Page 8 of Unmoored

To my reliefanddismay, I looked up to find a massive stone building nestled at the bottom of a terrifying cliff. From where I stood, it appeared to be about a half-mile away, and I thought I saw figures moving on the grounds. Everything on this island was gloomy and wet, the ground seeming to shift in all directions with each step forward, but I knew my mind was playing tricks on me.

Just get there,I told myself.

It took what felt like an eternity to trudge across the terrain to the grounds of the sanitarium, and I seemingly passed out before I even made it. Thankfully, someone found my unconscious form, as I woke once more tied to a bed in a sterile room, wearing a white shift and hooked up to a saline IV.

Thank goodness,I thought, the realization that I was, in fact, alive setting in. I’d made it to the Akala Asylum despite my wretched father’s foundering ship, and I was no longer dying of dehydration.

Soon I was swarmed by a doctor, two nurses, and a few men and women in suits. It took nearly an entire day of pleading to convince them of what had happened to me.I was Hazel Emerson. I’d been in a shipwreck, but I survived and swam to the beach.

I left out any information regarding Draya. These people weren’t to be trusted, and something inside me wanted to keep the secret of the hauntingly beautiful creature I’d had the blessing to see. Either they would believe me and immediately try to find him, or they’d label me as a lunatic, neither of which I was willing to risk. Though in truth, they already thought I was mad. I wasn’t entirely convinced I was sane myself, by this point, as there was a high possibility this had all been a vivid dream.

Eventually their questioning tapered off, although I could tell they were still skeptical of my identity and my story. Whether or not they believed me, they admitted me into their care, and I began my new life as an inpatient at the Akala Asylum.

6

DRAYA

Leaving Hazel on that dreadful island was far more difficult than I would have liked to admit. I didn’t know why I bothered with her at all, really, but her story seemed so…tragic. She’d lived a sheltered life under her father’s rule, only to be sent to live in captivity with anyone else the humans deemed a disgrace to their society.

The entire concept of the Akala Asylum never sat right with me, nor my people. Unlike humans, we didn’t ostracize those who suffered from deep sadness or wandering thoughts. Instead, we worked together as a community to provide them with whatever help and support they needed. The Talassi were not perfect, as no group of sentient beings is, but I believed us to be far more advanced as a society than humans.

Regardless of my conflicting thoughts about the strange woman who was damn near immortal, I needed to get back home. I’d already been gone a day longer than expected, and my Commander would not be happy about it.

I pushed through the water, using my magic to sense the current I needed to follow. Traveling without a passenger who needed to breathe was much easier, as I could use the momentum and energy of the ocean and her tides to speed up my movement.

Relief washed over me as soon as I reached the outskirts of the city. The Talassian Capital was a dark metropolis built into a massive underwater volcano in what the humans called the Atlantic Ocean. Our home was tucked away in a much larger string of volcanoes extending off the northeastern coast of the United States, known as the New England Seamounts. Our volcano was no longer active, yet its structure allowed us to build a thriving city into its tunnels, caverns, and hidden alcoves.

From above, it looked like an undersea mountain. The surrounding water was a vibrant azure, but the terrain was mostly black and grey sediment, occasionally dusted with coral and kelp. The city was close enough to the surface that some light reached us, though we mostly used magic and bioluminescent algae inside the caverns and its hollow center.

Talassian cities and outposts blended into the natural habitat of the ocean. We lived in harmony with the ocean itself, and we protected ourselves and our homes with magic. While some Talassi had human lineage, full-blooded humans were not permitted within these walls. We had to protect our sacred habitat, especially with people like Emerson running trade routes above us.

As I approached, I was greeted by the dark, volcanic rock of the cliffs adorned with windows, balconies, passageways,surrounding a grand entrance gate leading into the city.

I stopped at the entrance, straightening the braided harness I wore, indicating my status as a Warrior. The gate itself was made of black iron panels salvaged from sunken ships, and the spires were accented with sparkling ivory pearls. To the left was a window to a gatehouse, and I saluted the Talassi soldier inside.

“Greetings, Draya!” He called, and I heard the screech of metal rubbing against stone. Slowly, each panel of the gate separated, and I was greeted by the Talassian Capital waiting inside.

“Thank you, sir,” I replied, my heart warming as I swam through the gate and took in the sights and scents of my home.

I followed the main route through the middle of the city, waving to the other Talassi as I passed. Homes, shops, and stalls for food adorned both sides of the path, marked by stalagmites made of volcanic rock. Fish and other sea creatures swam freely in and out of the city, and I felt the brush of a small tentacle as I moved toward my destination. I turned, grinning when I spotted the octopus. Octopuses were some of my favorite sea creatures, their intelligence and playful spirits always lifting mine. This one was particularly cute, its bright red limbs swirling around my arms before floating off into the city.

My first stop was to inform the Queen and my superior of my arrival, then explain why I hadn’t returned with what I’d been tasked to retrieve, somehow weaving in the tale of how I’d found Hazel and returned her to the humans.

Sighing, I hovered over the black stone steps leading toa grand doorway, held up by pillars made of cracked crystalline rocks. The Queen’s manor was the largest residence in our city, and it was undoubtedly the home of a royal. Everything inside was spacious and open, and light filtering through the reef above made the cracks in the walls and floor sparkle under the currents.

Her personal guard greeted me at the entrance, and escorted me directly to the throne room.

“Welcome home, Captain Draya,” she drawled, perched upon a massive conch shell with a seat carved into it. She was a beautiful woman, with deep red hair and emerald green skin, contrasting her light green eyes. She wore a corset made of shells and beads, and a diadem made of coral-shaped gold sat atop her head.

The throne sat in the center of a raised dais, and beside the Queen floated my superior, Commander Adri. I bowed at the hip, paying my respects, and mentally prepared to be peppered with questions.

“Glad you’re home safe,” Commander Adri began. “Please brief us on your trip.”

“Thank you, Commander,” I started. “Although I regret to inform you that my trip was largely unsuccessful.”

The Queen raised a brow at me, gesturing with her clawed fingers for me to continue.

“I searched the Long Island Sound for any trace of Prince Inaki and his captors, even going so far as to spend a few evenings in my human form in hopes of finding a loose-lipped drunk in one of their smelly taverns. As far as the humans of Long Island, New York are concerned, they don’t seem to know the Talassi exist. Or that their precious spices and cargo are part of a much more sinister operation.”