[Junior Jedi Knights] - 02(11)

“Tahiri, one of us has to stay on the surface to help the Melodies fight if any predators attack,” Anakin said. “So if it’s all right with you, I’ll go see Lyric.”

“It’s all right with me,” Tahiri said in a relieved voice.

Sannah helped Anakin scoop algae out of the pool and pack it into the trico filter.

“It may be difficult for you to breathe at first,” Sannah warned. “Until your body relaxes and gets used to breathing oxygen from the algae, you will try to struggle for air. Once the filter is on, sit for a moment before you enter the water.”

Anakin lifted up the filter and Sannah helped him tie it. He moved toward a rock and sat down. He realized he was holding his breath, and slowly exhaled. However, when he went to inhale, his lungs struggled to pull in air, struggled for the type of oxygen they’d always processed. Anakin felt a dull pounding in his ears, and his vision blurred. I’m not going to pass out, he instructed himself. He forced himself to remain calm, to inhale and exhale. Moments later he was breathing the oxygen from the algae. Tahiri’s concerned face came into view. Anakin reassured his friend with his ice blue eyes. Then he moved to the edge of the algae pool and slipped in. It took several moments to adjust to the murky water below the surface. The algae filtered out most of the sunlight from above, and only narrow shafts of light lit his way.

Anakin swam through the water, breathing shallowly and searching for his friend. The pool was roughly two meters deep, and he passed several changeling forms in the water. They all wore the same pale green tunic that Sannah wore. As he swam, Anakin noticed that most of the changelings still had partial legs, although they were beginning to fuse together with thick webs striped with pale blue, green, orange, and pink. The Melodies didn’t take notice of him as he passed them. They slowly rolled in the water as the currents sent from his movement washed over them, but their eyes were closed. It was almost as if they were asleep. Anakin had still not seen Lyric. A flash of orange caught Anakin’s eye. He moved through the bodies toward his friend, still dressed in her academy jumpsuit.

He reached Lyric and saw that she, too, was sleeping. Her jumpsuit now hung in tatters around her legs as they fused together and broke the seams that had once made pant legs. Thick red hair floated around her still face. Anakin almost let out a cry as Lyric suddenly opened her yellow eyes and met his gaze. She must have sensed his presence, he thought. Lyric’s look told Anakin what he needed to know: she was all right. And she knew that he and Tahiri were still there protecting her. Slowly Lyric closed her eyes. Anakin reached over and held her hand. He would stay with her until his oxygen began to run out.

Something was wrong!

Anakin wasn’t certain if he’d heard Tahiri cry or if he’d sensed her fear. Gently releasing Lyric’s hand, he shot through the murky waters and burst through the blanket of algae. It covered his eyes in thick strands, and for a moment he was blinded. Then he saw it. An enormous reel, deep violet in color, was hissing furiously before Tahiri, who stood between the snake and the pool of water.

“Throw me a spear!” Tahiri cried over to a Melodie. But the young boy couldn’t seem to move. He was terrified.

“Throw me a spear!” Tahiri yelled again. The snake’s black forked tongue flicked toward Tahiri. It was tasting its prey. Anakin could sense the frustration and fear in Tahiri’s cry. Sannah tried to move to grab a spear for Tahiri, but at her movement the snake turned as if to strike her, and she shrank back.

“I’m right behind you, Tahiri,” Anakin called softly.

“Wish you were in front of me,” Tahiri called back. “‘Cause I’m not sure how to fight this thing. I tried to copy its hissing, like Lyric did to save Tionne, but it doesn’t seem to like my voice.” In a lightning strike, the snake leapt at Tahiri. She sprang sideways and it just missed grasping her in its thick coils. Tahiri lay sprawled on her back as the reel circled its prey. When it struck again, she rolled sideways. This time it didn’t circle, but lashed out immediately. Tahiri couldn’t get to her feet fast enough to evade the serpentine creature. Instantly she was trapped within half-meter - thick violet coils.

“Help me, Anakin!” Tahiri screamed. “It’s crushing me!”

The Melodies around the cove came to life and began to pummel the reel with their rocks. Several attempted to stab it with spears, but their weapons fell to the ground, unable to pierce the creature’s thick scales. It seemed impervious to attack, and continued to constrict around Tahiri’s body.