Secrets Of Philmar

Never The Same

As Gabby’s eyes finally opened she found her self laid up against a huge boulder still in the ocean. She gasped as she found her self short of breath and breathing heavily. Her whole body was shaking ever so violently. She looked up to find Warrien bent down in front of her with a shocked face.
         She gasped, “What… happened.”
         Warrien stared strangely with astonishment then whispered, “ Not many people have been able to do what you did with just one try. You released all the power, its flowing threw your body right now. Usually you are only able to release small amounts at a time. That’s why you blacked out and that’s why you are shaking so violently. But after some rest you should be as good as new… well actually stronger and more powerful than ever.”
         Gabby tried standing up on her own but found she wasn’t ready to get up just yet when everything began spinning.
         “How long have I been out for?”
         “A couple of hours I was beginning to… but I did find this mare shelter, it’s not much but its all there is. It will soon be dark and we are only an hour’s swim from reaching open water and Damen’s sharks are out lurking near. So be aware. Don’t sleep to sound to night. “
         Gabby felt her heart sink deep down into her stomach, “now I definitely wont.”
         Warrien grabbed Gabby’s arms and helped pull her up and they began making their way swimming around the boulder.
         “This is where we’ll be sleeping for the night,” whispered Warrien his voice echoed only inches from her ear.  He gently let go of Gabby in front of the opening. They were in front of a huge bundle of boulders and they were stacked so perfectly that they formed a little house from nature.  The opening was just big enough for them both to squeeze threw. Once inside they both laid sprawled out on their backs sore from the journey. The space was about four foot wide and seven foot long. Gabby was just able to sit up comfortably. The space was tight but she felt safe, safe with the solidness of rock surrounding her and especially Warrien beside her. They were squished so close that Gabby could feel Warrien’s arms resting on top of hers and it brought her peace.
Gabby slowly closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but she found the water freezing and her lips began trembling.
She glanced over at warrien to see if he had the same discomfort. Warrien must have felt her stare because after a few seconds he turned his head to Gabby and whispered with a face of concern, “Your trembling… well, now that we are no longer swimming or moving around you can feel how truly cold the bottom of the ocean can be.” 
Then he raised his right hand up towards the rock ceiling as it began to lightly glow, until a small ball of red-hot energy floated above their heads.
“There that should help.”
It quickly brought warmth and sleep over took them both.
         
                   When Gabby awoke she found her self-alone in the shelter but it was a new day and light was cheerfully shinning threw the opening.
         Where is Warrien?
         As she sat up she felt a huge rush of energy flow all the way threw her body. As she rubbed her sore arms she felt unbelievable strength and reflexes. She felt no longer the same, she now felt immortal. Then she realized her mind and thoughts were no longer dark and foggy but bright and clear. Her mind was open to newer ideas and deeper thoughts.
         As she swam out of the shelter she found her self surrounded by the same familiar green, the forest of sea grass. Then Gabby’s heart thumped with happiness to find Warrien on the other side of the boulder.
         Gabby exclaimed to him, “You were right, after waking up today I feel like a totally different being.”
         Who am I? What am I? I feel like I will never fully know these answers. 
         Warrien lifted his hands up towards Gabby and to her delight they were filled with food, seaweed to be exact.
         Warrien proclaimed sternly, “Eat all that you can, so that you will have lots of energy because we will be traveling threw open water and we are most likely to run into trouble.”
         Warrien cupped his hands and from his hands he created a big bubble of fresh water. He gestured it towards her but Gabby said with dignity, “Wait, I can make one my self.”
         This time she didn’t close her eyes the power was already alive flowing threw her blood with great anticipation. She imitated the way Warrien had cupped his hands. Then she meditated her mind and whole heart on forming a bubble of water from the air. Then she released the power out of her hand, somehow. She couldn’t explain exactly how she had done it, but she did.
         So there in her hands was a replica of what Warrien had floating in his palms, a ball of fresh water. As she admired her great work, a grin formed across her face.
         I think I almost saw a smile on his face… How much longer will he hold in the old Warrien?
         Then suddenly her smile faded. Warrien must have noticed by the way he stared with curiosity in his eyes, but he never said or did anything about it. 
         “We must get going, I don’t want to be trapped in open water when the sun goes down.”
         Then they began once again swimming on their way. The time went by fast like lightning during a vigorous storm, as she played out everything that had happened to her and that she had been threw, in her head.  Then somehow she noticed the open trail becoming thicker and the seaweed vines slowly disappearing.  Just as Warrien had said they were slowly creping closer and closer to the open water.
         Then suddenly they reached the end of the seaweed and out over a hard rocky edge the ground suddenly dropped hundreds of feet. There they were looking out over dangerous open water. It was as if they had just burst forth out of rigid mountains into a never-ending desert underwater.  The way was unclear like a sandstorm in the water desert, murky and foggy. 
         As they swam forward, far away from the safety of the ground and a secret hiding place among the seaweed, she found the water suddenly drop in temperature, it felt strange and cold.
         Then Warrien interrupted all the discomfort with a deep whisper, “ be aware of your surroundings and keep a look out for Damen’s monster followers.”
         So she swam and swam with as much caution as she could, but the thought of Damen finding her and killing her made her extremely apprehensive.
Everything seemed to be good and Gabby felt a little hope shower over them, but then poured in the questions and negative thoughts, that seem to always finally capture you at all the wrong moments, imprisoning your mind and spirit in a dark empty room.
Maybe we’ll make it with out any trouble and we’ll get to Alea soon, after winning the war. It all seems so far away, I never planned for all this to happen, it has been so long since Alea was lost. Why does everything have to be so complicated? I don’t want to be in this war, I don’t want to…die! I just want my best friend back!
Then not only did Gabby not feel right inside but also something around her just didn’t feel right either. Her gut feeling was screaming warnings as her stomach tightly knotted together.
Gabby felt as if she was being watched, like someone or something vile was starring straight into her face, yet she couldn’t see anything there.
She glimpsed over at Warrien and noticed the uneasy expression written across his face.
Then he whispered with his eyes still scanning in every direction, “ so you too, sense a bad presence lurking around.”
“What ever it is its coming closer.”
With his alarming words Gabby ripped the dagger from its case around her waist and gripped it nervously in her palms.
Then her entire body fell numb with fear as she felt a rough ripple of water crash into her back. As she swooshed around in what seemed like slow motion she found herself only yards from a huge shark, but from its monstrous beaten form and red possessed eyes she knew it was one of Damen’s beasts.
It stared into her with a wicked snarl.
Then with a simple swoosh of its massive tail it rocketed towards her, slowly gapping its mouth open farther and farther reviling hundreds of razor sharp teeth. Its mouth was raw and pink, still bloody from its last victim. 
Gabby just stood there unable to move from immense horror.
She winced her eyes and thrashed her hands forward as its powerful jaws inched closer and closer.
Then as it reached only inches from her head, she saw something dart by her ear from her side vision, and then as her eyes focused she watched as sharp knives pierced into the shark’s gills.
As the shark flared in raging pain and blood poured into the water, Gabby took off swimming towards Warrien. He pulled more knives out sending them speeding towards the creature with a bold fury.
Warrien realized the shark was not giving up but only angrier and more dangerous.
Gabby stood in horror huddled so close to Warrien that she could hear his heart pounding out of his chest.
They stared as the monster jolted still, yet it turned towards them staring with a wicked smile. Then to Gabby’s surprise the shark darted the other direction, clear out of sight.
Suddenly Gabby felt as Warrien grabbed a hold of her hand and she found her self-being tugged along side him at his alien speed.
Once the surprise subsided Gabby began to pitch in and swim with some help.
“We haven’t seen the last of that monster… so if for any reason we get separated keep in this direction, land is only miles away. That’s the only advantage we have against the monstrous fish,” gasped Warrien sternly.
Gabby wasn’t sure how much time had passed it felt like years, yet she really didn’t know how long it had been. Maybe it had been hour’s maybe minutes, but she didn’t know.
Then as Gabby was swimming she felt that same familiar horrible presence.
Suddenly Warrien dodged in front of her, as she watched from behind she witnessed Warrien’s possible fate.  Out of nowhere the shark had reappeared and grabbed  Warrien’s left side with its sharp jaws.  She watched as the beast vigorously jerked him around as even more blood fogged the water.
But then the shark’s mouth gaped open in shock as Warrien electrocuted it with all of his power.
Gabby grabbed Warrien’s hand pulling him from the shrieking shark.  Warrien looked at her with eyes that told her he was in agonizing pain. As she looked down at his wounds she was relieved to find all his limbs in tack, but from his left shoulder to his belly button was ripped out flesh that followed to his back. But she couldn’t see the wounds clearly from all the pouring blood.
He’ll bleed to death. I have to do something.
But all hope for Warrien sank as Gabby looked up to find the monstrous shark coming back at her.
Why wont you die.
Then Gabby reached for her magic, as she grew angrier and angrier at her thoughts.
Why? First Alea is lost and probably dead, then my family’s hiding something from me, the Agias people are hiding something from me, Warrien was hiding something from me and now he’s going to die. Then I find out some total stranger Damen wants to kill me! And now his follower or rather a monster is trying to kill me.  And I don’t even know why? Why? Why? Why? I don’t want to die and I’m not going to! NONE OF THIS IS MY FAULT.

Then a burst of wind and bright light exploded out of her, swooping up the monster that had swam only inches from her face.
It was like a tornado under water as it was unleashed yet still under her control. It swirled violently spinning the monster around so fast that it seemed to be standing still.
Then it began to rip the creature apart and spit its pieces out until there was nothing left and all was over for the beast.
Gabby quickly turned to Warrien were his eyes were swelled with astonishment. Yet as she reached to grab him he passed out cold from lose of blood and shock.
Luckily he was still some how breathing.
Gabby was weak from all the strength she used and just glad she hadn’t passed out, knowing that if she had it would have been the end of Warrien, herself, Alea, all the Agias civilization, and all of Philmar. Everyone would have been doomed.
Her hands were shaking and she found it hard to breath in the same supernatural way she now breathed in, underwater.
With all the strength she had left she grabbed Warrien with both arms placing him underneath her to save his wounds from the pressure of the water and her speed.
His head and arms hung forward as his back embraced her chest and his fins bobbed into hers as she swam with all her might towards shore.
Soon she was drizzled with a little bit of hope to find the water becoming shallower and the shore visible up ahead.
After pulled herself and Warrien up on to the safety of land Gabby collapsed onto the sand. Suddenly a tingly sensation ran up her entire body. She felt strangely different and heavy. As she sat up she noticed her old robe clung wet to her body and her old clumsy legs extended from underneath it.
Then she remembered the Agias Queen had told her that once she touched land she would turn human again, but if she went back into the ocean her body would once again transform.
She turned over to Warrien who also was in human form. His new muscular human legs were partially covered by black belted breeches, but his bare chest reviled his fatal bleeding wounds.
As she felt his chest her heart sank, as there was no sign of movement, with shaky hands she leaned over to his head where she listened for breathing but she heard nothing.
         He’s gone, it can’t be, Warrien’s dead!
         Quickly she put her hands on his wounds and chest desperately trying to heal him but nothing worked not even magic, it only left her there in despair.
         Behind her the sun slowly set casting pastels across the sky.
         As she stared into his pale flushed face and stroked her hand over his cold cheeks tears began to pour down. 
         You wouldn’t leave me here all alone, I cant do it all by myself. Wake up.
         Then as she said her sorrowful goodbyes, realizing nothing could bring him back; she leaned down and gently kissed him on his forehead. Then even the sky mourned his death as the night went black.