“It is done,” Arsinoe said, and she began swimming away. “You may come in at any time. We won’t attack, upon condition of the contract.”
The sirens floated away, until they were a significant distance across the lake. Their eyes still watched us, waiting for us to come in.
I sure hoped Kallie’s contract held up. Opal slipped off her clothes, revealing a bikini as she walked into the water. I watched as her legs morphed into a tail, and she flipped it upward to dive down. Oberi changed into a narwhal and dove in horn-first after her. I began pulling off my sweater, to reveal my bikini, while Charlie helped me take off my pants.
“Marcus and I can search around the edge of the lake, while Ava and Opal go in the water,” Kallie said. “We’ll be quicker that way.”
“What should I do?” Charlie asked.
“Stay here in case something goes wrong, and keep alert for guards. We need to know if you hear someone coming, so you can alert me and get us out of the water quickly,” I said.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay in the water by yourself?”
“I have Toaqua magic. I’ll be fine.”
Charlie carried me over to the water’s edge. Once he put me down on the soft sand, I pulled myself toward the water, until I was able to slide into the lake smoothly. I used my Toaqua magic to propel me forward slowly, until my entire body was suspended in the lake. The temperature was freezing, but I called upon my Koigni magic to warm my skin, and I felt Fire seeping through my veins until I experienced the sensation of drifting in a warm, relaxing pool.
I experimented with my Water magic. I found my powers could move me any way I wanted to. I took a breath and sank downward, opening my eyes to observe the darkness of the lake.
I didn’t need help to maneuver through water, didn’t need someone to push me or a tool to move me around. Ancestors, for the first time since I’d been put in that chair, I wasfree.I felt in complete control of my body as I rocketed through the deep. I tilted myself in any direction I wanted to do, was able to perform loops and spin around in the water. My magic was there to support me all the way, and I had autonomy over what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. The water did all the work for me, so my body didn’t have to strain itself as I zoomed around the lake.
Doing okay? Charlie asked from on shore.
It’s wonderful, I told him.It feels like… I’m running again.
Like I’d taken a gasp of air for the first time since we’d gone into the Underground.
I was a talented Toaqua, so I could hold my breath underwater for up to ten minutes. I remained underwater as I continued to perform tricks and drift happily through the lake, before I told myself we had a job to do. As liberating as this was for me, I couldn’t keep drawing out my enjoyment of the lake without remembering what we were here for. I surfaced again to take a breath, then dove downward.
I looked through the murky water and saw a flash of mermaid scales, as well as the point of Oberi’s horn. Opal could breathe underwater, so she stayed down at the bottom, surveying what she could as Oberi trailed her path. I rushed down to join her, and we swam side by side, taking in the massive scope of the lake.
A couple sweeps of the lake didn’t reveal much. I caught something swimming toward me, and jumped when I realized it was one of the sirens. I had the terrifying thought they were about to go back on our deal, but as I looked closer, I realized it was Arsinoe.
Arsinoe was absolutely beautiful out of the water, but submerged underneath it, she was hideous. Her sallow face resembled a corpse, and green, scaly skin stretched across her pointed cheekbones. Her stringy hair swarmed around her face as nails the length of talons curled out from her fingertips, and there were scales rotting off her tail. Her crooked teeth stuck out of her bottom lip as she turned to observe me.
Hey, I wasn’t going to judge. We girls had the right to look fugly if we damn well pleased.
She waved a clawed hand, to tell me to follow her. My Toaqua magic pushed me forward, and Opal trailed behind us. Arsinoe led the way through the lake, and I observed her as she gestured to the rocks lining the lake floor, and the pipelines that led from the lake to the merfolk pool inside the Institute.
The whole area was desolate. I sent my Toaqua magic out, scanning the entirety of the lake. I found no disturbances, no objects that the water swelled around. The ripples I created moved clear through, from one side to the other.
Nothing. If there was something in here, my Water magic would’ve sought it out by now.
There was a low croon— an echo that resonated through the water, along with some kind of chirping sound. The spines on Arsinoe’s tail bristled, and she immediately darted behind a nearby boulder to hide.
I went still as I saw a massive tentacle, hundreds of feet long, float by me. One suction cup was the size of my entire body. I caught the sight of a great orange eye, which blinked before drifting away.
Oberi was suddenly at my side. She swam circles around me, defending me from whatever monstrous thing was lurking in the depths. The chirping sound faded as the creature turned away and went further into the blackness of the lake.
Arsinoe came out from her hiding spot and pointed upward to the surface. I followed her, and as our heads broke the top of the water, her gorgeous features returned again.
“See?” Arsinoe said as I caught my breath. “Nothing.”
I shook my head in what felt like defeat. “I guess you’re right. This lake really is empty.”
“I really wish we could be of more help,” Arsinoe said. “We want to stick it to the Warden as badly as you do.”
“What was that massive thing we saw in the water?” I asked. “It was huge.”
