Apparently, I’m going without their help. The two just looked at me as I made my way out of the hole; Kaijren didn’t say another word, the wolf didn’t huff again, either.

  At last emerging from the musty, underground sanctuary, I am met with a rain free forest. That’s at least one step in the right direction. The trees are still damp, but past the large canopy, the sky is as blue as the silver man’s eyes.

  I look around the area I had been mindlessly wandering around just last night, and try to decide which way would be the best. It’s not like I have any clue, thanks to the snotty fae, I may never know, but I need to get out of this damn jungle.

  Picking a random direction, I carry on in blind hopefulness for hours, always yearning for a sight of anything but trees. I’ve begun to think this jungle will never end, or maybe I’m just walking around in circles without realizing it. Regardless, I’m more lost than a bird flying north for winter.

  I’m nearing giving up on finding my way out of the trees that have become taunting in their continuation when I at last see a break of sky. The sight gives me more hope than I’ve had since arriving in this godsforsaken land, and I sprint towards the bright flashes of blue as fast as the uneven terrain will allow.

  The clearing nears closer and closer, until I finally reach the end of the treeline that seemed to go on forever. I skid to a stop at the end of the marsh, and take in the new change in scenery.

  It’s not exactly what I had hoped for, but I’ll take it. The jungle has morphed into a swamp, but just past the murky waters is the most stunning white beach I’ve ever seen. And even better than the sand, the Sun is shining brightly above.

  A grin spreads across my face and I bolt out of the jungle, jumping into the water with zest. The silty liquid reaches my knees, but I don’t care in the slightest, not when that beach lays just a few feet ahead.

  I trudge my way through the murk, and into the warm, tropical water, swirling together to create a soothing teal, so clear and sparkling it could be crystal.

  The water that was once shallow enough to walk through quickly becomes so deep I have to swim. A part of me wonders if the Colonel knew what he was doing with that obstacle course, everything I practiced for a decade has been useful since my time here. Not that I would have needed help with swimming, it has always been a favorite pastime.

  It reminds me of when my siblings and I -and most of the time, my mom- would swim in the pond behind our house. Some days we would splash in the cool water from sunrise to sunset. Gods, what I would do to spend time with them here. Because admittedly, this is much better than the shallow pool we would have swimming competitions in. Far warmer too.

  This may be my favorite thing about Neidra since I arriv-

  A bony hand grasps my ankle and pulls me under the water so fast that I don’t have the chance to grab my knife. The long, pointed nails of the unknown creature dig into the flesh of my foot and bubbles fly from my mouth as I emit a soundless scream. I thrash hard, but it's no use. Whatever it is that’s grabbing me is clearly a much better swimmer than I.

  I try to find what is holding me hostage, but the being just pulls me deeper beneath the surface of the once inviting waves. I’m going to drown, I realize. I am literally going to drown.

  We at last reach the ocean's floor, and the creature allows me my first glimpse of its horrific face. I had really been hoping it wasn’t what it has now confirmed it is.

  The ghastly creature before me is a wyrvna, a beast that lurks beneath the water and consumes any being that it comes across. I curse myself for not thinking about it before. Of course it’s guarding these all too inviting waters. It should have been obvious.

  The Wyrvna are terrible creatures who will do anything in the name of hunger. It should be known that one should only enter waters of Neidra if they are absolutely sure these foul creatures do not lurk below. There is very little one can do to escape capture by these beings. It is recommended that all water dwellers stay armed with the paralyzing Hitala plant which may be your only chance of escape.

  So no loophole. Perfect. To make everything worse, the wyrvna is terrifyingly repulsive. It’s significantly taller than me, though only a quarter of my width, and its pointed fingers are larger than my face. The small, white eyes of the being are coated in a green layer of membrane, a trait that allows them to travel through any type of water, and even come to the surface. But right now, the creature is using it to stare almost directly into my soul, it’s short, sharp teeth snapping with excitement.

  The beast has two thin slits that make up its nose, one of their best hunting weapons seeing that they are incredibly sensitive to the smell of not only blood, but of other beings as well. The slits, however, are not the way they breathe, that comes from the large gills on either side of their arms. The fingers of the monster are fully webbed, leaving only their sharp, yellowed nails. While the upper portion of their body is relatively fae-like, the lower half is identical to that of an eel.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The creature hisses at me, making my skin crawl as I recoil, and reaches its massive, webbed hand to my face, grasping my cheeks between razor sharp nails. I know that with a little more pressure, it’ll break the skin of my face. The scent of fresh blood will likely send it into a frenzy, and I’ll be headless before I have time to say final prayers.

  Come on, Delphine, if you’ve made it this far, you can make it past this trial too. The creature flicks its purple tongue as it squeezes my face until I can feel the beginnings of bruising on my cheekbones. Think, think, think…

  Nothing. There’s nothing to help me. I only have myself.

  The wyrvna is still gripping my face, but instead of pulling away like it may expect, I instead thrust my head forward and smash my forehead into the beady eyes of the vile monster.

  The creature screams in horror, but it does as I’d hoped and releases my face from its grasp.

  Sooner than I had hoped, the wyrvna flips around and I frantically swim away, desperately trying to stay out of reach of the monster's terrifying jaws and claws.

  The beast darts to me, and I try to grab my knife, but the creature is faster than I had accounted for, and in little to no time, I’m again captive of its webbed hand. Praying to the Mother that something will hear me, I scream so hard that all of the air fizzles from my lungs, the only sign of my struggle being the bubbles that float to the surface of the aquamarine waves.

  Light begins to leave my vision, and I can’t stop myself from inhaling water as my body forces my lungs to breathe. And just as everything begins to disappear, a sight of coral and teal flashes from the navy blue waters below.

  As my vision begins to blur, I at last recognize the approaching creature. It’s a salvra, one of the Mothers creations. The large fish are beautiful creatures who are protectors of the people of Omaiya. They were made to keep her daughter company, additionally to keep her safe. Interesting that one is here now.

  The salvra is moving with such speed that the wyrvna, who has begun to open its large mouth, turns and hisses foully before scurrying into the murky water of the swamp. Leaving me floating limply as I take in another lungful of salty water.

  The beautiful aqua and coral creature reaches my near lifeless body where I’m unable to muster a reaction. But unlike me, the fascinating being doesn’t waste a second, and immediately rushes me to the surface, laying me on its soft rippled belly, large enough to keep me afloat as she waits for me to regain my breathing.

  As my head breaks contact with the waves, I at last take a large breath of air. But my newfound breathing doesn’t last long, for soon I’m releasing the water I just inhaled. So much spills from my mouth that I can’t help but feel bad for the poor fish I’m resting on.

  “Uh,” I cough once more, water pouring from my mouth, “thank you.”

  The beautiful fish nods her charming head, the magnificent scales glistening alongside the sparkling water. She looks much like the smaller beta fish, though she is at least ten times their size, and has double the number of fins at her side.

  She looks at me expectantly, her smooth head cocked to the side as if waiting for something. I slide off of her comforting belly and into the warm water beside me, but she doesn’t let go, and instead pulls me to shore. When I get within walking distance, she at last releases her hold, and lets me flail onto the sand.

  I pull myself on shore and allow myself a few moments of breathing before I turn back to the salvra, her head still resting just above the waves. I push myself up on my elbows and look at her dazzling pink eyes.

  “You…you saved my life. Why?” I’m just a human. A lousy human who’s already almost died so many times that I should just accept the fate and move on.

  The salvra cocks her head slightly before dipping below the mesmerizing water. Disappearing so smoothly I have to wonder if it even happened. But the new pain in my calf tells me otherwise. I can clearly see the scraps of missing flesh carved out of me.

  Falling back onto the sand, I stare lifelessly at the fluffy clouds above. If I can’t make it through a single swim without having to be saved by some creature, how the hell am I supposed to find my mom? To make it back to Nixtran?

  Maybe I should just cut my losses. Find a safe enough hole like Kaijren and his dog, who isn’t his dog, and just stay there for the rest of my miserable days. I lived in the compound long enough, I’m sure a hole in the ground wouldn’t be much different. But then there’s the question of my mom. I have to know if she’s alive, no matter what the answer is, no matter how much it hurts me. I can’t give up on her. Not like I did the rest of my family.

  Forcing myself from self loathing misery, I stand from the sand and swat away as much of the clumpy particles as possible, my clothes entirely soaked from my latest brush with death.

  I’m not going to save my mom like this. I’ll probably just end up eaten. If the MADD House taught me anything, it’s that giving up on yourself is the biggest mistake you can make. You never lose a fight until you’ve given up on it.

  I turn back around and assess the beach I stand on. Just ahead of me is the start of what seems like another forest, though this one is made of birch and grass as opposed to jungle and swamp. Seems like a step in the right direction, I begin to make my first step forward when I stop myself.

  The forest could be equally as dangerous as the jungle, but it doesn’t look like it’s swarmed with blood hungry bugs or littered with mud pits as deep as a lake.

  Starting a slow walk on my aching legs and feet, I reach the treeline that separates what must be a beach of Omaiya from the woods of what reminds me of Feidrah. I must be in Ivierma with how many biomes are clustered so close together.

  These woods are…unique. Vastly different from the wild jungle I nearly lost my mind in. The soft rustle of leaves from the flittering branches overhead sound too much like rattled breath, but I suppose it’ll have to do. What other choice do I have, really?