The Absolution of Scales II

Our heads bobbed in the center of the lake, and our mouths quivered from the icy waters. Ida swam next to me, her bronze skin blanched with fear. Ahead of us were Eris, Cain, and Ardon.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five… Where was Bruis?

“What are we supposed to do?” Ida muttered through her tears, her lips already turning blue.

“We have to kill a fish. What do you fucking think we have to do?” Eris turned and snapped back at her.

“She’s scared, Eris,” I retorted.

I placed my trembling hand on Ida’s shoulder. “We are going to figure it out. Don’t worry.”

Bubbles erupted in the waves before us.

“Holy shit, we are gonna be eaten alive!” Ida cried, splashing frantically.

Slowly, something emerged from the depths.

“I caught one! I caught one!” Bruis cheered as he finally crested the water, one hand held proudly over his bald head, clutching the Bloat-Scale. The fish was grotesque—its belly was a large, translucent sack of gunk, its mouth oversized and gasping.

Eris scoffed. “How did you do it, lard-arse?”

“That’s enough,” I said sternly.

“Shut up, cunt. Why do you think you’re in charge?” Eris sneered, his eyes narrow and cold. “We are all gonna die. No sense in playing nice.”

I shrugged off his insults and turned back to Bruis. “Ignore him. How did you do it, Bruis? How did you stay down so long?”

“The vial the priest gave us.. i—it must make it so we can breathe under water.”

“Oh, great. Let’s prolong the inevitable.” Ida whined, raking her hands through her raven-black curls.

Bruis chuckled, “I swam down for a bit, and then I saw one. It just let me catch it—the bastard didn’t even put up a fight.”

Cain swam forward, his face twisting. “How were you able to catch one so easily? You don’t even deserve it.”

“Hell I do!” Bruis barked.

Partake of its flesh, and you will be pardoned. The priest’s words echoed in my mind.

“Take a bite, Bruis.” I urged.

“Yeah, lard-arse, eat up.” Eris and Cain jeered in unison.

“No, arseholes,” I snapped. “Remember what the priest said. Partake of its flesh and you will be pardoned. You have to eat it.”

Without hesitation, Bruis bit deeply into the side of the Bloat-Scale, tearing out a chunk of grey, fatty flesh.

“Mmm. I-it’s delicious!” He took another bite, slime coating his chin. “Tastes like roasted hog!” He tore into it again. “And my mother’s blueberry pie!”

My brows knitted together.

Dark, necrotic veins started crawling up the sides of Bruis’s neck. His skin began to swell, his face turned a sickening hue of aubergine, and his eyes glazed over.

“Bruis! You have to stop!” I panicked, reaching out.

“I can’t!” He choked out, his eyes were bulging, the whites of his eyes turning red as tears ran down his face. “I can’t stop! Help me!”

Before I could reach him, Bruis’s eyes rolled into his skull. He tipped back, belly-up, the half-eaten fish still in hand.

“My gods,” Ardon whispered.

“I can’t do this.” Ida was sobbing, then her body simply slipped beneath the surface.

I dove in after her.

The water tasted like mud and iron. I hesitated to take a breath, my instincts fighting to keep me alive. But when my lungs finally began to burn, I took a tentative breath. Bruis had been right; the potion’s magical properties allowed me to breathe underwater as easily as breathing mountain air.

Below, Ida’s limp body drifted down towards a jagged trench.

I kicked hard until I could wrap my hand around her bicep. I tried to yank her back towards the surface, but she thrashed against me.

“Let me go!” Her words were muffled, bubbling through the water, but the rejection was clear.

I released my grip.

How could she give up so easily?

She drifted the last few feet, her bottom finally touching the silty floor. A dark shadow erupted from the rocks—a creature of stone and algae.

The Rock-Scale.

She was gone in the blink of an eye. The Rock-Scale didn’t even have to hunt her; it just had to wait long enough for someone to stop trying.