Blue at Midnight

Blue at Midnight

S. D. Wile

All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2013 by S. D.
Wile

Cover illustration © 2013 D.
R. Kaulder

The right of S. D. Wile to be identified
as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patent Act, 1988.

Chapter
1

“I won’t do it!” In extreme rage Christian slammed his fists into the
already shattered face of an old timeless clock. “I’ve had enough! No more,” he
said as he fell to his knees, crushing the sea-bed beneath him, creating a
small cloud of dirt and bubbles. “I can hear them, their screams, yearns and
prayers, begging to be released from this eternal, underwater prison.”

“How can you say that? This is Orsa! And we are its children; we hold
the key to the balance between earth and water,” Cale reminded his brother. “If
we are true sons, we will devote our lives to training, which is our duty as
soldiers of Orsa. We fight, leap and succeed as the elders expect us to! And
don’t you forget that Christian!”

 
“Look around. We’re surrounded by betrayed and
dammed human souls. All we do is train and follow orders like good soldiers.”
Christian couldn’t believe how blind his brother had become. “We are the only
ones that deserve to live with pride. No other race holds the knowledge of
Orsa. We are superior.”

If all Children
of Orsa believed this then clearly something was wrong with Christian, which
was why he was having such rebellious ideas. At this point Christian realised
that his brother was right.
 

Sacrificing what
they wanted for what’s needed to uphold their world made them stronger and
focused so that they could gain approval from the elders, to go to the lands.
Only then could they redeem what’s rightfully theirs… freedom.
 

Number
1: Your soul was given to Morbidma, the mother of the ocean.

This was the first teaching from the sacred book of Orsa. It was
believed that the numbers were the foundations of this world and were never
questioned, only upheld by the Children of Orsa.

“Don’t you want
to redeem your soul?” questioned Cale.

“Of course, I
just wish there was another way.”

Cale took a deep
breath as he addressed his brother’s disrespectful questioning of their ways.

 
“We are not having this conversation any
longer. It is forbidden to question the numbers; it’s the same as questioning
Morbidma herself! Take a break! Go and sort out the array of lost instruments.”

 
“Are you joking? Have you forgotten what the
strings in those instruments are?”

“I’m sorry. I
didn’t think. I know each string is made up of the hairs of the sacrificed but
according to those idiots above, we ‘mer people’ create sweet music from them,”
grinned Cale.

“So you want me
to take a rest in the graveyard?”

“Silence!
Christian, you know how to tame their pointless
cries. If you don’t like what you hear, rip them out and let them float into
the abyss!”

Before Christian
had the chance to respond a sudden change occurred in the dark waters around
him. An ice cold sensation started to prick the skin of the brothers and debris
was stirring from the ocean floor. This was unusual considering there was no
cause in sight. A deep sense of dread washed over them as they watched ripples
form in the waters like waves.

“Jellyfish,”
whispered Cale as he became aware of who was approaching. Christian noticed
that the jellyfish had dispersed before his brother did. Seconds later, he saw
one of the elders approaching. Unfortunately, he was also the most arrogant,
darkest and hard-hearted of them, Sebastian.

For the first
time the guilt was welling up inside him for having questioned the numbers and
their sacred ways. Paranoia was toying with his mind. He only hoped that
Sebastian wouldn’t notice.

“We have given
you many gifts. The gifts of family, identity and belonging are the greatest.
Even though you are a part of a powerful, superior and if need be, brutal race,
I hope these blessings have taught you that you are also a part of an
honourable kind,” hissed the elder. Cale hung on to his every word while Christian
was more intrigued by the way he stepped onto the ocean floor, with the grace
of a feather. He found it was quite fascinating how Sebastian’s presence could
disturb the sea-bed without having touched it. This was one of their gifts,
given by Morbidma (mother of the sea), which gave them their godly presence in
the waters.

“Christian, are
you okay?” Sebastian’s touch startled him. Control yourself stressed the voice
inside his head.

As Christian met
Sebastian’s gaze, through his misty, grey eyes he could see that the elder was
now beginning to suspect that something was bothering him. Carefully, the elder
placed his heavily-veined hand on Christian’s shoulder, like a concerned
father.
 

“I am fine. I
was just thinking that the task will be completed.
Very soon…
I will not disappoint you.” He spoke as if the words had been programmed into
him.

“I’m sure you
won’t.” Within seconds Sebastian had dispersed into the waters like smoke into
air. Elegantly, the jellyfish started to make a return to the area. As always a
visit from an elder felt like a distant memory. They had the power to restore
the atmosphere of the waters as it was before they came.

“No use standing
around, Christian. Task 1: re-build the Room of Rituals, remember?” It seemed
that so far Cale had been doing all the heavy lifting while Christian let his
thoughts consume him. The two of them worked together silently, building the
foundations. However, to Christian it seemed more like they were building a
personal room for Sebastian as he seemed quite obsessed with every detail being
perfect. Christian dug his fingers into the sea-bed, stirring up a cloud to
cover his eyes, causing the plankton to race away angrily.

“You must have
scared them with your face. Maybe you shouldn’t smile so much,” mocked his
brother.

Chapter
2

Deeper and deeper I fell, giving in to whatever it was that was pulling
me into this dream-like state. Exactly here was the point at which my eyelids dropped,
my body started to feel heavy, consumed by exhaustion from replaying my list of
worries. Like every other eighteen-year-old I was waiting for the routine of
college, work and home to change into something more exciting. Even though I
had a reasonable social life, I always felt like the odd one out because I
never felt content.

Hopefully, I’m
not the only person wanting more from life than running around in circles,
meeting the same people, going to the same places, having the same old
conversations and never expecting more.

Anxiety filled
my mind, my heart started racing unexpectedly as I felt something dark speed
towards me, SLAM! Violently my heart leapt with fright, making me fall off the
couch. This was what it must have felt like to be struck by lightning, I
thought. Running up the stairs without a care in the world was my dad. Clearly,
he had arrived home whilst I was kind of sleeping, thrown his bag onto the
table in front of me and rushed upstairs. Being considerate of others was never
his strong point but as I got older I was starting to lose patience with him.
In the ideal world, I would have moved out but with what money?

Relief filled me
as I arrived at the beach, a ten-minute walk from where I lived. It looked as
empty as me. The sky was dark, filled with clouds ready to bring on the storm
everyone had been talking about lately. Surprisingly, the old shack on the
beach was still standing. I wondered if the croaky old man that lived there was
even aware of what was to come. That place didn’t even look like it had
electricity. It was a slight struggle pushing through the aggressive winds as
they continuously slapped tiny droplets of rain against my cool cheeks. The
waters looked unhappy and everything seemed quite unsettled. Just like me.

Gushing winds
created a wheezing sound, which became louder every time I stepped closer to
the shore. Strangely, my toes were starting to feel damp but I wasn’t
concerned. I wasn’t that close to the sea. Dark blue, like the colour of
midnight, it mesmerised me, especially its unsteady state, reminding me of how
I’d been feeling over the past year. I could now feel the cool water running
through my fingertips and then through my hair.

Little did I
know that my next few steps were going to lead to my end
…
The water engulfed me… Within seconds it reached inside my mouth. Its bitter
taste choked me as I impulsively stepped forward, only to suddenly lose my
footing and get thrashed constantly as I travelled at the speed of a
fast-moving train. Alarmed by the force, my mind kept screaming the same words
‘the storm’. I started kicking and waving my arms violently, hoping it would
slow the water down from pushing me further out into the sea. Adrenalin raced
through my body like electricity; it gave me the determination to survive. No
matter how colourless my life had been I realised I did not want to die!

Carefully, I
opened my eyes and all I could see was murky and obscured. With all my might I
pushed my body forward when suddenly I was sucked in deeper by this vacuum. A
heaviness caused by fatigue spread through my limbs like a disease. The surface
seemed too far out of reach now. I was losing my fight. My life was slipping
away and I couldn’t do anything to save it.

Chapter
3

It was late afternoon and the two brothers seemed to have achieved some
success in building the Room of Rituals.
  

“I’m taking a
break.” Before Cale even had a chance to respond, Christian was off. Cale
furrowed his brow as he should have been the one taking a break. All he could
think about was how disappointed Sebastian would be if he came to check and saw
no one working. Cale had already prepared an excuse for his brother in case
Sebastian arrived.
           

Christian
effortlessly moved his fingers over the strings of a 16th century golden harp.
This was one of millions of entries that Orsa opened its channels to (for those
that were lost, unwanted or felt that they did not belong anymore). One of the
magical qualities of this world was that it was worshipped by the waters. The
waters allowed the lost to fall into this mystical, underwater creation as
humble gifts. Magically the entries would glide gently until they found their
resting place upon the ocean floor, sealed in place, never moving unless they
were summoned by a Child of Orsa.

Whilst enjoying
a few moments of peace, Christian found himself interrupted by an unexpected
strange murmur coming from above. He could not be bothered to explore it until
a purse landed in front of his foot, opening up like a book to reveal a college
I.D. card. Just as Christian was about to pick it up he was interrupted again
by the same strange murmur, except this time it made him feel a bit unsettled.
It sounded unfamiliar. His powder-blue eyes focused on the direction of the
sound. From a distance he could see another entry but it wasn’t close enough to
find Orsa. However the sound he could hear was coming from that direction.
 

Springing into
action, he pushed his feet against the ground, leaving an array of cracks as he
propelled his body towards the entry. Aggressively he forced the ocean to shift
out of his way. The closer he got, the
more tense
he
felt. There was something unusual about this entry. It was falling quicker than
it should. Surprisingly, it was the largest entry he’d ever seen and it seemed
to be wrapped in some sort of navy cloth. No, it was wearing a cloth, no, IT
WAS WEARING CLOTHES! The thought struck him like a blade, as he rushed towards
it. Meters away he saw that it was a young woman, human! Her skin looked
delicate; her pale face was frozen as the waters spun her like an elegant doll
in a musical jewellery box. The murmur was not from her still lips but from her
struggling heart.
 

Christian
recalled one of the elders teaching them about human life and how reliant it
was on the heart.
 
This fact broke the
soldier out of the trance which had been brought on by this unknown beauty.
Unaware of his actions, he found himself racing to the surface with the human
in his arms, paying close attention to the murmuring heart that he knew must
continue. Intrigued yet concerned, he couldn’t help take glimpses of her almost
colourless face, noticing the subtle golden streaks in her chestnut brown hair
and the fiery glow that was fading from her barely open hazel eyes. Before he
reached the surface he could hear humans in conversation. They were looking for
her. Cautiously he tied a sash around her waist (a silvery magical string
gifted by Morbidma, to obey and aid her children). Christian swiftly tied a
knot in the sash, holding the human in place before gently letting it take her
to the surface.

As it was a
sacred tool originating from a single lock of Morbidma’s hair, learning to use
a sash was one of the first lessons Children of Orsa were taught.
 
They must keep it with them at all times as
its energy came from its owner.

Like a silent
predator Christian remained below the surface of the water, concealed from the
humans as they rescued her. He had never been so close to the surface before
because it was forbidden.

Number 9: You may leave Orsa once granted the
permission to redeem your soul.

A shudder of
fear went through Christian once he realised what he had done.