The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 16: Lines In Every Direction

The crystals are different hues of white, clear, and blue. "This has to be the most beautiful thing I'll ever see in my lifetime," I announce to the group.

"Agatha," Jonah says. "This water is very thin. You'll be able to breathe."

"Huh?" Water? I stare at Norm. He isn't floating. He's swimming.

Tiny magenta fish are swimming close to my face. I put my finger up to touch them. The air ripples in front of my hand. It's water, but it's vertical, like looking into an aquarium. The tiny fish swim over and nibble on my fingertips. "How is this possible?"

"The water is thin. You can breathe it. It won't hurt you," Jonah repeats.

I'm so busy marveling at the crystals, the fish, and the vertical water that I'm not paying attention to him.

Dathid groans again and steps forward. When he steps, his feet leave the ground, and he paddles. He's definitely swimming and not flying, but it's hard for my brain to make sense of it. I'm too excited to be scared. I take a big gulp of air and jump in.

The water is cold and a bit of a jolt after the warm air. I instinctively swim to the nonexistent surface. Soon my lungs scream for air, and panic sets in. Dathid grabs my waist. I cling to him as if I'm drowning.

"Breathe!" he yells.

I can't make myself do it. My heart is pulsing so hard I can barely hear Dathid over its pounding beat. My vision fades, and my fingers are already numb.

Instinctively I inhale deeply. The air is thick and humid and makes me cough. I gasp and cough as my heart rate increases.

Dathid isn't helping. He's holding me about the waist to keep me from fleeing. I want to go back to the other side, but he won't let go. I push against him and hit him a few times, but he's too strong. I can't break away. I choke, then take a normal breath.

Once I inhale normally, I stop coughing. My heart rate slows, and I relax. It's difficult drawing the thick, humid air into my lungs, but it doesn't hurt and gets much easier once I adjust to the shallow breathing I need to do to keep from choking.

"You good?" he asks.

"Sorry. Yes. I'm okay," I say. My voice sounds melodic, like I'm singing. "That's funny. Listen to me!" I shout. He lets go, and I sing random words until the group is back together.

We follow Norm through the crystal cave. It looks like a giant game of pick-up sticks. The crystals aren't growing in a single direction; they crisscross over each other, with some sprouting up and others shooting down. The largest ones are thicker than the Liisoole trees. The smaller ones have a pink hue and grow so fast we have to make our way through them carefully so we don't accidentally impale ourselves on their sharp ends.

This is extraordinary, but as with everything else on Ashra, it gets tiresome. The crystals are not easy to traverse. They're like a thick tangle of uncuttable weeds that are a lot of work to get through. However, I'm definitely painting this when I get home.

The thought of painting makes my soul ache. I haven't painted anything since I've been on Ashra. I've thought about it, but there was never time. How long has it been since I held a brush? At least two years. I miss New York, and my beautiful room, and my art.

We swim through the giant crystals until I see the reflection of light against where the water ends. Just like how it began, it ends in a vertical wall of water. How can I exit without injuring myself?

Norm does it beautifully when he kicks high, and gracefully leaps to his feet.

When I try to imitate his movements, I end up falling out of the water with a flip and land flat on my back. I'm embarrassed until Dathid crashes right beside me. Soon Trelix and Solara flop down, and then Jonah gracefully floats out.