Fire Stones - By Kailin Gow Page 0,29
– a place that had enchanted and overtaken me. I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay with him. But I held back – and I could tell that he was holding back too. I had to be just as strong as he was, I knew. I had to make myself a will out of iron. But why did I want him so?
Chapter 12
“It's not going to be an easy journey,” Varun told me as we swam further into the depths of the sea. The rainbow light had vanished – here in the very deepest parts of the sea, everything was inky black, so dark that even the water-powers Varun had given me did not permit me to see. “My power here is great – but it is not absolute. There are many warring factions within Water – factions that divide our power. Some of the gods, like Abzu and Tiamat of the very ancient days, wish to have great power – a power they believe can only be consolidated by wiping all the earth of our planet off the map, flooding it over. They will never be content until water covers the face of the deep in its entirety.”
“But human life could never survive!” I exclaimed. “Not like that.”
“I know,” said Varun. “But they don't care. They feel that they are gods – they are entitled to do whatever they like. Mortals aren't even worth a thought to them. They don't value human life any more than you value the life of a cockroach or gnat.” He saw my shocked face. “Don't worry, Mac – we don't all think like that. I don't think like that. I love human beings – I walk among them. I believe in a world of balance, where Fire and Water can survive together in harmony. That was what I learned when I was with Vesta – that two opposing elements can be more than the sum of their parts. A lesson she taught me, that I will remember until the end of my days. But Abzu and his kind disagree....”
“Abzu?”
“A god of the Ancient Sumerians. Once before he threatened to cause a flood that would wipe out all upon the earth. But that time there was a hero to stop him, Enki of the Mesopotamians. Now he threatens day by day to escape from his watery prison. You see, he was imprisoned for five thousand years – his punishment – and now that time is up. We will pass his house as we go down; he lives among the jagged boulders at the very bottom of the ocean, where I believe the stone is hidden. He will speak to you, I would wager – probably insult you. Don't listen to him. He believes that all who are anything other than water deities are worthless. Even Vesta he despised...” Varun looked angry when he said Vesta's name. “He spends his days collecting treasures from the bottom of the sea, looking for sunken treasure. Which is why I suggest we make a detour to his home. In case he found something we're interested in.”
“Like the stones?”
“If so, we'll have to figure out a way to steal them. Abzu's not exactly the most giving guy I know. And we won't be able to stay long. Once I stop holding you like this, my powers will only last for a few minutes – after that, you won't be able to breathe. And I don't want Abzu knowing I unified with you – he might get suspicious.”
I gulped. This Abzu didn't sound like the kind of person I particularly wanted to meet in a dark alley – or in the dark of the ocean.
“Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you.” Varun wrapped his arms tighter around me, his stance turning protective. “I promised Chance, didn't I? That I wouldn't let anyone hurt you?”
“I trust you,” I whispered, squeezing his hand.
“Do you really love him, Mac?” Varun couldn't resist asking, and I could see the look of pain in his eyes.
“I...I do,” I stammered, taken aback by the directness of the question. “Of course I do.” But something in me hesitated. I knew I loved Chance – I couldn't stop thinking about him. And yet my love, I realized with a sinking feeling, wasn't exclusive any longer. Whatever I felt for Chance, I felt for Varun, too. Did that mean that the feeling wasn't love? Or that my feelings for both were too strong?
“I hoped you wouldn't say