Her True Form

Yvette felt as if her lungs had exploded, though the rest of her didn’t feel much better. She was wet and cold, laying on something hard and spiky. It took her a moment to realize that her eyes were in fact open, it was just so dark she couldn’t see anything. She tried to sit up, but there was something over her body, holding her down. She slowly reached her right hand out touch it.

It was smooth and hard. She let it go before lifting her hand higher to form a small, glowing orb.

Instantly she regretted it.

She was laying down in a very, very small dome of air, surrounded on all sides by water. Over her body was a massive scaled hand, only a single claw of which seemed to be pinning her, having pierced the dome.

It was too late for her now. She was going to die. But she at least wanted to see what would kill her. Slowly, the light began to glow brighter, flowing up into the water.

The leviathan was the size of a mountain, its body towering up so far into the water she couldn’t make it out even with the light. However, its neck slowly began to descend, lowering its head to look at her.

She felt a small whimper try to rise up in her throat, but dying before it could make it outside. A head that was bigger than most houses lowered, a single eye many times her size turning to look down at her. She felt another cold chill flow through her when the beautiful ruby-like eye stared back at her.

Yvette tried to think of something to say, anything to say. But she couldn’t. What could she possibly say to something so massive and powerful?

It was then that she realized she wasn’t just pinned. She was being protected. The water around her was being held back by the magic of the leviathan. It was only thanks to that creature’s magic that she was still alive. She was on the floor of the sea.

The ground was covered in strange rocks, rough and craggy. She imagined some of them were what was poking into her back. Still, the sea appeared almost empty now. She couldn’t see any fish or animals down here. She imagined the leviathan had frightened them off.

Suddenly a sound tore through her head, so loud and powerful it threatened to split her skull. She let out a pained scream, covering her ears and trying to drown it out. Fortunately, it only lasted a moment, but the pain continued to echo through her brain. Yvette laid there, panting from the pain. Then, a moment later, it started again. Not quite as loud, but still so powerful. She screamed again, writhing in agony, clutching her skull and trying to will the pain to stop.

“P-please!” she pleaded. “N-no more! I’m sorry! If you’re going to kill me, just, just please do it!” she yelled, tears flowing down her face.

For a long moment there was silence. Finally, there was once more a voice. Loud, but only so loud as someone screaming into her ear. ‘YOU SPEAK THIS TONGUE?’

Yvette cringed again, whimpering and staring up at the leviathan. “Yes. Yes I do,” she said, not removing her hands from her ears. She couldn’t believe it. Why was it speaking to her? “Are you talking to me?”

There was silence for a long moment before once more the voice spoke again. This time it was far softer even than the last. Powerful and loud enough it could have easily been heard even in a crowded room, but it no longer hurt. ‘Yes, lesser creature. You come bearing the scale and form of my brethren. Why?’

Yvette slowly pulled her hands from her ears, staring up at the creature before her eyes fell down onto her bracer. The scale of the dragon turtle could still be seen, the shape seemingly etched into the focus. She then slowly looked up at the creature towering over her. Instantly her mind came up with excuses.

She could say it was a gift, that the dragon turtle had given it to her after passing the trials. That she was friends with it. After all, if it was this creature’s brethren, then perhaps that would make it show mercy on her? However, the longer she stared up at those red eyes, the more she felt that lying would be a very, very stupid idea. This creature was larger than her to the point of absurdity. On top of that, it was likely centuries older than her. For all she knew it dated all the way back to when magic first entered their world. Possibly older if some of the myths she’d heard were true.

For all she knew, right now it was reading her mind, judging her. It might even kill her regardless of how she answered. It had let her live until now, but if it was curious, what were a few minutes of waiting to sate its curiosity? All she could do was tell the truth and hope it would show mercy.

“I was ordered to distract you,” she said softly. “The… the rocks above. Or I guess… off in the distance?” she offered, glancing to the right where she thought they were. For all she knew, she was looking in the wrong direction.

All there was was a perfect darkness. Her light only illuminated a little around her and the massive creature. Aside from that, it was as if nothing else existed. No fish, no sky, nothing. Just her, the rock beneath her and the leviathan. The thought sent another chill down her spine. “They desired something from it. I was to distract you until they got what they desired and then left. That form seemed like the one most capable of surviving,” she said, trying her hardest to not sound as terrified as she felt.

Slowly, the claw was lifted from her body, pulling into the water. Not that it helped much. The dome around her was only a foot or so away and she dare not touch it. As deep as she was right now she didn’t want to imagine the pressure out there. If the dome closed, she wondered if she’d die instantly or would it be a slow, painful death? Her master had never told her just what it was like to be crushed to death this deep underwater.

The leviathan wasn’t speaking, though, so she hoped it wasn’t getting--

‘You would be crushed near instantly, creature. Your body is not capable of withstanding these depths.’

Yvette froze, staring up at it. How had it known she was thinking-- horror filled her when her fear was fully realized. It could read her mind. She felt more thankful than ever that she hadn’t lied.

‘Indeed.’ Loud, powerful laughter made her shriek, covering her ears for a moment before it stopped. After a few more moments the voice entered her head again. It was softer, almost gentle. ‘You are correct. To one such as I, sating my curiosity is worth the paltry amount of time it takes to await your awakening. Dealing with those invaders of my territory, well, that will take but a moment once I have finished with you.’

Yvette felt her mouth go dry. Dealing with the invaders? That meant the ship. It meant Gervas. She started to sit up, only to stop a few inches from the water and then lay back down. She felt hopelessness wash over her. There was nothing she could do to stop this. Nothing she could do to delay this creature unless it wanted to be. She felt fresh tears forming in her eyes. “Please. They’re not… if you wish to kill something, kill me. But please don’t hurt them. Gervas is--”

‘Your lesser species is but a minor annoyance. A thousand of you forming but a single thread on the tapestry of fate. Your language crude and simple. Your magic blunt and weak. Your lives short and wasteful. Why would I spare you any more than I would spare the fish I feast on?’

Yvette gulped softly and closed her eyes. Maybe if she took her time and delayed the leviathan long enough, they could get away. If she just drew out the story until they could finish and get away, they might have a chance of-- Her thoughts were ruined by light laughter. Her cheeks turned red when she realized her plan wouldn’t work, it could read her mind. Even if she came up with one, it wouldn’t do anything because it would know.

‘Oh, but this is amusing little lesser being. Does it truly give you hope, knowing you will die but their minor, insignificant lives will be spared?’

“Yes,” Yvette said softly. To be honest, she didn’t really care if any of them survived except Gervas. As terrible as it was, the others had forced her to be here. If she had been back on Cragtooth Isle she would have at least had a chance for both of them to get away. Maybe. If the merfolk eventually came before the zmaj decided to kill her for everything.

‘Very well, then. Tell me. How is it you came across this scale? Why is it that my brethren would allow you to have such a treasure?’

Yvette took a long, slow breath. She then paused and glanced around. She could still breathe. Even though the dome she was in couldn’t possibly hold enough air for more than a few minutes, she didn’t feel as if she was suffocating at all. She could breathe with ease. She wondered what strange, powerful magic the creature was using to allow such a thing. Could she learn such a spell? She supposed there wasn’t much point, though. She’d be dead soon. Worse, she was allowing herself to get distracted again. Fortunately for her, the leviathan didn’t seem to mind that her mind kept wandering.

‘It is oddly amusing. You lesser being have such strange, erratic minds. Almost complex enough to have actual thoughts, but unable to fully cling to them.’

Her cheeks burned but she tried to not become too offended by the response. The last thing she needed was to infuriate the leviathan so it killed her early. She took one more slow, deep thought. “I… suppose it all started when I began my journey. Or when I met Gervas? No. I think it started even before that. When I learned about spells that could change my true form. Even though I knew it was almost suicide, I had to try. I was lucky, though. Gervas was there with me. Or he was, eventually. So I guess… well...” She glanced down at the bracer before giving a sigh. “I guess it all started with why I needed the scale to begin with...”

------

“So when I came to, one of the scales had embedded inside my stomach. They managed to pull it out and since we were the ones who stopped this monster, it had to be counted as a gift from the dragon turtle. That’s why I have it.”

There was a long, long moment of silence. She stared up at the massive mountain of a creature and waited. It was so still she could have almost believed it was sleeping, if not for the glowing of its red eyes. There was an odd sense of danger about it, as if at any moment it might move and destroy everything. The waters around them were still empty, no fish daring to come near the massive creature. Though a small part of her wondered if it was just that nothing could survive here, so deep under the waves. But if fish couldn’t, she wondered how it was that they slept. Did they just float through the waters themselves? Or perhaps fish didn’t sleep at all, maybe they were just awake forever. That thought made her shudder.

Finally, the leviathan shifted, its claws moving towards her. Yvette shrieked and closed her eyes, lifting her arms as if they could possibly protect her from such an impossible force. The light above disappeared, covering them both in darkness.

This was it, this was the end. She heard the light splash of water when the claws pierced it, waiting for the pain and inevitable end.

Instead, she felt a pair of claws, the tips only, cutting slightly into her right arm and gripping the bracer. With a single tug, that lifted her for a moment and felt as if it would almost tear off her arm, the bracer was torn off and away. She let out a shriek, looking around in the pitch black darkness, afraid to move too much for fear of being removed from the dome.

After a few moments, the voice spoke up in her head once more. ‘So then, small creature. It seems you are fortunate indeed.’

Yvette stared into the darkness. “W-what?”

‘I will grant you mercy.’

“W-what? Why? You will? Really? Just like that?” she asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. “Oh, tha--”

‘For a price.’

She froze in place, her eyes widening. She mentally prayed that it would not be the ship. She couldn’t give up Gervas. If the choice was his life or hers, she couldn’t make that choice.

‘No, nothing so valueless. The dragon turtle you spoke of. It has been long, long gone. Where it is, I do not know. But you have brought me a remnant of it, and for that, I am grateful. Even more so, you have something else. The flower of a dryad. Such things are rare, especially within the deep. Those are my fees.’

Yvette stared up into the darkness. That was it? That was all she had to do? Give up those and--

A moment later the thoughts shattered. If the dragon turtle was long gone, then there might not be another one. She’d nearly died for that scale. What if she could never find another one?

Wait, no, that was silly. There had to be other scales. The chamber where they had fought the great turtle. The others were still there, deep underwater. All she had to do was go beneath the waves there to find--

Another horrifying thought filled her. Without the scale, she couldn’t turn into a dragon turtle. She didn’t have any form that could go that deep. The flower from the dryad was easy enough to replace, all she had to do was get another from the necklace. But the scale she couldn’t. What if there weren’t anymore? What if she couldn’t even get back to the island to recover one? What if the zmaj found a way to get them first and they were gone by the time she could?

Giving up the scale now could be giving up on the spell entirely. Could mean giving up on herself. To have come so far and then lose the chance now made her feel physically ill. Panic quickly began to set in and she found herself unable to respond. She struggled to think of anything else she could give in response, anything else she had of value to such a creature. Could she get the pirates to take her back to the island even if she--

‘Enough. Cease. It is like watching a hatchling try to understand what to do with a freshly caught meal when they are already full.’ There was a light splash and then she felt something wet drop onto her stomach. ‘I have seen into your mind, creature. I now know where the others are. I will retrieve them myself. However, the flower. That I demand.’

Yvette stared up into the darkness. She could barely believe such a mercy was being granted, her heart soaring. She slowly slid the bracer on and took a small moment to begin the ritual. In such a cold, isolated area she found it oddly easy to focus on the ritual, soon the small flower rising up and out from the bracer. She held the delicate flower in her hand, staring at it for a moment.

She could barely believe that nearly dying to those trolls had managed to do something so wonderful for her. She’d been a little disappointed that she hadn’t been able to find a use for the flowers to help her gain that new form, but now it was actually saving her life.

‘Oh young, foolish lesser being. You know not the gift you have been granted,’ the voice said into her mind, its voice filled with condescension.

Her cheeks burned and she slowly placed the flower on the ground. “I-I’m sorry. I appreciate you showing me such mercy, I--”

‘No. Not that. You are an insect. But the gift of a dryad is a rare and valuable thing. Your life is likely far, far too short to realize the treasure you have been granted.’

Yvette nodded and slowly a light formed on her bracer once more, bathing them in its glow.

She froze in place, her eyes wide when she realized the dome was slowly shrinking.

‘I have given you the gift of not killing you myself, creature. You have until the sun sets to return to your ship. You will be happy to know, however, that they have already left. I do wonder if you’ll be able to find them,’ the voice said once more, filled with amusement.

Yvette gave an undignified squeak. She quickly formed the symbols on the bracer, willing the light to disappear. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that the water was coming ever closer. That chances were the moment it shrunk entirely, she’d be crushed.

Instead, she focused on the form of the dragon turtle. Willing her body to shift. Focusing on the tough, impossibly durable body that could withstand this harsh environment.

The cold water crashed in on her but, while her form wasn’t fully shifted yet, it seemed that the sea turtle’s durability had enveloped her. That, or the leviathan had shown her some mercy despite its words. A moment later there was a light, soft laughter. ‘I see you have managed to take that form yet again. A shame, it would have been faster to just take the scale from your body than to go to that island.’

Yvette let out a sigh, feeling relief wash over her. This form could just barely see out through the darkness, making out occasional shapes. The massive, towering leviathan was one. When she rose up, she could make out a very, very small circle of air, holding what she imagined was the dryad’s flower.

Another strange thought entered her mind and, before she could stop herself, it seemed to come out. What was this Leviathan’s name?

As if in response, it seemed to disappear entirely, the flower disappearing with it.

She felt guilt flood her. Was thinking that rude? Was--

‘It is the domain of lesser creatures to attach so much to something as simple as a name. But those under my command have often called me Oindraideor.’

Yvette tried to think that name, but even having just heard it, she couldn’t begin to try pronouncing it. There was more amused chuckling from the creature.

‘So near intelligent, so close. Yet in the last moments it merely slips through your soft fingers. Amusing, if nothing else.’

If her new form could blush, she was certain she would have. Instead, she started to swim up. Or, at least, she assumed it was up. It felt like it was up. She couldn’t help but admire how powerful this body was. The depths she was in she was certain would have crushed anything else she could turn into. She gave another mental thank you to the dragon turtle. Even if it hadn’t intended for her to end up with the scale, it was thanks to it that she was able to have this form at all. She’d have certainly died if she’d had to come so deep in any--

Her swimming faltered for a moment. Had she died? When she had awoken, everything had hurt and ached. She’d lost consciousness and assumed that the leviathan had saved her, encasing her in that bubble of air before she’d died. But what if it hadn’t? What if she had actually died? What if all of that pain had been because she had been smashed by its claws then crushed by the sea’s depths?

She felt another chill go down her spine and tried swimming faster, sailing up and up while her claws tore through the water. Finally, she could see light above. The shadows giving way to brilliant, colorful sea life.

She’d done it. Now all she had to do was find the ship. She pulled herself up to the waters surface, her head popping out and looking around. Off in the distance she could see the rocks that marked the leviathan’s home.

But the ship was gone.