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.
"Maurea, something's happened," he said, voice tight.
"What's going on. What happened?"
"The plaza, quick." He turned and ran, casting glances behind him as I pushed myself to follow.
It was quiet, the kind of quiet that comes before a storm. As we got closer, I could hear the voices. The distance warped the words, but by the variate, most of the Spirits had to be in one location.
Jax and I picked up our pack, I could see his face turn solid, the nauseous expression turning worrisome. The only time everyone gathered in the plaza after meals were if the news was about to be announced.
The first thing I saw was the large groups of men and women huddled around the central circle. Across from them, Atoya stood with an ashen face and one, large pearl clenched in his fists.
The pearl was milky white, strands of pink and blue swirled in the orb. It couldn't have weighed much, but Atoya seemed to sink under its pressure.
When we approached, feverish whispers swept through the crowd. Jax joined in, trying to understand what was happening. Siren stood at the front of the hysteric group, his shorter frame staring at the crumpled body of Faraji. Anaula was kneeling next to him, running her hands over his wings, blood soaking her hands as she cried silently.
"I think we should take this conversation somewhere more private, Siren." Atoya's words were soft like they had been beaten down to grief.
"You refuse to listen to reason. Her blood is on your hands. If you keep waiting down here, foolishly thinking that you're safe you will be the next one I have to hold in my hands." Siren's eyes scanned the crowd, tinted red. "Imagine how well we could live if we didn't have to hide from all humans. I have the solution, but you still refuse to listen."
"That is enough, Siren." Atoya pulled him close, forcing him to look up and away from us. "Please, let us talk somewhere more private."
Siren moved closer to Atoya and I could see the proud man flicker, his steadfast stance hesitating. In a dazed voice, he agreed, eyes moving in and out of focus.
"Do you want some tea?" Jax asked as we watched Siren lead Atoya away.
"That sounds nice," I admitted as Jax led me to the apartments, grabbing the sack of bought items.
The woodfire stove gave me something to do while the crowd outside scattered. Wood, water barrel, tea, mug. My hands flew with no conscious effort.
I knew what a pearl looked like, but the one Atoya had been clutching was significantly larger than any I had seen. The very sight of the orb was enough to sicken me. I could feel the blood seep out of my face as Jax offered me the warm clay mug.
"Are you alright?" He bent down to study my face. "You look sick and seeing as that isn't possible I should explain everything that transpired while you were gone."
I nodded, bringing the mug to my lips. The warm liquid soothed my clenched chest, but I could still feel my fingers tremble as I drank. I thought I had banished the nervous tick, but they were returning with vengeance.
"I wasn't here long when Faraji returned," the chair squealed under Jax as he shifted. "He returned alone with Amelia's pearl."
"Her pearl?" The question hung heavy in the air and I could see a piece of Jax's reserve falling away to reveal distress.
"I thought someone told you." Jax ran his hand through his hair, leaving back with his eyes close tight. "The pearls, they're what's left of us when we die. Spirits, don't have souls like humans. The old stories of sea foam were close. When we die, we leave behind no bodies, just a pearl."
"That was a body," my hand flew to my mouth as bile flooded in.
"Faraji, he was attacked with Amelia earlier. He brought her back, but just barely."
"And Siren blames the passive nature of Intutum. He blames the Hunters, me."
"There is nothing that connects you to them," Jax snapped. "They kill any Spirit if they can get their hands on them. Others go missing and we can never lay their souls to rest."
"Will there be a burial?" I asked, my hand still cupped over my mouth. I couldn't bring myself to look at Jax. I had my father's nose and dark hair. Even if I wasn't like him, Jax would have to see the features of a killer.
"Yes, we'll carry her out to the resting place deep in the ocean where we lay our dead. I've seen it. She'll be in a beautiful place, returned to The Ocean."
"I want to go, say goodbye." And ask forgiveness.
"They'll wait until Faraji is recovered enough to follow." I could hear a loud sign and a scrap of his chair followed by footsteps. "We're lucky to have him back. He's the first to witness a Hunter killing and make it back."
"I cannot help but think that there is something more we can do. I don't think Siren is in the right mindset, but he has a point. If we ever want to walk freely above, we cannot keep cowering in fear for our lives." My shoulders sank as the weight of my words caught up to me. "I think we should listen to Atoya and finally start fighting the Hunters."
I couldn't read Jax's expression. He rested against the windowsill, hands fixed under his chin.
"Do you believe that?" He finally asked. "Would you do whatever it took to stop them?"
I nodded, but even I could feel the hesitation. It was terrifying. The bottomless pit that formed whenever I thought of Faraji and the pearl Atoya had held. There was only one thing that made sense, those Spirits were good people. They didn't deserve to cower in fear only to meet that fate.
"Then we should confront the elders. Only they can decide to attack." Jax rose and my heart jumped thinking we were going at that moment. "But we should do that after the funeral, leave time for mourning. I'm going to get some rest, but I'll join you tomorrow."
My heart sank as Jax closed the door to my apartment leaving me in the seemingly darker room. He was never that quick about saying goodbye, always joking until the last possible minute.
Chapter 20
The morning light was just breaking as a collection of Spirits waded into the shallow water. We had given Amelia a farewell ceremony on land, referencing her human life and the family she had long departed before moving to her burial.
It was remarkable how much she had been and how little I had known of her. I had noted her dull red hair framed by her eagle-shaped wings, but nothing more. She was gone now, never to soar through the air or dive in the tide.
I was flanked by Yoki and Jax, the latter who had stuck next to me like he expected me to collapse at any moment.
As the part slipped into the water, head's disappearing under the water, I hung back away from the lead. Faraji and Anaula led the congregation, acting as her family. The pearl clutched in their talon-like hands was something I couldn't look at.
"The pearl will guide us to the resting place," Jax said, his voice low just before our heads sunk under.
I nodded, not sure if he could see it or not. It didn't matter either way.
The progression was fast, the water pulsing around us as we dropped deeper into the water. It could have been minutes or hours, but the light faded completely, only a slow pulse of shadows and water movements keeping me from bumping into the people around me.
I could see the glow of the pearl upheld, bobbing in the dark. I felt a hand slip into mine and a pull begin through my shoulder. Reaching back, I continued the link, warm palms blazing in the cool environment.
A buzz went through me, a tingle that shook and stung. The current spot through my hand, on to the next person. For just a moment, my mind wavered, then everything became sharper.
The rocky seafloor glowed below like a starry night sky. Pearls beamed in the canyon: pinks, whites, blues.
The lights danced in front of my eyes, showing the path of the Spirits. Anaula led us, the pearl clutched in one hand, pulling her down. Faraji was holding the opposite hand and so on, each Spirit united. Yoki had my hand and, turning, I found Jax had the other, a deadset expression.
It was a beautiful place to leave a Spirit to rest, surrounded by others who understood her, embraced in the thing which had given her life.
I wanted to say something, a whisper of regret for Anabel, but something told me to stay silent. A deep-set intuition told me not to speak, not to let go of the ones surrounding me. This was something I was allowed to participate in, but I could only see it and whisper about the place when gone. This was sacred, blessed.
The pearl was placed on a stone, higher than others, and Anaula moved swiftly on, her empty hand at her side.
The train continued each Spirit passing within reach of the pearl until it was my turn.
Time slowed down, my heart slowing to a crawl. There was laughter, a bell-like sound that brought with it a vision of a woman flying just above the water with dozens of faces streaming in the water below, a shadow falling over her as another Flyer dipped to meet her.
Then it was gone, my body pulled away and up toward the deep ocean once more. Tears caught in my eyes and a smile on my face.
She was home.