Page 15 of Cerban
"I know. And Pam and Paul both know that as well, but they have to stand firm on this. If they ignore what he did, that will open the door to other finmen going against the rules. For now, Cerban is confined to quarters. He's not allowed to be around humans, not even men. No contact with staff. No exceptions. I don't know if they put a time limit on it, but for now, that's what it is.”
Confined. The word sat heavy in my chest.
I closed my eyes, replaying the moment in the cave when his mouth pressed to mine, sharing breath, sharing life. The moment he carried me through the storm as if nothing could tear me from his arms.
“No exceptions,” I echoed softly.
Tyrone shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry. I know he’s the reason you’re alive. But the rules are what they are.”
Rules. Always rules.
I opened my eyes and stared back at the tiny screen where the bubbles pulsed on an endless loop. Patterns in the dark, waiting to be deciphered.
And somehow, I knew Cerban was the only one who could help me understand them.
I set the mug down with a little more force than necessary. “Tyrone.”
He glanced up, wary. “Hmm?”
“Can you get a message to him?”
His eyes widened. “Absolutely not. Pam was very clear–”
“I don’t care what Pam said.” My voice was hoarse but steady. “I just… I need to thank him. Properly. Not while half-drowning in a cave, not while hooked up to your machine here. I need to look him in the eye and say it.”
Tyrone hesitated, lips pressed into a thin line.
“You know me,” I pressed. “I’m not reckless.” His eyebrow shot up, and I sighed. “Okay, not usually reckless. But this isn’t about breaking rules for fun. He risked everything for me. If Pam wants to lecture someone, she can lecture me too.”
For a long moment he studied me, and I thought he’d refuse. Then he muttered something under his breath and fiddled with his clipboard. “I’ll… see what I can do. No promises.”
Relief unfurled in my chest. “Thank you.”
He shook his head, muttering again as he gathered the tray. “You’re trouble, Maelis. That finman’s not the only one who’s going to end up in hot water.”
As the door clicked shut behind him, I smiled faintly, settling back into the pillows. Trouble or not, I wasn’t going to let Cerban’s defiance be for nothing.
With Tyrone gone, I went back to watching the camera footage while slowly sipping my tea. The rhythm was so obvious now, it was hard to believe I hadn't spotted it back in the cave. But then, I'd had other concerns then. Like staying alive.
Without the bubbles, I wouldn't have found the cave. And if the cave hadn't collapsed, I would have noticed the pattern.
I tried to relax, tried to sleep, but my thoughts kept returning to the cave. I'd never been that close to death before.
Not really. Scrapes, stings, bruises – those were part of the job. But staring at the last few breaths in my tank, lungs seizing while the rock pressed in on all sides… that had been different.
For a while in that darkness, I’d accepted it. That this was how it ended. That my body would be another secret the sea kept, swallowed whole like so many before me.
The thought left me cold, even beneath Tyrone’s triple blanket.
And yet… the bubbles.
If they’d been random, I’d have dismissed them, buried the memory along with the fear. But they weren’t. They pulsed with intent. They had led me to the cave, and when the collapse came, they’d revealed the air pocket that bought me precious minutes.
Maybe it was madness, but I couldn’t see them as coincidence any more. They’d turned the cave from a tomb into a puzzle. A message.
And puzzles, unlike tombs, could be solved.
The idea steadied me. I wasn’t ready to dive again – not yet. The thought of sliding back into that narrow passage made my chest seize. But one day I would. And when I did, I wouldn’t just be a diver chasing thrill and beauty. I’d be chasing answers.
