Page 106 of Whispers of the Deep

But for now, she only remembered that she had been one of many. Forgotten in a city where they only wanted her to work. It was hard to forget the fist that had hit her so many times, or the knife that had left so many scars.

The city was just that.

A city. A blank space where many people gathered, but no one had helped. She was an orphan after her parents died, one of many who had tiny fingers that eventually became strong hands. But no one cared how she was or what she was doing.

The undines cared. They asked questions about her life before, and what she enjoyed eating. They brought her gifts whenever they came to ask for a translation chip, and then they returned later to ask how she was. They made the effort to bring her into their society and she was ever so grateful for it.

Besides, Arges never left her alone for very long. He lingered underneath her home most days. Some nights he spent inside the dome, some she had taken to sleeping with him in the shallows. The few nights she was alone, Mira spent in a comfortable bed with cushions and blankets and Byte to keep her company.

It wasn’t a perfect life. There was still a lot for them to figure out, and she still had to spend days staying dry so her skin wouldn’t get so soggy that it split open.

But for the most part... it was quiet. It was peaceful, and it was everything that she’d wanted.

Arges poked his head through the moon pool, surveying her project of vegetables and fruits before turning in her direction. “Are you ready?”

Not really. He had wanted her to speak with his pod, to give them a direction on what to do next. Beta was obviously under their control for a few more months, at least. Soon, they would need to speak with the generals there. Her people would not let that attack stand for long, but they needed time to lick their wounds.

She didn’t want them to have that time. But she also realized that Beta was just one head of a hydra. There were so many more heads for them to deal with.

Arges gathered her in his arms and swam with her through the shallows to a sunken human town. It was an easy landmark to find, and therefore, that was where they usually found each other.

She recognized Maketes, and the yellow-finned undine grinned at her. He waved, a little ridiculous considering who he was floating next to.

Narrowing her eyes at the glowing red undine, she bared her teeth in a snarl. “What is he doing here?”

“He is an important part of this pod,” Arges begrudgingly said. But then added, “If I had a choice, he would not be here. But Mitéra insisted he lead this next attempt toward one of the other cities. She is trying to give him another chance to come back into our lives.”

“Without an arm?”

“Even without an arm.” Arges swam them closer, then released her. It was clearly a move to show his brother that Mira was strong enough to stand on her own.

Or perhaps a way to tell his brother that there wasn’t a chance for him to lay a finger on her. Not without Arges killing him first.

He held out his hand, and Mira peered between the webbed fingers to see Arges held a translation chip.

She arched a brow. “You want me to give that to him?”

“You’re the only one with fingers small enough to implant it.” He shrugged, though. “It’s up to you. Whatever mission you send him on will probably be easier if he can understand your people.”

Sighing, she took the translation chip and pointed at Daios. “If you bite me, I will make Arges kill you.”

Her threat wasn’t likely scary to the massive red undine, but Maketes repeated it and Daios flashed even darker. She thought he would argue, but instead, he merely inclined his head and tilted his body so that his good arm was farther away from her.

She looked at the stump where he once had a strong arm, and she felt a small thread of pity worm its way into her heart. He had been injured by her people. And his own hatred as well, of course. But that didn’t mean she didn’t see the injuries for what they were.

Pain from inside his soul had moved outside of him, and that loss would stay with him for the rest of his life.

She untethered herself from Arges and held her breath. It was so easy to stick the translation chip onto the side of his head, and she tried not to wince as he flinched in pain. Unlike the other undines, however, he did not writhe in the water or churn up the sea. Instead, he stoically took the pain, staring into her eyes with no small amount of distrust.

“There,” she said, swimming back to Arges’s side, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She reattached him to her throat before adding, “You should be able to understand me now.”

Of all things, that was what made him wince. He looked like he was actually in pain listening to her speak, but then squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. “I can, achromo.”

Arges turned his attention to the others, clearing his throat for attention. “Mira has a plan for us. We’ve been talking about the other cities. Beta is currently licking its wounds, and soon we will have to deal with them again. But there are other cities.”

“Why should we focus on them?” Maketes asked. “They’re far from our home.”

“All the cities are intertwined,” she replied. “Every city helps the other. Beta creates weapons and fixes any of the ships that need fixing. Alpha runs the entire thing, though. If we strike Alpha, that will be the one that has the most effect.”

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