Page 109 of Call of the Fathoms

They returned without hurrying like they might have once before. Alexia wanted to indulge herself in him. And for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like she had any duties to return to. After all, she had completed her mission. She had brought back an undine of impressive power and she had saved the world with him.

Let the others figure out the rest of it. She wasn’t the person to ask about relocation or how other people might feel. She was a soldier. Always had been, and always would be.

So she fought a battle of a different kind with him. Fortis fought with lips, and teeth, and tongue, learning each other’s bodies anew as it felt like the two of them were different people. Like they were allowed to be who they wanted to be for the first time.

But eventually, reality set in. They needed to return to Tau, at least for a little while. Fortis gathered her up in his arms, a low growl rumbling through him as she wrapped her legs around his tail and her arms around his neck.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he rumbled, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. “We won’t leave.”

“You and I both need to eat something more substantial than fish you caught in the ocean.” She laughed at his antics, though.

With him, she felt like she was his world. And that was a blessing. It was more than she ever thought she’d get in this life.

He sighed and pressed their foreheads together, soaking her in one more time as he placed the breathing tube in her neck. It was an easier insertion these days. He’d done it so many times, she finally had that small bundle of goo that kept it from resealing as she healed, just like the other undine mates.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But the first moment I can steal you away, I intend to.”

“Of course you do.”

And she wouldn’t stop him. Together, they swirled through the waters until they approached Tau again. She had expected to at least see some bodies floating in the water, but there was nothing around the city but suspiciously clean water.

A bright flash of yellow approached them, and at first she thought it was Maketes. But then she realized the light was a bright glow, and she knew it wasn’t any of the undines who were more used to shallow waters. This was a depthstrider.

Aulax raced toward them and let out a whooping call before he finally reached their side. “And here I was thinking you’d be gone for at least a week!”

Fortis shifted her over and reached for his son.

She hadn’t expected to be greeted with a hug. When was the last time that had happened? Had it ever happened? And it wasn’t like they moved her out of the way so that Fortis could have a moment with his son, either. Aulax grabbed her and wrapped her up in the hug as much as his father. The wall of undine wrapped around her, tugging her deeper into their family unit and she...

She didn’t know what to do with this. Was she meant to hug them back?

Aulax ruffled her hair with his hand and tugged her even harder until she was sandwiched between the two of them. “You’re overthinking it. Just be hugged and hug back.”

This would take a lot of getting used to. But she snuggled into the surprising heat of the two of them and let herself relax. Maybe it was new and uncomfortable, but it was also hers. And that was something she valued.

Finally Aulax drew back and with another tug at her hair, he guided them back to Tau. “When you offered the city to Mira, I think at first she wasn’t going to take it. There are an awful lot of ghosts in this city, but also I think she was excited. The more contacts she made, the more she thought it was a good idea. Of course, many of the people from Alpha aren’t trustworthy to be left alone yet. Not in a city like this. But there were plenty of families in Beta who have been working for a very long time and haven’t gotten the space they need to grow. This facility could be a home for them, unlike any other.”

That had always been Alexia’s hope. They spun in the water around one of the coiling hallways and then up into one of the few moon pools in the city. This was where ships usually had at least two check points before they were let into Tau. Now, all the doors were open.

A few undines swam in the spears of light that illuminated them from the city. A couple of them had tablets in their hands, holding them up to scan pieces of the city that might need to be repaired after the fight. Droids were also in the water, some of them zipping past with what looked like vital seeds or food. Maybe they were bringing some of these resources to the other cities who desperately needed it.

She liked that idea. They should be doing something along those lines. Spreading the wealth and ensuring the longevity of each city.

“Mira wanted to talk with you,” Aulax said, looking at her and not Fortis. “I think about that room full of bodies.”

“The drowned ones?”

“No. The people who haven’t woken up yet.” He scratched the back of his neck. “No one else will deal with them, I’m afraid. The People of Water don’t like... them.”

Right. That made sense.

Fortis grabbed her arm, making her look at him before she left. “Do you hear that?” he asked.

“Hear what?”

“The voice.”

She furrowed her brow and tried to listen as hard as she could. “No, Fortis. I don’t hear any voice.”

---