." He removed the needle, tucked it away in a separate pocket, clicked on a fresh one, and then injected himself with a quick wince.

  That process was repeated a few more times among the others, with a clean needle each time. Only Kadia and Tyrath declined. Upon reaching me, Thorne raised his brow.

  "You, milady?" he offered. "You haven't had one before, right? It might do you some good."

  I pondered it for a few moments. It was just a tonic... And my energy level wasn't exactly at an all-time high. "Uh, sure," I agreed. "Except, how does this even work underwater?"

  He laughed. "See this glass tube encasing the needle? When I press it to your skin, it automatically disperses any surrounding matter and creates an airtight seal. Then, when I press down on the plunger, the needle shoots forward and injects the contents of the syringe. It's all designed for underwater use." He tapped the glass part for emphasis.

  "That's...really neat, actually," I responded, degloving my left hand.

  Sure enough, when I felt the glass end against my wrist, a few bubbles emerged around it as the trapped water was expelled. It created a light vacuum within the tube. I tensed my fist as the needle shot forward, and felt an uncomfortable tingling in the veins of my arm as the navistae was injected. I took a deep breath to ground myself as a steady stream of energy coursed through me.

  "Nice," Thorne said. "Feeling better?"

  I blinked. "Yeah. Wow."

  "Excellent," he replied with a grin, tucking away the used needle.

  While eriterg felt like having a full night's rest and a balanced breakfast, navistae was more like chugging an energy drink after a twenty-minute power nap. It certainly helped, but there was an undertone of fatigue and an artificial buzz. Nevertheless, I did feel more energized as a result, and at least I didn't have to feel guilty about using a substance that might've been derived from pegasus bone marrow.

  We rested for about five minutes. Tyrath worked to thaw the last of the diadem, while Thorne swapped out everyone's air capsule crystals with fresh ones. Kadia kept glancing at her pocket watch. The pressure seemed to be mounting with every tick of the minute hand. It was almost three in the morning now. We had a good three hours or so before dawn, so we were still ahead of the game, but there was always the risk of getting lost, running into roadblocks, or having an unplanned delay.

  I sat down – or floated above the floor, I guess – beside Ashkan and Shaye while I rested. The former's brow was creased in concern, his arms folded as he stared off into space.

  "What's up?" I inquired quietly.

  He glanced over. "Hey. Oh, nothing. I'm just..."

  "...Worried?"

  He nodded.

  "About what?"

  He shrugged and rubbed his shoulder, taking a few seconds to respond. "Only...a general sense of anxiety. I know I shouldn't be, because it'll only make this whole endeavour more difficult. I know we'll make it out in time, because...we have to." He tapped the side of his helmet with a blank look. "Just overthinking."

  Shaye nudged his leg. "I thought you never felt like that."

  He rolled his eyes. "Well, I am today, apparently. Can't get rid of it."

  She went to press her hands to her cheeks, but her helmet blocked her from doing so. "No, now I'm going to worry even more! Don't do this to me; you're supposed to be the stoic one...!"

  Ash chuckled, his serious expression melting a little. "Sorry, sorry. A bit of an existential moment, that's all. You've got nothing to worry about, Shaye. Just keep doing what you're doing."

  "Well, at least try not to look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders," she replied.

  "Isn't it?" he remarked dryly.

  She pouted. "I'll never understand how you manage to jest in serious situations like these."

  "Coping mechanism, I'm sure. I've never claimed to be fearless. I just know how to channel it, is all. Use it as a tool." He nodded in my direction. "Don't you do something similar? You seem awfully calm."

  I raised a brow. "I mean... I don't know. If I let it get to me, fully, I'll die of stress. So I kind of just ignore it."

  "How pragmatic," he commented with a faint smirk.

  I huffed out a short laugh. "That's one word for it."

  "...I feel like I'll curse us if I say this, but we have endured some very bad scenarios thus far," Shaye pondered, gazing off in thought. "Perhaps this will be one of the easier expeditions. But if it's not, we are quite equipped to handle it. Right?"

  "Right," Ashkan replied.

  "Right," I echoed, though the word tasted somewhat bitter on my tongue.

  "Then there's no problem." She grinned with a confident nod.

  We took a few more minutes to let the navistae fully kick in. In the meantime, Tyrath had succeeded in melting the ice block to reveal a very elegant headdress underneath. It was made of a mixture of silver, blue, and gold metalwork, and encrusted with various jewels in shades of blue, green, and purple. Teardrop-shaped gems hung from its sides by beaded chains. Symmetrical pieces curved upwards from the top like graceful wings. There was a ring of pearlescent stones at the brow. In short, it was crafted to perfection, with pretty minimal damage to boot.

  "Dazzling," Morgina commented. "I wonder how much it's worth."

  "Incalculable," Reyshore responded.

  "And not relevant, mind you," Kadia added curtly. She extended her hand towards Tyrath. "Thank you for defrosting it. May I?"

  He carefully passed the headdress over. "What are you going to do with it?"

  She swam over to the pedestal holding the bust of Uneis. "We should see if She wants it back, shouldn't we?"

  We watched curiously as she held the diadem over the statue's head. I had no idea if Kadia had noticed it earlier, but now that I was looking closer, there were multiple clues suggesting the bust was meant to hold a crown of some sort. For one, the hair was flat at the top, and only flared out starting from ear-level. That, and there was a barely perceptible ring of discolouration in the stone where the base of a crown would sit on its head. Probably the most obvious sign was the fact that Uneis was practically dripping in jewels, yet her head was bare. It seemed so obvious in hindsight. We had to be on the right track.

  The headdress fit snugly atop the bust's head. I think all of us collectively held our breath for a moment. The room became so still and silent that the water seemed to move in slow motion, almost like a snow globe. And then...

  Nothing happened.

  We all blinked, shifted, glanced around at one another, shrugged, and generally stood there like idiots.

  "Well, that was underwhelming," Tyrath remarked after a few more seconds of silence.

  Ashkan folded his arms and looked unimpressed. "Huh. Figures."

  Morgina put her hands on her hips. "Maybe that's the wrong one?"

  "No, I could've sworn I've seen that design in murals before..." Shaye murmured, sounding utterly puzzled.

  I pursed my lips. "...Maybe there's some other weird puzzle or ritual we have to do. Do you still have that fancy vial you found in the ceiling earlier?" I asked Kadia.

  She retrieved it from her pocket and gave it a shake. "Still in one piece. Though it seems we have exhausted its usefulness for the time being."

  "Hey! Look!" Thorne interjected, pointing at the diadem. "It's...glowing? I think?"

  He was right. There was an aura around the headdress that hadn't been there before. It looked like a hologram, almost; a sparkly shimmer surrounding the metal. The jewels seemed to gleam brighter, too. We all took a collective step closer to the statue.

  "Do you think She's communicating with us somehow?" Tyrath whispered to Kadia.

  Kadia stared at the bust for a long time. Her face was inscrutable. "...No," she murmured eventually. "It must simply be the energy of Her domain."

  Then, without warning, beads of champagne-coloured fluid began forming at the eyes of Uneis' likeness. We all watched as they slowly ran down her cheeks. Somehow, the fluid was viscous enough – maybe oily, too – to not immediately dissolve into the surrounding water. Rather, it was drawn in an inescapable path, tracing the lines of Uneis' face all the way down to her chin. It was weirdly beautiful in its own way. Like liquid starlight.

  After staring for another second or so, Kadia quickly raised the mysterious vial to the statue's cheek and caught some of the teardrops. The dense, oily liquid sank to the bottom of the tube in small, glowing clusters.

  "'Salt is needed to collect Her powers'..." Reyshore muttered with wide eyes. "Salt from tears. It wasn't literal, after all."

  Morgina looked at the vial. "That explains why She provided a container."

  "Then, it'd make sense that we'd need to trade this for the gem, right? As payment or something," Thorne concluded. "Does anyone see a slot or tray anywhere? A vial-shaped indent, maybe?"

  Everybody scanned the area around the statue, but to no avail. I think we were all getting antsy and desperate by that point. Kadia was still staring at the bust as if the answers to her questions were hidden behind that slab of stone. She was barely moving at all, only occasionally blinking or inhaling. She seemed like a robot that had run out of battery and was just running on its remaining internal charge. I couldn't tell if she was on the brink of a mental breakdown or some sort of epiphany.

  Uneis' tears had ceased now, but their tracks still shone faintly. I traced one of them with my eyes. It started in the inner corner of one eye, travelled straight down the cheek, past the nose, down the chin, and finally along the neck and collarbone towards the middle of her upper chest. Right about where one's heart would be. I stepped closer. The carved stone necklaces nearly covered the area between the chin and chest, but one of them had a pendant that looked a bit odd. At first, I thought it had simply been crafted from a dark shade of stone. However, the longer I looked, the more I could swear the centre was missing entirely.

  "Kadia," I prompted. She didn't react. I nudged her elbow. "Hey."

  "Hm?"

  Ever so carefully, I brushed my fingers across the hollow pendant, clearing away bits of algae that had accumulated inside it. She watched me like a hawk but didn't object. Indeed, there was a small, round indent in the centre of the statue's chest. The perfect size and depth for a vial.

  "Try it here," I suggested.

  Slightly astonished, Kadia went to slot the vial into the groove, but stopped. "Hold on. This may trigger a trap. You should be wearing your necklaces."

  "Good call," Thorne said, and started to dig around in his pockets for the accessories. He then handed Ashkan, Shaye, and me our respective chains. I did my best to secure mine around my neck amongst the tubes and gadgets.

  Once that was done, Kadia inserted the vial into the chest slot. Immediately, there was a grinding sound, like shifting stones, and the whole floor began to shake. We all braced ourselves. The vibrations didn't last long, though. It didn't even seem like anything had changed. I was about to ask if everyone was okay when I noticed the statue was starting to turn. Uneis' bust spun one hundred and eighty degrees to face the wall. A few seconds later, there was a sharp, loud click. Then a long hiss.

  A small compartment on the back of the effigy, previously hidden behind her shoulder, popped open. Inside it was a very tarnished, rusted, and cracked disc. The size of a compact mirror, and barely holding itself together at the hinges, it looked as if it would break at any moment. Yet, I could sense a strange aura coming from it. Almost like an old spell, barely functioning yet still doing its job after hundreds of years of neglect.

  "My necklace is warm," Shaye remarked, holding her pendant in one hand.

  "Mine too," Ashkan added.

  I reached towards the disc before pausing and glancing at the others. "Uh... Do we have a plan if I pass out again? Or if any of us do?"

  "We'll catch you and let you wake up naturally. But please try your hardest to resist the pull," Kadia replied.

  "I believe we have determined that Tyrath is our designated lifter, should someone lose consciousness," Reyshore said with a grin.

  He casually flexed an arm. "Happy to help."

  "...Here goes nothing." I gingerly extracted the disc from the statue.

  A pulse of energy seemed to emit from the object as soon as I touched it. I sucked in a sharp breath. It wasn't nearly bad as handling a gemstone itself, but there was an immediate, albeit dull, ache in my temples.

  "How do you feel?" Shaye asked a bit anxiously.

  "Okay, I think. But I'd still rather get out of this temple as soon as possible," I admitted.

  Ashkan's eyes flickered between mine and the disc in my hand. "Let us know if you get lightheaded. We can trade it off between the three of us."

  Morgina stretched her arms over her head. "Well, I second the whole 'getting out of here as soon as possible' thing. It's way past my bedtime. It's so late, it's practically early."

  "Yeah, I only have a few reservoir crystals left. Death favours none, but I'd rather not die from asphyxiation in an ancient temple, thank you," Thorne joked.

  "We'd best find our way back up, then," Kadia concluded with a nod.

  "Good work, everybody," Reyshore praised, sounding tired himself. "This has been quite the eventful night. I cannot wait to relax by the hearth with a hot cup of tea..."

  The group collectively turned around towards the exit. I tucked the disc artifact into my belt pocket, and for the first time all night, I felt like we could finally relax. We'd succeeded.

  Of course, the universe just loved proving me wrong.

  There was a crackling, rushing sound as soon as everyone turned their backs to the statue. We spun around to face it once more, but the danger wasn't coming from Uneis' effigy – rather, it was the side walls of the chamber. Tremendous whirlpools and siphons appeared on either side of us. Their spinning vortexes sucked in the water and anything that happened to be floating in their radius, which included us. We were immediately drawn into the currents. I realized at the last second that sections of the walls had slid away to reveal not only small vents for the whirlpools to form, but a massive collection of sharp, horizontal spikes.

  The group all shouted in panic as the siphons either swept us towards the right or left wall. The one I got caught in dragged me to the left, where the spikes were waiting to impale me. I desperately tried to fight the current. I used everything I had to push away from the wall with my magic, but I was losing energy, and it was getting harder to keep my concentration.

  The next thing I knew, I'd been encased in a translucent shield. A magical barrier, preventing the spikes from digging into me, at least for a minute or two. It wouldn't take long for anything that big and sharp to puncture it.

  "Brielle! Can you swim to me?!" Kadia shouted from across the room. She'd managed to avoid the whirlpool opposite to me along with Thorne and Morgina.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  I shook my head, barely able to move with all the pressure of the siphons on either side. I felt like I was stuck in a centrifuge. "I don't know!" I yelled back.

  She waved a hand and conjured up some sort of lassoing spell to extend her reach. The ropey tendrils latched onto me. I promptly grabbed them and pulled as hard as I could. Kadia's ankles were being held by Thorne, whose torso was being held by Morgina, who had one arm pressed tightly around the doorway's frame. Shaye, Tyrath, and I were stuck fighting against the left trap. Ashkan and Reyshore were doing their best to battle the right. A couple of them had tried damaging the mechanisms with spells, but they were too embedded in the walls to successfully shut down.

  It felt like I was trying to hold my ground against a hurricane. The currents were getting stronger by the second, and it was becoming nearly impossible to fight back. My arms were tiring out, and my feet were dangerously close to the spikes. I squeezed my eyes shut and kept tugging on Kadia's ropes as hard as I could, trying not to focus on the pain in my temples and the aching in my bones.

  Then, I heard her let out a strained cry. I was suddenly yanked forwards with a new, raw burst of strength. My eyes shot open. I'd been heaved towards the exit. The pull of the whirlpool was no longer pressing against my back. Kadia had managed to pull me all the way out of the siphons. As soon as I drifted within her reach, she grabbed my arms. We exchanged a quick look of relief before I was tugged outside of the chamber by Morgina. I could still hear the sound of the traps behind me, along with the others' shouts and groans of exertion as they fought to escape as well. I had half a mind of going back in, but I wasn't sure how I'd be able to help.

  Tyrath and his water magic were doing an impressive job of keeping him and Shaye away from the spikes while swimming against the current, so Kadia focused her lasso on Ashkan next. The blue-white ropes were able to latch onto one of his arms. Reyshore immediately pushed him towards safety as hard as he could. But just as quickly, Ashkan whipped around and grabbed his hand.

  "Please, you must let go!" Reyshore exclaimed, attempting to dislodge his fingers.

  Ashkan gritted his teeth and tugged with all his might. "Not going to happen!"

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the chamber, I'd rushed forward from my position of safety to help my sister pull our companions towards the exit. I felt guilty sitting back and doing nothing while they struggled.

  "Let me help!" I urged, swimming up next to Kadia.

  "Brielle?! You should be–! You'll overexert yourself!" she snapped in protest.

  I grabbed onto the ropes. "I won't!" I insisted. "Just pull!"

  Together, with Thorne and Morgina as anchors, the two of us heaved and heaved with everything we had. I ignored the pounding in my head, the tightness in my lungs, and the burn in my muscles. Within thirty seconds, Ashkan was within reach, with Reyshore in tow. Kadia's rope retracted like a coiled snake back into her palm. With my feet grounded by Thorne, I outstretched both of my arms and latched onto Ashkan's shoulders. I didn't think; I just pulled him into my arms.

  I caught a brief glimpse of his eyes widening as I did so, right before he was forced out of the chamber and into the safety of the hallway outside with Reyshore. It had barely lasted a second, but it felt like we'd had a moment. One where he'd been stunned into silence. That is, until his brain caught up with the fact that the trap hadn't been disarmed yet.

  "Where's Shaye?!" he suddenly shouted.

  "Here! I have her!" Tyrath yelled from inside the room. He had her held against his broad chest with a protective barrier around them both. She looked exhausted but conscious.

  Ashkan was about to launch himself back inside when Morgina clamped down on his shoulder. "Don't even think about it. You stay right there. You too, Brielle!"

  I could practically feel Ashkan fuming next to me. Reyshore stood between him and the entrance. The two of us were stuck standing in the hallway while Kadia lassoed the remaining members of our party to safety. I clutched my necklace tightly.

  Just as the magical ropes coiled around Shaye's waist, the shield around her and Tyrath shattered, and the siphons tore him away. A loud scream of pain rang out in my helmet. The force of the water had launched him into the spikes like a rag doll.

  "NO!" Shaye cried as she was tugged out of the chamber. I watched her attempt to create air currents to guide Tyrath away from the danger, but the spinning vortexes were too strong, and she'd already been doing that over and over for several minutes now.

  I frantically turned to Ashkan. "Hold my hand!"

  His brow furrowed, but he took my wrist without a moment's hesitation. The two of us pushed past Reyshore – which, respectfully, wasn't too difficult – and back into the room.

  "Ashkan, Brielle! You mustn't–!" he attempted to protest.

  We ignored him and dove head-first back into the fray. My free hand flew outward, while my other tightly clutched Ashkan's forearm. A golden rope materialized from my palm and shot straight at Tyrath as soon as I caught a glimpse of him amongst all the bubbles.

  Kadia, who had just rescued Shaye, caught sight of us and let out a sharp gasp. "WHAT are you doing?!" she demanded, her eyes wild with alarm.

  I didn't have the breath to reply, nor the time. The second my golden lasso wrapped around Tyrath, I willed it to yank him towards the exit with every iota of energy I had. He'd just started to fall limp from the exhaustion of keeping himself and Shaye protected. Speaking of whom, I soon felt Shaye's arms latch around me from behind. Feeling securely grounded, I let go of Ashkan and began pulling on the rope with both hands. My temples pulsed in protest.

  Kadia seemed to realize we weren't going to stop. So, she quickly abandoned trying to force us to, and instead extended her rope towards Tyrath as well. Together, we dragged him towards our location. It felt like an eternity, but within twenty seconds, he'd been freed from the siphons. My pulse spiked upon seeing all the blood clouding the water around him. It billowed out like a macabre plume, drifting from his right side. At the very least, his helmet hadn't cracked. That would've been a disaster.

  It was a blur of hands, arms, and bubbles as we all scrambled into the hallway. As if on cue, the trap's mechanisms ground to a halt. The walls shut again. The vents and spikes retreated. All the while, Tyrath was on the verge of losing consciousness. The water made it hard to discern exactly where he'd been struck, but it looked like two wounds: one on his upper ribs, and the other on the opposite side, closer to his abdomen. His face was contorted in pain.

  Naturally, Reyshore was already on top of things. "These are likely to require stitches," he said as his healing magic flared up in his hands. "It would be irresponsible of me to seal them completely and risk trapping water inside. He should be transferred to a hospital immediately."

  Shaye was sniffling as she hovered near Tyrath. "It was my fault! I should've done something! I–!"

  The hulking man slowly shook his head. "Don't be...daft... My fault for...miscalculating the...angle...of the currents. Heh. Just need some rest and...some ale." His face twisted into a grimace as he tried to smile.

  Thorne placed a hand on Shaye's shoulder. "I'll make sure he gets all the ale he needs," he assured her, giving a comforting nod. "Kadia, did you bring your medulet with you?"

  "I did, but it's not waterproof. I had to leave it at camp," she replied.

  He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Blasted. Let's hurry and get him to the surface, then."

  After Tyrath's injuries were bandaged and taken care of as best we could in the situation, we retraced our path out of the temple. It didn't take long to find our way back to the hole in the ceiling. I took a few moments to make sure the encased gemstone was still in my pocket. It was. Thank god. I really didn't feel like going through all of this a second time.

  Reyshore cast a gentle movement charm on Tyrath so he didn't need to swim. His wounds, though made smaller by spellwork, were still effusing the odd small cloud of blood from time to time. As much as we wanted to shoot up towards the surface at full speed, we didn't want to jostle him any further, and we also couldn't risk giving ourselves decompression sickness. So, we swam at a relatively slow pace while keeping a close eye on our resources. My air reserves were at twenty-five percent capacity.

  Thankfully, my headache seemed to be subsiding. Maybe I was getting used to handling holy jewels.

  "Well, this mission turned out a little more eventful than we expected, huh?" Thorne commented, his tone light in an effort to ease the tension.

  Reyshore sighed, casting him a pointed look. "You don't say."

  "What's the plan, Captain?" Morgina questioned as we all swam upwards.

  Kadia looked to Tyrath's bandaged torso. "He needs immediate medical attention, and the rest of us have also expended considerable energy tonight. I will take him to Northview using the medulet. You six will pack up camp and meet us back in Nelorismel as soon as you can. The Opian King may wish to hear a full account of what we experienced. Either way, I will be sure to inform him by correspondence about all the artifacts we found. The most important task is to keep the gemstone safe, however."

  I was about to ask her how long she thought Tyrath might be in hospital for when I felt a firm tug on my belt. The sudden sensation startled me, and I looked down. A tiny spri'ler had snagged its tail around my glow crystal. Four or so more of the fish-creatures were floating near my ankles, gazing up at me with beady eyes.

  "Oh, for the love of...!" Shaye exclaimed, swatting away her own group of spri'lers. "Here, just take it!" She unclipped her own crystal, tossing it at them.

  "Yeah, go crazy," I said, following suit.

  I reeled my arm back and lobbed the luminescent rock as far into the murky abyss below as I could. The fishy swarm chased after it with eager nibbles. I watched it sink down towards the temple ruins for a few seconds. The eerie glow grew fainter and fainter, but just as I was about to turn away, a flicker of movement caught my eye.

  I blinked, doing a double take. A shadow in the gloom. A shape. I squinted at the growing darkness below. Was the water...moving? I was just about to alert my companions when a sudden rush erupted from the shadows. The murk and seaweed were cast aside as the giant body of a white serpent launched upwards, its enormous, finned tail flapping, its mouth yawning wide as if it had been sleeping this whole time, and its eyes glowing scarlet in the dim light. Its razor-sharp teeth chomped down on the entire pack of spri'lers in front of it like it was scooping up a mouthful of candy.

  My heart nearly exploded out of my chest.

  A massive sea serpent was less than a hundred feet below us, its huge body coiling around itself, and its gaze now fixated directly on our little party. I looked up at the others, my mouth open in horror. They'd also stopped swimming and were staring at the beast. The water had suddenly gone very still, as if we were suspended in time. The serpent let out a guttural groan, sending out ripples of sound that reverberated through my helmet.

  The eight of us exchanged glances of fear, before the serpent suddenly burst towards us in one lightning-fast movement, its head jutting forward like a bullet. My arms immediately crossed in front of my head. A protective barrier flew up, encasing everybody in a glowing, transparent bubble. The serpent slammed against it, and I felt the entire dome buckle and disintegrate from the sheer force of its impact.

  "Reyshore, get him out!" Kadia commanded, brandishing her dagger.

  The healer nodded and swam upwards with Tyrath as swiftly as possible. The rest of us didn't need any prompting; we began retreating upwards in a disorganized frenzy. All of us were casting offensive spells with one hand, while the other was used for propulsion. Shards of ice, spears of rock, gusts of air, and crackles of lightning rained down on the sea monster. I sent a couple of golden bursts towards its eyes in hopes of disorienting it.

  It lunged for Morgina first. She dodged out of the way, but its large teeth still managed to nick her side. She yelped in pain. A trail of blood rose through the water from the open wound, though it quickly faded to pink.

  The sea serpent's tail suddenly struck against Ashkan, launching him downwards like a cannonball.

  "ASHKAN!" Kadia shouted. She dove towards him in a panic, narrowly avoiding being bitten. Her hand shot out to grab his. As soon as she'd caught his wrist, she whipped him back up to safety, and we continued to retreat. He clutched at his spine, wincing.

  I continued pelting the beast with whatever magic I could think of. I knew I couldn't kill it, at least not underwater, and not while carrying a magic-sapping stone. The best idea I had was to blind it. That was easier said than done, however, since it kept lunging and twirling, evading most of my attacks. Its red eyes were terrifying in the gloom, its mouth perpetually agape.

  We swam like mad. The creature chased after us relentlessly. Its tail swept past in a flash, pushing Thorne back. The impact of the blow had cracked the front of his helmet. A tiny spritz of air escaped his visor, before he quickly fixed it with a sealing spell. The serpent went to snap him up, and instead of evading, he grabbed hold of the beast's snout with both hands, brow set in determination. His hands glowed, and he began pummeling the creature's giant skull with magically-charged haymakers. Thorne's fire spells were nonexistent underwater, but his strength was definitely still useful.

  The sea serpent hissed in agony before thrashing its head upwards and flinging Thorne away from itself like a dog shaking water from its coat. Morgina swooped in to catch him, then threw up a shield just as the monster came for them again. She couldn't keep it up, though, and after a few moments, it broke through the magic. Her expression twisted into a picture of exhaustion. The serpent's jaws shot forwards toward her once more, only to be repelled by Kadia.

  She'd used a blast of ice magic to freeze its head. It took several seconds for it to melt and crack out of the trap. As it did so, its furious eyes zeroed in on her. She held her dagger out defiantly, staring it down as if she were challenging it. She then made a flurry of slashing motions, slicing upwards through the water to create torpedoes of ice. The serpent reeled backwards from the onslaught. It seemed to hesitate for a moment. I hoped we might have actually scared it away, until it surged through the water once more. It slammed into Kadia, sending her spiraling away. Her body tumbled end-over-end for several moments before she managed to catch herself and swim in the direction of the surface again.

  The serpent let out an enraged growl and immediately charged again. Its target? Reyshore. I turned and spotted him trying to ascend as quickly as he could with Tyrath. It was like trying to run from a bullet train. Shaye was closest to them. She put herself directly in the monster's path. Her hands shot up and she released a torrent of swirling currents directly into the serpent's gaping mouth. The blast caught it off-guard, and it recoiled violently.

  "Get out of the way!" I shouted through my helmet. "Shaye, MOVE!"

  I felt a rush of water against my back. A quick glance behind told me the beast's tail had swished past, barely missing me. It was aiming for Reyshore again, despite Shaye's best efforts to distract it. Or maybe it wanted Tyrath? Either way, we needed to act fast. I kicked my feet frantically and surged up through the water. Just as the serpent's jaws opened and it began its lunge, Shaye cast a barrier around Reyshore and Tyrath, and I sent one over her.

  The beast slammed into her guard with so much force, the water around it churned with the impact. Its teeth shattered the magical field into shards of white light. I shot up another, and so did Ashkan. Kadia, Morgina, and Thorne were trying desperately to get the monster off-target as well. But it was like trying to stop an avalanche with a snowplow. My hands felt numb. I knew I was nearly out of energy. Still, I kept alternating between shielding Shaye and trying to blind the creature. Ashkan was doing the same.

  Crash, crash, crash. Over and over, the sea serpent slammed into our defenses. Finally, when Reyshore and Tyrath made it to the surface, Shaye swam out of the line of fire. She went to join them, but as she turned, the creature's tail darted forward like a whip. The end of it coiled tightly around her right arm.

  Her eyes went wide, and she shrieked like I'd never heard her scream before. It was the kind of scream you hear in nightmares.

  Everyone sprung into action at once, all of us trying to free her from its clutches. She writhed in agony as her screams turned into gasping sobs. My heart was rioting against my ribs. Kadia was the closest to Shaye. She jabbed at the serpent's tail with her dagger, slicing deep enough that a cloud of purplish blood billowed from it. Thorne joined in while Morgina kept casting spells from afar. The beast hissed in anger. Shaye seemed to have gone into a kind of shock. Ashkan and I continued to pelt it as best we could.

  The creature whipped its head towards Thorne, snapping at him, its mouth wide enough to fit a car or two. The instant it moved, however, was the instant its tail slackened around Shaye. Then, a big needle of ice from Morgina sniped through its eyeball. It hissed furiously, whipping around to face the rest of us again. Kadia quickly darted down to grab Shaye around the waist. The two of them swam up with all the speed they could muster. However, I noted amid the chaos that Shaye was moving rather quickly for somebody who wasn't swimming much. It kind of looked like she was being carried on top of a current of water.

  Her cries still echoed through my helmet's comms. The surface was about twenty to thirty feet above us. The remaining four of us decided to make a break for it. The monster surged towards us like a missile, its movements a lot less graceful than earlier. It seemed hellbent on not letting us escape without a proper beating. Thorne and Morgina ushered Ashkan and I forward, the former throwing up shields whenever he could, the latter trying to keep it occupied with magical assaults. We weren't far from the surface now.

  Just a few more seconds, and–!

  Like swatting flies, the serpent's tail swept past all four of us at the same time, striking us in different parts of our bodies. Mine connected with the small of my back, the impact forcing all the air from my lungs. Suddenly, my visor was flooded with a red warning message. An alarm began playing in my helmet, creating a discordant cacophony along with everybody's panicked yelling and Shaye's sobbing. It wasn't the pain or the sound, though, that frightened me.

  My helmet's air reserves had dropped from twenty percent to zero.

  I clutched at my neck as my breathing became strained. The capsules on either side had been dislodged, now lost to the abyss below. The oxygen supply was no longer flowing. I began gasping for air that wasn't there. My heart was pounding. My fingers began digging into my helmet in desperation, even though I knew I couldn't remove it underwater. My body's panic mode was setting in. The alarm was blaring in my ears.

  The serpent reared its head back to strike. It opened its mouth and bared its fangs, jaws widening farther than what seemed possible, ready to scoop us up like fish in a net. Ashkan threw a final, futile barrier over the four of us, before Thorne used all his strength to shoot both of them up through the water. It took me a second or two to register that Morgina was doing the same with me. She'd grabbed hold of the back of my belt, and my ascent skyrocketed.

  The monster dove towards us like a shark, its eyes ablaze. It was almost comically large at this proximity. I watched my finned feet kick above its jaws as it chomped at me. A burst of frost from Morgina's hand blinded it just long enough for us to reach the surface. A split-second later, Ashkan and I were just about thrown through the hole above us.

  My body hit the damp stone of the cave floor so hard I was almost worried I'd fractured something. Ashkan slammed down beside me. Morgina and Thorne soon followed. I hastily unfastened and ripped off my helmet like a frenzied madwoman. I then immediately began inhaling mouthfuls of air, despite how badly it stung my lungs. I thought I might throw up for a moment. I'd never been happier to breathe in my entire life. I couldn't stop myself from lying flat on my back for the next minute, chest rising and falling rapidly. My vision was spotty around the edges.

  As soon as my survival instincts calmed down, Shaye's pained weeping rang through my ears. I coughed a few times and bolted upright. The scene in the cavern was chaos.

  Reyshore had laid Tyrath on his side near a flaming lantern at the back of the cave, a blanket around the latter's shoulders, as he monitored his wounds. Tyrath's wetsuit had been removed down almost to his hips, revealing fresh bandages. His eyes were shut as he took steady breaths. He seemed to be handling his ordeal remarkably well.

  On the other hand, Shaye was lying on her back closer to the pond, gasping for air between sobs. Kadia had partially unzipped her wetsuit to remove her right arm from its sleeve. My stomach flipped when I saw what had happened. The skin from Shaye's elbow to her wrist was inflamed and bruised. I could've sworn her entire forearm was bent. Blood dripped from a series of deep cuts where the serpent had crushed her. Upon drawing closer, I noticed the bones weren't merely broken, but snapped and protruding through the skin in multiple places.

  Ashkan and I knelt on either side of her. It was then that I noticed that her body wasn't actually touching the ground. She was levitating a few inches above it, hair stuck to her face. There were traces of a golden shimmer around her. Static levitation was one of the rarest, most difficult magical processes to manifest on a person, especially oneself, and the vast majority of people couldn't maintain it for very long at all. Confusion struck me, but now wasn't the time to ask questions.

  Kadia was busy packing gauze around the wounds to staunch the bleeding. Her expression was as cold as ice.

  "You'll be all right, Lili..." Ashkan soothed, reaching to hold her good hand. "Keep breathing."

  The nickname seemed to snap her out of her panicked state for a bit. "Cruel...of you to…call me that right now," she gasped.

  He cracked a nervous smile. "Yeah, but it distracted you for a second, didn't it?"

  She huffed. "V-Very funny..."

  I couldn't tell if Shaye was crying more from pain, stress, fear, the grisly sight of her arm, or a combination. Either way, she seemed to be struggling to get her breath back under control, and there was no way I could blame her. I wanted nothing more than to fix up her broken arm. But even if I had the necessary energy to do so, I knew I didn't have the skill. Not yet, at least. Regardless, it was an open fracture, so there was also a risk of infection. The best thing I could do right now was help calm her down.

  I gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and kept up a string of positive affirmations. "You're going to be just fine. You'll be at Northview soon, and they'll get you healed up in no time, and you'll be as good as new." I forced a smile for her sake. "Okay? So hang in there. You're a trooper. We've got your back."

  Shaye's sobbing began to taper off as she took some deeper breaths. Her cheeks were flushed, nose runny, strands of hair plastered to her forehead, but at least she appeared more stable. Ashkan used a corner of his sleeve to wipe the tears and snot off her face, while I carefully pulled the damp locks from her eyes.

  "Found it!" Thorne suddenly declared from across the room. He was crouched in the back near a pile of supplies, having been searching for something – Kadia's medulet. He hurried over with it and handed it to her.

  She fumbled slightly with the cubical gadget in her haste, but speedily switched it on. It whirred to life as a small light blinked in its core. "Reyshore, is it possible for Tyrath to move over here?"

  "What do you think? Can you manage a few steps?" he asked him.

  "I can manage whatever needs doing." Tyrath's tone was as steady and assertive as always, but it didn't carry quite as much weight while he was shivering with a blanket over his shoulders. Reyshore assisted him in standing up and hobbling over to join us.

  Kadia began manipulating the device's different settings. Her gaze was steely as she pressed its centre button, locking in the coordinates of Northview Infirmary. Then, she hooked one arm around Shaye's torso and one around Tyrath's. "I need you two to stay perfectly still until your surroundings stabilize. I don't wish anyone to end up halfway through a wall. Are you ready?"

  They nodded in response. I watched silently as a transparent dome of blue light surrounded the three of them.

  "Remember the plan," Kadia reminded the other three lieutenants. "Safe travels. Good work, everyone. We will reconvene soon."

  She met my eyes last. I couldn't quite interpret her expression, but I figured it was some variation of a thank-you. In an instant, they were gone, leaving behind only a brief flash from the teleport. I wasn't sure how I felt about the entire affair. It'd be a while before I'd get over seeing my friend's arm snapped in two like a toothpick. However, at least now the remaining group could focus on heading home.

  Thorne gave me a friendly pat on the back as he began removing his diving gear. "Well done out there, Brielle. You too, Ashkan. If not for your shields, I think the rest of us would've ended up much worse. It would've been a shame to be swallowed by that monster."

  Morgina seemed to agree. She was hunched over her rucksack, rifling through it, presumably looking for dry clothes. "We all did well, all things considered. There's nothing like a good monster hunt to boost the spirits, eh?"

  Her optimism sounded a little forced, but I decided to go along with it. I didn't really have any other choice with my energy levels nearly depleted. "Guess not," I said with a shrug. "At least Tyrath and Shaye will survive their injuries. That's all I'm focusing on for the time being."

  Ashkan appeared a little less pleased. I couldn't fault him. His hair was matted from the helmet, eyes heavy with exhaustion. He just looked really done with it all. He was sitting beside me with his knees pulled up, resting his chin against his crossed arms. The dim light from the lanterns made his eyes almost sparkle. His gaze seemed far off, however. "That could've gone smoother," he muttered.

  Morgina gave him a sidelong glance. "Well, if you have any suggestions about how we could improve for the next mission, be my guest."

  "...Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." He sighed quietly.

  She smiled. "It's fine. It's been a long night, that's all."

  Thorne stretched his arms up over his head and groaned. Then, his gaze snapped to me. "Oh, do you still have the gem on you? You'd better check."

  I nodded and fumbled in my utility belt for the disc container. It took a little while for me to open the pouch because my fingers felt like icicles and they were all pruney, but sure enough, there it was. "I'll just...put it over here for now. We'll have to be careful opening it. This compact looks ready to disintegrate." I set the trinket down beside a nearby lantern. As soon as I did, it felt like a cloud had lifted. The energy drain had finally stopped, and I could feel some strength seeping back into my limbs.

  "Are you aware that your nose is bleeding, Thorne?" Reyshore asked him as he re-emerged from an adjacent cavern where he'd been changing out of his wetsuit. "You hit your head, did you not?"

  Thorne touched his index finger to his upper lip and peered down. "So it is..." He reached into his knapsack for a handkerchief.

  "The last thing you need is another concussion," Morgina said. "Feeling queasy at all? Seeing double?"

  "No more than usual," he answered with a smirk.

  "We should all change first, then Brielle and I can get to healing," Reyshore prompted. He picked up his satchel and turned to me. "Unless you are not feeling well enough, of course."

  "No, no, I can do it." I rose to my feet, although my body seemed to be protesting. It felt like I had weights tying me down. I stumbled a little as I trudged towards the back cave.

  As I peeled off the damp layers and equipment, the exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave. I almost forgot where I was for a second. All the events of the night were playing on a loop in my brain. We'd been attacked by a monster that seemed to come right out of a horror film. My best friend was in a state that no one should have to endure. The whole expedition was an ordeal. I tried to imagine how my old self would've reacted in this situation. She'd definitely be losing her shit right about now, that was for sure. I might've, too, if I hadn't had magic to fall back on. I'd come a long way since then. I wasn't sure what that meant in terms of character development, but it was nice to think that I was tougher now than I used to be.

  I dried off and dressed as fast as I could, as if to escape from the dark thoughts that were invading my mind. Thorne's conversation in the next room over helped to distract me.

  "I've never actually seen one before," he was saying. "They're supposed to be elusive, right? Not many basilisks out there. And it wasn't like this one was going to let us get close enough to examine it properly, given how it tried to eat us all."

  "I believe that one was a white-backed ruuhix. A female," Reyshore clarified. "I thought the notion of them exhibiting aggressive behaviours towards anything red was merely a myth, but perhaps it just smelled Tyrath's blood..."

  "That would explain why it was so interested in Shaye. Her curls are basically blood-red."

  "In any case, I would advise the Opios' Wildlife Management Department to send a team down here in due course, so they may investigate."

  "Yeah, it doesn't even seem likely that the monster would've been down here naturally in the first place, huh? Doesn't seem big enough of a home. Must've gotten down there somehow and ended up stranded."

  Morgina chimed in, "Poor girl was probably starving. Can't imagine there's much to eat down there."

  "Uh, we are not having sympathy for it after it almost devoured us," Thorne replied with a chuckle. "I know you love the critters, but it nearly killed us."

  "We were invading its territory," she pointed out.

  "Right, and now we're leaving its territory for good, so problem solved!"

  Within ten minutes, I was back out in the main room, sitting by the light of a few lanterns. I joined Reyshore in patching everyone up after an early breakfast and a quick swig of navistae. None of us were completely unharmed. There were scratches, scrapes, bruises, and cuts aplenty. Morgina's palm had been burned pretty significantly, and the serpent's fangs had also grazed her torso. Reyshore had received a similar blow on the shoulder. Thorne's injuries were mostly from blunt force, and he seemed to have a sprained joint or two. It was a steady cycle of disinfecting and repairing.

  Ashkan was the last to change out of his gear. When he reappeared from the side cavern, he was lacking a shirt of any sort, which was a sight I still wasn't quite accustomed to. I locked my eyes onto Morgina's injured hand like my life depended on it.

  "Quick question. Is my back bleeding?" he asked, turning away from us and glancing over his shoulder. "It's all tingly."

  Thorne whistled. "Whoa, it sure is! Looks like the ruuhix's razor scales tore through your wetsuit. Not to worry, Brielle and Reyshore are the best nurses a knight could hope for. Just take a seat."

  Stone-faced, I slowed down my healing spell for Morgina, hoping that Reyshore would get to Ashkan first.

  "I...think I'm done," Morgina spoke up, flexing her newly-repaired hand.

  I startled. "Already?"

  She winked at me. "I'm tough. Thanks." She patted my arm as she got to her feet and crossed over to where Reyshore was busy checking Thorne's eyesight.

  Well. No such luck. Now I had to look at him, and help. It was all part of the job, so there was no room for my silly little emotions to interfere.

  "How bad is it?" Ashkan questioned me as I moved to kneel behind where he sat. Not being able to see his face actually helped to ease some of my tension.

  "It kind of looks like...you fell into a pit of barbed wire, but only your spine connected," I replied.

  "That sounds bad."

  I wet a handkerchief with some antiseptic. "Yeah, well...I've seen worse." I gently began washing away some of the crusted blood, trying my hardest not to feel anything as my fingers grazed over his skin. He might have a few scars left over, but there was no helping that. The bruises were going to be worse than the cuts. "Do you feel like you broke anything?"

  "I'm pretty sure I didn't," he answered with a slight tilt of his head.

  I couldn't see a problem with any of his vertebrae or shoulder blades. The marks ran across his back in long, shallow streaks. He'd probably just want some painkillers tomorrow.

  The others were all quietly chattering among themselves while I worked. I heard snippets of the conversation, but mostly, my brain was filled with static as I tried to focus. Silver-gold light hovered from the tips of my fingers as I ran the healing magic across his back. I took my time, allowing the glow to sink into his muscles for a few minutes at a time to give him some extra pain relief. The more magic I used, the heavier my head felt, but it wasn't a sensation I was unfamiliar with.

  "It might be less painful if you sit up straight. That position's not good for your spine," I commented, moving on to a patch of wounds a little closer to the back of his neck.

  Ashkan stretched his arms and straightened his back. "Hey. I've got pretty good posture when I'm not sore all over."

  I laughed slightly.

  "...You think Shaye will be all right?"

  My hands hesitated as I ran through his question in my mind. The tone of his voice made it sound like he didn't just mean her injuries. I bit my lip, then resumed the spell. "Yeah. She's always been good at bouncing back."

  He didn't respond for a beat or two. "That's true."

  It felt like a while later, but probably wasn't, when I was finished with his back. My eyelids felt so heavy I could barely keep them open anymore. The magic had definitely taken a toll – not that I was complaining. It was the best way for me to contribute to the group. I rubbed my hands against my tired face and leaned back on my haunches.

  "You'd better not break that," Morgina warned, eyeing Thorne, who'd just retrieved the disc container and was attempting to pry it apart with a lockpick.

  "Relax," he said. "I just think we should make sure the shiny's actually in here before leaving."

  Ashkan walked back into the main cave, now fully dressed, just in time to catch the last remark. "Careful. You shouldn't be handling that thing too much."

  "Yeah, yeah... It'll be fine," he assured him with the tool lodged between his teeth. After a minute of jiggling and tugging, the seal finally cracked. A loud puff of steam hissed out as he opened up the case. "Yeesh!"

  The others moved to gather around, staring curiously over Thorne's shoulder. But he didn't hold it for very long before Ashkan plucked it out of his hands.

  Thorne made an expression like a scorned child. "Spoilsport."

  "Thank you for opening it, but this is dangerous, remember? I'm doing you a favour." Ashkan carefully balanced the open container in his palm.

  Morgina chimed in, "Eh, he's got a point, Thorne. Us trainers have got a job to do, and so do the saviours. Maybe let's leave this sort of thing to the people with the protective rune-covered necklaces. Hm?"

  Ash and I chorused with a couple of amused hums and head nods. Thorne shrugged it off.

  I was almost overwhelmed with relief to see the sacred water gemstone inside, sitting perfectly intact atop a bed of crushed velvet. I leaned a little closer to peer at it. My necklace grew warm again. As to be expected, it was shaped like a teardrop – or a pear, as jewelers call it – and roughly the size of an eyeball. A light haze of bluish energy drifted in waves inside the jewel's sparkly facets. Ashkan tilted the case side-to-side, and oddly enough, the stone slid around like a water balloon, yet retained its shape. It was as if it was perpetually waterlogged and slightly gelatinous. Scintillating little beads of blue and green swirled and twinkled as it moved.

  "Ethereal. It is fascinating, is it not?" Reyshore pointed out. "A reminder that the world is still full of magic beyond our reckoning."

  "Beautiful..." I mumbled.

  "Worth it?" Morgina asked nobody in particular.

  Ashkan shut the compact with a click. "We're not really allowed to say no to that, are we?"

  She laughed. "Guess not."

  "I'd say mission accomplished," Thorne announced, slinging his knapsack over his shoulder. "Time to get out of this place. I'm wiped."

  Dawn had broken by the time we emerged from the mouth of the cave. We watched the mystical pond inside reseal itself as we packed up our equipment. Indeed, if we'd taken an hour or two longer, the entrance would've closed permanently. Or at least until midnight again. But I had an inkling we would've either drowned or become basilisk food by then.

  Everyone traversed the waterfall and river like we'd done yesterday. We didn't have to wait long for our boat to arrive to the island's shore. The captain was surprised to see only five of us there, but didn't ask too many questions. We were all basically dead on our feet. I wasn't sure what time it was. Maybe about six. The cool wind and ocean mist helped keep me awake as the boat sailed towards mainland. The sunlight had yet to fully breach the horizon, painting the sky in a beautiful mixture of purples and blues. I looked up, watching the pale, pinkish-yellow clouds drift around the rising sun, feeling a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment wash over me. Glistening water droplets still hung to the very ends of my hair. I untied the two braids, letting my waves dry in the fresh air.

  We'd had a rough go of things, but in the end, the team pulled through, and the water gem was safe. It wasn't the smoothest retrieval, but we'd done the job. And that was what mattered. I never would've guessed a year ago that this would become my normal routine. There was no other way I'd rather be spending my time, though. Make no mistake; it was a dangerous and difficult line of work. If you looked at it cynically, it was more of a transaction. One that nobody had ordered, expected, or wanted to do, but everybody wanted the product. Safety. Peace. Freedom. All things worth fighting for. That was why I'd do this as long as I was needed. I was good at it. And I'd become even better. I'd be able to keep the ones I cared about safe. I'd prove to the universe I could handle the responsibility.

  And then, everyone that doubted me, shunned me, treated me like I was incapable, like I was nothing, like I was dangerous, would see. They'd have to eat their words. This whole journey was a test in that sense. I'd come to learn that. I knew I'd pass it. I'd do it with grace.

  After glaring at my obsidian bangle for a few more minutes, telling it 'Game on' in my mind, I felt someone sit down next to me. I didn't have to look to know who it was. He'd unknowingly carved out a space in the most hidden recesses of my heart and stayed there. He was like a stray cat I couldn't bring myself to stop feeding. An unassuming plant that would sporadically produce rather pretty flowers that I couldn't bear to pull out or neglect. I didn't like it, I'd just...accepted it, more or less.

  "Not tired?" Ashkan posed with a certain kind of tone that told me he was.

  I breathed out a laugh. "Sort of. In a good way, I guess."

  "Hm. Me too."

  A momentary silence ensued, as if we both wanted to talk about more, but couldn't. Ash's shoulder bumped against mine. Our heads tilted at the same time to meet each other's eyes. I only then noticed the black bandana across his hairline, tied in the back. The square-ish piece of fabric helped hide how tangled his hair was. Our gazes kept tangoing back and forth. That was when I realized he was waiting for me to say something. ...Or not. Both options seemed just as intimidating, strangely.

  His legs stretched out before him. "This would be a good time for a nap. We won't reach shore for another forty minutes or so." He then folded his arms across his chest, leaning back and tilting his face towards the sky. "I'm guessing…I don't need to offer, though...?"

  It took a few seconds for me to fully register what he was getting at. And even then, I couldn't be sure that's what he was suggesting. Was me falling asleep on his shoulder really going to become another routine of ours? It sounded nice, but it wasn't as easy to do that anymore. There was an awkward edge to our friendship lately. It wasn't bad or good, it just was. ...Complicated. All I could do was pray I was the only one who could feel it. And that'd it'd go away very soon.

  I shrugged in what I hoped was an 'I don't care' manner. "I really ought to stop doing that. It just prevents you from resting or getting up or moving much at all, for that matter."

  "A sacrifice I'm willing to make," he answered coolly, like he already had the retort locked and loaded.

  That surprised a little burst of laughter out of me. If we were teasing each other, that would certainly indicate a solid level of friendliness...right? Or were we toeing the line between friendship and flirting? Was this the dreaded ambiguous line? Where was Spencer when I needed a quick refresher on romance protocol? I didn't really have the mental capacity to do this right now.

  ...Oh, whatever.

  The concept of Ashkan harbouring any sort of interest in me at all was preposterous. It was so absurd that it almost circled around to being hilarious. Not to mention counterintuitive. No, friends should be considerate of each other, too. This was normal.

  I contested, "Don't you ever want to snooze on someone's shoulder? It's hardly fair of me to always be the one–"

  "You don't want my snoring in your ear. Trust me."

  "You don't snore."

  He cracked a half-smile. "How do you know that?"

  My face threatened to develop a flush at the question, but I managed to compose myself, trying to pretend like my heart wasn't tapping out a jazzy number against my ribs. "You weren't when we were napping for hours before the dive. At least, not any louder than Shaye was."

  "Fair point."

  A brief silence followed. My gaze flittered up to Ashkan's face and back down to my lap, before repeating the pattern about three times. It was almost unbearable. There were a hundred things I wanted to say or ask him, but I didn't have the guts to go through with any of it. All I was certain about was how exhausted I felt. Maybe just a little sleep wouldn't be such a bad idea... And Ash's shoulder is always comfortable...

  After an agonizing sixty seconds, I hesitantly settled my head against his shoulder. "Just so you know, this is not the start of a new habit."

  "Of course not." His tone was purely neutral.

  "...I mean it."

  "So do I."

  It was harder than usual for me to doze off. We both seemed to be struggling to catch the rest that was right on the cusp. It didn't help that my body kept insisting I should stay on alert and be hyper-aware of every single point of contact I shared with him. Even so, it was nice to just sit quietly and enjoy the rhythmic rocking of the ship, knowing everyone was going to be okay, and the gemstone was safe.

  "...Ash?" I spoke up softly.

  He shifted ever so slightly under my weight. "Hmm?"

  "Do you think…?" I paused to find the right words. "Do you think that everything we do here is actually making a difference? Is any of it worth it?" I tried not to sound like I needed to be consoled or have my worries placated, but when I took a big step back to analyze all this prophecy stuff, I could see how it might actually be a complex, wild goose chase. What if we were just doing someone's dirty work? Maybe our efforts and abilities would've been better spent in other places?

  "I've been asking myself that question a lot lately," he admitted.

  The wind had a sudden chill to it. I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them again, everything would make more sense. "Sometimes, I feel like a pawn."

  He thought about that for a few seconds. "If we're all pieces on some chess board, I think that means someone somewhere has confidence in us to move them. To play the game. Maybe it's the gods. Maybe it's just fate. Or maybe it's neither. Maybe the game we're all playing is bigger than any of us can even begin to grasp. I don't think there's any point in trying to find the answer when it comes to that."

  "...Why not?" I whispered.

  He inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out. "We can't control the rules, beyond a certain point. So maybe all we can do is play the best hand we have. The more actions we take, the more we learn, the more good we can do…and the better equipped we are to do it. It's all... I don't know. Trial and error. Everything has an effect. Even if we don't see it right away. So...you're making a difference simply by existing."

  I didn't reply. It sounded like he was just thinking out loud. Trying to process everything like I was. The weight of our burdens was definitely getting heavier with each passing day. But it was moments like these that I was reminded I wasn't in this alone. Not by a long shot. We'd figure this out together, whether we liked it or not. I found some solace in that.

  I couldn't pinpoint when exactly I fell asleep. One moment, I was thinking, the next, I was drifting off into oblivion, hoping I would find answers there. The last thing I felt before unconsciousness consumed me was a light, enduring pressure distributed evenly over the top of my head. Something about it felt familiar, yet completely new at the same time.

  My sleep was dreamless, but peaceful. And that was just what I needed.