Water

Wave Sixty Six

As the tide turned, Leira emerged from her tent and looked around. The nest was white. A fine layer of sand had settled over everything, lying atop tents and huts. A group of Mer huddled near the edge of the nest, their tails contrasting starkly with the sand. One of them turned and waved to her.
(Leira!) It was Marilla. Smiling timidly, Leira swam to join them. (Catch!) Leira clutched at the wristpiece Marilla had thrown to her. It was the one they’d taken from her when she first arrived. This was the first time they’d trusted her to have it back.
         
She slipped it on to her wrist and felt a pang of homesickness. She remembered Nerida had made it herself. Pushing thoughts of her team aside, Leira surveyed the group. She saw a few familiar faces: Marilla, Arla, Naeco, Mira, the messenger from last night. There were about ten of them in all.
(You ready?) Naeco appeared by her side.
(For what?) she asked, suddenly shy.
Arla swept over, clapping Naeco on the back. (Let’s go,) he projected. He reeled away, and Leira found herself swept along. The waters were still clouded with sand, riled up from the night’s storm. Leira could barely see Marilla’s tail in front of her. The current was stronger than she’d ever felt it. They had to swim hard to move forward.
         
Struggling to keep up, Leira realised she was lagging behind. She didn’t know how much longer she could swim at such a punishing pace. Naeco swam back to her, and pulled her away from the others. He led her through the dark waters toward a rocky overhang. Motioning for her to follow, Naeco slipped into a cave shielded by the rock. Instantly the current weakened and Leira could relax. Naeco kept swimming up, further into the cave. Intrigued, Leira followed. Without warning, her head breached the surface. She found herself gulping in cold air. A breeze danced about her hair and she looked around in surprise.
         
The cave had somehow created a vacuum beneath the waves. It was like being at the Surface, but they were leagues underwater. The ceiling stretched high above them, unreachable. Leira gasped as it began to twinkle.
(Sea lichen.) Naeco thought it proudly, watching Leira’s reaction. (It’s luminous.) Leira stared at the cave walls as they glittered under the light of her orb. It was mesmerising. Naeco heaved himself onto a slab of flat rock, dipping the tip of his tail into the water.
She detected a hint of pride in his tone. (I thought you’d want to see it.) Leira nodded slowly.
(It’s beautiful,) she conceded. Naeco took her hand, and pulled her from the water. She joined him on the stone and rested her head lightly on his shoulder. He responded by brushing his lips against her forehead. Tilting her chin, he stared into her eyes. Leira felt her heart flutter under the heat of his gaze. Minutes passed before he bowed his head and led her from the rock.
         
They found the others a few lengths above the cave. Mira eyed them suspiciously and Naeco snarled threateningly. Leira ignored them and swam to Marilla.
(What is that?) Leira thought to the Mer, awed by the sight ahead.
(Waves, Leira. Lots of waves,) came the reply. Leira shone her orb in front of her and realised what she was seeing. The storm had disturbed the usual ocean currents, creating huge underwater waves. They began high above them, peeling away neatly, before crashing into the depths. Foam jettisoned off the rolling water and mingled with sand. Some of the waves shot far into the distance, beyond Leira’s eyeline. Others crested and broke almost at her tail. A strange taste reached Leira’s lips, and she sniffed the water. Arla sensed her question before she asked it.
(It doesn’t normally taste like this. Storms usually clear the waters, make things fresh. Clean. This, this is…different.)
         
Before Arla could continue his thought, the others began to gather at the top of the waves.
(Come on!) Mira projected down to them. He jumped onto a wave. Leira watched, amazed, as he let it carry him. He’d stretched his arms in front of him and the wave barrelled around him as it pulled him toward the sea bed. It crested and Mira was suspended awkwardly for several seconds, before the wave heaved him up and dumped him to the ground. He emerged unhurt and laughing. Naeco caught the next wave, skimming across as it propelled him above Leira’s head. It carried him for lengths before it broke and he appeared from the foam, shaking it from his hair.
(Our turn,) Marilla laughed to Leira. (We have to wait for the next good set.) She hauled Leira to the top of the waves, and they waited as several small ones rolled past.
(Ready?) She positioned Leira so they were facing away from the waves. Leira peered over her shoulder and immediately regretted it. A huge wave was roaring toward them.
(No!) she gulped. (Not ready!)
         
It was too late. The wave bellowed about them and Leira was lifted by its might. She flew forward, carried by the surge. Water thundered in her ears, but she didn’t care. She didn’t think she’d ever moved so fast, or felt so weightless. She sensed the wave beginning to turn and knew it was about to crash. Before she could react it smashed her into the seabed, Marilla rolling alongside. Winded, Leira clamoured on the seabed. Gradually, her breathing steadied and she joined in with Marilla’s laughter. They lifted their heads to watch as Arla began to surf another wave. They’d been getting bigger as the tide rolled on. The one that came toward him was bigger than any Leira had ever seen. If Arla was frightened, he didn’t show it. He turned from the wave and allowed it to sweep him up. But instead of bringing him down to the sea bed, it veered off, whipping him out of sight.
         
The other Mer darted after him, following Arla’s course. They watched, speechless, as the wave dragged him through the water and spewed him out. Unable to slow down, he couldn’t stop himself from careening into the object that had stopped the others in their tracks. A gigantic white sphere, whiter than any shade Leira had seen. It soared over them, bigger than anything she could’ve imagined. Glass lined the top half of it. The bottom part of it was no material Leira had ever come across. And Arla propelled straight into it. He hit with force. He seemed to stick to it for a second before a shower of sparks flew from the site of the impact and he was thrust back into the dark waters. He wasn’t moving.
         
With a cry, Marilla swam to him. Arla floated toward them, paralysed. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. Foam gathered in the corners of his lips and his tail twitched madly. Some of the other Mer swam to the sphere to examine it.
(Don’t touch it!) Naeco barked at them. Now that things had calmed, Leira could sense a buzzing coming from the sphere. The waters around them tasted sour and wrong somehow.
(Look!) Mira had started to swim around the enormous structure. They swam to him and Leira held her hand to her stomach, sickened. A tube extended from the sphere, and rank-tasting sludge was pouring from it. It was seeping into the water, poisoning it. The seabed directly beneath it was bare, rendered barren from whatever the strange liquid contained.
         
A swift movement distracted Leira, and she moved to investigate. A black box, attached to the sphere by a thin black rope, floated near them. A tiny orb, smaller than Leira’s fingernail, flashed red in the top corner. A sheer black circle inside the box seemed to follow their movements. With a snarl, Naeco raised his tail and brought it crashing into the box. It shattered, sending jagged black fragments spinning away. This seemed to trigger movements from within the sphere. Rising to the glass, Leira stared in.
         
Faces appeared before her. Their lips were moving frantically. Anger and fear glistened in their eyes. They started to bang soundlessly on the glass. Leira backed away, disturbed by what she saw. She felt Naeco trembling by her side. She searched her mind for memories of the creatures before her, but found nothing. They looked exactly like Mer, but strange hides covered their bodies. And instead of tails, they had – what? They all had four limbs, not two. Shuddering, Leira could only gape at them. Some of them had begun to turn from the glass, and were fighting amongst themselves. One was pinned against the glass, his head cracking against it. A splash of red blossomed and trickled down the glass. More of the creatures poured into the chamber, coming to stare at the Mer. The injured one had dropped to the floor, and was bending to look at them. Another tried to clasp something white to his head, but he waved it away. He stared at Leira intently.
         
Focusing her energy, Leira screwed up her eyes. She reached out her mind to the beings in the sphere. She could hear nothing. Something flickered in her mind. Her eyes flashed to the wounded one. He was looking at Leira and gesticulating wildly. He seemed to be pointing at something just beyond her. Leira flung out her mind to him. She could see his lips moving quickly, but sensed only static until a loud and desperate cry came through.
(-hurt her!) With a yelp, Leira tore her eyes from his face. She noticed another sphere, small and black, hurtling toward them. It moved with impossible speed. It cannoned in to the group of Mer, and a silver blade flashed from it. It harpooned one of the Black Tails, slicing into his chest. He struggled wildly as blood oozed from him. The water was red around him when he finally stilled. The black sphere moved quickly away, dragging the dead Black Tail with it.
(We have to leave,) Naeco projected urgently. He pulled Leira into his arms protectively. No one argued with him. Hauling an unconscious Arla with them, they sped back to the nest.

Leira chanced a backward glance at the white sphere. She saw the injured one, slumped on the floor. His face was pressed against the glass. He caught her eye and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Leira wasn’t sure if it was a warning or a threat.