Another Day at Unity (12) (Patreon)

Hayden stumbled to her feet, her chest and eyes still burning and slime trailing down her mouth and nose to her soaking-wet dress. "Sorry... about that. I'm new at this."

The two figures in front of her were strikingly familiar—she had killed them both earlier today, from her perspective.

Both dressed in shiny silver armor, with a shield over one arm and a weapon slung across their back. Both were on one knee in front of her, heads bowed. They'd probably been that way since they helped her inside.

Only when she spoke did one look up. His daemon turned her head towards Hayden, confused.

The soldier said something—probably the same thing he had asked several times. Yet Hayden understood none of it. Maybe if we.

Her daemon didn't wait. Liz's antennae twitched, and his whole body glowed. He might not be so quick to master the rumored impossible powers of the manaphy—but all he needed was a connection. If they could share emotions, why not language too?

The soldier gasped, and Hayden did too. For an instant they were bound—Hayden felt his anticipation and fear for the fight ahead, eagerness to impress his league, and confusion at Hayden's appearance here. She shared the pain of her failure, the fear of confronting someone new, and the guilt of the lives she had to take.

He was older—but Hayden was mythical. She drew from their contact like water from a well, learning what she needed. But she couldn't press further, the way she might have with telepathy. This contact was meant to be mutual.

"Sorry," Hayden said, in a different language this time. "I had to borrow... Can you understand me now?"

"You're not Corwin," said the other soldier, finally standing. "This sea is very dangerous right now, stranger. Wherever you swam from, you should go back. This water is about to be a warzone."

The other one, Ahriman she now knew, wobbled as he stood, leaning one arm on the strange glass wall. "She did not swim here from strange seas, Gareth," he gasped. "This is her. The one Shaymin House sent to make their unjust demands. The one—"

"You were going to assassinate," Hayden filled in for him. "Even if that's true, we both know you can't touch me right now." She settled Liz against her chest, looking up into his eyes. "The Myrmidons are sworn to protect every manaphy across every sea. I don't think there's anything in your oath about exceptions."

"Do not be absurd, Ahriman," said Gareth. "Listen to her. Your impression must be wrong, this is no surface dweller." He gestured at the sealed door. "Your elder sister is here, honored visitor of the deep. She is supervising a... very important mission tonight. But she will want to meet with you regardless."

Hayden nodded eagerly. "Could I maybe change first? These clothes are awful. Tangling on everything, stiff and uncomfortable."

The two shared a nervous look, before Ahriman spoke again. I'm right about your oath. You can't lay a finger on me like this. The real manaphy could probably force her out of this shape, and certainly wouldn't be fooled by her transformation. But Hayden wasn't even trying to hide.

"When the airlock cycles—we could see the steward. There may be some... leftovers, of younger heirs. Are you here to rob us?"

"I'm here to save your lives," Hayden answered. "Not your mistress—she needs no protection of mine. Yours."

Gareth slammed his fist against the wall. The portal beneath sealed in a swirl of glass and metal. Air blasted past them for a second, and Hayden's ears stung. Even the incredible technology of this place had to contend with pressure somehow. Just how deep were they?

Are the other people here even human? The Sea Crown should kill them when they ascend from this deep.

Another second later, and the door opened. Light radiated from within, displaying perhaps the most incredible sight Hayden had ever seen. More spectacular than any Mew castle. Vast stone chambers filled with light emanating from silvery blue gemstones.

There were many people within—darker skinned, all with hair in shades of blue. They wore scandalously little in the way of clothing—little more than underclothes, of short cuts that made for easy swimming and drying afterwards.

Water was everywhere, running between canals and bridges and flowing down sculpted fountains and waterfalls.

Where they walked, the people bowed low, parting from in front of her. "Young princess..." they whispered, when they were brave enough to speak at all.

She stopped below one of the archways, extending her arm all the way into the water. "This place is amazing. This is..." Not Pokélantis. That was much larger than a single location. "The sea temple. Is Pokélantis this beautiful?"

Her escort eyed each other again. Ahriman whispered low, his voice harsh. "How could she not know? I tell you she's an outsider! Our princess will be furious with us for letting her see the temple. No surface-dweller can swim this way and live."

Hayden pulled her arm back, then stuck her head into the flow. Warm water washed over dark blue hair, carrying away some of the tangles. This wasn't saltwater either, but something fragrant and fresh. The temple's drinking reservoir.

She pulled her head back seconds later, shaking her long, dark hair. "Are you saying the Myrmidons judge manaphy now? Which is worthy, which is not?"

"No." Gareth yanked his colleague away from her by the arm. "We could only take you to the princess. That was already your command, yes?"

"Yeah!" She nodded eagerly. "Just... a change first, if we could."

That took less time than she feared. Through another tunnel into a sparkling veranda, then an empty, dusty bedroom filled with old things. Among them were many pieces of clothing in the style of this place—wraps of dark cloth, though most of these had little red gemstones adorning them.

She changed quickly, choking back her surface-dweller embarrassment at the strange fashion. It was not a difficult task, really. The person she'd become would feel comfortable in this. Shame she didn't have more time to copy that distinct pigtail style in the portraits, imitating manaphy's antennae. But her hair was still quite long, long enough to work into a quick facsimile of the long, thin mew braid.

Not a very skilled copy—even Julian would laugh if he saw it. It would have to do.

Someone tapped nervously on the door, and a soldier's voice sounded from outside. "Young... princess. Your elder sister has learned of your arrival. She insists that we meet her at the Crown at once. Are you ready?"

"As I can be." She met him by the door, Liz now riding comfortably on her shoulder. If the incredibly immodest top had one advantage, it was the straps on the back, with a little flap of fabric exactly the right size for her daemon to clamber inside and stand up. There he could rest one "hand" on her neck to steady himself, and have some modicum of independence.

As much as he would ever have in the high and dry.

"Eager to see her," Hayden said. "Your brothers and sisters of the shield—have they left for their assassination mission?"

"Th-they—" Gareth looked away. "No, princess. There is some concern that... the sea temple might be in danger. From you. We're all still here."

"That's good." She held out her hand, grinning at him. "Take me to her, please. I don't know the way."

He took her hand, enclosing her in his meaty grip with the delicacy of someone cradling an insect. Despite his words, he only led her.

"Ahriman isn't with you anymore," she said.

"Two of us are no threat to the prince of the sea," he said. "And he was convinced there was some deception. That you were here to take from us."

We pulled too hard, Liz thought. Borrowing his language. That impression overpowered everything else you shared.

Regrettably true. The Eldest warned that telepathy was a dangerous scalpel to wield on an unwilling mind. But when used correctly, it didn't leave someone so angry with you. Too bad manaphy couldn't wield it.

"I already did that," she said. "You murdered me, then I killed you. Backwards and backwards and backwards again—but I think this ending will be better."

He slowed as they came to another door, a towering metal edifice carved with a single striking bas relief. It showed something like a... giant spiky cake? With Manaphy swimming all around it, and not a single human figure. Their honored ancestors?

"Ahriman speaks boldly, but even he would never lift the trident against you, princess." He looked away. "No matter your name. Our covenant is clear. Whatever disputes you may have with your elder sister, we cannot intervene."

Then why stay here?

He pushed the door open with his free hand, then held it for her.

Inside was the single largest chamber Hayden had seen yet. It ascended a dozen floors at least, with doors on each one and water pouring in through huge pipes on various levels.

A single narrow walkway extended into the center, surrounded by luminous liquid on all sides. Hayden looked down as she walked, and saw people below. Humans and their daemons rode along in golden tentacles of living water, all connected to the object at the center of the room.

A five-tiered tower, lined with glittering blue crystal shards as long as her torso and thicker than her arms.

Only one other person occupied the round platform around the relic—a woman Hayden had already seen today. She wore a different outfit—basically the same as what Hayden wore now, without the layers of white lace. No crown, not even any shoes. Just her daemon, circling in the water around the platform in energetic spirals.

Let me down there! Liz pressed, leaning sharply to one side. He didn't wait for Hayden's approval, but leapt from her shoulders, landing in the water with an energetic splash. He zipped around her as far as he dared, joining the scattered fish. None of those yellow tendrils got anywhere near him, or their occupants.

Hayden grinned involuntarily, and her dignified advance turned into energetic skipping. She spun as she walked, holding out her arms to imitate what Liz was doing, and giggling along with him.

Until she reached the center, and realized the manaphy was staring at her.

Without celebi's insight or mew's psychic powers, her suite of tools were limited. Lady Seraphine watched her with icy flat eyes. They jerked to Hayden's long blue antennae, then the gemstone plainly visible in her skin.

"Myrmidon, join your shield brothers. Wait on my order to attack."

He lifted the shield from his back, smacking his armored bracer against it and dropping briefly to one knee. "As the sea commands, it will be done." He rose again, striding past her to the spires of crystal. Water roared up from below, and another golden tentacle swallowed him, washing him and his daemon away.

That left the two of them on the platform—and their daemons below. While Liz circled and played in the bioluminescent reservoir, Seraphine's manaphy closed on him, matching his pace like a shark might before lunging for the kill. Hayden couldn't see it exactly, but she felt it. Liz realized what he was doing, and didn't care—he accelerated, swimming faster and more erratically, weaving through the stone spires holding up the platform, dodging large fish and skimming the edge of golden tentacles.

Hayden started giggling again, flooded with his contagious joy.

"It fits you perfectly," Seraphine said, her voice a strained whisper. One hand clenched into a fist by her side. The other reached sharply behind Hayden, tugging her hair forward. She untied the braid with a few twitches of one hand, her fingers shaking. She held one of her own two pigtails up to Hayden's.

Then her voice cracked, and she released Hayden's hand. "I left flowers in your crypt only yesterday, Adeline." Her daemon stopped in the water, floating frozen. Liz realized what was wrong, and stopped swimming, circling back to him. "You never grew this tall."

Shit.

Hayden was frozen there for a minute, mouth opening and closing again in failed versions of the truth. I knew this form worked, but she didn't say why.

"I'm not the person you think," she whispered. "I wish I was." And it was true, right then. Surrounded by something so beautiful, basking in blue light warped by the Sea Crown's power. Living in a place like this Hayden could see the whole world and never leave home!

That's why we settled this way, Hadie. We wanted everything, Liz thought. Her daemon shared none of Hayden's apprehension about a stranger—he swam up to the other daemon and embraced him, holding him tight in those weird flipper-arms.

"Who?" The princess drew in a sharp breath, then dried her eyes on the back of her arm. "I know my sister's face when I see her."

Hayden looked away. "I'm not..." Even without the manaphy's bond between them, that pain was infectious. Something had been ripped away from her, leaving a bloody wound that never healed. "How did she die?"

The princess dropped to her knees on the stone floor, wrapping her arms around her chest. "Like a hero. Protecting... this." She waved one hand towards the spires. "But tonight, tonight she'll finally know how it feels. That bitch has something she can't afford to lose. This time she gets to bleed."