The Jade City

Chapter 17: A Final Farewell

Lloyd's POV

I ran forward deeper into the water, shouting something but I wasn't sure what. Just as I was about to go further than the knee-deep zone, I felt a hand grab my arm.

"Don't be stupid," someone said, and I regained my senses again.

I stopped fidgeting and turned around to see Morro, who gave me a quick shake of the head and began leading me back to the shore. His expression was strange and kind of hard to read, neither angry or worried or scared or exasperated, but a mixture of all four.

"There's salt and it stings," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and I apparently didn't know.

I pushed his hands away. "Then what about Rumi?!" I was on the verge of shouting, "Wouldn't it sting her? Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Look, the water or whatever is in there wants her. It wouldn't kill..." Even as he said that, there was some doubt in those words. His voice faltered. Morro turned around.

"Nya," he began, and she jumped a little, looking slightly taken aback.

"I didn't do anything, if that's what you're implying," Nya said, almost immediately regaining her composure and taking on a defensive tone.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "No, don't worry, that's not what I meant," Morro said, "Okay, here's the plan. Nya, we're going down there, and you're gonna have to make an air bubble so we can breathe. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it's the only thing that'll work. I guess you gotta eat. We don't want you to be debilitated. Here," he passed her his entire basket, "Help yourself. And I know this 'plan'," he made air quotes, "is stupid but whatever. I came up with it off the top of my head."

Nya shifted a little on her feet as she digested the information, and after glancing around at all our faces, slowly took the basket from his hands. We watched as she picked up an apple and took a bite out of it. A few moments of silence passed by.

"Would you stop staring?" she muttered, "Suddenly I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, so uh, thanks."

Everyone quickly averted their gazes.

"Okay, so," Morro said after a few moments of silence. "First of all, it's been made clear already that the Shadow Knight has informed whatever is in the water of our arrival. Or he's bewitched the water in some way. Anyway, if we show up underwater, our mere presence is probably gonna attract them, so we wouldn't have trouble finding whatever took her. But they will try to attack Nya, since you're basically the one keeping us alive. So, powers at the ready, we have to attack anyone who approaches us."

"Except for Rumi." I pointed out.

"Except for Harumi," he tilted his head towards me, then continued, "We'll set up camp over there, where the water won't reach us. Once again, I assure you, she is fine."

I took a deep breath and nodded. Something told me not to argue. We would find her tomorrow.

Yet while I hitched the tents along with everybody else, something was wrong. Something felt wrong. If the Shadow Knight knew the Crystal Blade could defeat him, all he had to do was enchant the waters and have her drown. But Morro said she was fine. And from what I knew of Morro, his instincts had never been wrong before. But still, what if the what if's were valid?

I looked back at the waters, now sparkling in the setting sun. It was hard to imagine that only earlier they had swallowed Rumi. Turning back around, I watched as Jay shoved more food into Nya's mouth even before she swallowed the previous bite.

I went into the tent soon and could not sleep. Feeling restless, I crawled back out, only to see the black outline of a dark silhouette. The person seemed to have heard me approaching, for they quickly turned around.