Maria and the Kelpie [Fighting the Lake]
Leopold hadn’t thought ahead. It was very unlike him. It was the reason Levi and Estelle were following him and he was following instinct quite blindly into a horde of enormous fungi. “Not far off the path,” she had said. He strained for any more details, but Maria hadn’t said much; he hadn’t let her get far. He wasn’t the best actor. He should’ve drawn out belief in her story a little. But in reality, all he could do was wander a little way down the beaten path, pick a side, and veer off into the ferns aimlessly. He liked to believe he knew which way he was going. Levi certainly thought Leopold knew, confidently at the heels of the King, looking ahead as though thinking he might walk into the lake at any moment.
But Estelle knew Leopold was faking confidence. She’d known him longer than Levi had; the current captain had only been inducted after Leopold was King, after Levi had saved the princess several times in one night. Estelle had seen the King’s clumsy feet turn left before he turned his body right and nearly tripped over himself, tangling his own knees. He had no idea where he was going. She said nothing, hoping just a little bit that he would eventually admit it and look all the more foolish.
She was therefore disappointed (thrilled) to come upon a much smaller lake about a half a mile from the path. Levi didn’t look at all surprised since he expected to find the lake all along but Leopold, who had been leading them, was very surprised. He didn’t let it show too much, allowing his Captain of the Guard to step in front of him, sword at the ready.
They waited, nobody sure what for. Estelle expected to see the water move on its own, as she had witnessed the first time she’d been to the lake closer to the city. Levi expected the water to give a great, seemingly unaided heave and swirl into the body of the young Ancient he had seen the first time, the beautiful Ancient they had all been able to see. The King wondered if, in the brief time that nothing happened, for the third time in his life, it would be the same Ancient--the Kelpie--that he had met near his home when he was ten.
For more than many minutes, nothing happened. So Levi asked permission to approach the water. The King agreed, a little relieved someone was brave enough to do it before he had to. But Levi was always risking his life to save Leopold. Ever since he’d been a lowly soldier, he dreamed of personally serving the King. Now that he got the chance, he wasn’t going to squander it on the shore. He was going to prove Leopold had made the right choice in promoting him to Captain.
But he felt a bit foolish, standing beside a clear lake with his sword drawn. He had half hoped stepping closer would trigger a response in whatever ancient beast was lurking there. The water rippled from a sudden breeze, making him jump. But when nothing happened, he felt like an idiot again, jumping at wind. He even went so far as to jab the surface with that point of his sword, maybe expecting it to hurt the lake, and therefore, the waiting Kelpie.
Nothing. Leopold began to think maybe Maria had made everything up after all. There was nothing here. But no, he didn’t believe she’d make up a story like that just to get his interest. He didn’t even know if this was the lake she’d talked about. Maybe he had led them astray after all.
“I knew it.”
Maria jumped down from an overhanging mushroom limb and very narrowly missed Estelle. But Maria was a practiced climber. It was really all she had to do with her free time. And her long skinny arms and legs made it very easy to be agile off the ground. She stalked towards her father, nearly his height, and glared. But it was a hopeful glare. She expected him to apologize.
“Maria, what are you--?”
“I knew you would listen to me. So why’d you try to make me look like an idiot?”
Leopold faltered under his daughter’s withering gaze. It was the same as Leanna’s. Difference was, he loved Maria. And she loved him. So it actually scared him when she used that angry look on him, never mind that he was the King. For a moment, he thought of his happy, carefree daughter, Mariana the princess, not the renounced Maria. She never would have used those eyes on him or anyone, no matter how much they wronged her.
He didn’t get to say anything. The appearance of the King and his two companions had meant nothing to the lake, lying in wait for the real prize that it knew was lurking there. Maria had arrived. It was ready. The lake’s gentle ripples became hard, riding out an invisible gust of wind as they swirled in on themselves, forming a whirpool just under the surface. The King and Levi leapt back. Estelle backed into a mushroom stalk, staring in wonder. But Maria could not move. She was rooted to the reeds of the shore. Leopold made an effort to go back and grab her, astonished she had not been quick enough to flee. She was quick in nature. It was about the only positive trait she possessed.
But the lake was suddenly flung into the air. The entire sum of deep water rushed towards the invaders as though a giant arm reached up to smite them. Levi pointed his sword menacingly at the water, as if that could possibly protect him, arm wound around the waist of the thin King. He had dragged Leopold to the ground while Leopold was trying to get at Maria. The King was screaming her name, but Levi was stronger. He pinned him there, watching the wave descend. It had all happened in an instant. Maria was facing the flying lake, arms outstretched as though embracing it, but really, she had just forgotten how to use her arms.
It crashed down, tons of cold water pounding four human bodies into the dirt, completely emptying the hole and sending it into the forest, swamping the surrounding areas. Levi and Estelle both hit their heads, but only the weak King was gone, poleaxed, eyes transfixed on something that wasn’t there, out cold. Estelle was lying there, breathing hard, but Levi leapt up, searching for the Kelpie.
It stood there, paws poised in majesty. It had been ready. It had waited for this attack, enduring the short time Maria was gone, expecting her to return with a huge force. But there she was, drenched, trembling, she couldn’t escape it. Not now that it had her fixed with its black gaze. Her tiny star had slipped into the black hole and eclipsed it, just like before, and it affected them both in a strange way. The Kelpie was merely staring at her. Having expected her, it now could not see what it had waited so long for. A skinny boy--girl--without a star. But somehow, it couldn’t look away. It had touched her again, earlier when she’d hit it, but not where its adhesive skin would have come into effect. She’d gotten away. It would have devoured her not an hour ago, but now it was confused.
Maria had never gotten a good look at the Ancient, having tried to escape it earlier. It looked to her like a huge, furless wolf, a mossy green deer with saber fangs and claws. It looked straight into her, not into her eyes, through her chest, as though it could see her heart pumping. With those pit eyes, she might just believe it could. Its ears were shock point forward, its tail paving the air, the hair of its long, boneless tail was weeping lakewater. It quivered, but it didn’t know why. Only ten days ago, this same human was tiny and round. Blubbering. The Kelpie had felt its fear, just like it did now.
I can hear you.
These were not words; they were sounds that Maria just understood, as if she had discovered the wind’s language. It was as though she were looking at someone and reading the tilt of their lips, the angle of their eyebrows and knew their exact meaning. She mirrored them at the same time, maybe earlier, she could prophesize the emotions and was forced to counter them with her own. She wanted to counter them, but she had to feel them first. She could read the words out loud, but they had not been said, they were only meant. Conversing by expression.
The beast was talking to her, through her, somehow. She would have felt victimized, but she couldn’t because she knew she had meant it too, meant it first. She could hear it.
Her knees hurt, but it took her a moment to figure out why and then wrap her hands around them. She was on the ground. When did that happen? Then her fingers inched through her dirty hair because she felt sure she was two people now. Her head stapled together by her elbows, she pushed two Marias into one again and looked over at the beast. It was on its side now, head pushing towards her then pulling away, moving side to side in pain. It pawed at its ears, never quite reaching the head it had to put back together. Still, it recovered first. Getting to its shaky claws, it moved carefully towards Maria, breathing hard as though the freezing air pained it to breathe, and touched its nose to her warm cheek.
It met the point of Levi’s blade. He stood over Maria, sword positioned to waste the Kelpie. He was groomed to kill, maybe even born for it, definitely poised for it. He held it with two hands, the sword gripping the Ancient’s throat in clear warning that if it tried to kill Maria, he would have something to say about it first. Namely, a cut to the throat. Maria could say nothing. Her vision was doubled. She could see the legs of the Kelpie and the empty lake clearly, but then she looked down and saw Levi’s sword at her own throat. She shook her damp head and snorted like an animal. How were they joined?
She was suddenly backing up and soaring through the air in a jump that would be pure effort to a human body. The Kelpie had moved so quickly Levi had no time to react, but the Ancient was standing over the unconscious body of the King, claws poised to strike down on his unprotected neck. Levi immediately threw his sword from him, seeing the animal to be making a deal. Which was ridiculous, as beasts weren’t smart enough to gamble. Not smart enough to be this good at it, anyway.
“No…” Maria mumbled from the ground by Levi’s feet. She was still staring at the lake, her back to everyone. “I don’t want to hurt… father.” If Levi had been paying strict attention to her, he would have known she shouldn’t be able to see what the Kelpie was about to do. But Levi’s circumstances didn’t involve her. He stood his ground. If he got too close, or tried to pick up his sword again, the animal would kill the King.
“What do you want?” he said. He didn’t feel at all like the animal wouldn’t be able to understand him. He knew better. The Kelpie didn’t move its menacing paw, but it jerked its muzzle in Maria’s direction. She didn’t see, kept on shivering from the cold lake water, but Maria spoke in a voice unlike her own covered by the chattering of her teeth.
“Give me that human,” she croaked, as though unused to her own throat and vocal chords. They were hesitant, they were like first words. Startled, Levi looked around at her. Her eyes were shut, her jaw clenched, her hands pushing her temples closer to the bridge of her nose. She didn’t seem capable of saying anything. But she moved her bared teeth to continue. “I will not harm the little Sun,” she pushed out, gasping. It was as though someone was screaming to her the words of a script she had no choice but to recite. But she wanted to say them. They were her words weren’t they? “Give me that human. The tall one.”
“Okay,” Levi said, hands out. “Okay. Don’t hurt the King.” Never until now would he consider such a thing, even in a jest or a lie, but under the circumstance of Leopold lying in danger’s way.
“This pathetic aaah!” Maria yelped in pain and clapped her hands over her ears as though it could stop the instructions. “This pathetic Sun is your King!?” she shouted, tears ripping down her cheeks as though trying to refill the lake. She laughed, insane, as the Kelpie tossed its proud head. “Give me that human!”
Levi found himself rolling into the giant hole in the ground as the Kelpie slammed its thick body into him. It seized Maria’s jacket and lifted her easily, then started dragging her away, letting her shoes fall off as they were tugged over thick fern roots and muddy rocks. Everything was damp now, earth and trees alike. Maria showed no sign that she knew she was being moved, only kept groaning and clutching at her head.
“Wait!”
Estelle rushed forward, startling the Kelpie into taking another whirling leap and facing her, snarling around its mouthful of the jacket. But Estelle showed even less hesitation than Levi as she thrust her hand forward and in it, the book.
“Here.” She marched forward, with purpose, and slipped it into Maria’s pocket. Then she stepped back. The Kelpie lowered its great head as if in understanding, then bounded off into the forest with its new prize. Now Estelle’s conscious was clean. When they found Maria’s body, the King couldn’t claim Estelle hadn’t given her the book as he had instructed. Like hell she was going to be caught with it when Leopold discovered his Maria was dead.
Neither she nor Levi asked what the beast was going to do with her.
