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“So show her where to find the questions?” I speculate, though I’m not sure how to start.
“You can do that.”
I lean my head back, bumping it against the wall twice before I give Isolde my full attention. “But how?”
“Offer her an olive branch.”
“You know that saying?”
The queen scoffs. “Sweet girl, I know tons of Earth sayings, some older than the civilization you came from.”
ADELAIDE
DAY FIFTY-SIX
Imaginary hooks reel me toward the ocean, and I drag Ecaeris with me. He’s excited to go, but he doesn’t show it well. We’re still working with him to be okay with wanting. Just wanting. The smile on his face makes all my fussing worthwhile, though. It’s the first time I’ve seen him express genuine want on such a basic level.
As soon as we touch the sand, he has discarded his shoes and most of his clothing. I hang back and admire the scene until I see an indigo tentacle slap the surface of the water.
Clicking fills my mind, growing louder and faster, urging me to come play.
Indigo has grown so quickly that I can hardly believe this is the same mini kraken I met in the garden. But here she stands—floats—in all her glory, though I’m only privy to the top of her head while I’m on the shore.
Glowing purple eyes observe me as I test the temperature of the water. It no longer bothers me, but it’s an Earthly habit I enjoy. The young kraken does not appreciate my hesitant movements. She lifts the end of her tentacle, slapping the water once more, with the sole purpose of splashing me.
I ease my way into the ocean, trying to relax my mind enough to fully enjoy this suspended moment in time.
It’s difficult to focus on the now when war can befall us tomorrow, but I make it my mission. These are the moments that matter to me. Everyone has memories they’d kill to relive for the first time, and I don’t want to miss those opportunities because I’m worrying about something that may be months away.
The truth is, we don’t know when this war will start. We only feel that it’s coming.
And that’s why this one moment is more important than I thought it would be when I was walking to the beach with Ecaeris. It’s his infectious joy and witnessing his progress. The opportunity to see him indulge in something he really wants to do. It’s also the playful nature of Jade and Indigo. And the freedom to float in the ocean with nothing to worry about...
But all that goes away when war befalls us. It’s not just the people we need to keep safe. It’s the animals and plants, the rivers and oceans, the very air this world breathes. Every bit of that will be impacted by our actions, so once this war begins, we need to end it quickly.
I walk toward the end of the shallow water, a well-meaning tentacle guiding my way. As the water deepens, I submerge myself and have a brief flashback of my first adventure in this very spot… when I first met Jade, and she thought the aluminum jon boat was chasing me and tried to save me without knowing I had tied it to my ankle.
She scared the hell out of me.
But now, I see these creatures are simply misunderstood.
I’m going to keep you safe. I think this to myself, though I forget who is listening to my innermost thoughts.
Indigo’s clicking slows as she pulls me toward her eyes. They’re massive purple orbs, but there’s a knowing glint in them, a window into the giant cephalopod’s emotions that keep me privy to her secret.
She hears me.
And though our connection isn’t as strong as Isolde and Jade’s, it becomes stronger each time I’m in her presence.
Indigo’s skin is smooth despite the ridges and bumps that line her head. She has soft, gripping suckers on her tentacles that remind me more of an octopus rather than the teeth and spikes you find in a squid’s suckers. I don’t want to compare her to an animal that only lives for two years, but that’s the only reference I have.
When my life slows down, I’ll take the time to study her properly.
Before I can begin anymore of an examination, she pushes backward, gently pulling me with her into deeper waters.
This is the first time I’ve been this far in the ocean since I’ve grown in power... Or since swimming to the shore so many weeks ago. And it’s a marvelous sight that leaves me in awe.
The sun’s rays illuminate towering rocks and beds of coral. Small fish swim along the habitats in schools ranging from a dozen to hundreds. I’m not familiar with their species, but their behavior is captivating as they circle Indigo and me. Light reflects off their iridescent scales, but once they switch direction, they become completely camouflaged in their environment.
