Page 15 of Treasure of the Abyss

“Thank you. May the currents carry you where you would go,Jax.”

“And may the stones fall as you would have them lie,Arkon.”

As Arkon plucked up his bag and plunged back into the pool, Jax exited the chamber and made his way back to the entry doors. He entered thesequence.

“Please wait while the chamber is prepared,” the computersaid.

The floor hummed as unseen machines did their work. Jax inhaled deeply; it was a short wait, but that made it no more bearable. This was the last barrier between him and the sea. The door finally opened, and he entered the small chamber; another push of a button, and the roomflooded.

When he emerged, his attention was drawn immediately to the kraken gathered near the detached lights ahead. A small group ringed a pair of males who were locked in adance.

The larger of the two was Dracchus; his skin pulsated from black to red as he moved, powerful tentacles spinning through the water in a blur. The motion created new patterns, blurs of brightness and splashes of color that whirred by with increasing speed, complexity, and ferocity. The other male struggled to keep up, but he could not match Dracchus’s power andaggression.

Their dance descended into chaos as the two suddenly charged one another. The eruption of thrashing tentacles was too frantic for Jax to track, but the males separated almost as quickly as they’d attacked. The challenger slunk backward, skin pale in admission of hisdefeat.

Jax swam forward. Such spectacles were popular for onlookers, but held no true meaning. Dracchus was strong — everyone knew it, and required no furtherproof.

As he passed the gathering, Dracchus — his skin reverted to its normal black — caught Jax’s gaze and held it. Crimson flared on Dracchus’s shoulders; achallenge.

Jax held Dracchus’s eyes for a few more heartbeats and turned away, not slowing his pace. Something far more important — and more interesting — waited for himelsewhere.

Chapter 4

Macy remained huddledbeside the barrel long after Jax left, crying until she had no tears left to shed, and hated herself for it. What did it solve? What had crying ever done to helpher?

She was still stuck in this cavern, more miserable thanbefore.

She rubbed her tired eyes with the heels of her hands and released a slow, shaky breath. She needed todosomething. Anything but sit here,waiting.

Lowering her arms, Macy looked around the cavern, halting her gaze on the vegetation hanging at the sides of the waterfall. Her eyes followed their path up the steepcliffside.

She thrust the idea aside before it went any further. Climbing was suicide. One slip and she’d plummet to the rocks below. If that didn’t kill her instantly, she’d be left broken, suffering through immense pain until she finally expired — alone. When the time came, and desperation demanded the attempt, she’d try, but it wasn’t yet worth therisk.

That left escaping bywater.

Macy stared at the dark side of the cave. Sunlight shone on the rippling surface, casting shattered reflections on the ceiling. Jax hadn’t been specific on how he brought her in here, but there had to be some sort of tunnel hidden in thedarkness.

Her legs and backside protested as she uncurled herself and crawled to the edge of the island. She leaned forward and peered into the cerulean water. Small plants swayed amidst the rocks below. It was shallow now, but the tide was receding, and it was likely deeper toward the rear of thecave.

Sharp rocks dug into her palms as she clutched theedge.

I can dothis.

This wasn’t the unforgiving ocean with huge, battering waves that would drag her into the abyss. It was an enclosed pool ofwater.

Shifting her legs around, she sat on the edge and paused. She ran her gaze over the frayed hem of her dress, over the splotches of dirt marring the once white, crisp fabric. Fingering a tear near her knee, she closed hereyes.

She had to believe Camrin was alive. She couldn’t…couldn’t consider thealternative.

Steeling herself, Macy slid into the water. It was chilly against her sun-warmed skin. She waded forward, and it slowly rose past her hips until it reached her chest. Her dress floated around her in the current produced by thewaterfall.

Macy spent what felt like hours searching the bottom, feeling with her toes and stepping carefully. The water became too deep to stand in as she neared the shadowed area; she dove under a few times, but all she found was more rock. She stopped at the edge of the sunlight, treading water, and stared ahead. The cave wall in the back was visible, but she couldn’t see the bottom of thewater.

It was just a little farther. A little more to explore. She bit her lip and urged herself forward, but her limbs didn’trespond.

There was no telling how deep it was, or what awaited in thatdarkness.

Defeated and exhausted, Macy returned to the island and hauled herself out of the water. She wrung out her dress before shecollapsed.

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