And thus, after long and exhausting journey, we have arrived by the gate of the holy city of Fenira.

It is what I would like to say but the truth is, we have not set off at all.

APATHY : CHAPTER  8 – LADY OF THE LAKE

Strange. I brought my hand up and scratched my back. There was an odd itch forming alongside my shoulder blades. The feeling was brief and unusual but its intensity was strong enough to break my focus, returning reality within a heartbeat.

 * Did something happen? *  

Erta inquired. I could feel her puzzlement seep in which made it even stranger. She had proven time and time again her sensing ability was far superior from anything my own eyes or ears could register. She would voice her concerns way before I would notice anything was amiss. Was there something wrong?

“Perhaps not.”

I shrug my arms. Was it just an itch caused by a bug sting or by a rough piece of stone or perhaps I was losing my mind again? My back was itching while the doctors said I will never regain any kind of feeling within my body beyond the simplest sensation of touch. If something  grazed, pricked or hit me all I felt was a slight pressure on the point being touched. And here I was with an itch on my back. First after more than ten years.

I looked around. I was still perched against the warm stone and the sun had not moved even an inch from where it’s been. Just like Erta said, the difference in time flow was quite significant. Instead of several hours it felt as if I  had simply closed my eyes a moment ago. Exactly nothing changed around me. I patted my back again but the feeling was gone as suddenly as it appeared. Perhaps it was another illusion? A constant reminder of who I was and what I did. Perhaps.

“You’ve been saying something about the animals?”

 * Yes, quite so. For now we needn’t fear any monsters. We are deep within the human territory and apparently not far away from a large city. Humans are and always were exceedingly meticulous towards exterminating anything bearing even the slight semblance of danger. It should work in our favor. Also, from what I can sense,  wild animals are outright avoiding us. *  

“Interesting. I always thought people lost in the wild were an easy picking.”

 * It may be so but not always. This year’s spring was bountiful and right now summer is here so lots of food can be found if one knows where and what to look for. Unless provoked, animals shall simply ignore our presence while there is more attractive prey accessible.  Raw or cooked Humans are not a pleasing meal. *  

Erta went silent.

“If you are wondering whether I find your choice of cuisine impressive or disturbing, the answer is neither. I just don’t care. “

 * How peculiar.  *  

She let out an amused purr.

 * I once knew a man who used the same words. *  

“Did he taste good?”

I teased her.

 *  Havens forbid! I wouldn’t dare touch him. He was a high human.  Getting rid of a mere hatchling such a I, was no more than a flick of his fingers.  *  

“Speaking of food…”

 * No! *  

Erta roared inside my mind.

 *  Human you shall not touch that obnoxious miscreation! Ever! I will sooner perish alongside you rather than allow… *  

“Erta please calm down.”

“I will not ask again about “that” however if you are against the idea of using “that” sustenance, we have to find another source of food. I have not eaten a proper  meal in more than a month and filling my stomach with nothing but lake water won’t do us any good.”

I would never though a dragon as a picky eater. A contrary should be quite obvious especially with all this fire breathing and such however life often  proves much stranger than fiction. Dragons were and are extremely picky eaters. Be it size, feel, look or a smell of food, a dragon will always find something unappealing about his or her meal. Too raw, too old, too stringy, too smelly, too small, too pink, overcooked or not meaty enough. The list could go on endlessly. And I thought vegans were weird. Unfortunately this brought me a new concern. Erta absolutely and definitively refused my idea of a snack. The puke-me-not-I-dare-you apples probably aren’t the best nature can offer but right now it was the only source of food I had.  Had, as in I cannot even  look at that tree without Erta’s constant growling.

 * That can wait. With air and water available, your mana pool should give us another month or two of time before your hunger becomes an issue. *  

Two more months without food. Well, I just hope she was right. I could be dying of starvation  and I wouldn’t notice. Setting that aside I had some other concerns regarding our journey.

“Can you use magic and send us directly to Fenira? It would spare us a lot of trouble.”

 * That I cannot do. I am but a soul. My magic is limited and even if I had my former body transporting us there would still be impossible as  I had never been in or near Fenira. *  

Putting it bluntly,  we walk.

“Then it seems the best we can do is to head out towards the nearest town and ask for help, hopefully finding something to wear along the way. Any idea how that might turn out? Should we even bother?”

I have no love towards my fellow human beings. People back at home had proven, time and time again how little thought they gave about the wellbeing of any other person apart their own. I cannot say I look forward to meeting new people.

 *  I am afraid we must. A city would be a great starting point. A lot of people, goods and information pass through any given city. Also if humans still worship Amara, his temple should be the first place to visit. With little luck they would provide us with all we need though,   *  

Erta let out a deep sigh.

 *  First we will have to do something about those pointy ears of yours. People in general don’t feel kindly towards the owners of such ears. *  

Pointy ears? My ears weren’t exactly flat on my head but I wouldn’t go about calling them pointy or protruding. They were ordinary. Maybe they were sticking out a bit more than average but still it was nothing I would make fuss about.

Erta sighed again, this time even deeper than before. I could not see her but she must been shaking her head as well.

 *  I see there is a slight misunderstanding here. Galen, when was the last time you saw your reflection? *  

“This morning while I’ve been drinking water. Why?”

 *  And you haven’t noticed anything different? Something strange perhaps?  *  

“Strange? Define strange.”

My whole life was one giant mess with trauma knocking at the door of each corner. I ate experimental meds by the bucket and I’ve seen things no person should see. For a year I lived thinking my whole body was replaced by a steam powered automaton.

 *  Galen Vesa your sword is missing.  *  

“My what? Oh…”

The realization hit me like a wave of tsunami. Suddenly all the little details clicked in and became a much grander picture.

“You mean those are real?”

I poked one of the two enormous mounds occupying most of my chest.

 * Yes. *  

I gave myself an obligatory pat down to further reconfirm my situation. All that I found was flat and squishy.

“Well, that would explain much.”

Like why I kept wetting my legs when I went for a leak or why my chest felt so heavy recently. I went near the water to get a better look at myself.

 * If you don’t mind me asking, how could you not notice? *  

“Suntan. I spend the last few days in direct sunlight. I should be already sporting a nice sunburn allover but I’m not. This skin is as pearly white as it was in the beginning. It’s unnatural. As if it was bleached.”

“All my life I’ve been battling illusions, trying to discern reality from what was not there. Using logic as my main and most trusty weapon  I’ve battled day after day to remain sane but when the reality got stranger than fiction even logic failed me.”

I traced my finger along my full, tempting lips. It felt more like watching a stranger flirt with me rather than watching my own reflection.

“She was beautiful.”

 * She? *   

“It makes sense now. I must’ve been conscious while the witch did this. I remember  seeing her put it on me. Like being fitted with a glove.”

Another disturbing memory down the bucket of strangeness known as my own life.

“Those are the changes you have mentioned earlier?”

 * Yes. Those and some more I still don’t understand. There is an ancient spell carved into your bones that holds your new body together but that is just a foundation upon which more was build. *  

Erta went silent. I’m not sure how she did it but it felt as if somebody hugged me. I could feel concern carefully hidden underneath a layer of comforting warmth emanating from within her.

 * Will you be alright? *  

Will I? The short, boring and easy answer was, sound the drumroll, I don’t care. But life’s never easy. Even if I didn’t want to care life always found a reason and made me care. One way or another.

“I don’t really care. Although we need to add rape to the list of potential dangers awaiting us.”

I had an endlessly long legs, hips that would sway in all the right moments, breast that were mesmerizing to look at,  an oval elven face and my mother’s amazing green eyes. With a body like this, the need for clothing suddenly became more apparent.

“So this is how an elf looks like?”

 * Yes. Although I have never met one so well-endowed in the chest area. Elven beauty usually leans towards the general flatness. Less volume makes handling bow and running through the forest  much easier. Also your eyes are not exactly natural. They seem more ferru in their appearance than of elven origin. Possibly with a bit of a wyvern thrown into the mix. *  

 * For some reason the witch decided to go more creative with your chest or rather with your whole body. There are many changes I find… unusual. *  

I gave myself a careful spin, focused on studying my own reflection. If I was capable of it, I would sigh at what I saw. How should I describe it? Words failed me. Whatever the witch had in mind, all I saw was a crossbreed between an anime elf chick with pointy ears, large eyes and even larger breast and an anorectic fashion model whose appearance was spiced up by a mixed assortment of juicy tidbits taken string t from many porn stars. Simply put, I looked like a walking wet dream or a fuck toy.

“Well, although peculiar the ears are not the issue here.  This whole body screams for attention. We need to do something about it or else our little quest will not happen.”

I certainly did not want a mile long tail of drooling males following me around.

“Can’t you reverse this with your magic?”

 * I cannot. The changes were made permanent.  *  

That did not sound good. I never liked the word “permanent”. As in permanent loss of feeling. Permanent loss of color vision. Permanent need for set day schedule… There was a lot of “permanent” things I didn’t particularly enjoy.

“What about the time before we met? I’m sure I still had my flappy bird around.”

 * It may looked so but that is not true. When we first met you already possessed your current body only at the time it was cloaked by another form. Not nearly as complex as what I have shown you but still similar. A transformation magic.  *  

 * I do not know why it was put upon you but the spell came undone roughly the moment you have lost consciousness.  *   

“Is it possible to redo that?”

 * if it was done once I see no reason why it couldn’t be done again. The question is how. If you are willing to wait a day or so then I shall try and prepare a proper spell. *  

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Then you may as well go do that. I in the meantime shall sit by that rock and mourn the loss of my banana.”

Erta rolled her eyes at that and faded away, breaking the link between our minds. With her presence gone, I walked around the island, gathering stones. I’m not exactly a religious person but, all this magic, dragons and the whole blessing stuff got me thinking. What if ghosts actually exist here? What if they can influence the world of the living? Well, I just don’t want to find out. Not since… I Focused on picking up stones. Some memories were better off left untouched.

Half a day passed while I build a makeshift burial mound in the best place of the island with the stones I’ve gathered. It wasn’t anything as impressive as what I remembered from the discovery channel and occasional ramblings of my college Sam but it wasn’t shoddy either. Also the odd blue flowers growing there in the moss added some calming beauty to my impromptu build.

“O fair maiden whose skin I was made to wear, be free of your grudges and rest in peace.”

Was that something you should say? I have no idea. My knowledge of mourning ceremonies is on par with my knowledge of quantum physics. Which is to say,  I know such a thing exists. I clasped my hands together and bowed deeply, mourning her whose name I have not known.

“Allynna”

I heard a whisper coming from behind. There was a naked woman standing right there with a scorn look in her eyes and I knew instantly. I was made into a twisted reflection of a beauty that was once her. I thought I should say something but no words came to my mouth instead she let out a little sigh. Whether she cursed me or wished me good luck, I cannot tel. The last I saw of her was a gentle smile before a gust of wind made me cover my eyes.

I sat down tightly hugging my knees. At the back of my scull a familiar sensation crawled about.  I closed my eyes and closed myself to the world.  I saw nothing. I heard nothing. I felt nothing. Or so I told myself as the storm raged all around me. Thankfully the merciful sleep came before the vices of the red storm consumed me.

I’ve stretched and yawned greeting another sunrise with a blank stare as was in my habit since  I am a man of habit. Having habits helps one as broken as me pull through the life. You make up a daily routine planning every little bit of action down to the tiny little details like the shade of the tie you wear. The number strokes you do with your toothbrush and the leg you put first on the floor after a night of dreamless sleep. My old days were planned just like that. I had the math of making a sandwich bisected to the point where NASA emergency manuals paled in comparison.

 * Good morning. *  

Erta’s calm voice greeted me from within as if the storm was never there. Had she seen what was there, lurking within that storm and decided against breaching the subject? Or maybe the storms were only a figment of my troubled mind?  I just don’t know and truthfully, I don’t wish to know. I swore to myself I shall never again venture into the storm.

“Morning.”

I replied untangling myself from the mess my hairs were.  There were tiny water droplets glistening all over my skin and my hairs felt damp and heavy. The joy of having hip length hair.

“Any luck with whatever you’ve been up to?”

I roused from the dew covered moss and started a little warmup with jumping jacks. Big, bouncy mistake.

 * Perhaps. It seems I have made one false assumption. The spell did not disperse but simply became inactive. It is still there, waiting. The witch had design it as a reusable enchant, triggered by an outside key. Something that you were in possession of that came loose. *  

Restraining her laughter, Erta pretended as if nothing happened. Well, since the jacks were out of question without any sort of reinforcement I coupled my hands tightly over my new assets and started running in place. It was… acceptable. For now. With my warmup salvaged, I’ve gave some thought to what she said. Something I was in possession of that now was gone. Somehow my neck felt bare.

“The stone? I had something tied round my neck when I came to. Thought it was a prisoner collar.”

I felt Erta touch upon my memories.

 * A key indeed. An intricate way of passing control onto someone other than the bearer of the spell. *  

“It was gone before I reached this island. Given the circumstances surrounding our escape, it could be anywhere between that cave and this lake.”

I finished counting time. About five minutes passed since I’ve started jogging. Given that I have no idea whether I’m tired or no since my body doesn’t really care about sending me a memo, I always stop after five minutes of warmup. After a minute or two of rest I shall continue then make another stop and so on.

 * Obtaining the key is not necessary. It can be replaced or its function may be removed entirely but it will take me another four to five days to gather enough mana for the modifications required.  *  

Another five days of doing nothing fell down on the horizon. A perfect invitation for more storms to come. Perhaps it would be best to avoid that.

“Say, that water breathing spell. Is it still there? How does it work? Do I need to do something?”

 * The enchant activates itself upon you holding your breath. It fills your lungs with mana, creating air as needed. Given our circumstances we should be alright as long as you take a break every hour or so.  *  

 * By the way, some plants growing on the bottom should be edible. Try and pick few while you’ll be looking for the key.  *  

Erta already knew with what I intended to occupy myself during the next several days.

“You’re not against it?”

 * Against getting your body in shape?  No. Swim all you like. Your body needs  exercise. Just  try to keep your activities in moderation and don’t exert yourself. Too much fatigue will decrease your already weak mana flow. Speaking of which, I would like if you could commit some time and focus on improving your general magic ability. As it is now, we don’t stand a chance against pretty much anything.  *  

“Dully noted. Avoid angering magic users. Say, weren’t you using magic earlier in the cave?”

 * I was. I still had some mana left that passed along with my soul from my original body. Right now since I no longer possess a body, I must siphon and convert your mana before casting even the most basic spell. Due to your inability to process mana this is a slow and inefficient process. *  

She paused. Oh, I knew this kind of pause. The upper management abused it to signify some important news they occasionally shared with us.  Most of the time it was related to layoffs and pay cuts.

 * I can only cast magic upon you and your body. Perhaps enchanting your cloths could also prove possible but unfortunately right now we simply cannot verify that. *  

I stared down at my bare feet. Not that I could see them. There was something, well two bouncy, bare somethings hiding my feet from my view. It was strange. For the first time in my life I couldn’t see my own feet.

 * You don’t even know how lucky you are. *  

Erta couldn’t stop herself this time.

 * If you had seen what else she kept in her tower. All those… abominations. This body is one of the witch’s better creations. *  

“If you say so.”

I shrug my arms. As long as I won’t have to add rape to the long list of my mental issues, I don’t really care. I hugged myself tightly, hoping to eliminate as much of the bouncing as possible and started running again. There must be a better way. There always is. I’ve counted down another five minutes and stopped and stretched again, testing the ways this new body of mine worked.

Surprise number one. Flexibility. This new change I personally find endearing. All my life I was stiff as a board. I could say I had a reason for that. Spending long periods of time in hospital beds does not promote flexibility. But that would be only a part of the story. I was simply born that way and no amount of stretching could fix that. Now? I pressed my head and chest against my legs while standing. It was something I could never done before. I’ve tried a split and succeeded without much effort. Whatever the witch did with me, the result was quite bendy.

 * As much as the view is intriguing I am not convinced a human body should bend this way. *  

Perhaps that was a bit too much but…

“We both know you want to know if I can reach it with my tongue.”

I could not see her face but the feedback I got could mean only one thing. Erta’s face was probably as red as a tomato.  A blushing dragon. I’m not sure whether it’s cute or alarming. Possibly both. At this point I also found a second surprise.  My tongue has been improved as well. It could extend for about nine inches and apparently was prehensile.  Should I find this disturbing?

 * Why? It’s actually a convenient thing. I always picked fruits with my tongue. *  

“Or people.”

I imagined her dragon tongue wrapping around a knight, squeezing him tightly till his amour creaked and then pulling him into the jaws of death.

 * Disgusting! Do you even know what you’re implying? I will not even mention the terrible taste of the enchanted armor! No, it’s worse than that. It is so, so… unhygienic! Most of the knights were bolted shut inside their armor. Wearing it for weeks at a time. Sweating, pissing and pooing into their pants. They traveled with their shoes full of their own excrement! They did not bath! No self-respecting dragon would take something like that into their mouth without purifying it first with his fire. Lots of dragon fire! *  

Ah yes. Erta and her culinary advice.  Cook knights before eating. Best served, well done. Make sure to double bake then peel of the armor. I ignored her outburst and played with my tongue, wrapping it around my finger. Curious thing but with no real application. Unless this world have an equivalent of Guinness world records.  Probably not. Besides, who am I kidding? Nine inches long tongue in a fantasy world? Most likely it’s nothing unusual. I tried to touch the tip of my nose and almost gouged my left eye. Controlling my new tongue was much harder then it looked. That was also when I found another surprise. I have a third eyelid.

Poking my eyeball with my finger I’ve reconfirmed my findings. There was a thick, slimy membrane covering my eye. It seemed quite sturdy and apparently had some photochromatic properties. That’s the best description I can think of.  Although it may not be entirely right. Whenever I look through those eyelids everything is instantly layered with a light  grayish hue and regardless of where I’m looking at, be it straight into the sun or deep into the shadows, everything is equally illuminated. Now that I think about it, I can’t see any shadows at all.  Interesting.

“Night vision?”

 * Your mana consumption increased so I would say some vision enhancing spell is at work. Although, depending from whom your eyes came from, you might have access to a form of natural low light vision. *  

“And I sat pondering at the edge of a timeless sea. Pondering at what’s left of me. Pondering, Is it truly me?”

 * Quite fitting. What was that?  *  

“Something I’ve read A long while ago. Erta, are there any more surprises found within this body?”

 * As much as it annoys me, I cannot tell. The scarlet witch has much superior grasp of runic magic than I do. I have never seen rune patterns as complex as the ones used upon your body. Some of the runes I have never seen before in my entire life. I wouldn’t be surprised if even the ancients would have trouble deciphering her matrix. *  

“Ancients?  Just how old are you anyway?”

 * Such rude question human. But I shall humor you. When I have hatched, my mother has already seen at least ten times more winters and springs then I have when I met you. My mother was the first daughter of Vorgul, lord of the dragons, first dragon ever born. His claws shattered the moon and brought us a second eye in the sky. That was before the ancients set their foot on Xea. *  

 * As little as I was, I have slept in the lap of an elven priestess, I’ve been taught my first spell by a high human and a bored hagguru litter gnawed at my tail. I am both old and young. I have not reached my adulthood yet but still I have witnessed the passing of many great eras. Now, does that satisfy your question human? Your previous life is but a blink in my eyes. *  

Apparently I’ve rubbed her sore spot the wrong way with my question. Not that it would be a first time for me. Resigned,  I pushed my tongue now limply hanging from the corner of my lips back into my mouth. It was best to change the subject and actually do something.

“Care to go for a swim?”

I did not receive an answer but Erta did not voice any protest either. I’ve put her in a grumpy mood as I often did with all around me. With the sun still high in the sky I slid down into the water. Getting back up onto that ledge gonna be a pain in the ass later but for now I didn’t care.

The water was cold. Probably. I could not feel it but Erta reported another slight increase in mana usage as the spell designed to keep my body temperature within reasonable range begun churning out more heat. Pushing myself away from the rock I swam towards the general direction of the place I came from.

Now, swimming is actually something I have confidence in. I may not be an Olympic material but I can easily outdo most people. About a year and a half of physio in the pool can do that to you. I reached the place in less than ten strokes and floated above. This body has some crazy buoyancy. I can float without exerting any strength.

“I can simply hold my breath and that’s it?”

 * Yes. *  

Reaffirmed by her calm words, I held my breath and dived. Normally, a human will feel an urge to breathe just after twenty or thirty seconds. Most people can hold it up to a minute when it becomes unbearable and the spasms of your lungs simply force you to breathe. In my case? It was odd. The feeling I got was as if something was slowly trickling out of me.

 * Good. You can feel it. Memorize this feeling. It shall help you recognize the way mana flows through your body. *  

I resurfaced and took a deep breath. The odd feeling was gone as soon as fresh air filled my lungs. I tried to recall the feeling but nothing came to my attention.

 * Do not force yourself. We shall take one step at a time. Go, swim for a bit and carve that feeling into your memory. When you master that I will show you how to call upon your mana. *  

I’ve dived again, this time going deeper, down to the bottom. Finding the place where I woke up was not much of a trouble. A large gaping hole was torn into the carpet of brown and green seaweed. And that was about it. There was nothing of interest here. I’ve combed the spot two or three times and found nothing. No fancy collar or magic stones. The only thing I got was a growing carving for a swim cap. Every time I stopped my hairs would start flowing all around me, often obscuring my view. Third eyelid or not, I saw nothing when I got my face full of hairs. Annoyed, I plucked a stringy looking seaweed and used it to bundle up my hairs behind my head. It was a lousy attempt but it worked. At least for now though  every girl on the planet would laugh at the sight of improvised bun protruding from the back of my head.

 * You did a good job there. It’s still holding up. For now. *  

Erta let out a snicker. I simply ignored her and swum away, doing a sort of wobbly circle around my island since I wasn’t ready to leave it just yet. The additional eyelid proved itself a remarkable replacement for swimming googles. The clarity of what I saw was outstanding as if seen in the broad daylight up on the surface while the range of how far I could actually see was easily more than a hundred feet.  Although there wasn’t much to be seen. Some large, water polished stones here and there. Some fish shoals going by now and then but mostly just the green and brown plants. Occasionally in a distance I would pick up a piece of wood lodged between underwater rocks. There was one place further away that got my interest. An odd combination of wood and stones seemed like a good spot for further exploration. But, not just yet. Completing a circle I went for a break on one of the rocks that reached way beyond the surface.

 * Had a good dream? *  

Erta’s voice awoke me. Groggily, I rolled over from one side to the other. Truth to be told, I have no recollection of falling asleep.

 *  I’ve been trying to reach you for the better part of the day. You went out like a candle with your ass sticking out to the sky. Thankfully no one saw us thus far so be so kind and get your ass off the view, a boat is coming. *  

A boat? Now? But they just passed by. It’s too soon.

 * It is a different one. It’s moving much faster and they have a mage on board. I can feel her mana from out here. They are looking for something, she’s been actively scanning the area for the better part of last hour. *  

“Are they looking for us? Can we hide? Should we even?”

 * No, I don’t think she can sense us. Given the amount of mana you possess, she would likely run away the moment her spell had  us in range. Your mana pool is not natural. Have you any idea how scared I got when you entered my cave? But enough of this chit-chat. Move, we have no time to spare. Lay down between those rocks but don’t hold your breath. We don’t want that spell to activate. Not now. *  

I followed her Instructions and wedged myself between two imposing stones. Laying down in the crack, almost entirely submerged, I watched the sky breathing through my nose. The only part of my body that stood out over the surface.

 * Careful, she’s here. *  

With a final warning Erta broke our link while I focused on keeping my breathing calm and steady. Indeed they were coming close by. With my entire body I could feel the rhythmic thump-thump of their oars beating against the water. Suddenly there was a presence. Something alien crawling around about me, searching, sensing yet blind at the same time. It was looking for something specific. For something that was hidden within me. Something that did not wish to be found. The presence lingered for a moment but when it was denied what it pursued, it moved on.

I considered taking a peek at that mysterious boat and whoever was there on it but in the end I decided against it. So far Erta’s guidance has proven to be adequate to our situation. If she was against meeting whoever rode in that boat, I was fine with it and I just didn’t wat to spoil her efforts by doing something stupid. I remained lodged within the crack, watching my own reflection in the water surface.

 * A wise choice. *  

Erta’s presence returned, carrying a content feel to it.

 * They are gone, you may get up now. Enough of water for one day. *  

To that I could concur. I had water in places where water shouldn’t be. I got up and almost instantly fallen back down, discovering my left leg decided to fall asleep. Missing the razor sharp edge of the stone by an inch, I ended up back in the water.

 *  You did not feel that? *  

“Not in the slightest.” I snorted out some water. When it comes to my body I often don’t get the memo.  Thankfully this new body had enough buoyancy to stay afloat without me using my legs.

 * And you don’t feel that awful sensation of returning blood flow that’s currently killing me? *  

“Nope.”

Erta muttered something incoherent and again broke the link between our minds. Left alone, I swam towards my island with twilight slowly setting around me, announced by a bird’s chorus.

Reaching the ledge over which I had to crawl in order to get to my lovely moss covered, self-appointed sleeping ground, I just floated around waiting for my leg to fully recover. Getting over it unhindered was enough of a challenge. Getting over it with a numb leg? Not happening.

 * How could you even live like that? Feeling next to nothing. *  

Familiar voice popped back in.

“It’s a matter of getting used to. Also having a good day schedule helps. A human body is like a machine. It has a precise work period followed by a rest period. It has to be refueled at regular intervals. And waste have to be removed at regular intervals.  If you take care of it properly, service it regularly then you can operate it without much trouble. Having habits helps with that too. Also, you need to be extra careful with everything you do. ”

I let myself sink a bit then kicking as hard as I could I ejected myself halfway out of the water and thankfully high enough to grab the ledge.  My chest hit the stone hard, squeezing air with an “ompf” out of my lungs as I hanged holding onto the edge.

 * On rotting corpse you human dolt! Be careful! *  

Erta cussed, squirming in pain.

 * These are not safety cushions! Be more gentle,  they are very sensitive! *  

There was a lot of meat pressing against the stone, bulging this way and that way but thankfully all I felt was some rubbing and a slight pressure.

“I don’t want to be rude but if that was too much you may consider giving me some privacy while I get over that.”

I looked at the edge I’ve been hanging onto. Thankfully water still supported part of my weight. Grumbling, Erta disconnected herself again. Apparently accessing my mind was a package deal. She saw, heard and felt whatever I felt or rather whatever my body felt. With her presence gone, I braced myself against the stone and… failed to achieve anything but giving myself a bleeding gash. There was no strength in those puny arms. Well, ten times the charm. Or something like that. I tried again and failed again, splashing into the water.  So maybe it was forty times the charm? Water around me was beginning to take an interesting red color. I gave up and let myself float on my back. I could see first stars in the sky. There had to be a better way to get up there. I managed to get up there before, haven’t I?  Then it hit me. Water level. It was too low.  Last time it was much higher.  About a foot more than it was now. A tide? In a lake? How large would it have to be  to experience such tides? Big. Without anything better to do, I just floated around waiting for a high moon.

“You can come out now.”

I spoke onto the silence.

 * Are we there yet? *  

Erta chimed in, reminding me something I saw a while back. Was she snooping around in my memories again?

“No. We’re waiting for the moon to rise and tides to switch. Unless you have a better idea.”

 * If you don’t mind, we could check a place nearby. There is something out there that might prove useful. Since you already recovered and since that mage is gone we can safely check it. Unless you wish to continue your feud with that stone wall.  *  

Given the amount of cuts, scratches and bruises my front was littered with it seemed prudent to give it a rest. At least for now.

“If you wish. Which way?”

 * Straight to your left. If we keep to the current we shall reach the place within an hour. *  

An hour. I see. Must be a dragon’s definition of close by. I pushed myself away from the rock and cut into the water with a front crawl then swapped onto a backstroke for convenience sake. It was easier to talk this way. Also my back caused much less drag than my chest.

 * You don’t have to speak. I can hear your thoughts as we are. *  

“I am aware of that but if there is no reason to remain silent,  I prefer to speak.”

Having a physical barrier between mind and reality was preferable for me. Listening to my own voice made my mind less preoccupied with itself.

“That boat. That odd “thing” that came with it. What was it?”

I asked to break the silence.

 * A tracking spell. The mage was looking for something or someone. Perhaps somebody witnessed our spectacular arrival and when the news reached the right ears, that mage was send to investigate. That is what I think. *  

 * I wouldn’t put much weight into that. Thy did not bother to check the island so rather than for someone they were looking for something. *  

A sound assumption. Although since I  saw no purpose in doing that. What would anyone gain from finding us? Were they even looking for us? There were too many unknowns to make any sense of it.

“By the way. You said something peculiar earlier. Would you mind elaborating on why were you scared of me?”

Silence answered me. I could clearly feel she was reluctant to breach that subject. A sort of growing tension appeared.

“Come on. I know I am not stunningly handsome but I don’t look that bad either.  I send her an imaginary wink.  Still she felt troubled.

 * Galen, forgive me but this is not a place nor time for this talk. *  

For the first time since I met her, Erta’s voice sounded meek, stripped of all her pride.

“Then perhaps another time.”

 * Yes. *  

The rest of the trip we spend in silence, with me taking short breaks to rest and reaffirm our heading.

 * We’re here. *  

Erta announced after a while that felt like more than two hours.

 * Dive. *  

So I did. Forcing my body to sink, I pushed out all the air out of my lungs. I noticed earlier today that if I had only mana inside my lungs the spell worked much more efficient and at the same time I didn’t have to worry about the pressure difference. With several strokes I reached the level of seaweed which for some reason was growing much more sparsely out here. Perhaps the ink black abyss stretching even deeper below had something to do with it. Even the water temperature was different out here. I noticed the steady trickle of mana flowing through my body changed from barely noticeable to a steady stream even I could feel freely.  I paused at the edge of the inky abyss, unsure where to progress. Life taught me that caution was a virtue.

 * In there. *  

Erta indicated a place deep within the darkness. Was this really a good idea?

 * As I said, there is nothing alive out there. Or if you fear those that are no longer living, let me rephrase my earlier words. There is nothing out there that can harm us in any way which given our regrettable state should be enough of a reassurance. *  

She paused considering something.

 * Although we should make haste. Time is against us. Your mana flow is unstable and with the drain caused by your enchants we might have less than an hour. *  

I cast one last glance back at the surface. It was so far away now. Hardly any light reached this spot and yet I could clearly see myself. I could see my surroundings and if I strained my eyes, I think I could see some shapes down in the darkness. Well, I wasted away eleven years of my life doing things I would not waste time recalling. Maybe it was a time for me have an adventure? To have something to recall when we shall met again? I felt a strange emptiness on my little finger. Almost smiling, I bounced off the edge and dived deeper.