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I entered through one of a few entrances, they were all scattered around the edge of the nearly empty cavern. The ceiling disappeared into the darkness that still surrounded me, a sentinel in its own right. Water trickled down the walls, carved arches and worn statues betrayed that I was in a sacred space. Symbols I couldn’t make out were etched into the rock, some filled and covered with mosses, hinting at the events that had taken place here.
At the far end of the cave, the inlet of water was dark, but the surface mirrored the light I still held, casting reflections upon the overhanging arc. Underneath the archway, a seemingly ordinary light-grey chunk of stone was nestled in the water, its face looking up.
The air was cool and damp, the faint scent of earth rose to meet me. Just like Pelthas, I understood that if the public upstairs knew about this place, it would not be as well preserved, but I also knew I probably wouldn’t be able to find it again.
I was reluctant to move away from the edge and spared a look back into the darkness that enveloped my way back out. Fear of waking up back in my room, another day wasted, drove me on. Moving slowly around the threshold, I realised that the shadow lingered around the dome of the cavern. Whilst its edges smoked and blinked out of existence when it tried to stalk me, I could feel it drawing on the energy emanating from the waters, redirecting it. The reverberation grew from my hand until I could feel it in my core, the deep thrum diverting into the tunnels I had just come out of.
Time seemed to stand still, leaving me with a vague sense of peace and contentment. As I tentatively stepped away from the walls, I reminded myself of the minutes that trickled by. Even though the worlds of the Seelie and Unseelie were still volatile, all I could think was how Eoghan had theorised something like this all those months ago, about how the misunderstood visions of a child had thrown an entire people into turmoil, about the families that had been broken apart.
Was this considered Unseelie business? I was the only one here and, although this was likely their arrangement, I felt it could just as easily be used by the Seelie or even any courtless being. I looked back to the perimeter the shadow lurked at, did darkness have a natural inclination?
The floor was covered in dirt. I had to step around a few fallen rocks and weeds that had somehow survived. As I walked towards the lake and the stone, there was no doubt about the cave’s divinity. Whispers of long-forgotten hopes and dreams hung in the air, potential destinies, potential worlds to travel. I knew Eoghan, and maybe even Drust, would have ideas on how to restore their gates. If I brought the Stone of Fál to Lunete or left it somewhere she was likely to find it, it could be a game-changer for them. If something like this was within my reach, those lives would be better.
I took off my jacket, determining that it was probably safest I didn’t touch the stone, and thinking of the mistakes that had happened so far. I was also painfully aware of the water it was sat in. The stone had obviously been placed here for a reason.
When I reached the edge after climbing down the beige-grey rock, I left my lantern on the ground behind me and tested the water depth with the edge of my boot. They were sturdy with thick rubber soles, and it was the only thing around me that might’ve helped anyway. Whilst it ran over the curve of my shoe, I was still able to walk its depth. At first, I was gentle, but then, as my foot grew cold, I thought that speed would mean less chance of something happening.
My steps rippled and I could hear the lapping against the rock behind me. It wasn’t far and I readied myself to reach for it, my hands restricted by the jacket. I couldn’t be sure if what happened next was after I touched the stone or if there was something in the water. But before I knew it, the earth opened up beneath me and the water sucked me under.
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Above me, the colour of the rock shifted in the water's reflections. The very fabric of what I saw through a haze stretched and twisted vertically and horizontally at the same time. I thought my body was moving with it, and I couldn’t tell if I was living in moments from my memories or hopping through my actual life. It felt like the veils between realms were so thin, I could simply reach through. But I wasn’t the only one there. Time was non-existent and the fantastical became tangible, until I awoke, underwater.
I started, small bubbles escaping my mouth as I found my bearings.
Tall figures rose up all around me, and I had to force myself not to breathe the water in. I couldn’t stay underwater for much longer and clawed my way to the surface regardless of what was waiting for me out there. I was not struck senseless by the dark’s attack this time, and in some ways, I knew it better. It lived on instinct, and the darkness was being used like a tool by the Unseelie. Like I was.
I broke the surface, kicking weakly to find myself surrounded by a forest. At first, I couldn’t be sure if it wasn’t the same forest Pelthas was in, but as I lunged for the edge, I saw that the mosses and vines were a little too dense, the trees were too vibrant. My nails dug into the dirt as I tried to haul myself out from the lake. Arms shaking and knees not that much better, I couldn’t stop heaving the air into my lungs. My chest ached.
As I laid in the grass, bone-weary, I also realised I must have dropped the stone and groaned. Curious about where I'd ended this time, and whether there was a chance to recover it, I pushed myself up, swaying, shivering. I pushed my back up against a nearby rock. The air was not cold, but I could only assume it was from the water that clung to me.
Sunlight cast through the dense canopy above, a mosaic of light and shadow on the forest floor. Through the clearing, smaller shrubs pervaded the spaces amongst the trees. Ancient trees were adorned with lichens and moss, their leaves silent in the still air. There was no-one else around, and as I tried to listen for any background roads or signs of life, I could feel the panic build up in my chest. Whilst there wasn’t even birdsong, potential clung to everything around me, and I would’ve been foolish to treat it any differently than the cavern before. As the dappled beauty felt too peaceful, I remembered the vision I’d had with Eoghan and Lunete, and that liminal space. A different part of me was struck by the possibility that my life might be over and there was no one to help. Could the time rift even be restored now?
The longer I sat there, the more I began to notice the subtle discrepancies in what was around me. Leaves I thought were lush and green bore hints of decay, hues of yellow and brown mottling their edges. The ivy and vines were twisted and thick, scarring the ancient tree trunks and suffocating the life within.
The silence gathered a thickness and grew heavy, it reminded me of how the darkness formed in my peripheries. Tell-tale signs of some kind of infection revived my uneasiness, though I was hesitant to leave. I could have explored and tried to see where I was, I could have tried to find anything that might have helped, food, shelter, but I knew for certain I had arrived here. I had travelled again. So I knew I would have to go in the water again.
I waited until my heart settled, long enough that I’d expected some change in the light, but by the time I hesitantly stood, there had been no change in the shadows around me. My plan, even if I couldn’t use the waters like the times before, was to see if the Stone of Fál had come with me. If it had, all of this wouldn’t have been a complete waste of time.
I waded slowly, finding my footing on the stones before crouching down to submerge my wet clothes again. It was cold, shockingly, lifelessly cold, and my teeth began to rattle again. When I was confident it wasn’t going to transport me anywhere, I took a few deep breaths to prepare my lungs, and I dropped haltingly until the water pressed in on me from every direction. Blood pounded in my ears as I blinked a few times to see through the blur of water.
It was murky, the dirt I’d kicked up from walking formed a cloud before me. Like the forest, there didn’t appear to be any life. Pulling myself through slowly, I let the haze settle and headed towards the area I thought I’d come from. There were no weeds, no drifting green strands. I surfaced for air, my lungs already tired from before, and found myself near the middle of the lake. The eroded bank rose and made a ledge on the other side. I hadn’t done much more than touch the waters previously but had to turn my focus back to the stone first. I would worry about getting back next.
Taking another deep breath, I ducked under again, heading closer to what I could see of the bottom. I scouted the mud, looking for anything the right kind of size or colour. I poked a few rocks amongst the leaf litter and sticks, checking their shape. The water had only cleared so much, an underwater storm, and it was only when I saw the canyon open up underneath me that I felt something brush my leg.
I grabbed the stone I’d been about to look at, my instinct knowing I was vulnerable. I twisted, driving myself to the surface again, adrenaline hammering through me. I nearly gasped and attempted to see which direction it had been, had I actually felt something? Over the edge of the underwater ravine, the foggy water faded to black. Somewhere at the back of my mind, I knew my time was running out.
My need for air was spreading. I cast another look about me and began pulling myself towards shore again. I needed to breathe. When something grasped my ankle, and dragged me down.