21.In The Deep End

21. In The Deep End

The waves lap at our feet as we guide Solis toward the water's edge between us. We stand there a moment, staring at the vast expanse of water and preparing for everything we need to do.

"Are you sure about this?" Samson leans forward, peering over his father to look at me. "All three of us don't need to go."

What he meant was, maybe the man we're practically holding up between us should stay behind. He was worried about his dad.

"Don't worry. You and I are going to do most of the work." Speaking of, it's time I readied them for our undersea voyage.

"Zale is causing the rot," Solis says as I prepare my magic. "But we don't need to kill him."

"Really?" Samson snorts. "Doesn't seem like a guy who will go quietly."

I laugh bitterly. "You've got that right."

"All we have to do is stop the source," the professor tells his son.

He rolls his eyes. "Great, now you're both talking in riddles."

Solis tilts his head, giving me access to his neck so that I can give him gills with my magic. I trace down the line of his neck as I direct my power into him.

"Zale is the source," Solis says. "He caused all of this when he took power that didn't belong to him. And now what's left of him is somewhere under the seabed, polluting the bay."

"What? How do you know all this? How—"

"Your father figured it out." I step to Solis's other side and apply my magic again. "Zale wasn't targeting the nymphs to destroy them. He was stealing power from them."

"Power that made it possible to impress and con others with his incredible strength," Samson fills in.

"Exactly. Nymphs are connected to the bay, they take strength and give it back. He was only taking. His greed and ill intentions made everything sick."

The caster had a brand, which helped his body withstand the increased power he took in. Power that supported a whole community. Taking as much power as he could handle, giving nothing back, all while motivated by selfish desires to trick others and profit. His actions poisoned the water.

When I'm done working my magic on the older man, the professor straightens up and waves us away. "You know what? I'm feeling much better. Give me a moment to stretch my legs."

"Dad—"

"I'll just be waiting over here."

Solis isn't exactly subtle, and he doesn't look completely steady on his feet, but I'm glad for the moment alone with Samson. There's a lot riding on the two of us.

The man in front of me seems a bit distracted, still watching his father warily and waiting for the man to stumble and fall.

Here goes nothing.

"Sorin, when we get down there… We need to combine our powers."

That does the trick. His head whips around to me so fast it hurts my own neck in sympathy. "What? We haven't been able to do that before."

"We got close," I remind him. "Hopefully we'll be able to."

He huffs out of a laugh, shaking his head. "Oh sure, we'll just mix fire and water magic in a nearly impossible way, all while underwater. Any other extraordinary feats you wanna tackle? Should we discover the lost city of Atlantis while we're down there?"

"Samson—"

"Argyle, this is crazy. We—" He stops talking mid-sentence as I take his hands in my own and hold on tight. This is the part where I give some rousing pep talk, but the longer I find myself staring into his eyes, the less it seems necessary. Sorin stares back at me, the doubt on his face slowly melting away, replaced by a firm resolve. "You know what? I actually believe we can do this. It isn't about strength or skill alone. It's about us. You and me. We can do it."

"Together," I agree. Pressing my lips to his for a sweet, slow kiss, I have no doubt. I feel the roughness of his stubble against my skin and promise myself we'll have more time for moments like this, after we finish this.

When we part, I raise my hand, questioning, and he gives me a nod. It's impossible to look away from the fierce emotions in his eyes, so I find the side of his neck without looking. His breath hitches at my touch as I give him gills. I trace the lines of his neck carefully and my power attaches itself to him easily, like it belongs there.

Sorin has always had the answer to stopping the sickness infecting the bay, no sacrifice needed. His fire can burn right through toxic magical sludge. The only trouble is in creating fire at the bottom of the sea. But that's where I come in. Merging our magical energy will let us help the bay.

"Let's do this."

Solis rejoins us, getting in the middle so we can help support him while he guides us to Zale. The three of us wade into the surf.

Even supporting Solis between us, the journey is easy at first as we swim towards deeper waters and eventually dive down into the murky depths. The professor points out directions and we start swimming where he leads.

Too soon, we're relying on his guidance more than anything else as it becomes challenging to see much beyond what's right in front of our faces. The darkness is suffocating, clouding the water as I strain to see anything amidst the gloom.

Inch by painstaking inch, we grope our way through the hazy depths, following Solis's lead. I only know we're in the right place when he jerks against me and seizes onto my wrist, squeezing urgently. We've arrived.

As we stop in the water, surrounded by black, everything around us still and eerie, it feels like we wait in the blackness for a long time. A weak glow illuminates the professor's hands once he's ready to enable his power. He aims towards the seabed, a pulse of energy radiating from his fingertips.

Bubbles erupt around us, and I jump when something hits my legs. Lots of somethings, little pieces of the seabed broken up and floating away as he drills down to locate the source of the sludge.

My hand glows with blue magic, giving us some light, and a sinister black mass comes into view, pulsating with vile energy. Thick, oily sludge oozes from its core.

My stomach churns at the sight, even as I grin. Yes. This is our chance to end the destruction once and for all.

Fire magic can't hope to ignite in this much water, which is where I come in. By blending our magic, Samson's fire can safely interact with my water, letting his power touch mine without extinguishing. Then my water can protect his fire from the rest of the sea, my power forming a protective barrier around his. We'll ensure his magic gets to where it needs to go and burns this sickness away.

I raise my hand, forming a protective ball of energy in front of me.

Through the dark haze I see a vague shape, Samson lifting his arm out. Sparks flare up in the center of my water orb, there and gone in an instant. I can imagine the annoyed expression on his face as he grits his teeth and tries again. The sparks appear and then sputter out once more.

This isn't going to work. The glow of my magic shows me the future firebrand shadowed by darkness, just enough light to see his eyes. We both reach the same conclusion. We need to do this at the same time.

The oppressive darkness descends again as my magic vanishes. Going by feel, Samson and I reach out, our hands finding each other and coming together between us.

The magic flows forward as a glowing orb takes shape, its exterior shimmers with the blue tint of my water magic. The glow makes it distinct from the water surrounding us. Only the outside is made of water. Inside the protective circle of my water magic are flickering flames, safely meeting my magic without getting doused.

Beautiful. A roaring fire contained in a ring of water, the energies flowing together create a lovely impossibility, two opposite magics finding a way to come together through us.

We're so close, I can feel it. Just a little more...

We direct the orb and the fire inside towards the heart of the rot that Solis unearthed. The ball collides with the pulsating mass of darkness. Samson and I focus our power, not letting up.

I can't tell if anything is happening at first.

Then, the rot ignites. Flames erupt across its surface, orange and red fire eating away the black, slightly distorted by the blue tint covering the flames like a shield. It's quite a sight.

We're doing it. Against all odds, we're actually defeating the rot.

My water shields the magical fire as Samson cranks up the heat. As the flames continue to devour the rot, the water around us begins to clear. In the center of the inferno, a shape takes form. A human shape, contorted and twisted, encased in a shell of calcified rot.

I gasp, bubbles streaming from my mouth. The wizard who caused all this. Zale. I knew his dirty tricks eventually caught up to him, but it's still unsettling to see all that's left, his body consumed by the very rot he created.

The nymphs thought he'd returned to destroy them. Not quite. He was still the cause, but not in the way anyone had suspected. This is why Zale was the source, but we didn’t have to kill anyone to stop it all. He was already gone. His rotting remains poisoned the water, and we need to burn it all away.

Ah! I feel a shock and my powers wane for a second. The flames dim, threatening to fizzle out under the torrent of water all around. I feel Samson tense behind me, pumping more power into his fire. Too much power.

I place my hand on his shoulder, giving him a warning. Our magic has to balance with each other. If he goes any hotter, he'll burn right through my protective barrier, and I won't be able to maintain our connection.

For a moment, I see the wild, untamed hunger in his eyes, the fire begging to be set free. But then, with a visible effort, Samson reins it in, the flames settling back to a steady, controlled burn.

So proud of him. I know, without a doubt, that I can trust him to keep that fire in check, to not let it consume us both.

The fire engulfs the remains, burning away the last traces of rot until only ashes remain. The gloomy sickness still clings to the surrounding areas, but now that we know the problem and removed the source, it will be easier to take care of the damage.

Samson lets the fiery core dissipate, and I allow the protective water barrier to dissolve. His grin looks even brighter than the fire he just conjured. We did it. We saved the bay.