Page 80 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

Mael shook his head, but ultimately helped Echo climb into the next chamber and pulled himself up into it.

Heat enveloped Echo as soon as he entered. “Why’s itsohot in here?”

“Doesn’t feel that hot to me,” Mael murmured, wiggling out of his oxygen tank and gear. “A bit cool, actually.”

After taking off his scuba apparatus, as well, Echo unzipped the wetsuit and pulled his arms out to cool off. He placed his tank on a flat stone near the chamber entrance beside Mael’s so he could search the walls and once again, he found another mural. As he tied the arms of his suit around his waist, he climbed closer. He focused his flashlight in the center, but it wasn’t wide enough. “Can you bring your flashlight over?”

Mael inched closer and added his light to Echo’s.

Echo scanned the mural and gasped.

It showed orca and dolphins swimming together. Hunting together. Dancing together. Echo moved down the chamber, staring at nearly the whole piece. Two naked central figures stood out against the rest.

Echo searched the pair, trying to find something—anything—that would show that it wasn’t what he thought it was. He couldn’t pull his gaze away, roaming over the sea glass, gold, and shards of broken pottery illuminated by their flashlights. Light bounced off the surface and glittered, giving the mosaic an ethereal appearance.

The larger of the pair, likely an alpha, had dark hair and diphallia—and the ancient mark of orca beside his head. The smaller one had lighter hair. They were intersex and had the mark of the dolphins beside them. The pair were holding hands with a glow of golden specks all around them. Around that was a circle of small creatures that displayed both dolphinandorca characteristics.

“Is that…us?”Mael asked. He frowned and turned to look at Echo, his jaw slack. “Thatcan’tbe us…right?”

Echo’s cheeks felt as if they were burning. He answered, his gaze locked on the image. “This place is old. Itcan’tbe us.”

“It’s pretty fucking specific, Echo.”

“It’s impossible,” Echo whispered, more to himself than Mael. “It can’t be.”

Mael eyed him.

Deep down, he sensed itwasthem… but how? How could a place that had existed before either of them were born hold images that looked like them? Therehadto be a reasonable explanation.

Echo wiped sweat from his brow, shaking his head. He struggled to breathe, the air thinner. “I’m burning up in here.”

He pulled the wetsuit completely off, unable to stand the heat a second longer.

“Leave it on,” Mael said. “We should go.”

“In a minute.” Echo glanced toward the end of the chamber and saw another entrance—but this one had an odd blue glow emanating from it. He took two steps closer, the light almost calling to him.“Mael?”

Mael’s gaze turned. “Where’s that light coming from?”

“No idea,” Echo murmured, climbing up the slanted chamber toward the opening. He had to see where the light was coming from.

“Wait,” Mael said. “You said no more—remember?”

Echo shook his head, his thoughts too much a jumble to think clearly. Whatever was in the next chamber called to him. “It could be another way out. We’ve been moving upward. It might exit out onto an outcropping of rock.”

“We haven’t gone that far up,” Mael argued.

“The light has to be coming from somewhere.”

Mael dragged him down from the opening and wrenched him around.“Echo…”He frowned as he gazed down. “We need to go. I fear you’re not well. You’re burning up.”

“Maelstrom, please… I’ve spent months researching this place, unsure it even existed.” Echo dragged in a shaky breath, tears burning the backs of his eyes. “Ineedto go in there. I need to see what that light is.”

Mael searched Echo’s face, a pained look on his. His eyebrows squeezed together, a coming refusal seeming ready to fall from his lips.

“Please,”Echo whispered.

He shook his head and sighed. “Let me go in first and look around. Stay here.”

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