Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [120]
I must save Quinn.
Mariko closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and accept that she was not in control. She envisioned herself standing in the courtyard outside the palace, holding Quinn by the hand. She could see the cherry blossoms and the sun shining above her and-
Mariko landed hard on her back, shot from the passageway into a much larger chamber, one that had yet to fill completely with water but was quickly flooding. Scrambling to her knees she took in great gulps of air, gasping for her life. Looking up, she realized where she was. The current had carried her back to the very center of the citadel-to Xeries's throne room.
As she caught her breath, the water rose over her elbows. Getting to her feet, she slogged toward the dais, but the room lurched again. The entire chamber tipped sideways. Mariko slipped off her feet and was thrown forward.
Reaching out as she fell, the princess grabbed the back of the throne. Rushing water ran over her, dumping in from the passage that was now above her. It pounded her head, hands, and shoulders. She tried to duck behind the dais and the throne, using them to shield her from the rush, but the citadel was shaking violently.
Struggling to keep her head above water, she shouted out the words to a spell as quickly as she could. Her fingers were growing weak, and she was losing her grip on the throne. Below her, the room was nearly full of water. It wouldn't be long before she was submerged once more.
She felt her fingers slip, and she fell back, her feet, legs, and waist dropping below the surface. Throwing her arms out to her side, she slapped at the water, kicking and pressing just long enough to get out the final syllable of her incantation.
Then the roiling current sucked her below the surface.
Tumbling, Mariko let herself be carried away. She tucked her body into a ball, covering her head with her arms as she drifted to the bottom of the filling chamber. The current shoved her down and down, until she was once again slammed up against the obsidian walls.
The water at the bottom, though still moving, was much calmer, and Mariko allowed herself to unfurl. Everything around her was thick and wavy, blurred by gallons and gallons of water. She could see the surface, shiny and silver, high above, and she could see the movement of the water as it poured in from the passage beyond. She took a breath.
It was an odd feeling, not at all natural, and she had to force herself. The cold liquid poured into her lungs. The first one made her cough and gag. Her throat scratched, and her chest felt heavy.
Though her magic had given her the ability to breathe the water, it required a lot more effort than air-a lot more effort than she remembered. It took some getting used to, but she didn't have the time to let herself adjust. Quinn was likely drowning at this very moment, and she had to get to him. "
Pushing off from the wall, Mariko swam toward the corner of the chamber and the passage Quinn had described to her. She could only hope he would still be there, still be alive when she arrived.
Finding the crack in the floor exactly where it was supposed to be, she plunged in head first, descending through the dark stone into the unknown. It was a long way down, longer she imagined now that the passage was flooded with water.
The darkness went on and on, until finally it was broken by a weak, orange light. Pulling herself out of the crack into a much larger room, Mariko crawled through the water. She dived toward the light, and the oblong-shaped object it emanated from. Squinting, she tried to see through some of the blur.
Everything in the room was piled into the corner, where the floor met the wall. Coming to rest on top of what now looked to be a giant ruby, Mariko started to dig through the rubble. This was where Quinn said he would be,