Page 54 of Call of the Fathoms

“An old research facility. Your people used this location to scout where they wanted to place their city.”

“Are we close to one, then?”

He thought about her question, unsure if he wanted to give her their exact location. “Close enough to Beta, I suppose. But not so close that anyone from that city would ever find us here.”

“Interesting.” Alexia wasn’t just saying that. She was looking around with her mouth slightly ajar, watching as the tunnel opened up and they were in a docking bay.

He’d seen so many of these at this point in his life that nothing surprised him. But she made a little noise in the back of her throat, struggling to get out of his arms.

He released her, watching in bemusement as she kicked her feet and headed up to the surface. There was an excitement in her that he hadn’t seen yet.

“Do you realize how old this is?” she asked as they crested the surface. “This must have been one of the first research facilities they built.”

“Perhaps. Everything in here seems old.”

Alexia dragged herself out of the water, her hands gripping the rusted rungs of a ladder to pull herself out onto the floor. She scrambled to her feet, spinning to look at the massive room while he looked around with her.

He didn’t see what she would be so excited about. It was a singular room, large enough to fit at least ten of her people wandering around. The walls and floors used to be white, but now they were a dingy gray from years of dust buildup. Alexia left footprints on the floor as she walked to the back wall that was entirely glass. Easily four of her high, it stretched all the way up to the stone ceiling.

The light coming in from that wall was natural. Blue filtered through the crystal clear waters. Kelp grew just beyond the glass, and all those waving green fronds outlined her silhouette. Shewas so pretty. It made every part of him ache to touch her again, and to see if her lips really tasted as good as he remembered.

After everything she had been through, she still stood tall in front of that glass. Spine straight, shoulders back. She looked every inch a warrior woman who was ready to take on the world, and he wasn’t sure how to let her do that without him, now.

She turned to look over her shoulder at him, and her dark hair slicked back from her face. “Why are we here, Fortis?”

“I wished to bring you to a place where we could speak.”

“We spoke just fine when I was in the ship.”

And perhaps he wanted to see that expression on her face. The one of awe where she realized she had found something that she would never see again. The beauty of her soul peering out through her eyes was something he enjoyed immensely.

But he didn’t tell her that. Instead, he planted his hands on the cold floor and heaved himself out of the water. It took a great bit of effort. Fortis was too large to move easily on land, but he managed well enough. A wave from his movements helped propel him across the floor, easing his way until he could press his back against the glass and look back at the roiling waves he’d left behind. His fluke was still in the icy cold water, and he left it there as a reminder that he could escape if he had to.

He leaned his head back against the glass. “You laughed when I said I could see the future.”

Her lips twisted into a smile. “I did.”

“I can see it, though.” He met her gaze, already feeling the powers inside of him swirling as though they were also insulted that she doubted them. “You have felt it. You have seen how I can peer into your memories. Why is it so hard for you to believe I can do more than that?”

At his direct question, she squirmed. Alexia shifted her weight from side to side, and her hands opened and closed as sheavoided his multicolored gaze. “Looking into someone’s mind, forcing them to see memories. That’s science.”

“Is it?”

“It’s believable science. I don’t know, I’m not one of the genetic analysts. Look at me! I shouldn’t be possible, but here I am. Science made this.” She gestured up and down her body as though that was an answer. “But the future? No one knows the future, Fortis.”

“I do.”

She opened and closed her mouth. “I just... It’s hard to believe. That would give you mystical powers or somehow make you...”

He waited for her to continue the thought, but she didn’t. “Make me what, Alexia?”

“God-like!” she blurted out. “No one knows the future. It isn’t set in stone. It is and has always been something that is out of our grasp. Even seeking to know the future has been the downfall of so many. But you want me to believe that you have access to all that information?”

He shrugged. “Depthstriders are different. We are close to the sea, the waves, the goddess who rules these waters. We dedicate our lives to knowing the future and learning how to find the right path for others. You are correct, some futures are not set in stone. Some futures can be changed and manipulated and guided. That is part of what my role is among my people. I find the futures that will lead us into a world that is better. For all of us.”

She leaned against the glass and crossed her arms over her chest. “So you’re like a priest, then?”

“I do not know this word.”

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