The Glimmering Sea

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

A gray shadow sent Ziphra to hide among the rocks. The squirting ink hid her well and Armida lost track of her entirely. And this time, far from her home territory where Ziphra might feel safer.

Armida slowed and some of the heaviness she'd felt lifted. ≈Liath! Nudger and Warbler found you!≈

As Liath rolled in full-body circles, Armida whirled around him, skirted beneath his fins, then rose around his head. Their play continued with no words between them until the dolphins dove from the surface to join them.

≈You are thinner than last we met, Armida.≈

≈ But stronger, I warrant.≈ Armida grabbed a fin and Liath attempted to shake her off. ≈I am dizzy.≈ She let go as he was flinging his fin forward, propelling her away from the group.

≈Hey, Liath, be gentle with her. She still has some healing to do.≈

Liath rolled, exposing his massive belly. ≈I wouldn't hurt a krill. Many krill, however...≈

Ziphra sped to Armida. ≈You must be exquisitely careful. Without you, none of this works.≈

Armida shrugged. ≈Without any one of us, it won't work.≈

The seriousness of the situation cast silence over the group.

Armida turned to her friend. ≈Ziphra must be credited. Without her, we would not have understood the green sand. The olivine crystals weather and absorb the acid and the heat, but we must not use them if the volcano shaft is too deep. The crystals are unstable if they fall too far and can cause earthquakes. Yet, without the green sand, we have no chance of success.≈

Ziphra wrapped a tentacle around Armida's wrist. ≈Without your necklace, I might not have been assured of the connection to my inherited knowledge.≈

Armida's laugh trickled out to her friends. ≈My necklace came from Paolo. How fitting he may be the one to save us.≈

Warbler moved out and away. ≈Come. We must keep going. We must prepare.≈

And she was right.

Soon they passed the still-silent Watcher Station.

Armida turned to Ziphra. ≈Welcome to Marea. You will be safe here.≈

Liath soared to the surface, breached, and slapped his tail. ≈I will monitor the surface and the perimeter until such time as we leave.≈

Armida stared at the cave entrance she hadn't seen for many weeks. Not since she left for Venice. She wrapped her arms around herself in a hug. How long since she thought of her father? Was he still alive? Her mother was in there with Paolo. She closed her eyes and squeezed her arms tighter.

Ziphra stole up on her and slipped a tentacle in at Armida's elbow. ≈You need to open your eyes and your heart to find those who will help you.≈

It was exactly what the original—whatever that meant—Ziphra had said to her as she continued her journey to Thalassa. Armida wasn't sure her understanding had grown any clearer.

Armida's warmth for these Ziphras was the same; she couldn't pull them apart. The suckers on Ziphra's tentacles tickled as Armida found herself secure in Ziphra's arms. She left the embrace with reluctance.

≈You're home. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised I'm the last to know. You always had time for your games with dolphins and the like. It is a bit of a shock to see you being hugged by an octopus.≈

≈Hello, mother. I guess some things haven't changed.≈

The others vanished. Armida was alone with her mother. Being chased by a sludgeshark was less terrifying.