Sleep of Undine Ch. 02

"Dahut... would you like to see my most special collection?" he asked again. This time, she responded by turning to look in his direction.

He led her to an adjoining room which was much smaller than the library. Dahut took in the smell of the old leather-bound books and her interest became piqued.

"What's this?"

"It's some of the books I've been reading lately. See... these were written in the 1600s... would you like to have a look?"

"Oh yes please!" she said excitedly. Gently holding the book, she turned the pages slowly, with a gentleness of a lover. Then she frowned.

"The treasure of treasures?" she said enquiringly. "Is this fiction?"

"Oh no... not at all! See here, it says 'Treasure of the Philosophers: The Stone of The Wise Men; Describing the matter of, and manner how to attain the universal Tincture'."

Dahut stilled but kept silent. She didn't think Tristan knew about her water abilities or does he? But showing her these... it was as if he wanted her to learn something about herself. Tincture reminded her of Alchemy... and she closed her eyes, willing herself to recall knowledge about Alchemy.

Oblivious to Tristan now, she looked over at the table and selected another volume. Just as she suspected- a book on Tincture.

She opened its introduction and read:

Alchemy has been thought to encompass many disciplines, including philosophy, psychology and spirituality. It was beyond the goal of turning common metals into gold or silver but also the creation of a "panacea"; the elixir of life, a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life. And at the root of this goal was the discovery of Tincture- the universal solvent.

She looked up at Tristan who was also staring at her.

"Do you know what this universal solvent is, Dahut?" Dahut stared at him blankly and shook her head.

"It is the womb of a mother."

"That is impossible..." she said, shaking her head. Tristan merely smiled and got up from his sitting position.

"Ouch!" she yelped. A splinter of wood had somehow penetrated her palm and she was about to put her hand to her mouth to stop the blood flow when she realized she was not bleeding. Instead, the skin where the splinter had punctured her was slowly beginning to heal.

"How can this be?" she said, shaking. "Why... why are you showing me this? Who are you!" she started screaming.

"Please, Dahut... listen to me... I did not mean to shock you like this. I wanted to show you these to make you understand what I'm about to tell you..." he said. Still she kept silent.

When he came closer to her, she stayed in place and when he took her hand, she simply looked at him with her eyes that were slowly turning into an intense icy colour.

As fast as a blink of an eye, she felt everything going dark and she panicked. But she felt the protective warmth of Tristan behind her and she relaxed. Her sense of smell was perked at a high intensity now that her sight was lost. Where is she?

She smelled earth... it's sulphurs and phosphates clouding in her head.

"Are we in a cave?" she asked. "How?"

When she blinked again, she was back in the library, the light of the room suddenly blinding her eyes.

"I took you there," Tristan said, pausing to watch her reaction. When she showed no sign of fear, he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself proper... I am heir of Napaeae, the guardian of the mountain and valleys. Just as your mother is Undine, the guardian of the ocean and rivers. Am I correct to say that, Dahut?"

Dahut just stared at him, with her mouth slightly open.

"You knew about my mother?"

"Yes... and I know about you too... Your powers have been growing stronger haven't they? Would I be right to say that you have only recently awakened?"

"Awakened?" she asked, although she already knew what he meant.

"You can breathe in water now, just as you can will it to do your bidding. Ah, I'll take that as a yes. But you've not learnt how to control these powers haven't you? I can help you."

Dahut considered him with slanted eyes. Her mother would be best to teach her how to control these powers... not some earth nymph... then it dawned on her...

"Did... did she send me here to learn from you... because something is happening isn't it? What is it? Tell me!" she demanded. When Tristan remained silent, she pressed on, "Is she losing her powers because I'm gaining mine? Oh god no... is she... is she dying Tristan?"

"She will... eventually, Dahut. She has passed her immortality to you and so now she will age."

"Did that happen to your mother too?"

"Yes... eventually she too passed on..." said Tristan, his voice beginning to shake. Dahut recognize the treble as sadness and stopped talking.

Deciding to drop the subject, she smiled and changed the subject.

"Well... I know it's late at night now... and I was hoping to sneak away to have a quick dip in the water. But since you already know about me, why don't we go together? I have never swam in salted water before."

"I think you will feel much lighter than when swimming in fresh water," Tristan replied, trying to smile for her sake.

A while later...

The water felt warm even though the darkness of the night had blanketed the land. Dahut was pulling Tristan playfully into the water but he refused to go in at a depth deeper than his waist.

"I feel blind if there is no sand beneath my feet."

"Then you just have to let me see for you," she replied, teasing him. Tristan looked at her and decided to risk dying in the water. Sure he'd wakeboard and surf and raft... but she was asking him to hold his breath for minutes underwater while she played around at great depths.

Dahut was holding his hands now and guiding him into deeper water. He was desperately trying to feel the sand with his toes but he could no longer now that they were fully submerged in water. He began to struggle with the knowledge that he was in really deep water when he felt her lips coming onto his. It was dark and he couldn't see a thing.

But he was breathing! She was breathing in for him... amazing! When they resurfaced, he realized that they were so far from shore. Her lips were still on his though and he let himself be lost to the feel of her softness against him. He felt a little silly holding on to her like she was a buoy but it was the only thing he could do to keep afloat. Or...

Unable to see, Tristan had to sense the rocks and ground formation beneath him, deep in the water and summoned them up.

"Ahh..." he groaned in pleasure when he felt land under his feet. He was now sitting what looked like a piece of rock in the middle of the ocean. Dahut released him and started laughing. Then she flipped backwards into the water, splashing all over him. It was then he caught sight of her legs... or what used to be her legs. It was exactly like the myths of the mermaids. She was beautiful...

He sat there on the rock watching her frolic about and realized that for the first time in his life, he understood what it meant to be free... and also... what it meant to be in love.

***

Love... it was what brings people together or pull them apart. Undine stared out into the waters and sensed her daughter happily playing in them in another part of the world. Her senses were not as strong as before; she could no longer pinpoint the exact location where a disturbance in the water was. But she could still sense the happiness and that was enough.

Days have passed since she gained her mortality and each day she felt herself growing older although physically there were no visible changes.

Jack's death still haunted her, although the police have ruled her, Dahut and Tristan out of the list of suspects because there was not enough evidence. There had been no traces of hair, fibre or thumbprint or anything. Undine knew what they did not. There would be no traces when one need not be physically present to cause damage.

The spring was beginning to melt most of the ice and the weather was turning warm. Undine knew that without the added advantage of the cold temperature, she would have a harder time against the fire woman.

Lost in her thoughts, she was initially unaware of the rise in heat in her office. It was only when she noticed the water in her glass was evaporating that she perked her senses. She ran out of her office, hoping to avoid another arson case especially when there were still many people in her lodge.

It was then she saw a glimpse of the red-haired woman. Just a flash before a ball of flame came towards her from nowhere. Undine extinguished it with a rush of water using a flick of her wrist. As soon as she had put that out, more flame balls were thrown at her, from all direction. Undine was a bit weakened by that small use of her powers that she was unable to summon more to put out the flames.

When her dress started getting caught in fire, Undine knew what she had to do.

She jumped into the water and dove deep within, holding her breath for as long as she could.

***