Depths

The Sea of Alcharia was still and the silence was only interrupted by the sound of our oars. Each stroke echoed around the cavern, eeriely whispering tales of our approach. In the ripples by our boat, the reflection of our pale green lanterns shimmered like shoals of fish. There would be none here. We knew that they did not swim these waters. Overhead, a ceiling of shadow buried the cave roof. A sense of forboding poured down from above, but its menace was trivial compared to the ominous depths below.

Darkness extended for countless fathoms beneath us. Although our little vessel bobbed gently atop its surface, I felt as if I was floating above a bottomless pit. A nervous chill ran down my spine. Regardless, I counted myself lucky - I would be staying inside the boat. My companions, Lyreth, Xarina, and Ovranni, were part of the brave few who dared to venture into the inky abyss in search of secrets and wealth. They repressed it well, but I could see that even their gallant hearts trembled at the prospect of the descent. Nobody could blame them. Our people had lived on Alcharia's shores for generations and had depended on its waters for survival since the town was founded, but only the foolish and heroic ever risked going to the sea's northern reaches.

According to old folk tales, mysterious horrors lurked beneath the surface there. Terrifying beasts covered with writhing tentacles and snapping teeth that took no prisoners. Of course, as adults we discredited these stories. They were surely just fabricated fables meant to deter children from swimming too deep, or as pleas for attention from shameless charlatans, rather than genuine recounts of factual events. Yet a creeping doubt remained. The thought that there may be a slither of truth to these outlandish claims festered quietly in my mind. Tiny embers of doubt can swell into monstrous flames when mixed with darkness and silence. Thankfully, our destination drew near before such worries could surge.

We stopped rowing and the others prepared to disembark. My job was the easiest but bore the most responsibility: I would watch their guide ropes and reel them back if needed. With the knots tied and secured, Lyreth, Xarina, and Ovranni drank the glassy blue tinctures of Water-Breathing and plunged into the murky depths. As their splashing subsided, a much heavier silence descended upon me.

I do not think I have ever felt so alone. Only I remained on the boat, my lantern's light barely extending past the bow. A few feet of gently rippling water surrounded me, as well as several miles of shadow. I watched my companions' guide ropes intently. From time to time they would creep in one direction and then the other. As they did, the creaking of planks echoed around the cavern, playing on repeat several times as if the very stone was mocking our hubris. Hours dragged by. I stared off into the distance, my fear waning and being replaced with boredom. With a quiet sigh, I leant back into the boat and tried to get comfortable. The air was still warm out here, courtesy of the fissures that heat our caves. It was strangely cosy, peacefully laying on a tiny boat amidst a great big sea. I gently nestled into my cloak and felt as if I was in bed again.

My bliss was interrupted by the guide ropes. Lyreth's knot suddenly bounced side to side. He must have been tugging with some force. I dived forward, snatching the waterlogged tether in both hands and pulling with all my strength. It weighed like a boulder as I hauled it back towards the surface, my shoulders and legs buckling under the weight. But I could not be so weak, especially not when he needed me.

Then I noticed Xarina and Ovranni's ropes. Both were entirely still. Surely if Lyreth was in such great danger then they would be too. They were supposed to stay right next to each other after all. Maybe he had been separated and begun to panic in the ominous depths? Or perhaps something awful had happened and only Lyreth remained? A dreadful suspicion swept over me. I grabbed Ovranni's rope and pulled. Weightless. I grabbed Xarina's tether. Weightless. My only body felt numb.

Lyreth's guide rope continued to tug and shake, rocking the boat as it did. I had to make an impossible decision - condemn Lyreth to a watery grave or chance meeting the same fate as my companions. Perhaps it was just the panic-addled disarray of my terrified mind, but I made a selfish decision. I sawed through the rope with a knife and tossed its fibres to the sea. Guilt stabbed my heart like a dagger. Then, empowered by nothing but fear, I seized the oars and began to row. Every stroke set my arms afire, but the pain seemed trivial in comparison to the dread. As I left the site of our forsaken dive, I am certain I heard something where I once was. Now shrouded in darkness, beyond the lantern's paltry reach, I heard something break the surface. It did not call out for help or thrash in desperation; I simply heard it arise and nothing more.

Nobody challenged my story, that something unseen had snatched the others away, instead saying I was lucky to have escaped myself. Despite their sympathy, I cannot shake the feeling that I could have saved Lyreth. Part of my mind insists that nothing his size could have rocked the boat like it was shaken that day, and that it was impossible he would have escaped when Xarina and Ovranni had already been taken, but something deep inside does not care for such justifications. I suppose I will never know the truth. The depths of Alcharia should remain a mystery.