Oceans Call

Chapter 27: Empty

I lay there, floating on the rocking waves, for hours. I'd completed the uphill climb, but the battle wasn't over yet. I forced myself to begin the journey towards Feales.

My eyes were drawn to Aaronarra's body, which had faded back to its refreshing cerulean. A little bit late for good cop, I thought sardonically. 

The humans had either stopped sending ships after I destroyed their army or they had no more to send. I was hoping it was the latter.

I'd never been to Feales, but the ocean seemed to guide me. I floated lazily along at first but forced myself to increase my pace. I needed to get their as fast as possible. If Feales was being attacked as badly as it had sounded, then hundreds could die in just a minute. As if the ocean senses my urgency, it picked up its flow. I felt like the turtle, Crush, in Finding Nemo.

After an hour of traveling across miles of ocean, I could make out the outline of the city. Feales was slightly smaller than Trocien, which explained why they couldn't spare any forces. It was obvious that we'd received the majority of the human's forces. I put on a burst of speed.

Eriladar was surrounded by troops, spewing out commands and pointing in every direction as he prepared to join the battle himself. "Dad!" He spun around and visibly relaxed at the sight of me.  I wondered if the source of his relief was my arrival to help with the battle or my safety. Probably both. My coming meant that Aaranarra had been defeated after all. 

"Melody!" He embraced me. "Aaronarra?"

I looked down. "Is dead."

"Why haven't the worlds separated?"

"I don't know."

"We need to take this one step at a time. First we'll secure Feales, then we'll attend to that," Eriladar said. 

I nodded and rose into the water. Eriladar joined the attack on one of the smaller ships, which most of the forces had focused on. "If we pop open the hatches, the water will flood in and sink the subs," I heard him say. Everyone close enough to make out his words started towards the hatches, struggling to pry them open. 

I couldn't help the sickening sinking of my stomach as I imagined the human's fear as they wondered what the monsters outside were up to, wondered if they'd survive to see land again. My mind sent a startlingly vivid image of my parents holding each other as tears ran down their faces. The hatch above them squealed then opened, letting in a surge of salty water that choked them. I almost screamed. 

Focus, Melody. The other subs ignored the attack on their comrade, instead putting all their energy on destroying the city. Fools. I reached into my being for the emotion that fueled my attack. But I couldn't do it. This war had been exhausting, and I'd spent everything I had on the battle with Aaronarra. I was emotionally empty.

Or so I thought. I watched in horror as the small sub my soldiers had been attacking exploded. The explosion forced me back a few feet and I immediately swam towards the destruction. "Dad!" I zig-zagged amongst the floating bodies and flaming debris. "Dad!" I called out again. My eyes skipped over the ocean's contents, searching desperately for my father. 

I finally found him. He'd been nearest the submarine when it exploded. Maybe our attackers were smarter than I'd originally thought. I could already imagine their train of thought. They knew they were going down so they hit the self destruct to take out as many as they could with their last breath. It was almost noble.