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How long our slumber lasted I could not tell, for it was deep and dreamless, the kind of exhaustion only terror and exhaustion can give. When I woke, it was to find Slish lying near me, his head tilted toward mine, his breath faintly touching my cheek. His presence gave me an unexpected comfort, as though we were bound not only by circumstance, but by something unspoken that now grew clearer in the shadow of our captivity.
The air in the chamber was heavy, pressed down as though every breath had already been taken a thousand times before. My lungs strained. Just as dizziness swept over me, a new current came — cool, salted, the unmistakable freshness of the open sea. The craft had risen; our unknown host allowed it to breathe.
I drew a deep breath and turned, only to find Slish already watching me. His lips curved, faint but deliberate.
“You gasp as though the sea is cruel to you,” he whispered.
“And you watch as though you fear I might vanish,” I replied.
His eyes softened. “How could I not?”
His words stirred me deeply. I shifted my hand on the floor — it brushed against his. He did not move away.
Avenged stirred then, breaking the quiet. He rose like a restless bear, shaking his head. “Well, the beast breathes, and so do we. But I’ll not sit and wither. Where is our food? Where is our jailer?” His voice was sharp, echoing against the iron walls.
Consciovs, always mild, only said: “Patience, my friend. Anger will not fill our stomachs.”
Slish, however, leaned closer to me. “Do not let his fury trouble you,” he murmured. “We must hold fast, you and I.” His hand lingered against mine, this time deliberate, and my chest quickened despite the stale air.
Hours dragged on. The hunger gnawed at us. Avenged paced, muttering, clenching and unclenching his fists. He cursed the silence, he cursed the ship, he cursed our fate. Consciovs tried soothing him, though his calm words only seemed to fuel the Canadian’s irritation.
Through it all, Slish stayed close. His arm brushed mine often, not by chance but with quiet certainty. “When the air grows thin, remember this,” he said softly. “We endure because we are not alone. Because I will not leave you.”
That vow meant more than the food we awaited.
At last — the scrape of bolts. The door opened. A steward entered, bearing a tray of bread, meat, and water.
Avenged sprang like a beast unchained. His hand shot to the man’s throat, pinning him to the wall. The steward choked, his eyes wide with terror.
“Avenged!” I cried, leaping to my feet.
Consciovs darted forward, tugging at Avenged’s arm, pleading with him. But the Canadian only snarled, “We starve while they fatten themselves? I’ll wring answers out of this one if nothing else!”
I moved, but before I could act, Slish caught my arm and pulled me back. His gaze held mine with an intensity that burned.
“Stay,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”
Then, with sudden force, he stepped between Avenged and me. His voice rang out like iron striking iron:
“Avenged! Release him!”
Avenged’s teeth bared. “You side with them now?”
“I side with reason,” Slish answered firmly, prying at Avenged’s grip with strength I had not known he possessed. “You’ll kill us all if you choke the air from this one. And I will not let you endanger him”—his hand gestured to me—“not while I draw breath.”
For a moment, Avenged’s rage met Slish’s fire. But the Canadian, though strong, relented. He shoved the steward aside with a curse and stalked back into the corner.
The steward stumbled out, clutching his throat, and the door slammed shut behind him.
In the silence, I turned to Slish. His chest still heaved, his hand trembled slightly from the struggle. He looked at me with eyes that held more than defiance — they held a confession.
“I swore I could endure this prison,” he whispered, “but only because you are here. Without you, Professor, endurance would be nothing.”
His hand found mine and clasped it firmly, not hidden now but bold. My heart hammered, the chamber suddenly alive with more than air. Even here, in the bowels of an iron monster, beneath the weight of the sea, I breathed freely for the first time — not the oxygen of the ocean above, but something far more vital.
And I knew then: whatever fate awaited us in this submarine world, I would not face it as a prisoner alone, but as one bound to Slish by a force stronger than iron, stronger even than the sea.
The air in the chamber was heavy, pressed down as though every breath had already been taken a thousand times before. My lungs strained. Just as dizziness swept over me, a new current came — cool, salted, the unmistakable freshness of the open sea. The craft had risen; our unknown host allowed it to breathe.
I drew a deep breath and turned, only to find Slish already watching me. His lips curved, faint but deliberate.
“You gasp as though the sea is cruel to you,” he whispered.
“And you watch as though you fear I might vanish,” I replied.
His eyes softened. “How could I not?”
His words stirred me deeply. I shifted my hand on the floor — it brushed against his. He did not move away.
Avenged stirred then, breaking the quiet. He rose like a restless bear, shaking his head. “Well, the beast breathes, and so do we. But I’ll not sit and wither. Where is our food? Where is our jailer?” His voice was sharp, echoing against the iron walls.
Consciovs, always mild, only said: “Patience, my friend. Anger will not fill our stomachs.”
Slish, however, leaned closer to me. “Do not let his fury trouble you,” he murmured. “We must hold fast, you and I.” His hand lingered against mine, this time deliberate, and my chest quickened despite the stale air.
Hours dragged on. The hunger gnawed at us. Avenged paced, muttering, clenching and unclenching his fists. He cursed the silence, he cursed the ship, he cursed our fate. Consciovs tried soothing him, though his calm words only seemed to fuel the Canadian’s irritation.
Through it all, Slish stayed close. His arm brushed mine often, not by chance but with quiet certainty. “When the air grows thin, remember this,” he said softly. “We endure because we are not alone. Because I will not leave you.”
That vow meant more than the food we awaited.
At last — the scrape of bolts. The door opened. A steward entered, bearing a tray of bread, meat, and water.
Avenged sprang like a beast unchained. His hand shot to the man’s throat, pinning him to the wall. The steward choked, his eyes wide with terror.
“Avenged!” I cried, leaping to my feet.
Consciovs darted forward, tugging at Avenged’s arm, pleading with him. But the Canadian only snarled, “We starve while they fatten themselves? I’ll wring answers out of this one if nothing else!”
I moved, but before I could act, Slish caught my arm and pulled me back. His gaze held mine with an intensity that burned.
“Stay,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”
Then, with sudden force, he stepped between Avenged and me. His voice rang out like iron striking iron:
“Avenged! Release him!”
Avenged’s teeth bared. “You side with them now?”
“I side with reason,” Slish answered firmly, prying at Avenged’s grip with strength I had not known he possessed. “You’ll kill us all if you choke the air from this one. And I will not let you endanger him”—his hand gestured to me—“not while I draw breath.”
For a moment, Avenged’s rage met Slish’s fire. But the Canadian, though strong, relented. He shoved the steward aside with a curse and stalked back into the corner.
The steward stumbled out, clutching his throat, and the door slammed shut behind him.
In the silence, I turned to Slish. His chest still heaved, his hand trembled slightly from the struggle. He looked at me with eyes that held more than defiance — they held a confession.
“I swore I could endure this prison,” he whispered, “but only because you are here. Without you, Professor, endurance would be nothing.”
His hand found mine and clasped it firmly, not hidden now but bold. My heart hammered, the chamber suddenly alive with more than air. Even here, in the bowels of an iron monster, beneath the weight of the sea, I breathed freely for the first time — not the oxygen of the ocean above, but something far more vital.
And I knew then: whatever fate awaited us in this submarine world, I would not face it as a prisoner alone, but as one bound to Slish by a force stronger than iron, stronger even than the sea.
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