Page 23 of Whispers of the Starlit Sea
Tiny prickles of pain ran along the bottom of her foot. She snatched it up again. Why did everything about being a human hurt?
She couldn’t keep standing there on one foot. With renewed focus, she put her foot down, bracing against the sharp pain. Once her foot was solidly on the ground again, the pain faded.
Relieved, she tried with the other foot. Lifting it was easy, and she laughed at the way her foot vanished under her skirts. Setting it down again brought the same prickles of pain, but she pushed through it, and when she was standing on two feet again, the pain was gone.
After several rounds of walking back and forth along the end of the bed, she faced the far wall. A square in the middle of the wall let in light, and she wanted to see what lay beyond it. Perhaps it was an exit to the outside world.
A deep breath and a step forward. She held her arms out for balance, wobbling. Another step. If only each step didn’t offer the sensation of brushing against hard coral, she might enjoy walking. A third step brought her close to her destination. Something filmy hung in front of the square, but she could see movement beyond it.
The strange pain in her chest returned, and she stumbled against the desk that was under the opening.
Outside, the man was walking away.
No, no, no. He can’t leave me here!
“Wait!” she cried, shoving the filmy material aside so she could follow him.
Her hand banged on something hard. He turned, a frown on his face only growing when he spotted her in the window. She smacked the opening again. What magic was this that refused to let her out? He rubbed his chest, undecided.
The square didn’t move.
Pushing herself upright, she looked to the part of the wall that the woman had opened when she’d come in and out of the room. It was farther than she’d walked so far, but she couldn’t let the man leave. The pain that had threatened to rip her apart the last time he’d walked away drove her to brave the distance.
She staggered to the spot in the wall, leaning against it as she gasped for breath. How did it open? Had she been trapped in here? What had the humans done?
As the pain and panic grew, she banged her hand on the wall.
“Let me out!” she cried.
Soft thuds hurried toward her, then the wall was being pushed open. The woman with the kind face stood there, her forehead creased. She saw Sorcha’s tears and immediately enveloped her in a hug. Despite being taller, Sorcha melted into the comforting embrace.
Her panic subsided, but her breaths still came in choked sobs. She motioned to the window. “Where is he going? I need to go with him.”
The woman shook her head and said something that ended with “Arick.”
It was a word she’d used before when the man was around. She latched onto it as a connection to the man.
“Yes, yes, Arick. Please.”
The woman released Sorcha and hurried away, leaving the opening ajar. Not wanting to be left behind, she followed. Her feet hurt, and she lurched as she walked, trying to find a way to put them down that didn’t cause pain. As she neared the large room that was full of smells that made her mouth water, her breathing came more easily.
The man was standing by the opening to the outside, looking paler than he had earlier. The woman was scolding him.
Deciding to test a theory, Sorcha pulled herself upright and said, “Arick.”
The man looked at her, his hazel eyes wide. He said something in reply, words too fast for her to understand. He walked over to her and tapped his chest.
“Arick.” A small smile danced over his lips.
She took a deep breath and tried again. “Arick.”
His smile grew, and he gave a small cheer. He said more words, a question.
“Sorcha,” she replied, guessing what he wanted.
“Sershe?” He frowned, his tongue stumbling on the strange word.
She giggled, shaking her head. “Sorcha.”
