Page 135 of The Eye of the Fifth
No… just a little further-
Her legs stopped working. The shadows became thicker, threatening to drag her from consciousness.
A hand wrapped around her wrist.
Had another mer come back to finish them off now she was weakened? Now they were almost dead anyway?
The hand was soft. The pads of their fingertips were gentle on her skin.
Lifeforce flooded back into her body. The heaviness on her entire body was lifting. But how? Was she not still under water? There was no air in her lungs, yet the darkness that had almost ensnared her was fading.
The hand was blue. And it was pulling her up. Toward the sky.
???
Wehyna, Loros.
Naal.
There was a chunk of flesh missing from Kawai’s left shoulder, blood coating his neck, face and torso. If Naal could not see and hear the steady, albeit laboured sound of his breath, she might have thought he was dead.
Kyra lay motionless next to him. She too was covered in blood, though her wounds did not appear as potentially fatal as Kawai’s. Her ankle was undoubtedly the worst; she would not be able to walk until tended by a great healer. The scratches and cuts all over her body were, thankfully, shallow.
Naal watched the young nymph girl at work over Kawai’s body. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her hands splayed over his chest, one over each lung, Naal presumed, as she syphoned the copious amounts of water from his lungs. A rather admirable piece of magic that even a mer could not perform.
Kano knelt by her side, his gaze flickering between the brother he could not remember, and the nymph twin. Her name, Naal had learned through the Water Warden’s surprised outburst upon seeing her outside Eko’s door, was Akraia.
Her surly twin sister stood behind them, arms folded tight across her chest.
Akraia's eyes flew open. ‘I think I’ve done it,’ she said fearfully, peering into Kawai’s face. ‘I expected him to wake when all the water was all out.’
‘You saved him from certain death,’ Naal said gently. ‘but he has still suffered greatly. He will need a true healer to gain consciousness.’
Akraia nodded, then looked to Kyra. ‘And what of-’
At that precise moment, Kyra gave a great splutter. Water trickled out her nose and mouth as she heaved herself onto her side. ‘Kawai,’she breathed, reaching for his paled face. ‘Is he dead?’
There was pending despair in her croaking voice.
‘He is alive, Kyra,’ Naal said quickly, before she could work herself into a state. ‘You both are, thanks to Akraia and Akeria here.’
Kyra blinked up at Akraia. ‘It was your hand that pulled me up?’
The nymph nodded again.
‘Thank you,’ Kyra said breathlessly, laying her head back on the sand. ‘I thought we…’
‘What happened, Kyra?’ Naal said, sharper than intended.
A singular tear ran down Kyra’s cheek as she looked at Kawai. ‘We… we couldn’t sleep. Went for a swim. Got attacked by an outlawed mer.’
‘We found them just past the Lorish border, not far from the Birlissus reef,’ Akeria said shortly, shooting Kano a glance.
Something in Naal’s stomach plummeted. ‘The reef?’ she repeated, staring at Kyra. ‘That is… quite the swim.’
The Earth Warden said nothing. Naal could not shake the feeling that she was determinedly avoiding her eyes. Though perturbed, she pressed on, ‘We must hasten for Phaenon immediately. I fear if we wait until dawn, Kawai’s condition will worsen. Maida will be able to set him to rights.’
Kano suddenly found his voice. ‘You two need to leave,’ he said firmly, though he spoke only to Akraia. ‘If the kingsguard finds you on Lorosi lands-’
