Chapter 34
The guys watch me as we work our way down the winding street. Their eyes brand my back, and I can tell they’re expecting me to pick up my story where I left off, but I stay quiet as I take the lead, turning down a side street that looks a little bigger than the last one.
The last time we were on a call, we fought.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a fight. More a disagreement.
I wanted to meet up in person. He didn’t think it was a good idea.
I knew he struggled with some social anxiety, but I had the biggest crush, and I was lonely.
It was six months after I left Branson, and I was about to go through another heat alone.
I wanted my fishy billionaire with me. I pushed too hard.
He didn’t come back on the forum for weeks, and when he finally did, it wasn’t the same.
I never really forgave myself for making him uncomfortable like that.
I apologized over messages. And he said it was fine. But we never did another video call, and it all just kind of fizzled out. I still think about him sometimes, though.
The cobbled road dead-ends into a slightly bigger street with a canal running beside it. Hunter shines his flashlight into the water. A few tiny fish scurry away from the light. It’s difficult to see much, but it seems deep.
“Do you want me to see what’s below?” Caspian asks.
“No, let’s keep going. This street looks like it might lead to the city center.”
I’m working on the assumption that the bigger streets will lead us to some kind of central gathering area, a town square, or a palace, or even the library itself. It probably won’t be that easy, but it’s as good a place to start as any.
Caspian offers me his hand as we pick our way over fallen stones.
This part of the city is in greater ruin than the area where we entered.
I wonder what happened. It could just be the normal decay of time.
But the way rubble clutters the streets makes me wonder if it was something more.
Some of the buildings are half torn down.
I also notice there’s no glass or screens or anything like that on the windows.
They’re just open, though they're too narrow for a person to climb through.
The doors are made of thin metal rather than wood, though only some of them are still on their hinges.
I wonder if this place had more influence from humans or merfolk, or was it an equal combination of both worlds.
“What are your cities like?” I ask Caspian.
“Wet.” Caspian deadpans. Did my merman just make a joke?
Phoenix snorts a laugh behind us and knocks into Caspian’s shoulder. “Just how I like it,” he says with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.
“Nix, can you ever be serious, even for one moment?” Hunter chides, but a hint of a smile reveals his amusement. “Go on, Caspian.”
“Our cities are… large,” Caspian starts. “The buildings are taller. There’s more room deep in the ocean than in a cavern like this one. The castle is the tallest, though.”
“Castle?” I question with excitement. What if it’s really like all those mermaid movies? The ideas had to come from somewhere, right?
“Mmm, yes. Castle. It lies in the center of the city so it’s accessible to all merfolk. Though only a select few are allowed in the inner sanctum for safety.”
Safety? From what? I want to ask but don’t want to interrupt again.
Instead, I focus on the path ahead, taking in the architecture and mentally comparing it to what Caspian is describing.
It sounds fairly similar to the historical accounts I’ve read describing Ocearus, and makes me think we’re on the right path looking for the center of town.
“The capital city—where the castle is and the royals reside—is densely packed. Though the kingdom itself is quite vast. There aren’t roads like this one, but there are paths for us to swim along.
Because we are not limited by legs,” Caspian looks down pointedly before continuing, “our shops and homes rise high. Because merchants and citizens wish to be as close to the castle as possible, places of learning are pushed to the outside of the city. Still within the walls, but not as heavily traveled.”
“Would a library be considered one of these places?” Hunter asks.
“Yes. I am not sure that this city would have been built the same, though,” Caspian says. “I believe the center is still a good place for us to start our search.”
Phoenix steps up to one of the buildings that’s missing a door, peering inside.
I sidle up next to him, shining my flashlight into the dark to take a look as well.
It’s one large room with broken furniture on the right side, but what looks like a modest kitchen on the left.
At least I think it’s a kitchen. There’s no recognizable stove, or fireplace, but there’s a heavy table with bowls and other half-broken dishes on it.
There’s an open doorway on the back wall that I’m assuming leads to a bedroom if these are houses—which is what they seem to be. I want to explore inside so badly, but we’re on a time crunch. I cannot let Pack Prescott beat us to the library. We’ll just have to explore later, once we’ve won.
As I turn away, my flashlight hits on something white, and I pause. It takes me a minute to understand what I’m seeing. “Are those?”
“Bones,” Phoenix whispers. “Yeah.”
Looking closer, I notice a spear near the bones and another a few feet away. Whoever they were, it’s clear they died fighting.
There are stories of the city being evacuated, but no one knows why. I shiver as I think about what horrible events might have led to these people being killed in their homes.
“Let’s keep going,” Phoenix says, gently leading me away with his arm over my shoulder.
As we continue down the road, a splash sounds from somewhere behind us.
I look over my shoulder. “Did you hear that?”
“Probably just Branson and his band of buffoons," Phoenix replies, but he looks concerned as he glances at the flowing canal next to us.
Branson and his pack went a different direction from us. I don’t hear them talking or joking the way they always do. They’re the type to make a lot of noise and take up a lot of space. Typical alphaholes. If they were close, we’d know.
An unease settles over me, lifting goosebumps along my arms and legs. Caspian takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. We come to a crossroads. It looks like there used to be writing on one of the buildings, but it’s worn off with time. After some deliberation, we keep going straight.
My leg muscles start burning slightly, which means we must be walking up some bit of elevation.
Though I can’t see a horizon to gauge just how much.
The streets are still narrow, but as we walk further the buildings seem to be getting larger.
Some are even two stories high, the clay walls imposing as they seem to barricade us in.
What look like planter boxes hang from some of the upper windows, neglect causing them to be overgrown with weeds.
The plants are nothing like any I’ve seen before, though I’m not particularly well versed in horticulture.
As I move closer, stones skitter from somewhere above us, and I look up, but see only shadows. The buildings all have flat roofs where anything could hide, and that foreboding feeling I had earlier returns.
The guys have all moved a bit ahead of me, and I hurry to catch up.
We’ve decided to follow the water canal, assuming that it might lead toward the center of town, but the water tunnels down below a building in the middle of the road and we have to choose which way to go around it.
Just as we decide to go right, a massive shape jumps from the rooftop only a few feet in front of us and growls.
I scream, but freeze, unable to move as I stare the creature right in the eye.
I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s as tall as a great dane but looks like a lion.
No, that’s not quite right. It has two massive fangs protruding from its mouth, making it look more akin to a sabertoothed tiger. But those are all extinct, right?
Water drips from its body, and it’s then I realize it doesn’t have fur, but more of a grey, leather-like skin, covered in a thin layer of hair.
Similar to a seal or sea lion. It also lacks ears.
Instead of a mane, it has spines that protrude down its neck and along its back.
Each one is sharp-tipped and looks deadly.
It takes a menacing step toward us, and my focus is drawn to its powerful legs.
Legs with fins similar to the ones on Caspian’s shoulders.
It growls again. I meet its eyes with my own. A primal hunger flares in the dark pupils.
Someone grabs my hand, and then I’m running, half dragged down a narrow alley. I look back just in time to see the creature skid around the corner and lunge.