Dive In

Chapter 10

“He likes me? I've known him for a matter of days!” stuttered Ella.

“Yeah, but he's been watching you for years. And you're pretty too. I'm not saying he's in love with you or anything, but he likes you,” Brittany carried on, beginning to hum to herself.

Ella was stunned. No guy had ever even looked twice at her, forget one of them ever liking her. Then again, Landon wasn't a human boy, he'd been raised among people who looked just like her. So of course he wouldn't think she was a total freak. But pretty? That was a bit of a long shot.

Just as Brittany was finishing up with Ella's hair, they heard a commotion from down in the kitchen. As Ella moved to investigate, Carter came crashing through the hallway. He sent her an easy smile as he propelled himself through the water towards her, but it didn't spread to his eyes. His hair was dishevelled and it looked like he'd thrown on some armour haphazardly. Landon emerged from his room, eyeing his friend worriedly.

“Greetings everyone. Hate to barge in like this, but it seems we have a bit of a problem. Ella's aunt is looking for her, and we need to get her back to the surface as soon as possible. You know, before they call more Mortalis in and search the area, inevitably finding our kingdom. Come on Ella, follow me,” Carter turned on his tail and swam down the stairs.

“I'm coming too,” said Landon, putting his helmet back on and picking up his spear.

“I was told the less people going to the surface, the better,” stated Carter, adding an undertone of power to his voice.

“I'm her guardian, I'm going with her,” Landon raised his voice to level with Carter.

Carter paused for a moment, thinking, “Very well. You can come. We're going through the tunnels to reach the other side of the lake, where Ella can surface. She can make up some story about going for a walk and losing track of time to tell her aunt. It's the best I can do under these circumstances.”

Ella didn't like the way Carter was talking, his earlier playfulness had been replaced by a mature, businesslike demeanour. Had Landon been right when he said the welfare of his people is what mattered most to Carter? Without another word, they exited Landon's house and swam down a now vacant street. Doors were locked, curtains were drawn, and everything seemed darker. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that the giant blue flame in the temple had been extinguished. It was so deathly silent that she could hear the sound of the wind rippling against the surface- hundreds of feet above her head.

Carter's tail was much more powerful than her own, and she began to find it difficult to keep up. Everything was sore, her fin burned like her legs did after running laps in gym class. She was about to give up all together, but then she felt a warm arm wrap around her own. Landon was there, tugging her along gently. Her eyes met his and he smiled sympathetically before quickly glancing away.

They reached the wall surrounding the city, and Carter ducked through a side door. It was coated with algae and protested being opened with a loud creak. He motioned with his hand for her to swim through, and she followed him out into the rough waters, shivering as an underwater weed brushed against her arm. About twenty feet away she could see a outcropping of rocks, and tucked inside and open-mouthed cave. When she said open-mouthed, it literally looked like a mouth with jagged teeth protruding from the bottom and top of the entrance. Careful not to bump her tail on the sharp rocks, she swam inside. Suddenly blinded by the blackness of the cave, she fumbled around for something to give her a sense of direction and her fingers brushed something soft and warm. Someone grabbed her hand, and thinking it was Landon, she locked her fingers with his. A low rumble of laughter told her that she had grabbed the wrong hand.