Seconds to Midnight: A Maiden of Midnight Prequel
Destiny- Day Twelve

Destiny- Day Twelve

‘Living up to the Manor’s expectations was going to be hard this time,’ I realised with a grimace, rubbing water out of my eyes with my fingers before turning in the water, pushing off the bottom and re-starting my routine. Outside, the sun was beating down across the city, the weather warm and the sky clear of any clouds.

Swimming backstroke through the chlorine-scented waters of the indoor Pangorama Public Pool, I listened to the ‘TICK!’, ‘TICK!’, ‘TICK!’, of the giant clock on the wall, trying to focus on the sound rather than my own thoughts.

Across the large room, Nym, Lydiav and Bal’gag were sprawled out on the bleachers, their attention divided between watching me swim, and paying attention to the various activities they’d brought with them.

I should have been back home, studying the files, but I needed to build up my strength first. With every passing day, Zeella and Lilith grew more and more nervous about when I would finally start Project Eden.

Well, they could wait. There were things I needed to sort out first.

Taking a deep breath, I dove under the water, aiming for the bottom of the pool, which was a blue that, now that I saw it properly, was the same shade of blue as Seth Smith’s eyes. I shook the thought from my head, my heart racing at the thought, chewing through my oxygen quicker. Checking my waterproof watch, I clicked my tongue in my mouth, sitting on the bottom of the pool, silently counting down.

If I wanted to fetch the Hourglass of Time from the ocean in Karmona, I needed to be able to brave the city’s rough waters, including- A strong pull began through the pool, Nym, Lydiav and Bal’gag beginning to drain it at my request, the water tearing down through a drain at the same time they switched the pumps on, pushing more water into the pool, creating a fake tide.

I dug my fingernails into the bottom of the pool, trying to pretend it was the sand of Karmona’s ocean. On the other side of the pool, opposite that massive drain and the cluster of four large jets that spat water, was a metal box that contained a single rock. The rock was standing in for the Hourglass of Time.

We’d rented the pool out for the day, preventing any Korathians from wandering in and seeing me train.

Adjusting myself in the water, I pushed off the bottom, swimming as fast as I could, fighting against the push and pull of the ‘tide’, the drain trying to suck me down at the same time the jets threatened to shove me around like a ragdoll.

Water was a powerful force, something that people often forgot. Even I fell prey to forgetting just how dangerous water could be under the right conditions.

Something so necessary to life was also so willing to kill.

I made it past the four jets, the drain wrenching at me, and kicked against the pull that was meant to mimic a riptide; a common occurrence out in Karmona’s ocean.

I wasn’t just fighting the water, however. I was fighting my panic, the human side of me desperate to live and panicking at the prospect of losing control.

The Demonic-being side of me knew I could do this. It was just that useless human side that I needed to beat into submission!

Pushing through my panic, I managed to get past the drain, scooping up the box with the rock in it, angling for the surface. They switched the jets off, plugging the drain again, the water stilling after a few seconds.

Gripping the edge, I leaned against it, trying to look lazy rather than show them how my arms and legs were wobbling with exertion, pushing my soaking wet hair out of my face and tossing the box to them. Nym lobbed it into the water on the other end of the pool.

“Again,” I commanded. Bal’gag frowned, “Are you sure?”

Nodding, I took a deep breath, released the edge of the pool, and dove under.

And in front of me, the jets and the drain started up again, the box taunting me from the other end of the pool.

Once I built my strength up, Seth Smith was going to be in a world of trouble.