Directionally Challenged

"I wonder how getting pregnant works in this world."

"I mean, people don't eat you know?"

"So how does the fetus get any nutrients?"

"Does the mother just have a constant drain on their essence?"

"Pregnant women can't be combatants?"

"Seems a little prejudiced if you ask me."

"Prejudice? Is prejudice the right word?"

"Probably not—I haven't written anything in way too long."

"…"

Emma aimlessly walked from cave to cave, cutting through narrow tunnels and squeezing between awkward formations. The caves surrounding Fallen Sky were rough and jagged unlike the smooth Ivory Stone the kingdom itself was constructed of.

Dark, golden, but mostly brown rocks filled her cornea. A sea of stalactites littered the ceiling above her and many of them actively had water dripping from their tip.

A cool breeze swept through the caves. The air was cold enough to be unpleasant while also being humid enough to condense beads of water along Emma's skin.

In addition to being constantly wet and cold, the air was musty and not a good musty. Unlike leading cologne brands or bottles of perfume that have a 'musty' presence, the caves emitted a foul, bordering on rancid undertone of must that traveled with the breeze.

"How long does someone have to talk to themselves to be considered crazy?"

"Or is it more of a—if I believe I'm talking to another person then I'm crazy—situation?"

Emma approached the end of her path and stared at a blatant deadend. She had entered this cave system more than an hour ago, positive this had been one she'd traveled down before.

"Huh—" She said while admiring the wall before her, "I'm lost lost aren't I?"

"I guess Emile was always the directionally gifted one."

A soft and melancholic expression kissed Emma's lips for a moment, her eyes sunk to the floor and she clenched her fists. Emma rapidly shook her head and inhaled for eight seconds, she even counted on her fingers.

After inhaling she held her breath for just as long and then released it for another eight seconds.

"Idiot…"

Emma turned away from the end of her path and began walking back to where she entered. She finally arrived and journeyed deeper through the caves through the only other path she could find.

After a few hours of walking by identical walls, Emma began to hear a distant hum over the soft breeze. The hum was constant, neither growing louder nor quieter and it remained unchanged all the while Emma continued to traverse through the cave.

Emma placed her ear on the cold stone and deepened her breath. Listening to the sounds of the caves, she tried to track down the constant hum.

She followed the sound around corners, below walls, and deep beneath the ground. And yet still the sound remained the same. Emma was sure she was getting closer, how could she not?

But the hum persisted. And it persisted unchanged like it was permanently trapped beyond a wall Emma couldn't get through.

She squeezed her body through another small hole in the ground and dropped down to another cave. Immediately, her feet splashed in a small pool of water.

The pool of water was not still. In fact, a gentle tug pulled Emma's legs further down towards the bottom of the cave where a more rambunctious current flowed.

Emma trudged through the water and climbed on top of a perch of stone that protruded out from the edge of the wall. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the newfound darkness as the other caves had all been accompanied by the eerie green light.

Emma walked along the perch, down closer to the more active current of water. Standing on the edge, she kneeled down and gazed into it.

Bits and pieces of her reflection stared back at her, only for it to be disrupted by a random splash of water. Her vibrant teal eyes glowed in this darkness.

She reached out and placed her hand in the water. Felt the flow of it. It was smooth and powerful. Cold and crisp.

"I'm so ****ed."

Suddenly the flow of water changed. A current swept into Emma's arm, but it came from against the tide.

Then, something grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her in.

The cold water stung her skin.

She opened her mouth and tried to breath out of reflex, but the raging tide beneath the surface crashed into her and spun her every which way.

She summoned her spear and cut whatever had been holding onto her wrist. She flailed her arms and kicked her legs, she tried to swim up, but which way was up?

Her head was spinning, her body was spinning, the deeper she went the stronger the water became. It tossed her into the wall, her shoulder taking the brunt of the impact.

It pinned her against the ground. A waterfall's worth of liquid constantly pummeled into her. She struck her spear into the stone and used it like a climbing hook.

She dragged herself out of the pressure and was quickly swept up into another current. In a matter of moments, Emma was sucked into a pit in the bottom of the cave.

She spiraled along with the water, twisting and turning with each passing second. She slammed into another wall and lost her breath.

Without any air, her lungs began to burn and her head began to numb. She stretched her limbs out in an attempt to slow herself down. Each outstretched limb rammed into a wall; she was in a narrow passage, a small tunnel.

Out of options, she tucked her body tight and let the water take her down. Before she knew it, she was spit out of the tunnel into a huge sea of water.

With her eyes strained open, Emma saw a light in the distance. As her consciousness faded, Emma poured essence into her Gift and peddled her legs as fast as she could.

As if an engine manifested, her feet blurred and an explosion of bubbles appeared behind her. Emma's body erupted out of the water and flew into the air.

Just as fast as she flew out of the water, she equally began to plummet back down to earth. Her body slammed into the cold stone.

She tumbled across the jagged rock until her back rammed into another wall. The impact crushed her diaphragm and water exploded out of her lungs.

Barely awake, Emma lay in a puddle of her own spit. Weak, confused, she tried to keep her eyes open but she couldn't find the strength.

Then, Emma fell unconscious.