Wind blew on her face, tossing her curls away from her neck. Clara laughed, the thrill of flying humming through her blood. She felt a complete sense of freedom in the air. The sky spread out in its magnificent immensity. Plots of cultivated fields and untamed forests dotted the earth.

“There’s food in my bag. Take it then give my bag to Eryx,” Rai said to her.

She took out a packet, helped Rai sling off the backpack and gave it to Eryx. Poking his firearm, she asked, “What about your rifle?”

“Leave it. It’s too heavy.”

It did look enormous. He always kept it around like it weighed nothing more than a bundle of feathers.

“How come, you can lift it with ease?” she asked.

“The Shima are gifted with superior strength. Besides, I like weightlifting,” he replied with a shrug.

They flew through the clouds for hours. She had a meal of fresh fruits with wheat bread. When she grew tired of ogling the scenery, she turned to Eryx and asked, “How did you cast the spells on Enki?”

Eryx scratched his jaw. “I suppose I should start from the beginning. Do you know about aether?’

“The source of all magic,” she replied.

“Correct. There are three kinds of people in Aurion. The Mages, the Blessed and the Untouched. Mages are gifted with the power of magic, able to absorb and manipulate aether according to their will. The Blessed have traces of latent magic in their blood but they don’t have full control over aether. They can cast weak spells. They, however, cannot obtain a special power. The Untouched lack the affinity for magic.”

“What are the special powers?”

“Aside from spell-casting, a mage has unique abilities such as Poison Creation, Fire Manipulation, Light Bending, Invisibility and so on. Mine is Healing.”

“I can create crystals,” she said.

“Yes, you do have that ability but your powers are still evolving.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in thought.

“It's not your true power.”

She fiddled with the pendant. The thought of having more power left her disconcerted. She didn’t know whether she could handle it. The last time she had used too much of it, she had ended up with a fever.

“Since you already know how to draw out your magic, I don’t need to go over that,” Eryx said. “I would have taught you how to use magic stones but we can’t practice here. As for the spells, you need a spellbook. I’ll get you one later.”

She felt eyes boring on her face. Enki was staring at her, a strange glint in his eyes. He looked away. Although the claws on his back looked broken and restrained, his face had healed.

He was eavesdropping.

Mecha left her shoulder and fluttered to Tamer. It squealed at Enki but didn't hover too close to him. When it got bored, it hid inside Tamer's pocket.

Eryx directed his ragar to fly close to them. “Let me show you something.”

He held out his palm. A sphere swelled out at the top, shifting into the shape of an umbrella. The bottom lengthened and split into several filaments. It turned into a blue jellyfish. Clara poked the gelatinous membrane of its body. It floated away, the strings slipping over her hand. She didn’t feel any sting.

“Try creating yours,” he said.

She closed her eyelids and imagined a white jellyfish capering on her palm. When she opened them, there was nothing.

“You have to concentrate, Clara. Draw out your power, mould it to a shape. Feel the energy moving to your hand. Pass it to the object. Give it life.”

His words became a chant to her ears, spurring her on. She tried again. She felt warmth in her chest. It trickled to her fingers. Her mind evoked the image of a jellyfish growing, gliding in the air.

A speckle of light burned on her palm, enlarging to form a crooked shape. It looked like a deflated balloon with a thread attached to it. She willed it to become larger, to expand and take a proper shape. It did her bidding.

“There,” Eryx said, a ghost of a smile on his face. “That’s it.”

The shape became a jellyfish. It tap-danced on her palm just as she had imagined it. Rai chortled. It inflated, the soft membrane becoming so large that Eryx had to push his ragar to the side. Clara tried to stop it from growing but it didn’t obey.

The ragars clicked, razor-like teeth snapping. The jellyfish floated up over her head, enlarging even further. Their mount jolted forward.

“The ragars are getting distracted,” Tamer said, a hint of strain in his voice.

“Stop! Stop!” she said, waving her hands at the jellyfish. It sped around them in a circle before busting with a whoosh. Clara sighed with relief.

“You did well,” said Eryx.

“But I scared the ragars!”

“The first time I conjured an object, it looked like a disfigured blob. My mentor had a good laugh,” he said.

She glanced at the tribal tattoos on his face. Despite his age, he looked young. How much experience and knowledge had he acquired over a century? It must be insurmountable. He piqued her curiosity. She wanted to know more about his people and their way of life.  

“Any other questions?”

“Tell me about auras,” the question blurted out of her mouth. “Mine is white, isn’t it?”

Eryx nodded. “Yes, it is. Each person has a different color. Two people could have a red aura but the concentration, hue and tone of the color will vary from one to the other so that each is distinct. It’s bronze for Rai, black for Tamer and forest green for Enki.”

“What about you?”

“I can’t see my own aura but Freya told me it’s cerulean.” The gleam in his eyes faded.

 She held his arm, hoping to comfort him. When he nodded at her, she asked, “How do you differentiate a good aura from an evil one?”

He glanced at Enki, a look of concentration looming over his expression. “When a soul is tarnished by evil, their aura is stained. It flickers in and out of view, splintering into tiny specks that swirl around the person."

“Like snowflakes?”

“More like a swarm of flies,” said Eryx.

She tried to visualize a glowing silhouette of a man shattering into fragments of glass, the light dying out as the corruption took hold of the soul, the buzzing flies curling around it in huge numbers.

“Or wriggling maggots,” Rai said.

The image was replaced by that of a rotting corpse perforated by squirming worms. She made a face at Rai and tapped the back of his head. He snickered.

Below them was an expanse of blue extending towards the horizon, the reflected surface shining like sparkling diamonds.

The Sea of Mayi.  

Clara slanted her eyes and caught sight of pink weeds undulating in the water. A creature jumped up in the air before diving back. It had the upper body of a crocodile and the tail of a fish.

“Kasar Cove is up ahead,” Tamer said.

The landscape was beautiful. She wished she could show it to Timothy. He had always loved the ocean. When she had been nine and he, a year older, they had played by the fountain with paper boats. Timothy had been the admiral of a fleet and she had be his nemesis, the notorious pirate. He had begged her to be the kidnapped damsel but she had insisted she didn’t need saving. Besides, she had enjoyed the catcalling and the sparring. They had used sticks as swords.

That was before Josephine chastised me for glorifying pirates, she thought, her mouth tugging at the corners. 

It was ironic how she had been saved by pirates then threatened. If Tamer and his companions hadn’t been on the ship, the events would have taken a different turn. So much had changed in her life. She had changed too. She wondered if things would ever be the same when she returned home.

What if I can never return? What if I don’t fit there anymore?

Contemplating over the future made her head hurt. She pressed her cheek on Rai’s back and let the wind blow away her worries. The ragars swerved to the left then began their descent. Their feet stroked the surface, splashing droplets of water on the edge of her trousers.

There was an island with a sheltered nook ahead of them. The ragars landed on the shores. They dismounted the creatures and took their bags.

“It looks like we arrived here before your friends,” Rai said to Enki.

Eryx flicked his fingers, the gag on Enki’s mouth vanishing. “What are the locations of the other seals?”

“Do you know what we’ll find inside the cove?” Clara asked.

“Sorry, I’m not ready to have my head blown off,” he replied, giving them a petulant look. “I suggest you stop wasting your—”

The gag was back on his mouth.

 Tamer stood in front of the ragars, cocking his head to the side. The creatures flew to the top of a cliff and huddled together before falling asleep. When he faced them, Clara noticed the tense expression on his face and the drops of sweat that glistened on his forehead.

“You don’t look too well,” she said.

 “The ragars became restless.” He tried to smile at her but it looked forced. “Let’s go. We don’t know when the others will arrive.”

She kept an eye on him while they moved away from the sea. Foaming waves brushed over the shores, licking the long stretch of sand. Clara looked to her right, admiring the colourful sea shells that peppered the dunes. Moss studded the surrounding rocks and shrubs sprouted out of cracks.

The cove was dark and smelled of brine. She could see the inside without the need for light but the others couldn’t. Eryx created an orb of blue light. It went up to the ceiling.

“No entrance,” Rai said, examining the cove.

“It’s probably sealed in the walls or the floor,” Tamer said.

Eryx scratched the sole of his boot against the sandy floor, searching for a clue. Tamer leaned on the wall, massaging his temple. Enki stared at them with indifference.

Clara pressed the tip of her fingers on the walls, feeling the coarse bulges and the smooth troughs. She rested her head on the surface. Deep breathing sounds reached her ears.

That’s not from me.

She twitched her ears, tuning out the pattering of heartbeats, the scrunching of sand grains and the splashing of waves. She heard it again—the profound sucking of air and the sharp release.

“I can hear breathing sounds from inside the walls,” she said.

Eryx stopped beside her and listened. “I can hear it too.”

“I don’t hear anything.” Rai shook his head.

“Neither do I,” Tamer said.

“I have enhanced hearing because I’m Zamari,” Eryx said. He gave her a scrutinizing look. “You shouldn’t be able to hear that either, Clara.”

She was about to explain when she noticed Enki’s head angling up with interest. Did he truly know who she was? He’d recognized the necklace the last time she’d seen him.

“We could blow off the wall,” Rai said, diverting the conversation to the matter at hand.

“Don’t. You might destabilize the cave. We would also have to wait for the dust to clear and that might take days,” Tamer replied. “Eryx, can you use your magic?”

“I’m a Healer. My magic isn’t meant to be destructive.” Eryx moved to the mouth of the cove.

“You,” Tamer said, craning his neck at Enki. “You’re an alchemist.”

Enki glared at him.

“Free him,” Tamer said to Eryx. “He can use alchemy to create an entrance.”

Clara had a feeling Enki would be uncooperative. She didn’t want to witness another round of threats and beatings. With a sigh, she said, “I’ll do it.”

She held out her arms, palms facing outwards. A burst of power surged to her fingers, trails of white currents snaking around her nails, up her knuckles and on to her wrists. She directed the energy at the wall. White light coated the rock surface, transforming it into a sheet of crystal, brittle as glass. She tilted her hands to the side.

The wall shattered.

Beyond the glittering fragments was an opening to a tunnel. A thick layer of throbbing flesh coated it, yellow slime dripping down. The flesh bulged out, growing larger until it sealed the opening.

Snorting, Rai shot it with his guns. Bullets punctured the flesh, brown liquid gushing out. The holes filled up and flesh became whole again. With a shrug, he put away his guns. Tamer slashed at it, stepping aside to avoid the spurts of ooze. The bloody gushes receded.

It heals on its own. What is this thing?

Repressed laughter came from behind them. Enki’s form shook as he laughed, the gag on his mouth muffling the sounds. He was enjoying the spectacle. She cast him a scathing look.

Tamer lit the scimitar before stabbing the flesh. Black fire blazed around it, smouldering it to ashes, leaving behind a blackened tunnel. Enki stopped laughing.

“Step in,” Tamer said when the flames had died out.

She walked into the tunnel, hating the acrid smell of burnt meat. They entered a massive cavern splayed with stalagmites. White crystals sprinkled the rocks, bouncing off prisms of light on the ground. Cones of stalactites hung from the ceiling like sharp teeth. Patches of flesh and tentacles ensnared the walls, pulsing with life. There were muddy pools on the floor, bubbles frothing on the surface. The cavern looked like the inside of a living, breathing creature that had been half-turned to stone.

 “What a dazzling sight.” Rai made a gagging sound.

Eryx touched one of the crystal embedded on the rocks. “Felicinite deposits.”

Tamer stopped next to a pool. He picked a lock of hair from his head and cut it with a knife. When he dropped it on the bubbling liquid, it fizzled. Smoke curled up. Returning his knife to his belt, he said, “Don’t step on the ponds. The liquid is probably some sort of an acid.”

Clara looked at the ground, memorizing all the areas that had been taken by the pools. The cavern led them to a smaller chamber. At the center was a ring, large enough for ten people to stand on. It was surrounded by the murky pool. Seven walkways connected the ring to seven smaller openings, one of which was the entrance.

“We’ll split up. The seal is somewhere around,” Tamer said.

Rai stepped on the ring. “Let’s see who gets there first. The loser will wash Amarant toilets for one week.”

“Stop with the games, Rai. This place isn’t a playground,” Tamer replied.

“Oh? Did I intimidate you? Admit it, you just hate losing.” Rai placed his backpack on the floor but kept his rifle on his back. He winked at Clara and said, “Don’t think you’re out of this. You’re now one of us.”

She felt a warm tug in her heart—a sense of belonging and acceptance. She didn’t voice her thoughts but she was grateful for his kind words. Sliding off the straps, Clara left her bag next to his.

Eryx waved his hand at Enki, the net on his mouth extending out to encompass his whole body. “Wait here until we return.”

The man tried to move but he remained transfixed at an awkward pose.

Rai chose a walkway on the left. Before he disappeared through the dark opening, she heard him saying “Ah, the sweet scent of victory.”

She smiled. When Eryx left, scraps of flesh grew over the openings, sealing them in. Four paths were left. She chose the one on the farthest right. She was about to leave when Tamer held her shoulders and wheeled her around.

His tall frame hulked over her, his presence dominating so that all she could see and hear and smell was Tamer. He studied her, eyes flickering with what might have been longing. He traced his hands up her arms, resting his fingers on the nape of her neck.

She gulped. Tamer leaned down until they were nose to nose. Clara’s pulse vaulted. Sensuous jolts speared her body. He tilted his head to the side, warm breath tickling her cheek.

“Be careful," he said to her ear.

He released her. She drew in a measured breath and swallowed it. She had to get away from him before her emotions overrode her mind. She deviated her attention to the opening, the thrumming of her heartbeats ringing in her ears.

Please, don’t trip. Please, don’t trip, the mantra resonated in her mind when she took quick steps along the walkway.

She could still sense his smouldering gaze on her back as the opening closed behind her. Before her eyes adjusted to the absence of light, darkness wound around her.

Black. Like his flames.

It made her all the more aware of his touch, of his lingering presence. Letting out a raspy sigh, Clara conjured an orb of light to erase the darkness. It grew to the size of a lamp. She tossed it in the air, willing it to float ahead of her. It didn’t get far. A tentacle wriggled out of the wall, smashing the orb to the other side. The thing sank back into the wall.

She halted her steps. The breathing sounds returned followed by the thumping and slithering of something. Clara created two balls of light, brightening the tunnel.

Four thorns hit the ground. A cloud of dust fanned out. Ropes made of flesh pulled the thorns up. They went up the ceiling then came crushing down again. Further ahead, more tentacles burst out of walls at certain intervals. She had triggered a series of traps.

She waited, counting the number of seconds it took for the thorns to stay up. They were big enough to not only pierce her but crush her bones.

One. Two. Three. Four.

She sent one of the orbs flying. The tentacle shot outwards, shattering it. It slipped back into a hole. The second orb was left unharmed. It stayed there for ten seconds before the tentacle moved. She drew the orb back just in time to avoid the hit.

After careful observation, she realized she had a leeway of four seconds to get past the thorns and ten seconds before the tentacle attacked. Tamer, Rai and Eryx probably had their own trials to deal with unless they got lucky.

When the thorns were suspended up, Clara ran. They thumped down behind her but she had made it through. Relief washed over her. She whispered a silent prayer. She stared ahead, surprised to see a wall at the end of the passageway. Would a door emerge when she reached the end?

The white orb skittered ahead, the tentacles ramming behind it. Once they had retreated, Clara moved on. She allowed the light to guide her. It illuminated a long strip of about five meters. Brown liquid effervesced. The only way forward was to wade through the deadly pool. It would melt her skin all the way to the bone marrow. She knelt down, her arms igniting with magical energy. She willed a layer of crystal to form over the pond, dense and transparent. It elongated into a bridge. With the path now safe, she carried on.

She was so close to the end of the pathway. Just a few more paces and she would be out of the claustrophobic tunnel. Tremors coursed through the sandy ground. Small stones danced up and down. Something was moving below her feet.

Taking it as a cue, she ran the rest of the way. No door emerged. The wall remained undented, a smooth darkened rock that looked intimidating. The tremors turned to strong quakes. Suddenly, tentacles sprouted out of the floor, coiling around her ankles. They pulled her down. With a terrified yelp, Clara sunk into the sand.