reverberates off the stone walls, it’s loud enough to wake the dead. I start to second guess if it was a good idea to bring her here.
Then my light catches something moving along one wall. I zero in on what I’m seeing, and it’s ten kinds of strange. The stone wall has indentations carved into an intricate pattern, and it’s slowly filling with the tiny harmonic creatures she came to retrieve. This is the first time I realize they can move out of water. Swallowing back my rising panic, I watch Amber walk to stand before the wall. They all converge on a round design in the lower middle. I move closer in an attempt to understand what’s going on.
Amber reaches out, placing her hand over the lot of them. Her head tips back and her eyes drift closed. I don’t even have to ask, because I know she’s communicating with them telepathically.
Letting her do her thing, I step back and realize how huge the wall is in comparison to how small the area is the creatures are all huddling in right now. It dawns on me that if this was carved to give them entrance into the above ground world, then there must have been hundreds of thousands of them at one time. Amber’s right about one thing. Once there were many and now there are few, even if we count all the ones we picked up already.
It’s now clear to my mind that these little creatures fared the worst in this war. My heart breaks to know they lost so many. If there is one thing the military is good at, it is remembering their dead in the form of memorials and such. I make a mental note to ask about creating a memorial for our fallen dead, both Draconian and these tiny harmonic creatures.
A purr sounds off behind me. I whirl around, jerking my light back and forth to find Sonarian making the sound. It takes me a few minutes of absolute panic to discover they’re scattered around the top of the cavernous room, sitting on ledges peering down at us.
Though they seem less mutated, they’re all just as terrifying as the first ones we encountered. I immediately sound off. “Amber, we’ve got to get moving.”
“I’m almost finished.”
“You’re going to be dead if you don’t snap out of it. We’re surrounded by the enemy.”
Her eyes pop open and she turns to see where I’m shining my light.
“Why aren’t they attacking?”
“Who cares? Are your friends coming or not?”
“They’re loaded and ready to leave.”
I noticed right away she didn’t bring that damned Christmas ornament, so I assumed she’d had some kind of receptacle squirreled away in the temple. A quick glance in her direction reveals how wrong I was. Her arms are covered in the little silver creatures. They’re slowly squirming up to her shoulders and through her hair.
Just the thought of them on my skin that way makes me want to hurl. Amber doesn’t seem bothered in the least. I guess she’s used to interacting with them.
“My friends say if we dive into their waters, there is an outlet nearby.”
“My weapons aren’t waterproof. If they don’t have a plan B, I’m shooting our way out.” I won’t kill the Sonarian unless there’s no other way, I vow to myself. So far they’re not attacking, so maybe they’re just curious. Not likely, a little voice in the back of my head whispers. “Stay close to my back. If things go bad, take the pool option and do whatever you can to stay alive.”
“Got it. I’m right behind you.”
I toggle my battle rifle to stun and turn up the setting. We slowly creep forward as I pray my weapon shoots enough voltage to neutralize their huge body mass. I’ve seen one of these Sonarians bite the head off a huge Draconian warrior, so I’m all too aware that they could probably gobble us up in a couple of bites.
Before we make it three steps, they begin to leap. I hit one after another in midair. Although they hit the ground after they’re stunned, they keep getting back up again. It becomes clear pretty damn quick that I’m not going to be able to neutralize enough of them at one time for us to escape and make it all the way to our transport.
I make a snap decision. “Amber, I’ll cover you. Head for the water.”
We both move back at the same time. Although my aim is true and I’m moving