Dalliah
The initial shock of the cold is enough to wipe the air from my lungs in one powerful blow. Every inch of my skin burns with the sting of the saltwater forced against me, and I canât see a thing due to the hair in front of my eyes or the fact that the moonâs light canât reach me in here.
Iâve never experienced weightlessness until now, you know, the feeling of floating with nothing to tie me to the earth any longer and itâs crazy to think people enter these waves for fun.
Dying is something Iâve had to consider for a while now, my name being my warrant and all, but to go like this isnât something Iâd ever have expected if I were to guess. Itâs too cruel, even for my track record.
The extreme temperature causes an ache deep in my bones, and I doubt even if I could swim, that Iâd be able to in these conditions. Maybe if it were warmer Iâd have more hope of being saved, but itâs the middle of the night and nobody will have seen me out here anyway. The sooner I accept my fate the better.
I picture my mother and wonder if sheâs waiting for me on the other side. Will I feel better over there and will we finally be able to stay together now that itâs ending?
My dreams of peaceful release are interrupted by a weight slamming into my waist, and if there was any air left in me, itâd have been long gone now. The impact makes it impossible for me not to inhale sharply and the salt attacks my throat with vengeance. Iâm drowning, itâs happening.
Whatever it was that hit me, causes me to start to fall, but in what direction I couldnât tell you, as the waves distort all sense of direction. Itâs terrifying but I think itâs fair to say Iâve used up all of my fear already, so it barely reaches me.
My eyelids start to shut with my body giving up. The pain that bites at every inch of me is the new normal and itâs as if Iâm finally past caring. My last goodbyes are fussy and incoherent even in my own mind, though I swear I can hear something, even through all of this water.
Like one of the waves about to crash into the sand, I rise up and into the air. I donât know how itâs possible and my eyes strain open to see whatâs happening, all before I feel my body slap back down. But instead of returning to the sea, I find myself pressed against a hard surface.
It hurts, but not as much as the cold.
Wet clothes cling to me now that Iâm exposed to the air, and I feel someone hitting my back until all of the water Iâve swallowed comes out in a bitter swoop. My ears ring as they empty of liquid and I find it hard to balance when trying my best to sit up. Going from weightlessness back to normal isnât something Iâm used to, and every moment feels like Iâm fighting to be free of the earthâs pull.
âDalliah!â Muffled shouts start to register through the haze and I have to remind myself to try again to open my eyes.
Three figures stand over me, details hard to process through the dark but I feel the fear from each of them hitting me like bricks. Who are they? How did they save me?
âDalliah, can you hear me?â
Words are sharper now when they reach me and for a second the voice sounds familiar. It soothes over me like a layer of honey, but with enough grain to it to scratch itches I didnât know were inside. What a lovely sound.
âAvery get a surgeon! Tedric, your coat!â The voice yells, getting more desperate as it goes on, but I like it all the same.
Iâve never been exposed to much music other than my own dreadful attempt or the snippets of the Red Kingâs court, but this might be it. After all, itâs a sound heard in a way that brings pleasure, and thatâs the definition of music I can remember anyway. Itâs possible I might have it all wrong, as at this point I donât even know what I donât know. But itâs nice and I keep listening.
âDalliah, Iâm going to carry you to the Inn now, okay?â It calls to me but the meaning behind the words doesnât find me. âStay with me!â Itâs an order I think, though the language must be a foreign tongue compared to the ones Iâm used to.
A sharp pain worms its way down my throat and chest and I realise I must have tried to reply. But whatâs the point? I doubt theyâd understand what I have to say and even Iâm unsure of the message.
Thereâs nothing left for me here, my family is waiting on the other side. All I can guess is maybe it was a panicked attempt to make sure the world knows who I am before Iâm gone. That there was one more person left of the Leverer name, and sheâs ready to join her people.
After the initial pain dulls to be just another one of my many aches, I give up and hold my tongue. My spirit seems to travel in and out of my body as I come to terms with what has happened.
Somehow I didnât drown out there, or at least I donât think I did. There were three bodies standing over me, helping me breathe and I can feel myself getting warmer now. Though anything would be warmer than the water, I guess.
âRisk of pneumonia,â cuts through the haze, along with âCareful watch on her.â But again the words only wash over me. Maybe one of those three will understand what it means, and what needs to be done next because I for one am lost.
Though if Iâm to be perfectly honest, Iâm not sure I want to be found.