theory,” came the voice of the captain, her boots crunching up behind us.
Ripples began to spread across the water from a point roughly corresponding to the source of the light. I watched them intently. None of this rang a bell for me so far.
“And now he wants to go for a swim!” Kim laughed harshly. “Captain, I suggest we forget this guy, forget this whole thing, and fend for ourselves from this point on. This stuff can’t be real—I’m betting it can’t hurt us.”
“By all means,” I said then, turning back to flash them a thin smile, “do fend for yourselves. I am certain you will fare quite well.”
“We don’t have enough information yet to make a decision like that,” the captain said. She faced Kim directly, waving an arm about to indicate our strange surroundings. “Where would we go? I have no idea. Do you?” She frowned, looking at me now. “Sure, he’s not the most friendly tour guide we could wish for…”
I looked back at her, wide-eyed, hand to heart.
“You wound me, lady. Truly you do.”
She rolled her eyes.
“...But he’s done nothing to harm us, so far. And for all we know, he could have already saved our lives once, by getting us out of the City.”
“Don’t tell me you’re buying into this, Captain,” Kim growled.
Turning back to the lake, I ran a hand through the water again. It was noticeably warmer. The greenish light had intensified; the ripples had become more violent. None of this encouraged me. I backed out of the water, leaving uneven footprints on the gray sand.
“I’m really getting sick of your attitude,” Kim was saying to me, even as I backed past him and summoned up the first of several invisible defensive spheres about myself.
The ripples in the lake became waves, tossed as if by a storm. This finally got the attention of the humans, and they retreated a few steps as well, their pace quickening as they went.
It clicked for me then. Water. Green light. Of course.
“Vodina,” I whispered. “Uh oh.”
The lake, now blazing with green fire, erupted and spewed forth five columns of water. Instead of splashing back to the surface, the columns hovered in midair, spun about like miniature waterspouts, and then each congealed into a distinctly human shape.
“Now what?” Cassidy muttered. Wide-eyed, he backed away from the shore as well.
Each of the five water figures, female in form and wreathed in green flame, extended an arm over its head. Blazing swords formed in each of the hands. Hovering above the waters, they glared down at us like avenging angels of the apocalypse.
“You were saying you’d like to fend for yourself, Mr. Kim.” I smiled a crooked smile even as I redoubled my shields. “Have at it!”
The five figures streaked forward, flames trailing in their wake, bearing down on us. They raised their swords high.
Kim gawked at them, then at me, then turned to run for the tunnel mouth.
“Wait,” the captain ordered. “We stay together.”
She looked at me. Her face bore an imploring look.
I sighed.
“Get behind me!” I shouted, extending my sphere to encompass them. A mere instant later, the five furies crashed against my outermost screen.
Emerald flames engulfed us there within our bubble. It lasted less than a second, and then the five furies were past us, reforming and swooping high into the air once more.
Backing up a few more steps, the humans huddling close, I positioned us so that the wall of the cavern protected our rear. This allowed me to devote more energy to the forward portion of my screens; something for which I was grateful moments later as the angelic forms swooped down again, slashing with their swords. Once again we found ourselves engulfed in flames, as the swords dissolved into sheets of green fire, surrounding us in a cocoon of light and heat. Just as quickly, the flames vanished as the water-women swooped upward to regroup for what seemed an inevitable third strike.
I will give the humans credit.
Ripples began to spread across the water from a point roughly corresponding to the source of the light. I watched them intently. None of this rang a bell for me so far.
“And now he wants to go for a swim!” Kim laughed harshly. “Captain, I suggest we forget this guy, forget this whole thing, and fend for ourselves from this point on. This stuff can’t be real—I’m betting it can’t hurt us.”
“By all means,” I said then, turning back to flash them a thin smile, “do fend for yourselves. I am certain you will fare quite well.”
“We don’t have enough information yet to make a decision like that,” the captain said. She faced Kim directly, waving an arm about to indicate our strange surroundings. “Where would we go? I have no idea. Do you?” She frowned, looking at me now. “Sure, he’s not the most friendly tour guide we could wish for…”
I looked back at her, wide-eyed, hand to heart.
“You wound me, lady. Truly you do.”
She rolled her eyes.
“...But he’s done nothing to harm us, so far. And for all we know, he could have already saved our lives once, by getting us out of the City.”
“Don’t tell me you’re buying into this, Captain,” Kim growled.
Turning back to the lake, I ran a hand through the water again. It was noticeably warmer. The greenish light had intensified; the ripples had become more violent. None of this encouraged me. I backed out of the water, leaving uneven footprints on the gray sand.
“I’m really getting sick of your attitude,” Kim was saying to me, even as I backed past him and summoned up the first of several invisible defensive spheres about myself.
The ripples in the lake became waves, tossed as if by a storm. This finally got the attention of the humans, and they retreated a few steps as well, their pace quickening as they went.
It clicked for me then. Water. Green light. Of course.
“Vodina,” I whispered. “Uh oh.”
The lake, now blazing with green fire, erupted and spewed forth five columns of water. Instead of splashing back to the surface, the columns hovered in midair, spun about like miniature waterspouts, and then each congealed into a distinctly human shape.
“Now what?” Cassidy muttered. Wide-eyed, he backed away from the shore as well.
Each of the five water figures, female in form and wreathed in green flame, extended an arm over its head. Blazing swords formed in each of the hands. Hovering above the waters, they glared down at us like avenging angels of the apocalypse.
“You were saying you’d like to fend for yourself, Mr. Kim.” I smiled a crooked smile even as I redoubled my shields. “Have at it!”
The five figures streaked forward, flames trailing in their wake, bearing down on us. They raised their swords high.
Kim gawked at them, then at me, then turned to run for the tunnel mouth.
“Wait,” the captain ordered. “We stay together.”
She looked at me. Her face bore an imploring look.
I sighed.
“Get behind me!” I shouted, extending my sphere to encompass them. A mere instant later, the five furies crashed against my outermost screen.
Emerald flames engulfed us there within our bubble. It lasted less than a second, and then the five furies were past us, reforming and swooping high into the air once more.
Backing up a few more steps, the humans huddling close, I positioned us so that the wall of the cavern protected our rear. This allowed me to devote more energy to the forward portion of my screens; something for which I was grateful moments later as the angelic forms swooped down again, slashing with their swords. Once again we found ourselves engulfed in flames, as the swords dissolved into sheets of green fire, surrounding us in a cocoon of light and heat. Just as quickly, the flames vanished as the water-women swooped upward to regroup for what seemed an inevitable third strike.
I will give the humans credit.
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