I squealed as I was pulled back into the murky depths. I looked down and saw Dale pulling me. He had no need to breath air. He starred at me angrily as he craned his neck and attacked me with his horns. The tip pressed into my shoulder and punctured me. The water surrounding us absorbed my blood’s scarlet hue and while I yelped, my painful cry was dimmed by the water.

  Dale pulled me further down, my body desperately flailed against the god. When he spoke, it was as if he was not in water. The sound molecules of his voice remained uninterrupted by the fluid that normally muted other sound.

  “What the hell was the point of all this?!” Dale asked with no air bubbles coming out. It was as if he was an endless well of energy. He reached his fist back and punched me. Slowed by the water but still painful, my head whipped backwards. I held up my hands but it was like I was in a dream. I was still weighed down by the water. Dale punched me again.

  “Why’d you come back!?” Dale screamed, “You had the book! Why’d he make you come back?!”

  He punched me again, my biggest air bubble exited from my mouth and floated to the top, completely unaware that it was my only life source. He reeled his fist back and tried to punch me again, but something stopped him.

  “What’s doing this?!” Dale asked, “What magic are you using?”

  I shook my head, unable to speak. In the dark tint of the water, something invisible was holding Dale back. That something invisible grabbed his horns and pulled him backward.

  Hosu was only trying to help and he treated her like garbage. Now she was angry. The current pushed him backward, keeping him away from me. He attempted to stomped forward, trying to get to me but the current was strong. I saw my shield on the ground. I swam toward it. I had one trick up my sleeve. It was a particular move I had used before. I could tell by how Hosu wobbled when I used it that there was a skill check involved. Considering it involved hypnotizing the opponent’s mind, the target likely had to fail a wisdom check to be entranced by my spell.

  I picked it up, relatively weightless in the water. I could feel myself fading as I spoke. I looked at the dapple of sunlight that Ynec had pushed through and I could even make out his figure bobbing above. Dale was still attempting to clomp toward me, fighting Hosu’s influence on the current.

  “I’m going to make you and your master pay.” Dale said.

  I stared down at my shield. I couldn't tell if it was the dearth of oxygen or the abundance of spells I’d already used, but I could tell time was running out. I gripped the shield tightly in my hands and said, “Second Wind!” under the water. My body perked up. It was like I had taken a caffeine pill. I had bought myself the smallest sliver of a will to live. I twirled my body and screamed, “Fetch!” As I tossed the shield away from me. Because the shield was heavy, it sailed through the water fairly easily. Dale stared at the shield and was entranced immediately. He failed his wisdom check. Instead of heading toward me, he raced after the shield. Seeing a new way of torturing Dale, Hosu conspired to keep the shield away from him. The current picked it up and dangled it in front of him and as he leapt toward it, she changed it’s direction. Keeping it far away from him.

  I did not waste any time. I swam upward and reached the dapples of sunlight. The water had stopped filling at about the crevice so I stuck my body inside as best I could and managed to lift my mouth past the surface.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “FFFFFwup!” I took a big heaping of air and stuck my hand out. I felt Ynec’s familiar furry hand grab me firmly. He attempted to pull me up but there was the matter of my containment.

  I attempted to recreate what Ynec had done, slant my body in a way that made it thinner and wriggle upward. I ignored the sides of the rock wall tearing into my skin I attempted to push in but my torso stopped me. I pulled and kicked and shimmied but it was no use, Ynec was more lithe; his canine body allowed him to fit into smaller spaces. I was stuck. Ynec kept trying to lift me but we were running out of strength.

  “What do?” Ynec asked.

  “I… I don’t know,” I said, “Live a good life, I guess,” I said with a pinch of gallows humor.

  “Maybe… swim to other side?” He said, “Water not rising.”

  I agreed and took another breath before diving in. I saw Dale still under the effects of my spell chasing after the shield Hosu dangled in his face. I reached the entrance, but saw that it had been sealed in by a rock. I imagine Hosu’s plan was to either talk it out with Dale or torture him until she got bored. I swam back up to the surface and poked my head through the small hole.

  “Something wrong?” Ynec asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, “She sealed the entrance. It’s only a matter of time before Dale gets me. Or she does. Or the water.”

  “Pass sword.” Ynec said.

  I passed him my sword and he slashed at the rocks. I dipped under the water to protect myself. He attacked the small hole. I could see tiny scraps of rock fall into the water. He tired himself out. When I reemerged, I looked up and saw little difference in the size of the hole. I hopelessly attempted to climb through it once more. Still not big enough. I dipped into the water and examined Dale. He leapt and winged the shield out of the current with his horn. He snatched it and his daze was over. He’d come to and he looked around, wondering where I’d gone off to.

  “It’s no use, Ynec,” I said, “I’m trapped. I’ll become a waterlogged corpse, just like the last owner of the book. I’m sorry, Ynec. I’m… I think I’m done.”

  “No!” Ynec yelled. He stood up and slammed my sword against the rocks, once again doing little damage. I held up my hands as crumbles of dirt fell on me.

  “Ynec!” I yelled, “Snap out of it! Ynec!”

  He angrily threw my sword away and clawed at the cliffs. I looked up at him, “Ynec,” I said in a softer tone. His eyes teared up and dripped into the water around me, “Ynec, listen to me.”

  “Not fair.” He said, “Not fair. I lose family. And I can’t lose you.” He said.

  “You'll find other family.”

  “Use Elven magic!” Ynec screamed.

  “I want to,” I said, “But I won’t have time. You remember how long it takes to even cast fire? Chanting in Sylvan takes a while. It’s… not an effective magic for combat. I said, “Go live your life. Find people that care about you.”

  “You’re only one left.” Ynec said.

  “I’m the first one,” I said, “I'm the first one in a long line of many. Go follow your dream. Find a family.”

  Ynec’s tears dripped off of his snout and splashed around me in the water, “Please.”

  I stuck my fist out at him, poking it through the jagged crevice, “Knock’em.”

  He stared at my tiny fist and reached in and knocked my fist back.

  When Ynec released contact, someone else’s arm overtook Ynec’s. It was a human arm. A robed arm. When he reached out and grabbed my fist, I noticed the tattoo of the Eye of Ra on his wrist.

  “Good Ra!” The man explained, there’s a child in this lake. Stand back, mutt.” Ynec looked up, his face going blank when he stared up at the man. He skirted back while resting on the floor out of the way. The Sun Thrower released me.

  “Get under the water, young one.” He said, his voice calm. I buried myself under the water, Dale finally got his bearings and noticed me. His expression bled into anger. I realized in that moment that was a drawback to my spell. It left the users with a hangover of being furious at the caster. He swam toward me and suddenly above the water, I heard the Sun Thrower say, “Rightous Strike.”

  He struck the crevice with his mace and the rocks shoot into the water around me like bullets, Dale was caught off guard by the rough debris. Even through the water I felt the radiant heat as this larger hole poured more sunlight in. I felt the man grab me by my tunic and pull me up. He looked me deep in the eyes and asked if I was okay. I rubbed my eyes together, having been stuck in the water. I felt sick to my stomach. I had seen his eyes before. I had seen his nose. His hair.

  He looked… exactly like Ghala.

  This is Ghala's brother?!