A Dying Land by K. Ferrin

Author:K. Ferrin [Ferrin, K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pixie9 Press
Published: 2017-05-14T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

“It’s called biolumesce,” Fern called up from below. “Come on in, it’s wonderful!” She waved before dunking below.

The water was so clear, the biolumesce so bright, Evelyn could clearly see Fern pulling herself effortlessly through the water, leaving zig zags of blue light behind her as she went.

Evelyn was terrified to jump from such a height, but the clean water and fresh air beckoned. She climbed up onto the ledge and half jumped, half fell toward the pool below. She felt an instant’s thrill as she plummeted through the warm air and then her body plunged into the cool water of the underground lake.

She opened her eyes, disoriented, spinning as she tried to figure out which way was up. Then she saw Fern’s smiling face staring at her, beckoning her. Evelyn grinned and kicked toward Fern, marveling at the blue glow exploding around her. As Evelyn’s head broke the surface, Fern laughed, the sound bouncing back and forth through the cavern.

Relief washed over Evelyn—the relief of being away from whomever had held her captive, of being out of that filthy pipe of waste, and of not being alone. Evelyn couldn’t help herself—she laughed too.

“We are safe now,” Fern said. “They can’t follow us here. Now, might as well get rid of these.” She kicked off her clothes, allowing them to drift down into the depths of the water, but she held onto the pack, draping it once again across her back. She nodded toward the pipe high above. “They’ll never come clean after that.”

“What is it that makes the water glow like this? Biolumesce, you called it.”

“Yes, it’s made by small organisms that live in the water. They glow when they’re disturbed.” She waved an arm around in the water, smiling as color exploded around it.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Evelyn said, doing the same with her own arm. “It’s beautiful.”

“Mostly they live only deep under the ground,” Fern said. “Though sometimes you can find pockets of them on the surface.”

In the light of the cavern, Evelyn was able to see her rescuer clearly for the first time. Fern’s short, yellow hair set off high cheekbones and a wide, friendly smile. Most remarkable however, was the fine blue scaling that ran along those cheekbones, along both sides of her neck, and down each arm.

She had never seen scaling like that. Her first thought was that it must have been painted on, but the face painting she had seen at fairs had never looked so real. And she had never seen anyone paint scaling onto their bodies either. Fine blue scaling, magic that could break through thick metal—who was this woman, and where were they?

She pushed the thoughts aside. She was free. Wherever she was now, she could find her way home.

Following Fern’s example, she stripped off her filthy clothing. Even if they could be washed clean, she never wanted to wear them again. She wanted nothing that would remind her of that place. She dunked her head under the water and vigorously scrubbed at her hair and her skin.

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