Phoenix rises next to me, looking a lot less winded than I am. The cavern is dark, but my flashlight gives off just enough light to see him.
“You need more exercise, old man,” he teases, splashing water in my face just as I take a large gulp of air.
I sputter and cough. “You’re only three years younger than me, jackass.”
“But I’ve got a lot more stamina.” Phoenix treads water so close, his feet brush against mine, our legs tangling under the water.
“I have plenty of stamina when it counts.” My voice comes out husky. The darkness of the space makes everything feel more intimate. Neither of us look away from each other.
He leans even closer, stubbled cheek brushing against mine. “Prove it.”
Before I can register the words, he’s pushed away from me, swimming toward the edge of the small pool and lifting out of the water.
We’re in an open cavern about the size of a small amphitheater. Shining the flashlight around the space reveals that the pool only covers part of the cave, and the rest is solid rock.
As I’m swimming to the edge, the light from my flashlight illuminates something shiny. I run my thumb over it and suddenly glowing streaks paint the ceiling, their colorsimilar to the runes on the i'xal when they’re activated. The blue gleam makes it easier to see what we’re dealing with. Half of the walls are too smooth and too perfectly spherical to be anything but intentional, while the rest looks to be the natural texture of whatever mountain or cave originally stood here. But it’s clear someone made this place.
As soon as I’m out of the water, I tighten the straps on my backpack, since they came a little loose during the swim. I’m glad we have some supplies on us, even if it’s not as much as I’d prefer. The bag’s not waterproof, but there’s nothing inside that will be damaged by getting wet. A few archeological tools, some bags for storage if we find anything small we’d like to collect to take back, and my waterproof camera.
Phoenix and I are checking out the patterns on the wall as Caspian and Madi come up out of the water. Madi doesn’t look winded or desperate for air. All I hear is a normal breath, almost like a sigh, and then an excited squeal. “This is it. We found it.”
“We don’t know what this is yet,” Phoenix hedges.
“It’s the entrance to Ocearus!” Madi says. “Or, well… I think so anyway. Maybe.” Madison’s confidence dims when she sees my friend’s face. I want to punch him for making her doubt herself. But even I have to admit, I’m not sure this is Ocearus. All we really know is that it wasn’t made by natural means. Someone carved this cavern and put those markings on the walls and ceiling. Most likely, someone with the same technology as whoever made the i’xal.
Phoenix looks at Madi’s crestfallen expression and tries to pivot. “You might be right. It’s definitely something. Let’s look around and see ifwe can find any clues.”
That perks up the omega a little, but she’s still hesitant as Caspian helps her out of the pool. The merman doesn’t make a move to get out, and I look at him in question.
“I’m going to search underwater, there may be something hidden here for my kind.”
Like whatever turned on the glowing lights.
I nod to him in understanding, and he flips around to dive below, his tail flicking water at me. I wipe the droplets off my face and move closer to Madi while Phoenix moves to one of the rough walls and traces a line along it with his finger.
“You okay?” I ask softly, just for her.
“Yeah, why?” She twists her hair, squeezing out the water.
“The passage was a little longer than I expected, I just wanted to make sure…”
The smile she gives me is easy and light. “I barely noticed it, honestly. Maybe Caspian just moved faster than you.”
He probably did, but I’m still surprised that the little omega would have that kind of lung capacity.
“Were you worried about me?” Her wet shirt is plastered against her body, and I can’t help stepping forward. There’s a magnetic draw between us that I can’t seem to resist.
“I always worry about you.” I brush her hair away from her face, then kiss her forehead before forcing myself to step back. Getting closer to her before she graduates will just make the wait harder on both of us. “Come on, let’s look around.”
Madi stays beside me as we walk to the opposite side of the cavern from where Phoenix is exploring. He’s dragginghis hands along the walls, knocking on random protrusions like he’s going to find a secret latch. My methods have always been a little more stoic. I get close to a smooth portion of the rock, examining how perfectly flat it is. There are no markings or carvings like I would expect to see in something manmade like this. It looks as if benches have been left along this side, almost like it was a place people waited often. What they could have been waiting for, I have no idea. There isn’t anything here.
I turn to look across the cavern at my friend. “Find anything?” My voice echoes a little in the empty space.
“Ugh, no.” Phoenix sighs and turns, then leans back against the wall. A rumbling noise fills the cavern, and he jumps up in alarm. A few cracks sound, reminding me of tree limbs snapping or a geode cracking open. Then part of the wall next to where Phoenix just was begins to shift.
“Holy fuck!” Phoenix shouts. “Did I do that?” We watch in anticipation as a large slab of the stone lifts almost like a garage door, sliding into some hidden recess. None of us move until the door stops and the rumbling ceases. Even then, we stay frozen and silent for a few beats until a splash breaks the quiet. I whip my gaze to the left and see Caspian’s head sticking out of the water.
“I was hoping that would happen,” Caspian says. We all stare at him. “Down below, there was, uh, a device embedded into the rock similar to the ones on our doors in Tythas. I placed my palm on it, and an opening appeared, large enough I could swim through if I wanted.” He points at the new opening in the wall. “I am glad it opened something on land as well.”
