Ontoquas just at the opening. She still treaded water but held one hand against the lip of rock that formed the mouth of the tunnel. Her long black tresses fanned out in the water and draped her shoulders.
“In there?”
Ontoquas nodded. “Have care,” she said, tapping herself atop the head. Kitto understood. Here the water did not so much crash against the rocks, as the waves had already broken on the rocky tumble that reached out behind them, but still the water rose and fell several inches. It would be easy to strike one’s head inside the tunnel.
Ontoquas had just turned from him and was about to enter the shadowy gloom when a dark movement in the water below Kitto gave his heart a flip. Something was there, swimming just below their feet.
“Watch out!” Kitto cried and clutched at the rocks above as if to pull himself out of the water, the terror of the shark coming back to him in an instant. Ontoquas heard him and ducked back out into the sunlight.
She gave a toothy smile. She reached out and patted his arm.
“No! Not shark. No sharks here. Turtles. Many, many.See!” She lowered her head below the surface. Kitto did the same, his cheeks aglow with embarrassment. His eyes open underwater, he could see the entire entrance to the tunnel. It descended several feet to the sea floor and was perhaps a yard or so wide. As Kitto looked on, a turtle about the breadth of two hands paddled its way straight through the middle of the tunnel, swam beneath Ontoquas’s kicking feet, and flippered off into the open sea. A moment later two more followed, smaller, swimming one just behind the other.
He looked up to see Ontoquas smiling at him. He returned a smile of his own, struck by the rarity of the expression on the girl’s face. Together they broke the surface again. Ontoquas swept her hair from her eyes, her high cheekbones and angular jaw aglow in sunlight. Kitto saw her as pretty for the first time.
“You are ready?”
Kitto nodded. “I think I am.”
Ontoquas took a deep breath, turned from Kitto, and went under the water. He followed suit, paddling himself through the water just behind her kicking feet. Dozens of white air bubbles swirled about her toes and rose slowly to the surface.
Within a few strokes Kitto and Ontoquas swam in near darkness. The light from outside the tunnel lit the way dimly, but the farther they went, the darker it grew.
Kitto felt a dull panic beginning to rise.
Just stay with her. Trust her! He startled when a dark form moved below him; he squinted and made out theoutline of a large turtle swimming in the opposite direction. Again the strange sensation struck him, the familiarity of the place.
After several yards it grew lighter again, and with a few more strokes he could see Ontoquas settle her feet on the sandy bottom. Kitto carefully raised his head and came to a stop beside her, balancing on his one foot. He began to tip over, but Ontoquas reached out and grabbed him about his arm and shoulder and pulled him upright. Kitto put a hand on the girl’s shoulder to keep himself steady. She was slight of frame, but somehow still very strong.
“You are scared,” she said. Kitto felt his cheeks burn. He cast his eyes downward and nodded.
“You are brave to swim again, after the shark,” she said. Her dark eyes glinted in the light that flickered along the rippling water. Their eyes met for a moment, then Kitto turned away to take in the surroundings.
They stood in a pool the size of a small room. The ceiling rose in the middle to a height of perhaps twelve feet, and at the middle a slim crack in the stone revealed the blue sky above. Indirect sunlight lit the cavern in a dreamlike glow. A small splash sounded at the far end of the pool, and Kitto turned to see turtles, dozens and dozens of them. Some of them sat motionless on the sandy embankment at the far end of the pool, others climbed sluggishly into or out of the water. A small turtle swam right toward them, its little
“In there?”
Ontoquas nodded. “Have care,” she said, tapping herself atop the head. Kitto understood. Here the water did not so much crash against the rocks, as the waves had already broken on the rocky tumble that reached out behind them, but still the water rose and fell several inches. It would be easy to strike one’s head inside the tunnel.
Ontoquas had just turned from him and was about to enter the shadowy gloom when a dark movement in the water below Kitto gave his heart a flip. Something was there, swimming just below their feet.
“Watch out!” Kitto cried and clutched at the rocks above as if to pull himself out of the water, the terror of the shark coming back to him in an instant. Ontoquas heard him and ducked back out into the sunlight.
She gave a toothy smile. She reached out and patted his arm.
“No! Not shark. No sharks here. Turtles. Many, many.See!” She lowered her head below the surface. Kitto did the same, his cheeks aglow with embarrassment. His eyes open underwater, he could see the entire entrance to the tunnel. It descended several feet to the sea floor and was perhaps a yard or so wide. As Kitto looked on, a turtle about the breadth of two hands paddled its way straight through the middle of the tunnel, swam beneath Ontoquas’s kicking feet, and flippered off into the open sea. A moment later two more followed, smaller, swimming one just behind the other.
He looked up to see Ontoquas smiling at him. He returned a smile of his own, struck by the rarity of the expression on the girl’s face. Together they broke the surface again. Ontoquas swept her hair from her eyes, her high cheekbones and angular jaw aglow in sunlight. Kitto saw her as pretty for the first time.
“You are ready?”
Kitto nodded. “I think I am.”
Ontoquas took a deep breath, turned from Kitto, and went under the water. He followed suit, paddling himself through the water just behind her kicking feet. Dozens of white air bubbles swirled about her toes and rose slowly to the surface.
Within a few strokes Kitto and Ontoquas swam in near darkness. The light from outside the tunnel lit the way dimly, but the farther they went, the darker it grew.
Kitto felt a dull panic beginning to rise.
Just stay with her. Trust her! He startled when a dark form moved below him; he squinted and made out theoutline of a large turtle swimming in the opposite direction. Again the strange sensation struck him, the familiarity of the place.
After several yards it grew lighter again, and with a few more strokes he could see Ontoquas settle her feet on the sandy bottom. Kitto carefully raised his head and came to a stop beside her, balancing on his one foot. He began to tip over, but Ontoquas reached out and grabbed him about his arm and shoulder and pulled him upright. Kitto put a hand on the girl’s shoulder to keep himself steady. She was slight of frame, but somehow still very strong.
“You are scared,” she said. Kitto felt his cheeks burn. He cast his eyes downward and nodded.
“You are brave to swim again, after the shark,” she said. Her dark eyes glinted in the light that flickered along the rippling water. Their eyes met for a moment, then Kitto turned away to take in the surroundings.
They stood in a pool the size of a small room. The ceiling rose in the middle to a height of perhaps twelve feet, and at the middle a slim crack in the stone revealed the blue sky above. Indirect sunlight lit the cavern in a dreamlike glow. A small splash sounded at the far end of the pool, and Kitto turned to see turtles, dozens and dozens of them. Some of them sat motionless on the sandy embankment at the far end of the pool, others climbed sluggishly into or out of the water. A small turtle swam right toward them, its little
Similar Books
