Page 147 of In Rising Tides

It was a riot of color and activity.

A peacock mantis shrimp scuttled over the spines of a staghorn coral, while a cuttlefish bobbed near the seafloor. It tucked its eight tentacles in tight to its body, waiting for its next meal to swim too close.

Drystan found a ledge nearby and perched upon it, stretching his arms above his head. He reclined on his back, watching the light ripple on the surface above.

Lyra hovered nearby, not getting too close to him. A zebra moray fled from beneath the ledge and into a nearby crevice.

Drystan whistled low and then chuckled.

“Guess he didn’t want the company.”

Lyra peered under the rock, expecting another one to be there, but it was empty.

“You can go explore if you’d like. Just don’t leave,” he said, peeking one eye open to see her.

She nodded and headed down towards the east end of the reef. Larger fish tended to gather there, like whitetip reef sharks and parrotfish.

Several square spots followed her.

She liked that kind of fish with its tiny orange body and bright-pink spots beside its gills.

They offered her a small amount of company without ever invading her space.

A blacktip darted by up ahead before vanishing from sight, and schools of fish fled.

There was so much to see.

Different textures and patterns. It was like a feast for the senses.

The water here was the perfect mixture of salt and oxygen, too, and Lyra inhaled deeply. It was fresh and crisp.

Her chest eased fractionally.

Plopping down on the sea floor, she grazed her fingertips along a brain coral, feeling the raised pattern.

A giant clam opened slightly before snapping shut again.

It was nice to be here, but strange, given that Drystan was a few dozen meters away.

A giant turtle swam by overhead, and she sat up to get a better look at it.

Something pebbled her skin, and awareness flooded her mind.

Lyra looked around for the intrusion, expecting maybe a larger shark or eel, but saw nothing.

She went to settle back down, but the feeling grew.

Somethingwas watching her.

Lyra swam back towards Drystan, and the feeling abated.

“Can I help you?” he asked with his eyes still closed.

She watched as his lips twitched at the corners, as if he were fighting back a smile.

“It felt weird on the east end,” she replied.

“Great white?”