As the crystallized jellyfish sank into the ocean, Ambrosia's voice faded into silence. She closed her eyes as her gills worked extra hard to bring in more oxygen. Her chest rose and fell quickly, showing how much the singing had strained her.

Bastian's eyes never left her, though he knew it was rude to stare. He couldn't help himself. Not until Varick suddenly swam into view, diving with Zareb in his arms. Lachlan laid a hand on Bastian's arm, startling him out of his thoughts. "Bast, come on. We have to hurry."

The Triton shook his head, snapped back into the present moment. Though the jellyfish were gone, for now, that was no guarantee of safety. He nodded and swam downwards with his friends.

Zareb's left arm dangled loosely behind Varick as the Selach swam and suddenly, Bastian was overwhelmed with shame. How could he be so focused on Ambrosia when his friend was unconscious? 

Shame heated his cheeks and consumed his thoughts until a new sound broke through. Rushing water began to register in his mind. It sounded like it was growing louder, so they must be swimming toward it. 

That didn't make any sense. Even though the underwater currents were a good way to travel long distances, they were not easily controlled by merfolk who did not have a mount to help navigate the water. He'd heard the Selkies liked to use manatees or sometimes even whales to travel across oceans in the blink of an eye, but Bastian didn't have any of those on him.

He was fairly certain of that.

Bastian cast his eyes around, intent on seeing the river before he swam into it and got swept up in its current. When he finally saw it, he froze in sheer amazement. Rushing in front of and below him, along the floor of the ocean, was a rippling river as wide across as two humpback whales.

The water roared as it flowed, and the river ended only a tail-span to Bastian's left side. Instead of petering out, like some underwater currents were known to do, this one fell deeper into the ocean depths, following over the side of the drop off in a magnificent display that Bastian had never seen before.

Lachlan looked back at his friend, and then followed Bastian's gaze. A grin sprouted on his impish face, and he laughed. "Bast, it's called a waterfall."

A furrow appeared between Bastian's eyebrows. "A water-fall? Where is the water falling to?"

Lachlan giggled. "It's following the ocean floor Bast. It probably just goes along with the drop off."

Now Bastian's eyes widened. "The drop off! But it's at least as deep as a whale is long!" Despite his surprise, Lachlan seemed unfazed. 

"The ocean is a vast place, Triton." 

A memory rose from Bastian's mind, of Militum reading city names off a scroll from the library. The distance between the cities had been finger widths or less. Bastian had never stopped to think exactly how those distances played out when someone actually needed to travel them, and the ocean was so much bigger than the land...

Before the vastness of the ocean could overcome him, Bastian focused his thoughts back on the task at hand. "Are we going to ride this waterfall?"

"Gods above, I hope not. " 

Varick caught up with Varya, who was waiting patiently just next to the closest side of the underwater river. The two pressed their heads together briefly, Zareb still in Varick's arms, before Varick swam down. Within a moment, he disappeared into the ground as he sank. "A cave," Lachlan gasped, "we'll be going under the water then."

A moment later, Varya called out in alarm. "Hurry!"

The small hairs on Bastian's neck stood up as he felt the build up of electrical energy in the water. Some of the jellyfish must have survived Ambrosia's song. Ambrosia shoved at Bastian from behind. "Hurry!" She echoed Varya, but she was still out of breath from singing and her voice was weak. 

Lachlan bolted forward and Bastian took off after him, all of the adrenaline from the previous fight rushing back into his body. Varya disappeared into the ground after her brother. Lachlan reached it ahead of Bastian, his glittering emerald tail disappearing into the ground. At least they would be safe. Inside the cave, they could more easily defend themselves. 

The cave only became clear to Bastian when they were within arm's reach of it, as it was shrouded in sand and hidden from above by the formation of the ocean floor. Once it was visible, it looked to Bastian like the inside of some hungry beasts' mouth, dark and foreboding. 

For a moment, Bastian hesitated. In that moment, a bolt of electricity struck the ground to his right, turning the sand into glass. Ambrosia shoved at his back again. "Go! You have to get out of here!" She was flushed with exertion now, her hands clammy. Behind her, the water was sparking with power.

Bastian nodded and dove into the dark depths. Cold slapped him in the face, and he felt ice form on his tail immediately. The cave was made of dark stone that sucked the heat out of the water, and out of Bastian. He shook off his tail and turned, the adrenaline making his heart skip faster as he faced his enemy again. "I'll throw up a shield, Ambr-"

She wasn't behind him. Bastian's heart lurched. 

Hurry. You have to get out of here!

You, not we. Ambrosia was going to stay behind. 

Even though there were less jellyfish than before, enough had survived that they would pose a threat to a single mermaid on her own. 

"Bast! Come on!" 

Lachlan's voice broke through his thoughts and Bastian looked into the cave with apologetic eyes. "I have to help Ambrosia!" Bastian's golden tail flashed as he launched himself toward Ambrosia and out of the safety of the cave. 

She was twenty hands away, her hand on her moonstone again as she sang. Around her, thirty of the small jellyfish fought against her magic, their tentacles reaching out to sting her. Her voice was weak now, wavering without enough air in her lungs. 

He reached out his arm, straining to catch her. 

A jellyfish wrapped around her arm, and she began to spasm as it shocked her. Her song cut off. She shook her arm violently, tossing the jellyfish away. Ambrosia sang again, her breath hitching with the strain. 

Another jellyfish tangled in her hair. She cried out in pain. The jellyfish caught her tail and her stomach, sparking with paralyzing energy. 

Bastian wasn't going to make it. "No!" He yelled out and the ocean responded to him. "Not her! You can't have her!" The water around Ambrosia swelled. Jellyfish flailed as they were scooped up with the mermaid and shoved at Bastian.

He opened his arms and caught Ambrosia as the water shoved them and the jellyfish into the roaring river. 

Bastian held her as the river swallowed them and they fell over the edge into black water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

Well, this is turning into a heck of an adventure. I'm going to need serious revision after this. XD

Will these two survive? What do you think so far of their relationship?