Page 30 of Whispers of the Deep

“Then I will get him to speak,” she muttered, her brows drawing down in concentration. “How? I have no idea. But you and me, Byte? We’re a team in this. And together, we’ll get back to a city. I’ll clean you up, make your metal shine the moment we get back. You hear me?”

The little robot wiggled with excitement, and it took everything in Mira to not do the same.

Twelve

Arges

This woman seemed to always be surrounded by metal creations that did what they weren’t supposed to do. When he finally got his heart rates down, Arges pressed his hands against his twin hearts and tried to will himself back to the cavern.

And somehow, he just... couldn’t.

No People of Water would ever forget the sight of a box opening up in front of her and then speaking. Was she a witch? Perhaps. That would make sense, considering that her own people wanted nothing to do with her. They hadn’t searched for her after her disappearance and that was maybe because they knew what magic she had cast upon them.

But he had seen her many times. The logical part of his mind reminded him that she hadn’t been in comfortable living quarters. She never even spoke when the achromos were all gathered together, as they had been multiple times. And that her people knew how dangerous it was for her to be in the water, alone, with multiple undines having been sighted nearby.

So she was not a witch. She could not cast spells upon inanimate objects and bring them to life in front of him.

Which meant there was so much more about the humans that he did not understand. Perhaps he could learn from them, but every fiber of his being rebelled at the mere thought. There was nothing that her people could teach him other than death and destruction.

He had no idea how long he floated outside that cave entrance. Even some of the sea creatures came to investigate his still form. A sea turtle, slightly deeper than most of them went, coasted by him on its side. Those ancient, wise eyes looked him up and down. It knew he wasn’t here for a reason he wanted to be. It could see the guilt in his eyes as it looked away.

From below, a squid wrapped its tentacles around a rock to peer up at him. Those overly large eyes saw far too much, but Arges flicked his tail at it. He’d tangled with a few of their kind before, and thankfully, this one was small. Their sharp beaks cut through even his tough scales, and he was in no mood to entertain a creature with such a sharp bite.

Eventually, he knew he had to go back and see what the achromo was doing. She had made it almost impossible to return to that now-cursed place, but he couldn’t stay out here forever.

With his luck, Mitéra would send his pod to come find him. And then he would be in a world of trouble for an entirely different reason.

Sighing, he turned toward the entrance and steeled himself. He was brave. He was one of the most dangerous creatures in this ocean. He could, and would, get answers out of her and that strange... box.

Still, he wasn’t proud of how he slunk into the cavern with his tail a little too close to his body. Even his gills were flattened more than usual, trying to make himself look smaller and easier to hide.

As if it would ever be easy for a creature of his size to hide. He was massive compared to the achromo who could have lifted but one of these glowing leaves and ducked herself under it.

Surfacing stealthily, he peered around the cave before he even dared to let the water out of his nostrils.

His achromo sat on a box in the corner. Could she make that one come to life as well? Were all objects that the achromos had secretly hiding life?

The other box was sitting on a small stand in front of her. Was she worshiping it like a god? Perhaps that was the difference. He’d found a god for her at the bottom of the sea, and now she served the creature inside of it.

Oh, that was a terrifying thought.

He must have made some kind of noise, because his achromo turned around and seemed to... brighten when she saw him. He hadn’t expected that, and it only made him even more suspicious.

She had never been excited to see him. He was more used to the furrow of her brows and something thrown at his head. Or at the very least, she liked to wave her hand at him like she was shooing away a school of hungry fish.

Perhaps she saw his darkening expression because she stood and approached him. Those twin tails holding her upright would never stop disgusting him. And then she sat down, bending them at odd, painful looking angles right at the edge of the pool.

What did she have planned?

“You are not a trustworthy creature,” he muttered, trying to keep his voice lower and quieter, like she’d asked. “I do not know what you want of me, achromo.”

Every word he said brightened her features. And she was... pretty, in a way. If he looked past her face, and ignored her hair, and tried not to think about the way she’d peeled her silver skin off of her body... Right. Well, now he was thinking about it.

She held her hand out to him, chattering away in that childish voice that set his teeth on edge. Still, it was something that he could work with. Perhaps he could learn her language this way. If he listened hard enough, then he could perhaps converse with her.

Learning their language would certainly satisfy his Mitéra’s need for information. They could listen through the walls of their home, know what the achromos’ plans were and when they were going to attack.

Yes, this was a good plan. Even if it meant having to listen to her prattling voice.

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