Edgewise

32

The wind tore the scream from her throat and stung her open eyes. Calponia didn't dare close them, couldn't close them, pinned back by a combination of pressure and terror. Over the whistling torrent she heard Mack's delighted laughter. She was so going to kick him in the shins if she survived this. Gulping air, she clutched their hands in a death grip, her legs lax in free-fall. The terror strangled her for a long moment until they plummeted through the first layer of clouds and beheld the realm below.

A vast ocean churned and frothed, catching sparks of sunlight in the waves. Layered clouds formed a tapestry of multi-hued vapors in constant swirling motion above the water. Calponia's terror shifted to awe as as a massive squid emerged from the clouds below them, drifting through the sky. Its milk white body shimmered, inky stains shifting and blurring across its great mantle to blend with the shadows of water beneath it. Its size became more apparent and impressive as they drew closer. They passed close enough that Cal could've skimmed her fingers along its skin if she dared let go of Mack and Eugene. An alien cerulean eye wider than she was tall watched the trio as they continued to plunge toward the ocean.

Clouds surrounded them, full of creatures. Schools of arrow shaped fish winked in and out of the corner of her vision. A pod of dolphin-like creatures, sporting sleek dove grey feathers along their fins, playfully chased each other, creating a funnel that dragged in a giant gossamer jellyfish floating past, causing its trailing tentacles to crackle with bolts of lightning.

Her wonder was distracted by the rapidly approaching water. They were going to smash into it. At this speed, it would be like hitting concrete. Cal squirmed, tugging on Mack's hand in panic.

He answered her with a maniacal grin and shifted his legs and free arm for a bullet dive. The position caused her to nearly let go, his streamlined weight dragging them faster. To her horror, Eugene followed suit. There wasn't enough breath in her lungs to scream, the churning mass of water rushing up fast.

A pod of whales broke the surface directly below them. Or she thought they were whales until she noticed the slick fur along their bodies. The surprisingly warm spray of water drenched her, a moment before their haunting song filled her ears. At least she could die surrounded by beauty. It was her last fleeting thought before they reached the surface...

The ocean caught them, a velvety viscous crush of fluid, enveloping her body. Startled she nearly took a breath, thrashing as she fought the reflex and her lungs burned. Mack squeezed her had.

"Take a breath, Cal," he said, his voice muffled and strange.

It was a testament to her trust in him that she inhaled, taking the thick fluid into her lungs. He wouldn't let her drown. Her chest briefly burned, before the pinched feeling relaxed. She was breathing underwater. She was breathing underwater.

She blinked, feeling the same brief burn and release as her eyes adjusted to their fluid surroundings. They descent slowed to a languid pace. Calponia looked up, around them and forgot to breathe all over again.