Water

Wave Three

She needed to hide. Or better yet, escape.  

          Leira shifted her balance and turned her dark eyes to study the ceiling. Free floating, she adjusted the energy flowing through her wristpiece. It brightened to reveal an intricate pattern of stone formations. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Leira ran her fingers over the different textures taking in her surroundings.

          Pupils narrowed into slits, Leira marvelled at how quickly her body had adapted to the surroundings, so different from the silence and darkness of the Nest. Up here, far more life thrived. She preferred the shadows.

          She readjusted her orb to conserve energy and shrank from the columns of natural light that speared through small holes in the ceiling. Shying away from clusters of colourful plants and anemones that teemed about her, Leira swam on.

          Hissing through bared fangs, a reef snake sprang from the rock. Adrenaline pulsed through Leira and her heart raced. Instinctively, she raised her tail to protect herself, ready to strike. Her training kicked in, and she reached out to the snake.
(Peace.)
Its mind reeled at her intrusion and, for a moment, she had total control. She smiled.

          The snake squirmed, attempting to free itself from her grasp; it brought Leira back to herself. If she held it for much longer, it would die from the struggle. Sensing its panic and surrender, Leira released her hold. The snake vanished into the rock.

          Curiously, Leira examined the crack in the wall. Almost without realising, her mind reached out and scanned it as though she expected to find another being.
(Idiot!) she admonished. (Jumping at shadows and projecting to wal-) Her thought cut off. Her mind skimmed across an almost imperceptible vibration. She felt for it again and sensed a ripple of awareness coming from the wall. She peered closer.

          What had seemed to be a tear in the rock, was a crevice large enough for her to slip through. She hissed in annoyance; a row of sharp teeth glinted in the orb-light. The purpose of her Testing was to evade the Testers. Yet she’d been steered by them to this cavern – was this new energy a part of her Testing? Should she follow it? She felt her Testers getting closer and closer. Leira hesitated a moment longer before easing herself into the fissure.

          Instantly the natural light lessened, and Leira’s tail uncoiled. She hadn't realised how tensed it had been. There was no current, yet the water tasted clean and fresh. She had to press close to the walls of the gap to move her head. A passageway stretched out before her.   
     
          Closing her eyes, Leira scanned the waters. She needed to figure out exactly where her Testers were. Of the five Guardians assigned to her, she’d managed to evade all but two of them. She kept scanning. She sensed no one. No one?

          Panic swept through her. She reached out again. Nothing. The panic swelled as she realised that for the first time in her life, she couldn’t sense her father’s energy. He was gone.

          (Eli?) The thought slipped out before she could stop it. Leira turned to manoeuvre herself back out into the cavern, desperate to feel his connection. The light within her orb appeared to swell for a heartbeat, blinding her. She blinked at the distraction. It was enough to calm her. Leira realised she should be using the mental solitude to her advantage. If she could just last the day without being captured, she’d prove herself worthy.

    Resolved, she edged further down the passageway, her tail occasionally scraping against the rough edges of the tunnel. She flinched as her scales caught and snagged. The tunnel widened and the rock formation changed. Veins of what looked like glass or crystal quartz laced through the dark stone. Attracted by the strange beauty of it, Leira turned up the light flowing from her wristpiece. A face appeared in the surface in front of her. Leira jumped and snarled, baring her teeth. Her heart quickened. She prepared to flee, until she realised the translucent face shimmering in front of her was her own.

          Eyes widening, Leira studied her reflection. She was surprised to note how slight she looked. Her amethyst scales extended beyond her tail to cover parts of her arms and shoulders. Lighter scales formed a glittering V around the small curves of her breasts, shimmering down the length of her protruding ribs. Ribs that not been as pronounced nor obviously visible only weeks earlier. Perhaps the rigours of Guardian training had taken their toll. Leira pushed away the other thought that appeared. She refused to believe that maybe, just maybe, her Herd’s Source was fading. Surely she would have felt something. Surely-

          Another face appeared in the crystal. Leira blinked at it before whirling round. A dark figure slammed into her, knocking her head into the wall. With a cry, Leira raised her tail and swiped desperately in the small space.
(Ouch, Leira – stop! Stop, it’s me! It’s just me.)
Leira took a shaky breath and felt her fluttering heartbeats begin to even out.
(Cam! What are you doing here?)
(You’re not the only one being Tested today, Leira. There are a few of us y’know,) came Cam’s easy reply.
(None of the others know about this place though,) he added quickly. He looked at Leira, his pale eyes pleading with her.

          Leira sighed. Cam was one of her closest friends. He’d been there for her when her mother passed, and they’d grown up together, trained together. But he shouldn’t be here now – he’d clearly followed her.

(Cam, you know we’re all meant to be Tested separately. That involves not being crushed together in the same tiny space! What if my Testers followed you, or yours followed me? We’d have twice as many after us then!)
Cam bowed his fair head and twirled his tail in small circles in the sand, as though he were being scolded.
(Well, I can’t sense any of them. Can you?)

Leira kept quiet. He knew she couldn’t hear them. It was why he wanted to stay.
(Cam, it’s too risky. You need to find somewhere else to hide out. I was here first…) Her thought trailed off as Cam looked at her again, his eyes even bigger this time. He quivered his lip to emphasise his desperation. Despite herself, Leira laughed.

        Cam’s playful eyes shone.
(That means yes!)
(Huh?)
(Laughing means yes – it means I get to stay here. With you.) He grabbed her hand and pulled her further into the passage. They swam together down the length of it until it opened into a hollow.

          (Leira?)
She started at the sound of the whisper that seemed to reverberate around the small chamber. Had their Testers found them after all this time? Disappointed, she turned to her friend.
(Cam! I knew they’d follow you here – we’re going to fail!)
(What?)
(That whisper – they’re close.)
(Whisper?)
(Yes, didn’t you he-)

          (Leira.) More insistent now, the whisper seemed to grow, not in volume but in-
(Leira, leave this place!)
Leira’s alarm, instead of causing her to bolt, turned to curiosity. She recognised the voice behind the whisper. It stirred memories from her younger days. Glancing around the cavern, Leira noticed the vibration had stopped.

          Reaching out, she tried to sense her father’s presence. Still nothing. The whisper too, had stopped its frantic plea.
(Leira, what’s going on? What can you hear?)

          Cam’s thought sounded distant, despite his closeness. The water surrounding her suddenly tasted less fresh. She felt suffocated, as though it contained little oxygen. A wave of lethargy swept over her and a sense of uneasy stillness hung about them. Until the whispering began again.