Woohoo, quick updates! Yes, I'm having so much fun with this fic. ;)
Only Merle, Blake, and the plot belong to me; the rest goes to that genius, Marianne Curley.
Oh, and thanks to NCCJellybean for beta-ing and giving me a little idea for how to get the Prophecy...
Chapter Two
Merle watches as Blake runs a hand through his red hair, frustrated. Really, she couldn't blame him. He and Merle had been expressly forbidden by the Goddess to fight the "final battle"—her most elite soldiers shunted to the sidelines! Then, while trying to absorb the seemingly impossible information that, in spite of everything, they'd lost, they are ordered on a dangerous mission into a flooded ancient city to retrieve a piece of priceless information. Things are just peachy, aren't they?
"So, we're in," she says. "What now?"
"Um," Blake fumbles with the parchment—who used parchment anymore?—given to them by Keziah in the darkness. "It says…okay, this is actually the front way of going, which is usually full of traps, but because of the water, all of the enchantments and tricks have been taken off. It's only a matter of finding the Prophecy and not drowning."
"Cheerful. This is almost too easy."
"We only destroyed the city, Merle."
Merle sighs. "I know. I don't have to worry about drowning, thanks to my skills. What about you?"
"What are your skills?" he asks curiously.
Merle pauses, unsure whether or not to divulge the information. While Blake is a great Ordersman, with whom she's worked for years, she knows that he, like anyone in the Order, would probably exploit any weakness of hers if it would help him. In the Order, the only one to whom anyone ever held any allegiance was to Lathenia. Now it must be Merle.
"Strength," she finally says, "and speed. You?"
"Healing and Truthseeing."
So he is a Truthseer. Interesting. Merle will have to watch her thoughts from now on, but working directly under the Goddess has already taught her how to effectively block her thoughts.
"Well," Merle says lightly, "Potent though those skills are, they won't be any good here. You'll have to follow me. I assume you can swim?"
Blake rolls his eyes. "I'm only on the school's swim team."
Infuriated, Merle says, "Look, Lonan, we may be the same age and of the same rank up until now, but I am your superior. You are not to treat me as your equal."
Blake looks just as upset asshe and opens his mouth to speak, but, appearing to think better of it, closes his mouth. "Fine."
They walk in silence for a few minutes, and a wet quality only an underground lake can give fills the air. The humidity reminds Merle of one of her last missions, which had been an absolute disaster. In Atlantis, they had not only failed to gain the sphere, but the Goddess herself had been injured—injured!—by one of the Named. She had come back in disgrace, and was severely punished by Lathenia for not obtaining the sphere. Luckily, Merle was able to continue going on missions and had quickly regained favour with the Goddess. And, of course, She wouldn't forget that she had been influential in the extermination of Octavius.
"Merle."
"What?" she snaps.
Blake gestures to the floor. Water. They're finally there.
"I forgot to tell you one thing, your highness."
Merle decides to ignore those last words, highly doubting that Blake actually forgot. "What?"
"When I was Chosen, the Goddess gave me the gift of shape-shifting. I can take the form of any animal I like."
"You're telling me this now?" Merle asks incredulously.
Blake just shrugs sullenly.
Immature fool.
"Whatever," Merle says, thinking quickly. "In any case, that is going to be helpful. You can change into a—" suddenly, she remembers that boy from Atlantis. "—a dolphin, and I can hang on to your fin. You'll have better sight than me in the water."
"Fine."
Smoothly, he leaps into the water, coming up a dolphin.
"Okay Merle," she whispers to herself. "Focus."
She holds on to his fin, hanging on tightly as he takes off, swimming swiftly through the still water. He moves through the water at the surface with enviable speed and precision. Merle hugs the fin for warmth—the cold water is soaking her clothes, seeping into her very bones. Finally, he stops in front of a wall half-covered with water. He looks up at her, his eyes very clearly asking 'what now?'
"We take it."
In a fluid motion, Blake turns back to his human form. Merle blushes, letting go of him quickly.
"We take it? We can't just take the wall!"
"My skill is strength, remember? You and I can just hold on to it, and I'll use my wings to get us out."
"Hell, Merle!"
She swims to the wall, feeling with her fingers the ancient runes inscribed on the mammoth wall. Clinging to it with all of her considerable strength, she calls, "You ready? I'm taking this with me, whether you come along or not!"
The sound of splashing water echoes through the cavern. Then a warm hand grabs hers.
"Okay."
"Good. Just close your eyes and concentrate on the palace in the Underworld."
"The Underworld!"
"Yes, so don't get lost. Ready?"
"Mer—as much as I'll ever be."
"It's not my problem if I leave you behind," she warns.
"I'm ready."
"Good." Merle closes her eyes and tightens her grip on both the wall and Blake, visualising the room there. A familiar sensation takes hold of her…beside her, she hears Blake yell and hold her hand even more tightly…a feeling of sluggishness from the wall…
A crash resounds through the darkened room. Merle opens her eyes, grinning in satisfaction. They made it.