billion book
51
As we went back upstairs I was quiet. Thanks to my big mouth I had just gotten four girls in a lot of trouble.
My owners got re-dressed, rather casually I thought. I was dressed in my dull brown tunic. I had never been dressed like that in our rooms, only when we went to the market. The change scared me slightly and I watched the men cautiously.
We loaded onto a transport pad and sped in a direction I had never travelled with them before. Curiously, they brought several bags with them. They always travelled light, so that was a surprise.
I’d never been in the direction we were going. We passed huge fields of something that looked to have been intentionally planted. Obviously someone farmed here. Other fields were full of huge horned beasts. They walked on two legs and ate the leaves out of the trees around them.
Soon we were flying closer to the coast. I looked out at the endless ocean and cringed. Had Master Kein been a moment later, I would have been floating dead in that large space. Suddenly the pad dropped and I almost made a sound.
We were between two rough hewn canyon walls, beneath us was a wide expanse of deep blue water. Far to my right was a massive gate rising out of the water, blocking the entrance to the sea, to my left was a long winding river.
The transport lowered until we were level with a small floating platform. Master Damien stepped onto the platform and Master Bane pushed me to follow him. Beneath the hood of my cover I was quivering in fear.
A slight whirring stirred the air and the transport pad glided away. As it left, my owners started to strip my brown cover off of me. I looked up at the direction the transport had gone and prayed it would come back.
Soon, I stood naked on the smooth wood as my owners undressed themselves. The little platform bobbed and rocked under my feet; it was only about ten feet by ten feet. Tiny waves lapped at its edges and pushed rivulets of water over the sides.
I watched with trepidation as Master Damien looped a coil of rope around a post on the platform. My body was frozen with fear as he approached me. With a couple deft moves of his fingers he had slipped the slender rope around my neck and tethered me to the platform.
“Can’t have you getting away now, can we?” he asked playfully.
Like an idiot I continued to stare up at him.
“I say it’s time for the swimming contest,” Master Bane said happily rubbing his hands together. “First to reach the other side wins,” he continued.
“I have a better idea, brothers,” Master Kein interrupted. “Give the human a head start and see who reaches it first.”
I looked out at the dark water and shook my head back and forth. I wasn’t going into that again. I’d spent enough time in the ocean for a long time.
“If we catch you before you reach the other side, Ciara,” Master Kein said. “We’ll put this into you and hold you under until you aren’t afraid anymore,” he said holding up a slimy squid like creature that writhed in his grip.
“It will breath for you, Ciara. You won’t drown and you’ll get over your fear,” Master Bane added happily.
I remembered the feeling of something slipping down my throat and into my nose. The thing Master Kein was holding had multiple slimy tendrils off its main body. I was torn now, I hated that thing and I was still terrified of the water. Master Evan stepped toward me with a wicked grin on his face and I was decided.
The water closed over my head and I had a moment of panic. Quickly righting myself I swam toward the far wall. Far behind me, I heard splashing as the men hit the water. Adrenaline kicked into high gear as I sped away from them.
The rough stone had just touched my fingers when I felt a hand wrap around my leg. I was dragged back from the wall and water rushed up my nose. Sputtering and coughing out the salty water I yelled at them.
“I touched the wall! I made it! You promised you wouldn’t put that in me if I made it to the wall.”
“Did we promise?” Master Damien asked playfully while treading water in front of me. His brothers surrounded me.
“I’m not sure it was really a promise,” Master Bane said, “and how can we be sure it touched the wall?”
“I’ll go underwater and stay as long as I can by myself,” I pleaded.
Having made my argument I plunged beneath the surface. I had to hold onto them to stay down, but I did.
Underneath the water was peaceful as always. Just before I had to come up for air, I saw the funny yellow fish I liked to chase. I watched them so long I had to gasp for air when I came up. Master Evan was eyeing me curiously.
“I like to watch the little yellow fish,” I panted to him.
The men looked at one another and then Master Evan dipped under the surface. I watched him swim; it was fascinating. He didn’t kick like I did with two feet. His body undulated and zipped through the water. Breaking the surface he held his hands out to me. A little yellow fish was struggling vainly against his grasp.
I touched the slimy little thing and marveled at it. Once I was done Master Evan released it and I watched it go rejoin its group a few moments later.
“What are they called?” I asked Master Evan and then gasped. “I’m sorry, Masters, I didn’t mean to bother you with questions.”
They laughed at me and Master Kein told me all about the little fish. “We don’t mind your questions anymore, Ciara,” he told me.
Frankly, I wasn’t sure I believed that. They were always irritated with my questions. Except for Master Christof, they had never encouraged me to be curious.
They seemed intent on showing me things today, though. We explored every aspect of the canal we were in. To further my exploration, Master Damien removed the rope from my neck.
“We thought you had swam farther out into the ocean. That was evidently not the case. You are quite ungainly in the sea,” Master Damien told me while kissing my head.
I was glad to be off the leash, but a little perturbed at the comment. I’d never thought of myself as particularly graceful, but the way he made it sound I should be wearing water wings.