“Nyleeria, we’re going to submerge now. Once we do, we cannot resurface,” Caius said, his voice sounding far away.
Warning bells went off in the back of my mind, but they, too, felt distant.
Caius interlaced his fingers with mine again, and I followed him under.
Our hair lazily floated around us. Looking around, I somehow knew that if I were to stand up, I would not breach the surface, as if the original depth had been an illusion. The satiny sand beneath my feet had a faint glow to it, and I realized where the water’s luminescence came from.
My instinct should’ve been to flee, panic, buck, stand up, swim—anything but float here anchored by whatever magic held me in place. But lost in the unending depths of Caius’ gaze, I couldn’t muster it.
Lungs burning for oxygen, I took a breath.
One moment I was in an underwater dream, and the next, I was fully dry and surrounded by utter darkness.
The soles of my feet were pressed against something smooth and slightly chilled as if I were standing on glass. My eyes flickered toward the only source of light, Caius, the faint glow radiating from him. I stepped closer, seeing the magic flowing through his veins like the dancing light of the blessed water. The illuminated, Mother-given power thrumming through him was on full display in the most spectacular way.
“You’re beautiful,” I said, and meant it.
Caius held his arm out as if inspecting it. “I’ve…I’ve never seen such a thing,” he said.
Looking over my own flesh, I felt a slight pang of disappointment as nothing emanated from me—the enchantment hadn’t followed me into this strange new place.
In the distance, tiny specks of light appeared and slowly flittered towardus. Up close, they looked like dandelion fluff, but they pulsed as they moved, like the expansion and contraction of a jellyfish as it lazily meandered through the water.
I outstretched my hand as if trying to receive a butterfly. I thought the pappus would merely flutter by; only, it didn’t. It paused like it was sentient, then eased down onto my outstretched finger.
As it touched me, its delicate structure of shimmering white transformed into a deep violet, then absorbed into me. The colorful light filled my veins, and like Caius, a faint glow now radiated through me.
I looked to find Caius as wide-eyed as I felt.
“What just happened?” I asked.
“I think…I think you just absorbed it.”
“Your powers of observation astound me, High Lord.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said with deep reverence.
“Have you been here before?”
“No. I’m normally taken to a completely different place. I’m not sure how we got here. I think it has something to do with you. Maybe that you’re human, or perhaps Amos’ wisp.”
At his words, the color coursing through my veins sputtered out and vanished.
“Interesting,” Caius mused.
“I wonder if that was a coincidence,” I said and raised my hand again.
Another seedling landed. A bright seafoam green flashed this time, entering my veins in the same manner. I thought about Amos, and it fizzled out.
I had an idea.
Giving no explanation, I walked toward what felt like the middle of where we were and knelt, the cold, hard surface uncomfortable beneath my shins. I ignored the discomfort, closing my eyes, and tilted my hands toward the heavens.
I traveled deep within myself to that sweet spot where I could feel the Mother, and my body jolted when I found her instantaneously.I’d never experienced her with such fervency. Her fullness enveloped me, caressed me, and I could have sworn I heard her whisper,Hello, sweet child. Child of everything. Child of nothing.
I bathed in her presence, allowing every cell of my body to soak her in until I could no longer discern where I ended, and she began.
“Nyleeria,” Caius whispered, “you want to see this.”
