I looked out over the dark ocean.
Tiny filaments of light brought it all to life for me, illuminating what should have been complete blackness. I stood there at the edge of the foaming surf, which occasionally washed over my now-ruined sneakers. Since I was already soaked to the bone, I didn't bother removing my clothes, including my shoes.
Kingsley came up behind me.
Amazingly, I could smell a combination of nice cologne and something musky.
Something wolfish, no doubt. He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"Is it out there?" he asked.
"Yes."
"How far?"
"Far enough that I need to swim."
"Where, exactly?"
"An underwater cave."
"Are you going to get it?"
"Yes."
"You need my help?"
"No."
"Do you love me?"
I opened my mouth, stunned by the question. Leave it to the expert litigator to drop a bomb on an unsuspecting witness up on a theoretical witness stand. "No," I said. "At least, not like I used to."
"You still love me, but differently?"
"Not now, Kingsley."
"Right, right. The medallion. So, what are you going to do?"
I looked back...and up at him. "I'm going for a swim."
Before I headed out into the water, I caught Allison watching me from the shadows of the cave. I was quite certain she was smiling. A big smile. A very big smile.
* * *
I stepped into the foaming surf, Asics and all.
I might be immortal. I might be cold to the touch. But that didn't mean I relished the idea of stepping into what appeared to be the coldest ocean ever.
"Think warm thoughts, Sam," called Kingsley behind me. For some reason, he seemed to be enjoying this. Asshole. Then again, the big yeti had recently made his own journey across this very body of water.
If he can do it, I can do it.
And so I started running, splashing through the ankle-high water. Shortly, the water rose to my knees, and when it got to my thighs, I took a massive, instinctive breath and dove forward, under a coming wave. I stayed under, kicking hard, using my strong arms to propel myself under the raging ocean.
I continued on, just a few feet under the surface. The occasional wave still rocked me, but shortly, I was ten feet or more underwater. Soon, I was deeper than that. Far deeper. I kicked hard, pulling myself forward with powerful strokes.
The sound of the waves crashing above receded, and soon I found myself in a place of silence. Complete and utter silence.
I liked that.
I held the image of the cave system in my mind's eye. Luckily for me, the incandescent flashes of light that only I could see were just as prevalent down in the deep. That didn't mean I could see far, granted. No, in fact, I could barely see a dozen or so feet in front of me.
Good enough.
I wasn't worried about sharks or killer whales or even mermaids. A merman might be damn interesting, and I briefly found myself wondering again if such creatures really did exist.
Hell, why not? I existed.
Life down here was not abundant...at least, not this close to shore. I did see silver fish that scattered before me. Once, I sensed a darker shape above me, but nothing that triggered my inner alarm system, and so I continued on...down into the deep.
Down, down.
And there it was...
A dark opening emerging through the dark waters. It could have been the maw of a great beast, waiting for something cute and curvy and stupid.
Stupid was right...
I plunged straight into the tunnel.
Anything could have been waiting in there.
Anything.