41 | Eternal Pools

Pain shocks him awake. Everything is fuzzy, and he still loses grasp on consciousness for a few spare seconds, but splutters back to the surface, gasping in air and angry. His sickle is still secured to his bag over his shoulders, so he has not lost it in all the dark and water.

Wiping at his face, he remembers why he is here. And who is with him.

“Klia!” He calls, and as last time receives no answer.

He can feel the stone steps beneath his back where he lies in the water, the chamber filling up bit by bit. Shoving himself upright, his hand slips off damp moss, the strange sweet smell of it making him grimace. He is utterly in the dark, and when he stuffs his hand into his pocket, it comes up empty for the little bees.

“Damn it all,” he mutters, and hears a splash in the dark.

Something splashed even before the ceiling opened up and water began pouring down, dragging them into the abyss. He scrubs at his eyes when they want to close, the sharp pain in the gash of his arm which was healing keeping him awake. Even using his arm makes the sore, unhealed skin cry out. Good. Pain is a familiar specter. Pain will keep him awake.

Whatever was thrashing in the water, it was not large, and Eli doesn’t have time to consider a better option. His lungs are nearly aching, and he can hold his breath rather long—Klia, likely not. He throws his arm out, frightened to entirely leave the safety of the steps, and comes across something soft and alive. Wet fabric. He yanks the girl up and onto his shoulder, giving her a shake. Not waking up. She is not waking up. Her breath is still coming, water spilling out of her mouth over Elis’s shoulders. He pats her on the cheek, backing out of the rising aqueduct and flipping her over so she’ll choke up the water she swallowed.

Whatever dreams and memories this place is taking from her, it won’t any longer.

“Wake up,” he mutters, and gives her a hard shake and a few sharp shoves to the chest, hating the touch actions even as he is afraid she will die without them. She jerks and coughs up the water in her lungs. As long as she is doing so, she is awake, and will not drown. Eli backs out of the water, hauling her back over his shoulder in one arm, and knocks flat into the wall where they came in.

“No, no, no,” he hisses at it, the stony cavern taking this moment to seal them in.

Vaguely, he tries to recall the layout of this bathhouse before it was taken from him, and figures there may be another way out, but it is too dark to see. Klia struggles and lets out a harsh, terrified scream so loud even Eli’s bad ear aches.

“It’s me,” he says, easing her off his shoulder and into his arms, ignoring the pain of the movement. “It’s me, dear girl, I’ve got you.”

Her shrieks cut off, and though he cannot see her face in the shadows, she throws her arms back around his neck. Eli pauses, feeling the slow rising of the water around the base of his boots, holding her and rubbing her back. With a few deep breaths, he clears his head enough to think better, sleep still tugging at him.

“Do not fall asleep,” he tells her, bouncing her a little in his arms so she isn’t soothed into sleep. “There is something in this water, do not fall asleep.”

She hiccups, but if she is still awake enough to do that, Eli is hopeful.

“I need you to let me see again,” he whispers. “Give me your hand so I can see my way through this place. The door is sealed, we have to find another way out.”

Without releasing her stranglehold on him, she grabs his hand he reaches up to hers.

At once, everything comes back into focus. When he glances back at the swirl of stone that was their way in, it gives him much the same information as last time.

Dwarven Trapdoor

-

Lock yourself within this room—unlock its song or spell your doom—

“Thank you so much,” he mutters to it, returning his gaze to the watery grave before them.

Water pours from the ceiling in many places, like a jungle storm so heavy it washes the mountainsides away. The pools of water and quiet calm of the aqueduct are disturbed by the hiss of mist and giant droplets of water. Sometimes, thicker streams pour in only to stop. Even looking closely at it—normal water as far as he can see—makes him want to fall into the drowning pools and sleep for an age.

“Please, reveal something…” he mumbles, taking another step to his left, up onto slightly higher ground. It won’t save him forever, but perhaps he can get a better angle.

Eternal Pools

-

Drown, drown, drown—

Oh, well, how very helpful. Eli would roll his eyes if he had the time to be irritated. Even the Order does not know what it has created. He’s half-surprised it doesn’t simply call it Unknown, as it does with everything it doesn’t know what to do with.

Stepping toward the overflowed aqueduct, he ignored the exhaustion tugging at his limbs so many times over. He is hesitant to swim across or step all his body into the water, fearing it will drag him back into sleep, drowning them both. Instead, he searches all over, through the water, and across the misty space. As usual, the Order will be of no help to him.

Water spills over the higher step he has found himself on. Glaring down at the aqueduct, he gives Klia’s hand a squeeze.

“Do not fall asleep,” he tells her. “And hold onto me.”

They cannot stand here to drown, and there is no other way back with the door sealed, and the only way forward is crossing the water. Eli cannot jump much of it, but he sloshes through as quickly as he can, humming loudly to himself to keep his mind awake. He nearly drowns in sleep, unconsciousness tugging at the edges of his thoughts, until he grabs hold of the opposite wall of the aqueduct, crawling up and out, struggling more than usual to catch his breath.

His vision flickers in and out, and he jostles Klia until her head pops back up, her hands digging once more into his shoulder and the palm of his hand. Too frightened of losing her to put her down, Eli jogs around the overflowing pools, heading for the back of the room where the water is flooding in less. It still rains down on their shoulders…

* * *

Eli stares at the strange little plant his son has sprouting in a tiny pot in his office. With a hesitant finger, he pokes one of the graceful purple leaves, the clump of tiny flowers. It is beautiful, and it responds to his touch, curling a leaf around his finger in nearly a friendly way.

If Eli were slightly less stunned, he may have the wherewithal to be proud.

“It’s actually working,” Abner says, and Eli is so fascinated he barely hears him. “It takes to injures very well, quickens them up. The healing process at least. Little cuts, things like that, I’ve not tested it on anything more.”

In the back of his mind, Eli wonders if he’s testing it on himself and figures of course he is. He will ask about that part later. He pokes the leaf once more, watching it curl about his finger, sticking to a tiny scab on the back of his knuckle before Eli pulls away gently.

“Fa, you haven’t said something in fifteen minutes…”

Eli blinks, looking at Abner’s eager, slightly concerned expression. Though he is considerably grown, well into adulthood, he looks so much as he did when he was a little boy when he gets in these moods. Eli cracks a smile at him, straightening slowly.

“I’m trying to figure out where you got your mind from. Must be your mother. Certainly isn’t me.”

Abner chuckles, but his expression brightens. “Augus from the observatory is rather impressed himself. He says if I can replicate this on a larger scale, perhaps integrate it with some of the other skills, it can be useful in many together…which is what I was hoping, anyhow.”

Eli raises an eyebrow, something sitting uncomfortably in his chest. “You’ve been talking with Augus about this?”

Abner nods absently, staring at the plant in the way Eli believes he has often looked at the boy himself.

“Be careful with that man, his ambitions outsmart his logic.”

“I have ambitions,” Abner says in the same tone.

“I know, every man should. But I wish you only to be careful with who you entrust this to.”

When there is no answer, Eli touches Abner’s arm. He blinks, looking up at Eli with a smile.

“Be careful, this is all I ask.”

“I know,” Abner says, and Eli wonders if he truly does.

* * *

Swearing at the Order and Abner and mostly at himself for never having fixed all this, Eli stumbles up the stairs on the opposite wall and into the next hallway.