These Hellish waters are shockingly full of life.
For three days now, I've been diving in underground pools and reading more of The Luminous to the monster who keeps me in chains. I'm not sure why, but the Fell hasn't made me do anything else besides the readings, which are mostly done in bed before we go to sleep. Otherwise, during the day–if I can even call them that–she feeds me my meals which we share together, washes and grooms me as needed, and simply lets me do whatever I want. Except leave.
Which, invariably, is cave swimming.
The flora and fauna of the Hells are entirely different from those of the Heavens, though they share some similar species. I find plenty of snakes, turtles, crawling lizards, salamanders, frogs, fish, dragonflies, snails, crustaceans, and more. Though familiar in kin to those in the Heavens, they're wildly disparate in terms of color and morphology, much more bright or pale or oddly shaped.
But then there are the others. Crabs that look like scorpions. Newts without any eyes. Snakes with tails so long it's absurd. Worms like spindly twigs. Amphibians with only two legs, both up front. Salamanders with frilly gills dangling from their heads like horns. Spiders with webbed legs that swim almost like squids. Slugs that look like rocks with coral and algae growing on them. Crayfish with four claws, two bigger, two smaller. Little beetles with what look almost like rose thorns on their carapace. Big long bugs like millipedes but are hard and jointed like crustaceans. Even soft, squishy worms that look like centipedes, with cute little antennae on their heads.
It's all so fascinating.
Right now, I'm searching for one thing in particular that I've only caught a couple glimpses of so far. The frigid water is icy, but in a way that's refreshing, and it's incredibly clear. The Fell gave me this big, brightly glowing luminodiamond which I keep in my mouth or hold in my teeth as I keep low to the rocky substrate and crawl along through the rocks and coral. I think too much light might scare them off, so I'm keeping my lips only slightly parted for just enough to see by, which keeps both my hands free. Damn, I wish I had one of these luminodiamonds back home. It would be a huge help in the deeper sections, especially when I dove to feed the twilight and nocturnal eaters.
I wriggle through a gap in the rocks and find myself in a little enclave. The substrate here is all small pebbles, and the rocks around me are big enough to provide plenty of hiding space. Perfect.
First, I close my lips a little tighter. Just a sliver of white light, a mere hairsbreadth is all I need here. As slowly as I can manage, I undulate my wings and tail until I'm flat to the floor. Peering into the crevices and cracks, I carefully move myself closer and closer as I watch for any flicker of movement.
There.
I grab for it as fast as a blink.
Soft, squishy, squirming victory.
I pull it free and dart for the surface, coming back up at the pool's edge with a deep gasp. "Got it!"
"Wonderful," the Fell hisses with a smile, sitting on the edge just in front of me with her legs submerged, and she holds out the bucket for me. "I knew you could do it…"
"Fast hands." I snicker as I gently set the thing into the bucket, spit out the luminodiamond, and have a look. It's a weird, off-white, textureless amphibian with eyes like pinpricks, a lengthy body like an eel, four tiny little legs, and an odd oblong head with a flat snout and two small, frilly, pinkish external gills. "Wow. That's so bizarre. What is this thing?"
"I… don't know," she whispers, passing me a small gray hand towel.
As I dry my hands off, I question, "You don't know? But you knew all the other animals."
"I don't know what you've caught, rose. I…"
It takes me another second. "Oh! Oh. Sorry. Um. It looks just like an albino hatchling lung dragon. Four legs. Frilly gills."
"Ah. That's an olm." She smiles a touch brighter. "They're quite elusive. And slippery."
"I'm used to catching slippery things." I prop myself up on my elbows at the edge and reach for the notebook, quill, and inkwell she gave me. "There are a bunch of freshwater eels in my skyland's waters. The trick is the same as it is for snakes. Grab them right behind the head and hold tight. If all else fails… loose threaded canvas or hemp netting. It works wonders."
"Hm. I'll have to remember that."
"Or lure them into something with food," I chuckle, quill scratching as I sketch out the olm in my notebook, then start taking notes on its appearance, behavior, and habitat. "Do you know what these things eat?"
"I believe that'd be… Insects, shrimp, snails, some small crustaceans… They swallow things whole. It's quite interesting to see. So I'm told…"
"Wonder if there's any color variation. I'd have to look for more." I fall quiet as I finish my notes, give the little thing a good check for injuries or disease, and then gently clasp it in hand once more. "Be right back."
She caresses and pets my head with a warm hand. "I'll be waiting…"
With a grin of my own, I nod before popping the diamond back into my teeth and diving back down. My tail and wings propel me deep to the bottom, past colorful glowing gemstones and vibrant coral and luminescent creatures. When I return to the small enclave, I release the olm back to where I found it, and the slender thing vanishes into the rocks.
Pushing off the bottom, I resurface once more. "I'm back."
"Welcome." Her red tail winds around my torso under my arms. "Shall we have some lunch, sweet rose? You've been swimming all morning."
"Um. Yes, I'm hungry."
"Of course."
Keeping her tail tight, she leans over to latch the accursed chain back onto the collar around my neck. She only took it off so I could swim without getting caught on anything. Once it's on, I slip out of the water with the help of her tail and stretch my arms overhead.
"What are we having today?"
"Devilfish. Somewhat large. White meat. Flaky. Not oily or greasy. It's… quite good with salt, rosemary, and citrus. Lemons in particular. And a touch of butter. I'm certain… you'll enjoy it."
"That sounds perfect to me." I stand over her, only taller because she's seated, and only by a head at that. "Are we… Are we going?"
Her eyes are directed down toward the water. "Yes."
I wait for another few seconds. "When? Now?"
"Your body," she whispers, brushing her black hair behind her pointed ear. "It… It's wet. Drenched. You were… swimming. And your white hair. It's wet too."
Wavering in place, I hesitate to say, "Yes? It is. I just got out of the water."
"Your white scales… How far up do they go? From your legs. To your waist? Your hips? Lower?"
"Um. It's like… Yes, up to my waist. On the sides, that is. My torso down to the pelvis is skin. But then my legs are all scales, and it goes to… Yes, the scales follow my hip bones. Along that curve, the–the crease between hip and thigh."
"I see it. In mind." Her tongue flickers and then she blindly reaches out until she feels my leg, then takes a light hold around my thigh. "Mm. The water… Slick. Do your scales shine? Glimmer? Reflect? When wet, I mean."
"Um. Yes, a little. Sort of like a soapy sheen."
"Ahh… Beautiful. You sound, and feel, and appear… so beautiful. My lovely rose. White and red." Her hand slides upward and I tense up hard as my breath freezes, but she moves past my pelvis and up to my torso. "Your skin. Soft. So soft. You say it's tanned. How… How tanned? Is it… Brown? Pink? Gold? Olive? Amber?"
"I'm not sure. I think it's perhaps a few shades browner than beige? A small amount redder hued than golden. A couple shades brighter than a… light brown. And a touch more golden than something like blush."
"Yes. Yes, I see it." Her large hand holds my waist tighter, claws digging in slightly, but not enough to hurt. "And you're somewhat hardened. Soft at the surface. Tough underneath. I… like that."
I'm not sure what to say. Her grip feels…
Almost safe. She's holding me. Keeping me balanced.
Thank can't possibly be right. Can it? I must be wrong.
"Beautiful," she whispers, turning her head toward me but keeping her empty gaze just as low. "You are beautiful. Crimson. Truly… I cannot see you, but I know it. You are… Beautiful…"
My heart skips a beat and my stomach flutters.
That wakes me up.
Temptation. She's trying to sway me.
That's all there is to it.
"If you say so." I look away. "Are we going to eat?"
"Yes. Yes…" She sighs and slowly stands to tower over me. "Of course. You said you're hungry. Let's."
I say nothing, drying off with the towel and getting dressed, extinguishing the luminodiamond's light with a couple taps and slipping it into my pocket. It's a lie. It's a lie. She's a liar. Everything she says is deception. The Deceiver. The Defiler. All that she tells me regarding The Luminous. All the compliments and praises she gives. All the kindness and generosity she bestows. All of it is deceit.
Everything she says and does is a lie.
Especially when she says I'm beautiful.
I hate that it made my heart skip regardless.