heat—and then pushed off, rising as fast as possible while also angling for the shore.
Breaking the surface, I gratefully breathed in the air, then rolled over and swam on my back. I clasped the lady to my chest to keep both of us above the water—though, admittedly, that did not seem like as much of a priority for her as for me. This angle also afforded me a view upward, and I could see no signs of the attackers. As we reached the shallows and my feet touched bottom, however, I heard shouts and cries from near the tunnel mouth, and knew that the humans were still alive, and still under attack.
Evelyn must have seen me then, and apparently she was not the only one, for she cried, “They’re coming!”
I sensed the five furies’ arrival above me, but, aside from conjuring a force sphere around the two of us, I ignored them. Leaning over the lady’s limp form, I ran my right hand down the side of her face, and spoke her name.
“Vodina?”
The furies circled about a dozen yards over my head, and I could sense their raw, primal anger. They did not attack yet, however. Glancing up, I saw them darting this way and that, clearly upset but now lacking in that single-minded drive to kill that they had appeared to possess previously.
“Vodina!” I repeated, louder, stroking her forehead and her cheeks. “Can you hear me?”
She groaned then, ever so softly. As if in response, the furies swooped down, straight for me. Their impact on my defensive screen was so fierce, it caused me to drop to my knees, but my attention remained with the lady. As they unleashed a barrage of assaults upon my shield, I felt my resistance weakening, but I continued to focus my efforts on reviving the woman.
As the situation grew serious, my reserves starting to ebb, my shields on the verge of crumbling under the pounding they were taking, Vodina finally showed signs of life. Her eyelids fluttered, and then her entire body jerked, her limbs lashing out. This lasted only a moment, and then she seemed to relax again. With a sudden gasp, her eyes came open.
The furies halted their attacks but grew even more agitated, if less focused. They thrashed about in midair like fish dropped on dry land.
Vodina’s eyes met mine then, and she blinked.
“Lucian?”
“Yes. I have you.”
She still hadn’t entirely focused on me.
“The nightmares,” she whispered.
Suddenly she looked about wildly, then back at me. “Where—where are we?”
“I will tell you all I know,” I said, “but first…” And I gestured at the green furies convulsing over our heads. “You are under no threat. So…?”
Looking confused at first, her face conveyed a quick shock of recognition, and then a small frown.
“Begone,” she said.
The thrashing furies high above came to a sudden halt, hovered momentarily in midair, then collapsed into five columns of water that splashed harmlessly to the ground.
Relaxing, I dropped my tattered screens. The humans, seeing the threat in abatement, made their way down to the shore. They looked on as I leaned over and called Vodina’s name once more. Her eyes had lost focus again, and I feared her furies might reawaken if she slipped back into catatonia. I clasped her left hand, which had grown cold, between both of mine and rubbed it gently.
Evelyn nudged me on the shoulder, and frowned when I looked up at her.
“Your coat,” she said.
I realized then that the two men behind her were attempting to take in the sight of the naked goddess while pretending to look anywhere and everywhere else.
“Right.”
Shrugging out of my long navy coat, the texture of which had transformed at some point from wool to a lighter and seemingly more waterproof material, I laid it over Vodina’s slender form. The goddess scarcely seemed to notice.
Evelyn knelt beside me, studying the green woman in amazement.
“Who is she?”
The goddess’s eyes had focused on mine once more, and her strength seemed to be growing. I realized I
Breaking the surface, I gratefully breathed in the air, then rolled over and swam on my back. I clasped the lady to my chest to keep both of us above the water—though, admittedly, that did not seem like as much of a priority for her as for me. This angle also afforded me a view upward, and I could see no signs of the attackers. As we reached the shallows and my feet touched bottom, however, I heard shouts and cries from near the tunnel mouth, and knew that the humans were still alive, and still under attack.
Evelyn must have seen me then, and apparently she was not the only one, for she cried, “They’re coming!”
I sensed the five furies’ arrival above me, but, aside from conjuring a force sphere around the two of us, I ignored them. Leaning over the lady’s limp form, I ran my right hand down the side of her face, and spoke her name.
“Vodina?”
The furies circled about a dozen yards over my head, and I could sense their raw, primal anger. They did not attack yet, however. Glancing up, I saw them darting this way and that, clearly upset but now lacking in that single-minded drive to kill that they had appeared to possess previously.
“Vodina!” I repeated, louder, stroking her forehead and her cheeks. “Can you hear me?”
She groaned then, ever so softly. As if in response, the furies swooped down, straight for me. Their impact on my defensive screen was so fierce, it caused me to drop to my knees, but my attention remained with the lady. As they unleashed a barrage of assaults upon my shield, I felt my resistance weakening, but I continued to focus my efforts on reviving the woman.
As the situation grew serious, my reserves starting to ebb, my shields on the verge of crumbling under the pounding they were taking, Vodina finally showed signs of life. Her eyelids fluttered, and then her entire body jerked, her limbs lashing out. This lasted only a moment, and then she seemed to relax again. With a sudden gasp, her eyes came open.
The furies halted their attacks but grew even more agitated, if less focused. They thrashed about in midair like fish dropped on dry land.
Vodina’s eyes met mine then, and she blinked.
“Lucian?”
“Yes. I have you.”
She still hadn’t entirely focused on me.
“The nightmares,” she whispered.
Suddenly she looked about wildly, then back at me. “Where—where are we?”
“I will tell you all I know,” I said, “but first…” And I gestured at the green furies convulsing over our heads. “You are under no threat. So…?”
Looking confused at first, her face conveyed a quick shock of recognition, and then a small frown.
“Begone,” she said.
The thrashing furies high above came to a sudden halt, hovered momentarily in midair, then collapsed into five columns of water that splashed harmlessly to the ground.
Relaxing, I dropped my tattered screens. The humans, seeing the threat in abatement, made their way down to the shore. They looked on as I leaned over and called Vodina’s name once more. Her eyes had lost focus again, and I feared her furies might reawaken if she slipped back into catatonia. I clasped her left hand, which had grown cold, between both of mine and rubbed it gently.
Evelyn nudged me on the shoulder, and frowned when I looked up at her.
“Your coat,” she said.
I realized then that the two men behind her were attempting to take in the sight of the naked goddess while pretending to look anywhere and everywhere else.
“Right.”
Shrugging out of my long navy coat, the texture of which had transformed at some point from wool to a lighter and seemingly more waterproof material, I laid it over Vodina’s slender form. The goddess scarcely seemed to notice.
Evelyn knelt beside me, studying the green woman in amazement.
“Who is she?”
The goddess’s eyes had focused on mine once more, and her strength seemed to be growing. I realized I
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