All the while, she had nearly forgotten about the cold that seeped into her legs and into her body—except for when she passed too close to a drizzle of water from the ceiling. The shock of cold water on her head and back made her wince.
When they were nearly in the center of the room, and only thirty paces away from the creature, Helesys paused behind a column to collect herself. She had no plan and no way of knowing how the elemental would react to her presence. It wasn’t until she was nearly upon it that the realization dawned upon her that no fishmen were in this room—no creatures at all. Had they known the danger the wounded elemental posed?
The elven weaver steeled herself. They were too close and Helesys knew that she should help the creature.
“Stay behind me,” Helesys whispered, “in case this goes to stercus.” The curse felt versatile enough that the barbarian would understand her meaning. She walked cautiously up to the elemental, which had paused its waltz.
The arcane gears in her arm whirred to life, the energy of the wand within rippling with latent energy—Helesys ignored the weapon. With any luck she would not need it.
The water elemental sensed her approach. Its swirling form slowed as if the liquid was freezing solid and the metal disk in the center turned a quarter revolution.
Helesys stopped and was about ten paces from the creature, watching spellbound as its attention fell upon her. She had not forgotten about the familiar hum of power within her arm, but it did not bring the same comfort it had during her encounter with the fishmen. It would not be a decisive display of power, but perhaps it would be enough for her to survive to regret her decision.
The metal disk ceased turning, the swirling water of the elemental’s body increased speed again—back to normal.
Helesys sensed the creature staring at her, though it had no eyes with which to do so. Then she heard its wail, like the sound of groaning floorboards. It resonated through the air and through the water, rippling its surface. The vibrations shook her lower legs—
—but this time she heard a gravelly, inhuman voice. The words sounded in her head rather than in her ears.
You are foolish.
“You are hurt,” she replied.
A few seconds later the water rippled with the elemental’s wail and Helesys heard the voice again in her head.
I am.
Then the disk within the creature turned and the elemental began to waltz away from her, but slow enough for her to walk beside it. Helesys kept the creature in the corner of her eye and followed.
Helesys sensed some small victory in speaking with the elemental, but now came the question of whether she could actually communicate with it.
“I see an object in your center. Is that the source of your pain?”
A long moment passed before the ripples came. I think so.
“I can help you. I can remove the object.”
Will it hurt?
“It may, but then—”
—Helesys tripped over something in the water but caught her footing after a moment. She continued, “Then your pain will end.”
You are foolish.
The elf nearly chuckled at the joke.
You are in danger.
She almost missed it over the elemental’s constant cyclone of water. Behind her she heard a splash and then a groan. Something different, guttural.
Helesys spun, and saw an arm reaching for her—where she had just tripped. Putrid flesh, white tendon and bone beneath it. The hand reached for her as she recoiled, splashing after her. A Terran skull with thin wiry hair and red pockmarks just behind it. Gray-black void where eyes, nose, and tongue should be. A raspy breath in between each bite of its cracked teeth as the corpse crawled after her.
The cannon on her right arm whirred to life in some unspoken command. With a mind of its own, her arm reached out, palm nearly touching the gnashing face of the undead. Purple sparks danced across her fingertips.
Then came the jolt, but this time the elf was ready for it. The blast erupted from her hand and through the face of the corpse. The dull thump of impact mixed with a squash—the sound of bone and water pulverized—and then the water crashed back together. The motionless body, missing its head and shoulders, was hurled to the side by the waves.
But victory was short lived.
Splashes echoed throughout the cavern as dozens of undead rose up on rotting limbs. The closest were only a dozen paces away.
Behind her, Taunauk had already leapt and crashed down on one. Buying her time. His voice roared over the water and through the cavern, “Do not shoot! Do not hit the columns!”
“Stercus,” she mumbled. The oaf was right—but that meant her plans changed only slightly.
Helesys turned to the water elemental. “Stop! Please let me help you.”
The elemental stopped and then turned toward her, the disk in its center reflecting as it did. The creature said nothing until she reached forward with her metal arm.
Use your other limb, it said and recoiled from her touch.
So Helesys turned and reached into the waterspout, but in spite of the spin of the waves, she felt the water of its body was absolutely still. She plunged her arm in to the elbow, then the shoulder, but she still could not reach it!
Around her, corpses had risen and were stumbling toward her and the elemental on stuttering strides. Somewhere behind them axeswings crashed like blastshells, sending water and body parts flying through the air.
Helesys took a deep breath and reached even deeper, plunging her head and shoulders into the watery creature. This time her fingers found purchase around the disk and she yanked it free, stumbling out of the waterspout.
The elf found her footing just in time, just as the first three corpses set upon her.
Clutching the metal disk close to her chest, Helesys swung
