Spirits

Chapter 19

It was late evening when I finally dropped off the ladder and plunged into the water below. In a swarm of bubbles, I took in the world around me. I had never been this close to the docks before.

The wharf's skeleton was bare, long limbs cementing it to the seafloor and heaving it above the thrashing waves.

I let my body sink to the sandy bottom where every scrap of trash in the sea seemed to collect. Even The Ocean seemed to sense the pollution, keeping the energy that I was accustomed to away from the dock.

As I moved away from the port, making my way to cool, open water I couldn't help look for the rare figure in the distance. I always kept the thin sliver of land in my sights for my excursions. Unfortunately, that meant Spirits were around when I swam.

Tonight, though, I felt like getting lost.

The deeper I went, the more I felt like myself. Clouds that usually fogged my head dissipated, leaked out as the pressure grew. With the darkness, the flow of blood behind my eyes grew, my pulse beating as the world became lighter, a glow in the water in front of me.

The underwater graveyard met my eyes as I pulled my body to a hovering position, looking down a fissure in the ocean floor. Deep shadows dyed the silt at the bottom of the ocean deep blues that melted into the blackness of night at the base of each ship.

Ghastly figureheads stared down at me as I navigated between the sweeping hulls. Women screaming in pain, their mouths pulled back at the horror they had seen as their wooded home crashed against unforgiving tides.

The African Queen was the only ship that didn't have a gruesome figure. The noble air of the crowned woman entrapped the ship from port to starboard. Her long locks cupped her copper face, the tall peaks of her crown braced on each curl.

While she wasn't screaming like the other figurehead, her lips were pulled in a mournful frown as though she had lost everything in her life. Her eyes were the true gem. Deep pupils looking out at the ocean, the bottom lid pulled up in satisfaction.

She would have been the mirror image of a goddess with dark skin and a beautifully carved dress if she didn't have a large crack sticking her left eyelid together.

I found myself entrapped by her image as I swam by, her eyes seeming to follow my small body. Surrounded by the towering structures, I could feel the quietness pulling into my mind like an infection. The stillness could be peaceful, but there was something entirely new.

Shuddering, I allowed my body to float past. My back was pressed against the silty floor. The soft sand formed around my body, creating a comfortable perch that I could watch the surface of the water from.

I watched the moon rise from my spot on the sand. The image was distorted by the movement of the waves as they traveled the length of the bay.

The marine life had become accustomed to me and no longer fled from my movements. A small school of silverfish darted past my head, capturing my attention.

I reached out toward them, my movements slow and dreamlike in the water. I giggled as the tip of one of the pectoral fins brushed against my outstretched fingers and the fish darted away. The bubbles from my mouths floated up in a spiral dance.

In the peaceful haze, I sat up, forcing my body back to the coast and back to Intutum.

The village was silent. With no wind or animals, the only sounds came from the pouring water and people who lived here.

Jax was camped next to the tunnel, his legs wrapped to his chest as he watched me climb out of the water. I felt a tendril of fear creep around my heart when I saw his ashen face.