Chapter One: The Waterling
The pale woods had become an eerie and lively presence that did not tolerate being ignored.
Harsh gusts of blistering wind drew in a dense fog that choked the trees, leaving a terribly cold to linger in the low light. By the time I reached the moon gate, the cold became nothing more than an uncomfortable ache settling in my bones. Of all the years spent enduring the constant chill, I never could get used to it. Never fully, but by sheer stubbornness alone I forced myself to overcome the cold like my sisters had and adapt to the circumstances we often found ourselves in.
It was adapt or die out here after all.
Those were the words burned into my memory after witnessing countless girls leave the safety of our trees never to return, or Bramble would find pieces of them outside the Pale Woods usually near pools of water. Leftovers, she would say, from Waterlings or a Crone. Mostly the latter unless another predatory beast filled the Waterling's place. I shivered, knowing the cold wouldn't be the only danger I would have to face on this journey.
It was brutal, the cold. It nipped constantly at my bare skin where the garment did not cover, and what protection it did offer was pointless. It wasn't a warm hide, though both were heavy and soft, but it was all I owned for clothing. And I would certainly not take from a sister when it was close to the brutal season. I would have to make do with what I had. I could only imagine what Bramble had gone through hunting through an endless snowfall just to keep us all fed. But I wasn't exactly an experienced hunter risking life and limb in the elements at every opportunity given. Not like Bramble. She was the last skilled hunter left, and even she had come home injured. At least alive and in one piece, I would constantly remind myself. I didn't have the time to learn anything more than the basics, not when time was a terrifying and fragile thing.
Even after being scared senseless at the sight of Bramble's too-pale face and twisted leg as my sisters hauled her up into the trees, I managed to hold onto some shreds of calm as Banue went to work healing her. Seeing the steady focus expressed on her face rang clear to me that I should be doing the same. And so, I tore the fear from my bones and willed myself to focus until I found myself rushing halfway through the Pale Woods with a woven basket strung to the rope wrapped around my waist and one of Bramble's hunting spears held tightly in one hand. The sudden realization dawned on me then of what I was about to do. What I was willing to do. I had been so oblivious to my surroundings that I didn't realize how quiet the woods were and how loud each footstep became. I slowed until I was ambling through the trees wearily, trying to calm my frantic heartbeat as I listened hard.
But nothing happened. The only sounds that came of the woods were from the woods themselves whenever the wind raked through the thicket or shriveled leaves overhead. The fog made it harder to see past them and grew thicker the further I walked. I didn't have to see the moon gate to know I was close. I could simply feel it. Then that iron tang hit my nostrils like a needle piercing the skin until I could feel it in the back of my throat.
I stilled before the massive stone structure staring at what lay ahead where the fog thickened immensely, the fear threatening to consume me If I didn't pull myself together soon. I can't remember the last time I was left standing here staring into that white abyss as Bramble simply vanished through it, as if she had been swallowed by the ghostly forest. I was younger though, that I remember, but still old enough to follow Bramble to the moon gate. She would always tell me to turn back and head home to which I did once I watched her disappear. I was only ever allowed to come here during the early thaw or before the brutal season became insufferable and that was only if Bramble agreed to it. I wondered how she would see me now if I walked through it and disappeared too. Would she feel just as disturbed as I did? Was she ever afraid as I was? It feels wrong having to cross through the gate. The endless fog made the outer pale woods untrusting, but everything feels wrong. I had no choice but to enter those woods. The thought of not knowing what was on the other side made everything impossibly worse, but I couldn't be afraid. I couldn't let those fears of not returning home shatter the already fragile calm I scrambled to gather. So, I focused on the structure of the moon gate, on every strangely smooth stone that had been placed down with even stranger arcane symbols etched into every rock surface.
The ancient structure felt uninviting as I stepped closer. Glancing over the arcane symbols again, I took notice how their icy glow had faded since the last time I stood here. I could feel the power's pulse leaving the stones gradually like that of a heartbeat dipping into a deeper slumber. Bramble never speaks of the symbols or their purpose, only of the guardian that sleeps near the gates. Centering my gaze upon the Chimera's resting head, its eyes always closed in blissful slumber, I whispered a fleeting prayer to the guardian of this gate before stepping forward. The rough flat stone felt a lot colder than the wet earth and left the bares of my feet raw and aching. If only I had wrapped my feet, a thought that kept nudging me ever since I left. Too late to do anything else but keep moving forward. I could feel a heavy presence weighing on me as I crossed under the gate. Like the smothering cold, it pressed down on my lungs as the atmosphere thinned. I couldn't take deep breaths else I would start coughing fits. And the coughing left a pain in my chest that accompanied the iron tang still in my throat.
A haunting sensation washed over me as the fog on the other side seemed to exhale through the gate, sending ripples of fog to brush over me and causing gooseflesh to rise along my bare legs. I remained still, recalling everything I would be leaving behind once I pass into those unknown woods. I focused on keeping my breathing steady while I gathered my courage. Bramble had always been brave, and my sisters needed me. I would not let them starve to death.
The ground beneath me had altered after stepping off the flat stones. The soil was still saturated but lacked what our grove provided. Droopy bluish-green grass covered every inch of our grove with soft-leafed plants that thrived inside the open cavern, but here from what I could see was moss-covered stone and wet earth. I ambled forward, only to pause yet again for the same reasons I had forced myself to leave. Uncertainty and dread plagued my thoughts like a haunting melody. I was not a hunter, but there was no one left to hunt for us. And I was not ill or harmed, nor was I a child sent down to gather crawfish and other bottom feeders from the ground anymore. Against Banue's wishes, I chose this. Bramble would understand. They needed me as I needed them. For my sisters, I would be brave, and I would be strong. I had to be.
I stole another glance at the paper-white trees with gloomy leaves that would continue shielding my fellow sisters in my absence, and the look felt uncomfortably final. The thought of never returning clenched my already struggling heart. I would return. I made a promise to myself that I would.
A different kind of cold wind blew through the pale woods ahead that smelled of the not-so-distant sea; a bracing scent that mixed with the sweat on my skin causing me to shiver that much more. I refused to rub away the goosebumps forming along my exposed flesh and instead bit down on my inner cheek forcing away the cold as if my inner thoughts could do such that. There was no turning back now, no matter how uneasy the feeling rattled my bones. A hunter cannot let themselves drown in their fears and I would not surrender to them.
Tearing myself away from the paper-white trees, I moved through the fog-drenched pale woods and reluctantly pushed forward. The trees in this forest were of similar color to the paper-white trees we sleep in. Pale as bone with twisted smudged branches, but their leaves looked sickly and wrong. And these trees did not grow from the towering ceiling of the cavern that concealed our forest. A fog too high to see over and too dense to see through submerged every tree onward and it would remain that way until I crossed over into the next moon gate. Or so I was told. I try not to breathe in too deeply. The air still felt thin, and that pressure remained just like the cold and how it lingered over my exposed skin. My steps made ripples in the fog that reminded me of passing through water. The thought would have been fascinating if my toes weren't numb. The trees themselves seemed like they were floating as they do in the water when the tide rises. I can't remember the last time I saw a forest clear of fog and water. Sometimes I wonder if any of us will ever see what lies beyond the higher-ups where the water treads no further. But Banue always warns us of the dangers of crossing into another's domain, especially the higher ups and across the muddled marshes into the vast sea. She says it is safer for us here in the sunken woodlands where no one can find us through the fog, but in truth, we're just stuck here in between two dangers waiting to perish by our wills and not by the will of another. But I am tired of never feeling dry and having my hair a constant bundle of knots and thick braiding.
I released the tension I hadn't realized was building in my chest and sighed softly. Reaching for the pendant between my breasts, I let myself enjoy the little warmth it brought to my fridge fingers from resting against my skin as I reminded myself of the task, I came out here to do. Hunt for my sisters. At once I started to relax as I focused on the coin's smooth surface. There used to be markings etched into the coin, not like the symbols on the moon gate, but more of a drawing. Of what it was I never knew. It had already been polished some and always with me. Still the feeling of its touch is enough to put me at ease. And so, I continued moving.
The woods grew thicker with fog the deeper I went, and I found myself walking into trees that were as white as the fog itself. I tried not to panic knowing well the journey back would likely be difficult no matter how long I had before the tide would rise again. And not knowing what lay ahead didn't help calm my racing heart. So, the only good option I had was to stay in one direction and do my best not to get turned around. If only it were that simple.
I felt the ground dip beneath me after a long while of walking in a straight line. Cool water sloshed over my ankles like biting ice to numb flesh, no doubt disturbing any life nearby. I cursed a foul lot before restricting my movements to that of a gradually moving prowler. I had to be getting closer to a pool if the ground was sinking, but I hadn't found the other moon gate our elder had told me to find. Bringing the gold coin up to my lips, I close my eyes and press my lips against the warm gold while silently pleading for my mother's guidance. It wasn't something I did often, but sometimes I liked to try. Then I felt it. The slightest change in the wind, almost like a whisper against my ears, or maybe I imagined the voice, but it felt different than how the wind blew moments ago. I listened longer as the wind continued to shift, sounding... sounding like distant humming. I recognized it, or perhaps I did imagine it. I opened my eyes immediately to confirm and the sound ceased, but the fog had changed. It lowered some but had not completely cleared. A slight tremor shot through me when movement formed through the now transparent mist. Movement that didn't quite seem right. I sucked in a breath, somewhat noticing the sudden change in the air.
Fidgeting with the woven basket at my hip to make sure it was secure, I reached back for the spear, detaching it from its hold on the strap along my backside. My grip tightened as I held the spear close, reading myself in case I needed to fight if there was no time to flee.
The mist went still ahead, and I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me for staring so long, but I swore I saw something move moments before. I refrained from moving a muscle before I noticed that all ambiance had hushed. Nothing more had changed but the wind had stopped blowing. I've never felt such complete stillness and utter silence in the same area before. It made me wonder if this was a sign of being close to finding the second moon gate. Or maybe this was one of the reasons why Banue had concerns about me leaving to hunt on my own. Bramble once told me that silence usually indicated a predator was nearby and I certainly didn't have the superior eyesight to see through fog, even if it had lessened some. It wasn't enough. I've only heard stories of the dangerous predators that still inhabit close to our grove. But those were only stories, not experiences. I was not a hunter. I was not Bramble. But I can't exactly run.
Steading my grip on the spear, I focused on remaining calm and alert. While I continued pushing through, I strained my ears to any sound that my eyes would fail to locate a source. The stillness and hushed woods stretched on for what felt like maybe an hour when in truth might have been a lot shorter. Eventually, I felt the ground becoming more solid beneath my feet and the water growing slimmer. The air once again had changed to that of the thaw which baffled me. It shouldn't be warm here. The trees were spaced out now, but their long branches and warped leaves choked out the sky, blocking out the direction of the sun. I wouldn't be able to tell how much time I had left before the tide would start to rise. The mist still clung to the air like a frozen phantom, weakening as a pool no bigger than the height of the moon gate presented itself in front of me.
A glimmer of something shiny captured my attention and drew me closer without a second thought about what I was doing. Before I knew any better, I crouched down on all fours with the spear still in my hand before dipping the sharpened end into the water curiously. Below lay hundreds if not thousands of golden treasures that might have been the source of the water's captivating glow. In an instant, the image rippled from my spear's contact with the water and the golden treasures shown deep below vanished. Large liquid eyes the color of jade immersed in black ink rested on a massive head beneath the water as If I had just rung back a thin layer of mirrored algae. The second my eyes locked onto it was a second too late. Everything happened all at once; water sprang forward in a powerful thrust joining with the chimera whose massive jaws came crashing down on my whole entire, but not before I plunged the spear into its upper jaw. The blood-curdling scream rattled me to my core before the water submerged us both, muffling those defining cries. But the chimera was no less deterred from devouring me. In fact, I only succeeded in angering it.
It couldn't have been luck that saved me as I somehow managed to escape the chimera's wide mouth unharmed as fierce currents dragged us both down under. Darkness snuffed out the light faster than I could process a single thought. I never believed in luck before because luck was an absurd thing to live by. Even after being shot out through the orifice of an underground waterfall, plummeting not so gracefully into another pool of illuminated water, and missing the rocks below did I considered myself lucky. The only good thing I succeeded in doing was sucking a breath of air in before submerging back into the water.
Seconds after my fall, I heard the alarming crash of the chimera that ensued. The impact of its unfathomable weight vibrated throughout the pool as it smashed down into the shallows, with no need to know it hadn't been so lucky. The instinct to breathe was so strong it overwhelmed my other senses as I fought desperately to reach the surface. I might not have been a hunter, but I knew well enough how to swim.
A ripple from the impact that I hadn't considered abruptly caught me off guard, sending me hurling back towards the depths with the world around me spinning out of control. A bizarre feeling had me frayed from my body from the water's brutal whip. The pressure forced air out from my lungs without mercy; the bubbles fleeting towards the surface that was beyond my reach. I hadn't struggled- I couldn't move my body no matter how hard I tried to break free from my solidified state. It was an experience I had never experienced before, and I was panicking and losing control of myself.
All too quickly the burning in my lungs cried out to every nerve beneath my skin, blazing hot and frantic for the air I could not grant them. I would drown in moments and the reality of that realization struck hard and painful. I wouldn't return home, and no one would come looking for me. I'll just be another name carved into the smooth bark of our trees, another life lost, another memory to cry over, another reason to never leave the safety of our hidden grove. How ridiculous to believe I had been lucky for even a second.
I expected the darkness to take hold of me as I sank to the bottom, feeling the agonizing spasms of my body jerking violently as I involuntarily took in water through my nose and mouth. My spasmodic breath came in painful drags as water flooded my lungs. But instead of darkness, a glistening golden glow greeted me at the bottom of the pool in the form of coins, gemstones, and lost objects. How fitting to know I would drown in the very real treasures I had allowed myself to be lured into. If only I had walked away… If only I had done better.
Movement stirred in the far corners of my darkening vision, a barely noticeable action that no doubt had been from the chimera throwing itself back into water. I had no way of defending myself now, even if I still possessed my spear. This was my end. There was no use fighting it any longer. So, I didn't fight. I let go. A strange warmish texture suddenly pressed against my backside as the darkness in my vision turned to a sharp black. Then I stopped feeling anything as if I simply stopped existing. Moments passed in a flutter as I floated around in blackness until eventually, everything turned ethereal white. It was the purest color that I had ever seen. It seemed surreal, dreamlike and that's when I heard it. The faintest tone singing that same melody I've heard only while dreaming. As soon as I recognized the soothing toon, I all but jerked as I made hard contact with solid ground, immediately coughing up water as I inhaled air. The intense pain coming from the shoulder I found myself laying on only added to the pain still burning in my lungs. It took longer than I realized to recover and process what just happened.
Water was still logged in my ears muffling all the sounds I hadn't realized were there until now. Boisterous roaring accompanied by harsh splashing stole my attention back toward the water. With jaws snapping and whiskers ruffled in full display, a long robust body heaved and twisted itself through the pool as stubby paws ferociously grasped at the water- no, at something darting through it. Blood, the color of amber, spilled into the water as the chimera's throat down to its belly had been severed all the way through, ending its ferocious cries instantaneously. Amber-tinted water sloshed against the edge of the pool, flooding the ground beneath me briefly as my gaze locked on hard to what had surfaced.
A dark creature that resembled a person returned my intense stare, one that appeared more predatory than that of the jeweled eyes of the chimera. But no person had eyes touched by the deepest golden treasures. No one mortal. That and the overall shape of its eyes were wrong, slanted, and slightly larger than ordinary. An intense golden ring surrounded the whites of its brightly lit pupils that shimmered against the light beneath the water, the same way a wet coin glistened at different angles in the sunlight. They were mesmerizing just like the golden treasures that gleamed beneath the water, and I couldn't break away.
As if it sensed my internal struggle, the creature smiled with sharp inhuman teeth. And then it clicked inside of my head that what I was looking at- whose waters I had fallen into belonged to something I thought no longer lived.
"You're a Waterling," I blurted out too boldly. Not that I wasn't downright terrified, but I'm sure it could sense that. And I'm sure it sensed a lot more than that too. Something close to amusement crossed its unsettling features as long, slick, and dark arms hoisted themselves halfway out of the water. For half a heartbeat I feared it would lung at me, but instead it leaned forward a bit more until both arms were crossed and resting beneath the Waterling's chest on the stone's edge.
"I could be," he spoke leisurely under dark lashes, somewhat in a teasing manner. His voice was strange. It didn't match his appearance which looked indistinguishable between male and female, but his voice was indeed male. "I could be many things and still be more."
I stared at him bewildered and unsure. The longer I strained my eyes on his face the more otherworldly he looked; a sharp nose and chin with high cheekbones and the unnerving beauty behind the overall shape his face took. His face seemed even darker than the rest of his skin and his hair was the color of nightfall. Loose ringlets hung intertwined with braids and colorful beads, both shells and jewels alike. Twigs and sharpened bones of other creatures stuck out at odd ends of his hair that did not seem loose or tangled by mistake. If they served a clear purpose, I had no idea what for. My gaze traveled over the rest of his strange structure a moment longer, noticing the shape of his upper torso, what I could see of it anyway, was sickly lean. The color of his skin was darker than the mud back at the grove, fading with a deep green alga closer to his arms and a paleness to his chest that reminded me of lichen. Something about his skin felt hauntingly beautiful like there was a faint glow beneath it as if he were made of golden light. He remained quiet as I continued looking him over curiously until my gaze returned to his eyes. I found him watching me so intently that I immediately felt warmth creep over the nap of my neck and cheeks. The look wasn't the same as before when he first emerged from the water, but it still made me feel uneasy.
Then my gaze dropped to the flicker of light cast by a familiar golden coin hanging from a chain across his throat. Instinctively I reached for the coin between my breasts and my deepest fears surfaced when I no longer felt the coin's smooth touch. "Hey... hey! That doesn't belong to you!"
A slow smile spread across his dark lips, hinting at a fang longer than the rest of his teeth, "You'll have to be more specific, lassie." That accent... I've never heard anything like it before, and why was I just noticing it now? Not exactly the best time to get distracted...
I swallowed hard, "That pendant you're wearing- it's mine. It doesn't belong to you."
"Does this pendant not present itself across my throat? Or do you simply look at something shiny and declare it yours?"
I seethed, "It must of fallen off my throat when that chimera dragged me under."
"Ah, but whatever is forfeited into my waters is lost and is therefore considered mine."
"I didn't forfeit the pendant! It slipped off!"
He shrugged lazily, not seeming at all bothered by the anger I was displaying so boldly. It was like the conversation was beginning to bore him.
"Anything that is dropped into my waters becomes free for the taking and I take what I please. And seeing how I just saved your life, lass, I deem the pendant quite a deserving payment, wouldn't you agree?" He let the coin dance between his thin fingers without even breaking eye contact; a savage smile displayed on those cursedly striking dreary lips of his where teeth sharper than the chimera that nearly bit my head off dwelled thick and abnormally white with one fang missing. I wanted to scream. How could I lose something so precious my first time away from the grove?
Now I was furious. "I didn't ask to be saved and I certainly didn't offer up my pendant as payment for practically throwing me out of the water! I want it back."
His chuckle was as dark and wicked as his smile, "I could return it. For a price."
"How is that fair?"
"Nothing in this life is fair acushla, nor does something so desired come free. There is always a price, give or take. Now you can either bargain for this object of your obsession and give me something in return that is of higher value, or you can accept it as lost and return to your hangman forest before another water dweller comes for you."
An icy chill seeped across the nap of my neck that no doubt reflected the fear shown across my face. It was something he didn't need any effort in sensing and I was now uncomfortable for a whole different reason. I suddenly became an open tale made flesh and bone.
"Don't flatter yourself, lassie. There are few that know of the hangman grove and know the reek well from the pealing white timber and gloomy leaves. I can smell its taint all over you, as would anyone if they'd ever crossed into that stream of yours."
I practically leaped to my feet ready to let lose another curse from my lips-
"Oh please, do come closer to the water," excitement laced his altering voice and brightened the gleam in his eyes as he leaned eagerly closer, his claws scraping against the rock, "you are quite the temptation that I'm starting to regret ever letting go."
Wisely, I took several steps back, not missing the predatory feel his stance took and the sudden change in his golden eyes. Remembering those stories Bramble had told, I was beginning to understand the predatory look in the eyes of something dangerous. And this Waterling was everything I needed to stay away from. "You're repulsive" I managed to squeeze out as I attempted to control my fear.
"And you are delicious, acushla~." The way he said those words caused any boldness I had to quickly leap ship and flee. "Mind you I was kind enough to pull you out of your watery grave without giving into temptation, else I would have gladly gored my teeth into your delicate porcelain skin. I would not be kind a second time if you so willingly chose to step into my waters."
"That's an odd thing to say to someone you want back into your waters."
Light danced in those golden eyes as he purred," Is it?"
I held my tongue and froze. He could have easily eaten me back in the water but chose not to. And if he had a reason for saving me, I wasn't sure what that reason was and I'm positive it wasn't because he was feeling generous. But why am I still breathing? Why did he pull me out of the water only to threaten to eat me if I ever enter his waters again? Something about his actions felt wrong just like this entire forest. I centered my gaze back on my pendant and grimaced.
"You wish to use me to bring you back more lost things? More jewels and gold to fill your waters?"
His smile deepened again, "You are free to wander as you please if you so happen to return to my pool with bounties you find. I do enjoy gifts, though I assure you nothing will drag you under again so long as you continue bringing your gifts, and if you bring me something of higher value, I will return what was lost to you."
I scowled, "What exactly do I need to give you that would be considered higher value in exchange for my pendant?"
He didn't so much as blink before answering, "You'll know when you find it. I'm a collector of all precious things, especially priceless objects wanderers seem to lose and want back desperately no matter the price."
My eyes narrowed out of annoyance, "I did not lose it..." I cut myself off then, realizing that I did just that.
An odd sound rumbled in the Waterling's direction that suspiciously sounded like choked laughter. I glared at him as he tilted slowly at first, but eventually dipped head-first back into the water, giving me a full view of a long serpent-like body below his waist. Scales the color of gold, jade, and vivid blues with defined fins reared out of the water in a display of power and beauty before returning to the depths.
When he surfaced again, only the top of his head and eyes were out of the water further from the shore. Before I spoke another word, his head raised slightly so that his lips were visible to me. He remarked, "Do as you want perchling. You are not trapped here, and you will not have trouble returning to my pool if you decide otherwise. Just, not too close... Until then, I look forward to seeing you again."