Larkspur Mittel: The Lark & Owl Trilogy

24 - Permanently Dark

The water smashed into the children with gleeful vengeance, and they had no choice but to ride the wave as it twisted and turned, speeding them furiously onwards through the tunnel. 

They flailed about, found themselves underwater and then out again, heads popping up, arms and hands reaching for something, anything to clutch or hold on to. Though the water was only about chest deep, its strong current whisked them off their feet and held them captive. They choked and spluttered, spit the water out of their mouths. They were tossed against the tunnel walls and floor, gasping for air when they broke the surface, only to be pulled under again right away.

They were separated at first. Hero was able to tie her satchel tightly to her side before the wave hit. She caught a glimpse of Ivan and Aggie and then they disappeared again. Adelmus was behind her but she couldn't see him now. The crash of water down the once dry tunnel, and then the silence of it when their heads went underwater played like some strange tune in their now water-logged ears.

In the moments when Hero caught her breath above water, she saw something soft and yellow-ish move next to her, touching her arm as it passed. It appeared to be a giant jellyfish swiftly carried by the current. Though she had never seen one in real life, she had heard of these creatures that lived in the distant sea.

Another one came by, and then another.

Hero panicked. She was frantic now, and when her head popped up out of the water the next time, she was able to pull herself up higher, and screamed out to the others.

"Sys-!" She tried to scream, before she needed to take another big breath, and her head was pulled under again.

She kicked and pushed the terrifying creatures away as they moved past her. But they were not bothered by Hero's attacks. Her feet and arms went into their bodies softly and in return, they were passive and simply rolled away.

Her head popped up again, and this time she had a few seconds longer.

"Sysipals!" She called urgently to the others.

Only then did Hero notice them dropping down from the ceiling into the water like so much bat excrement. There were many more now. They slithered out of the cracks and crevices in the walls and were whisked away as the water rushed by, absolutely delighted and drunk by their find.

For more than a meal of several yummy children, more than the solid, fleshy dinner of tasty mouse or delectable lark child, did sysipals crave water.

Yes, water.

Water was absent in the tunnels. The sysipals found it only by crawling through the terribly thin cracks and tiny holes in the walls that went deep into the ground. Their craving for moisture was constant, and so they spent most of the time searching deep down below, into the farthest depths of the earth.

But now it appeared that their luck had changed as they gorged themselves.

Soon, there were so many sysipals surrounding the children, that the current slowed a bit to a more comfortable speed. The children were now able to keep their heads above water.

"Not them again!" Adelmus cried, his voice cracking with fear. He shoved a larger sysipal away with his good arm, "What do we do?!"

"I'm not sure!" Hero responded, kicking one away.

"Nothing we can do...but they don't seem very interested in us anyway!" Ivan called to them from just ahead, as he held tight to Aggie's hand.

"It's the water- oh, they like the water!" Adelmus quickly realized, his voice still shaking.

Sure enough, they liked the water.

Soon the flow of water slowed even more. The four friends found themselves pushed together, softly cushioned by the horrid gelatinous creatures that rode the current with them.

"I'm glad we're together, but I'm not sure we can stay this way much longer!" Adelmus laughed nervously.

"At least they are slowing the water!" Hero said.

Aggie smiled a little, and then frowned and looked up at the tunnel ceiling.

"What is it?" Ivan asked her.

"Oh, the dragonfly!" Hero immediately understood.

In the terror that had engulfed them, they'd forgotten about their small pilot.

"Where did he go?" Adelmus asked.

Hero then saw the small scout flying somewhat at an angle near the top of the tunnel ceiling. One of its wings looked damaged, and it had managed to keep itself aloft by doubling the flutter of its other wing.

"Ivan, can you possibly reach up to help him?" Hero pointed to the ceiling where the little fellow struggled.

Ivan tried to jump up a few times as the water carried them. He gained his footing for a second, but then slipped as the growing mound of sysipi pushed them forward.

Adelmus, who was taller, also tried to reach the creature a few times with his good arm, but instead of catching him he pushed the insect forward with the swipe of his hand. The dragonfly seemed grateful and flew haphazardly ahead a few meters where the tunnel intersected with two other tunnels and a singular narrow passage.

It was here that the dragon fly landed briefly, showing the children their exit, the target which they could not miss.

"There! We have to get to that passage!" Hero cried.

They were approaching at a steady, slow pace, the sysipals growing larger all the while. Ivan managed to break through and shoved Aggie into the passage first, and then himself. It was a narrow passage, and he could see a faint light up above where it sloped upwards, away from the water and into the light of day.

He turned quickly and reached his hand out to the others.

"Come now!" He called.

Hero and Adelmus splashed and struggled to push themselves through the water and the great bulbous parasites. They nearly missed the passage but for Adelmus's terror. He lunged forward and made a path through the sysipals and pulled Hero by the strap of her trusty satchel. Ivan grabbed them both and pulled them to safety inside the narrow passage.

Hero turned and looked back just in time to see the poor dragonfly, their good fortune and guide, drop helplessly into the water.

"Oh!" Hero cried. She was about to jump back in to the water to try to save it, but Adelmus pulled her back.

"Don't! You can't do anything now!"

The small fellow lay on top of the water, and spun in slow circles, it's eyes flashing blue at Hero. They flashed one last time, and then went permanently dark as it was carried away and disappeared in the current.