He kicked and descended deeper.The bottom of the lake seemed miles away, growing deeper and darker as the sun struggled to shine through.The lakebed was rocky; the boulders were sharp and foreboding.Massive green stalks of feathery kelp rose from the bottom, undulating with the gentle tide.A few small brown fish darted in and out between them, reminding Kieran of birds in a forest—the kelp was thick enough, he realized, to constitute one.
At least it’s kind of pretty,he thought as he swam closer to the nearest patch of kelp, reaching out to touch a pale green frond.Hopefully it’s not all gross and slimy.
Upon running his finger over it, Kieran discovered that it was, in fact, very gross and slimy.He wrenched his hand back, shaking it out as if he’d touched a damp piece of food on a dish he was washing.
Never mind.I hate it here.
Kieran kept a steady pace, kicking toward the bottom.His arms and legs burned from the effort, and his breathing had become a bit heavier, but he was fine otherwise.So far, so good.
The water pressure grew stronger, and he felt it hammering on his eardrums.Still, he swam deeper, and the water grew warmer as he descended.A chill went up his spine—where in the world could the spirit be hiding?
Then he heard a whisper.“Stranger?”
Kieran stopped.At first, he wasn’t sure if he’d heard someone say the word out loud or if he’d thought it.His eyes darted around.There was kelp on all sides, swaying ever so gently.As his gaze flitted left to right, he caught a brief flash of a brownish fin.While it was the wrong color to be the creature he’d seen, it was much too large to be a regular fish.
“A stranger?”a different voice said behind him.Kieran whipped around to see another fin disappearing into the kelp.“Here to visit us?”
He reached up to try to press the beeswax deeper into his ears, but as the voices became louder, he realized it was no use: They were in his head.
Just ignore them,Kieran thought, kicking forward.The bottom still felt so far away, and his muscles were screaming for him to take a break.They’re not real.
He kept going, pushing himself as a third voice began repeating the same thing as the others.“Stranger?Stranger here?”
Not real,Kieran repeated to himself, over and over.Not real, not real.
Slowly but surely, the bottom came into focus.He was nearly there.His eyes combed over the rocks, looking for anything resembling the creature he’d seen up above.But it was just rocks.Rocks, and the holdfast roots of the kelp clinging to the bottom.It didn’t help that it was so dark.Every rock looked the same.Every one except—
There, at the very bottom of the lake, was the head of an enormous beast, its long, serpentine body curled under it, half hidden by rocks.Its eight eyes stared straight ahead, seemingly unaware of Kieran floating above it.Its scales had changed color to blend in with its surroundings, making it almost impossible to spot.But the metallic glint of the Hilt embedded in its forehead was enough to command Kieran’s gaze.Holding his breath, Kieran gently kicked closer, doing his best to disturb the water around him as little as possible.His pulse quickened as he hovered directly above the Hilt.
As he reached for it, something touched his foot.
He whipped around as glinting green scales brushed by him.It was almost too dark to see what the creature was, except that it was long and skinny, with a fish tail and a more humanoid top half.Long, spindly fingers reached for him from all directions.He felt something else brush his hand.
“Stranger,” the voices chanted.“Stranger, stranger!”
More scales and more fluttering touches created a blur ofmovement around Kieran.With a shout, he swatted at them.His hands rippled straight through them, as if they were nothing but projections of light.
But if they’re not solid, how can I feel them touching me?he thought in horror.
More and more fish creatures swept closer, even as Kieran’s hands waved blindly through the water, trying to fight them off.All the while, they screamed “Stranger, stranger!”in high-pitched, almost childlike voices.He saw flashes of sharp teeth inside their too-wide mouths.The cacophony made Kieran want to grab his blond curls and rip them out just to feel something in his head that wasn’t screaming.
As panic gripped him, a new sensation hit: claws.They were no longer simply touching him but swiping at him, the skin splitting beneath long, bony fingers.Blood rose from the cuts, staining the water red around him.As the creatures swam through it, their words began to change.
“Kieran,”they said, instantly paralyzing him.“Kieran’s come to see us.Come to stay!”
How had they learned his name?
“Get away from me!”he howled, his voice turning to bubbles.He tried to kick them away.He was nearly within grabbing distance of the Hilt, the spirit just below him, but that didn’t matter.His heart was drumming a panicked beat against his ribs, and his throat seemed to be closing up on him.
Suddenly, the lake spirit’s head turned, and all its eyes looked straight into his.
Kieran’s entire body went cold.
“Kieran?”asked a gentle voice.“Are you okay, my darling?”
Kieran blinked.Suddenly, all the creatures were gone.In their place was a familiar woman, her red hair streaming around her in the water.She had the same sharp chin, pouty lips, and big eyes as Briar, though there was something cloyingly sweet about her smile that Briar could never replicate.
Camilla Pelumbra, Kieran’s mother.
