Chapter 12

Twelve

Arges

This woman seemed to always be surrounded by metal creations that did what they weren’t supposed to do. When he finally got his heart rates down, Arges pressed his hands against his twin hearts and tried to will himself back to the cavern.

And somehow, he just... couldn’t.

No People of Water would ever forget the sight of a box opening up in front of her and then speaking. Was she a witch? Perhaps. That would make sense, considering that her own people wanted nothing to do with her. They hadn’t searched for her after her disappearance and that was maybe because they knew what magic she had cast upon them.

But he had seen her many times. The logical part of his mind reminded him that she hadn’t been in comfortable living quarters. She never even spoke when the achromos were all gathered together, as they had been multiple times. And that her people knew how dangerous it was for her to be in the water, alone, with multiple undines having been sighted nearby.

So she was not a witch. She could not cast spells upon inanimate objects and bring them to life in front of him.

Which meant there was so much more about the humans that he did not understand. Perhaps he could learn from them, but every fiber of his being rebelled at the mere thought. There was nothing that her people could teach him other than death and destruction.

He had no idea how long he floated outside that cave entrance. Even some of the sea creatures came to investigate his still form. A sea turtle, slightly deeper than most of them went, coasted by him on its side. Those ancient, wise eyes looked him up and down. It knew he wasn’t here for a reason he wanted to be. It could see the guilt in his eyes as it looked away.

From below, a squid wrapped its tentacles around a rock to peer up at him. Those overly large eyes saw far too much, but Arges flicked his tail at it. He’d tangled with a few of their kind before, and thankfully, this one was small. Their sharp beaks cut through even his tough scales, and he was in no mood to entertain a creature with such a sharp bite.

Eventually, he knew he had to go back and see what the achromo was doing. She had made it almost impossible to return to that now-cursed place, but he couldn’t stay out here forever.

With his luck, Mitéra would send his pod to come find him. And then he would be in a world of trouble for an entirely different reason.

Sighing, he turned toward the entrance and steeled himself. He was brave. He was one of the most dangerous creatures in this ocean. He could, and would, get answers out of her and that strange... box.

Still, he wasn’t proud of how he slunk into the cavern with his tail a little too close to his body. Even his gills were flattened more than usual, trying to make himself look smaller and easier to hide.

As if it would ever be easy for a creature of his size to hide. He was massive compared to the achromo who could have lifted but one of these glowing leaves and ducked herself under it.

Surfacing stealthily, he peered around the cave before he even dared to let the water out of his nostrils.

His achromo sat on a box in the corner. Could she make that one come to life as well? Were all objects that the achromos had secretly hiding life?

The other box was sitting on a small stand in front of her. Was she worshiping it like a god? Perhaps that was the difference. He’d found a god for her at the bottom of the sea, and now she served the creature inside of it.

Oh, that was a terrifying thought.

He must have made some kind of noise, because his achromo turned around and seemed to... brighten when she saw him. He hadn’t expected that, and it only made him even more suspicious.

She had never been excited to see him. He was more used to the furrow of her brows and something thrown at his head. Or at the very least, she liked to wave her hand at him like she was shooing away a school of hungry fish.

Perhaps she saw his darkening expression because she stood and approached him. Those twin tails holding her upright would never stop disgusting him. And then she sat down, bending them at odd, painful looking angles right at the edge of the pool.

What did she have planned?

“You are not a trustworthy creature,” he muttered, trying to keep his voice lower and quieter, like she’d asked. “I do not know what you want of me, achromo.”

Every word he said brightened her features. And she was... pretty, in a way. If he looked past her face, and ignored her hair, and tried not to think about the way she’d peeled her silver skin off of her body... Right. Well, now he was thinking about it.

She held her hand out to him, chattering away in that childish voice that set his teeth on edge. Still, it was something that he could work with. Perhaps he could learn her language this way. If he listened hard enough, then he could perhaps converse with her.

Learning their language would certainly satisfy his Mitéra’s need for information. They could listen through the walls of their home, know what the achromos’ plans were and when they were going to attack.

Yes, this was a good plan. Even if it meant having to listen to her prattling voice.

He drew closer, only flinching slightly when he noticed she’d brought the box with her. And this time, it had opened even more. The cursed thing had tiny arms that it waved in the air at him.

Not a single god in the sea would make such a being. Was it a child? Was it her child? Had she created some abomination out of the junk at the bottom of the sea floor?

She moved a hand to her chest, a gesture he recognized from the first time that he’d brought her to this cave. And then she said a word and held her hand out toward him.

He had no idea what that meant.

Then the achromo did it again. She tapped a finger to her chest, said the word, and then tapped the box. This time she said a different word and then gestured for him to say something.

“I am one of the People of Water,” he intoned, his voice deepening with reverence. “You are a achromo.”

Those brows of her furrowed, a much more familiar expression on her face. Again, she repeated the same words. Two different ones. One for herself, and one for the box.

Were these... names?

“Again,” he said, swimming a little closer so he could watch her lips.

And then... Oh, his gills flared in excitement even though he was embarrassed to make such a display for her. Because he heard her name, and it was a word that was similar to another in his language.

Mira. For his people, it meant hope.

“Mira,” he repeated, and watched as a smile stretched across her face.

She was prettier when she did that. When there weren’t signs of anger in her expression, she appeared more kind. More open. Simply... more.

He hated it. And adored it at the same time.

She gestured at him, pointing at his chest mostly, but he had to wonder if she was pointing at the gills that flared out from his neck. Yes, he was presenting himself for her now. He almost preened, knowing that she’d seen how pretty the gills were.

In his mind, for a moment, he thought her reactions to be that of his own kind. One of his people would have noticed the reaction of his body and they would have stroked down the delicate fins of his gills, the wisps that only a mate could touch. He would have let her if she touched him. He’d already stolen her from her people, gifted her treasures just like she’d asked for. The next step was for her to accept him, but that would not happen.

She was a achromo. He was of the People of Water. They could not, and would never, be together. Their kinds were far too different and hated each other far too much.

Sighing, he pressed a hand to his chest. “Arges.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and then she nodded many times. “Arges. Mira.”

“Mira,” he repeated.

It wasn’t much. The rudimentary conversation should have been frustrating, but now he knew her name. Somehow, that made her more of a person to him. She wasn’t just the achromo he had captured to be a means to an end. She was Mira of the achromos. It wasn’t much of a difference, but it still caused some old song to strum in his hearts.

“You should eat,” he said quietly, flicking his tail as he peered around her. The fish he’d brought her was gone, and she’d made another strange contraption behind her that appeared to be a bucket with flattened metal over the top. He couldn’t guess what that was. “You have finished your meal, I see.”

He sank back into the water, ignoring her frustrated sound of disapproval. Perhaps she wanted to speak with him. To try to have more of a conversation than just names. But first he would see her fed, and then he would return.

It took very little time to track down a sizable fish. The cod that swam by him was not an impressive catch for one of his people, but it was large enough to sustain her for a while yet. Arges didn’t know what achromos ate, but he remembered the strange mush that they’d eaten every morning. He couldn’t hazard a guess at what that might be, but he assumed they couldn’t exist on meat alone. He’d need to return to their hunting grounds soon and get her handfuls of kelp, perhaps kombu as well. Edible vegetation in the ocean was hard to come by, but he would discover it for her.

Arges cleaned the fish quickly on his way to the cave, choosing to let the blood and organs soak the waters far from their hiding spot. He did not need to draw unwelcome attention to that place. Just in case he wasn’t there to help her.

By the time he returned, she was pacing again. He wasn’t sure why Mira did that, but she moved from end to end of the cave often.

She turned at the sound of water splashing, her eyes widening in fear for a few moments before she relaxed when she saw him. Again, she chattered. There weren’t even recognizable sounds in her speech, and he feared it would take a very long time for him to understand her.

He swam to the edge of the rock and set the fish down on the ground for her. “My people speak slowly,” he said, catching her gaze so she would know to listen to him. Arges touched his mouth, then brought his hands down low. “Slower words, achromo. Perhaps then I might mimic you.”

This was getting them nowhere. The next time Mira spoke, she did so quietly. It wasn’t what he wanted. He could hardly hear her now.

“No, achromo. I need you to speak slower, not softer.” Growling, he gnashed his sharp teeth in the air in frustration. “This is getting us nowhere. I don’t know what madness has led me to believing that I could learn your language. It would take both of our lifetimes for me to ever understand a word you’re saying.”

But every word he said seemed to make her happier. She nodded, that wide smile still on her face. She pressed a hand to her chest and said, “Mira,” then moved that hand over the fish.

Some of his anger eased, and amusement took its place. “You will not be able to say any of our words, achromo.”

She insistently hovered that hand over the fish.

He rolled his gaze up to the roof of the cavern and prayed for patience. “It is a cod.”

Again, she waved her hand over it and then rotated the other in the air. What did she want from him?

Swimming a little closer, he braced his arms against the rock and stared down at the fish with her. “Cod, is what we call it. It’s a rather flavorless fish, I suppose, but considering how the achromos eat, I cannot imagine that you will find any fault in it. I’ve already cleaned it for you, Mira. You can eat it.”

He mimed eating with his hand and then glanced up at her again. But she wasn’t looking at the fish. She was looking at him.

Her eyes a little wide, her face a little pink. He hadn’t noticed that humans could change color like a cuttlefish, but here she was. Changing color right in front of his eyes.

He met her wide gaze and wondered what she was thinking. She’d asked him to explain the fish to her, and he was. Not that she could understand a single thing of what he was saying. But Arges had always been the brother who enjoyed talking.

It was why he was a warrior. Why he had taken control over the pod rather than his brothers. He was the one who knew how to speak and when to listen. That was his gift, according to Mitéra. And he wanted to use that gift now to help his people.

But it was hard to think about his people at all when she watched him like that. A strange mixture of awe and curiosity played across her features. He had to wonder if he was reading her right, because the expression was so eerily similar to that of his own people.

Then she blinked frantically and shook her head. Coasting her fingers over the fish, she pointed to the water.

“Yes, it came from the sea.” He lifted a clawed hand out of the water, showing her his claws. “They are very easy for one such as me to catch. I imagine it would be harder for you to catch them.”

Her fingers were tiny and her nails were blunted. Any fish would get away from her long before she had the chance to use those soft claws. She didn’t swim fast enough to even catch prey that was mortally wounded.

He’d have to take care of her for the rest of her life.

Arges frowned at the thought. She wasn’t going to be alive for very long, anyway. Here he was, thinking about years away when he’d have to hunt for her every single day. And yet, he knew she would die at the end of this.

Mira was a means to an end. That was all.

Another voice interrupted them, clanging and metallic with words he could not understand. But he knew that it came from the box and he’d forgotten it was still here. It had listened to them clearly, and that magic was enough to send him careening back into the safety of the water.

He didn’t even try to stop the splashing wave that likely soaked the metallic being. He had to go. He couldn’t stay here, talking with her as if she could understand him.

But even as he swam away, the memory of her pink cheeks and the color that played down her throat haunted him.

Perhaps she was a witch, after all.