Below the Surface Excerpt
Saka sat cross-legged atop Boadicea’s scratched and dented hull, double-checking her gear. The ship rocked in the gently rolling waves, the soft splash against the hull was the only sound to be heard. Before Saka could go over her equipment a third time, a sure sign she was stalling, she sighed and suited up.
She took precautions having heard tales, albethey tall tales, of the vicious monsters lurking beneath the planet’s aqua surface. She donned a wetsuit woven through with a durable polymer to protect her from being bitten, but not from being crushed between massive jaws. A thought she forced from her head. The toothless man who’d sold her the spear gun she strapped to her back had promised its accuracy and effectiveness. She hoped it worked better than whatever the old man used for dental care. She double-checked the charge on her headlamp and backup flashlight, and the aqua breather secured over her mouth and nose were in proper working order. The necessary yet bulky dive computer covered most of her left forearm. It would keep her on course and in touch with Boadicea though the aqua breather’s built in-radio. Finally, the stone key, the most vital piece of all. She brushed her dark hand over its smooth surface, her fingers trailing over raised glyphs populating the gray stone.
Confident she had everything needed to resurrect the ancient treasure, Saka took one last look around the vast watery wasteland and tucked the artifact into the zippered pocket of her wetsuit before lowering herself into the planet’s watery blue depths.
If you’d like to read the full story, head over to Patreon and join the Book Club to receive exclusive content.
