and they’d never move again. Feel your way along the rock with your hands, Sapphire. If you find a hold you can pull yourself along.
He shows me a mental image of what he is doing. His strong hands grasp the sides of the rock and propel him forwards.
I reach out cautiously, but the sides of the tunnel aren’t slimy, as I feared. They’re just smooth, and hard, and unforgiving. My nails scrape for a hold. I pull myself forward a little, then my hold breaks. There’s just enough room to put my hands down by my sides. Palm outwards, my hands push and propel me forward.
But now the tunnel’s getting narrower. If I’m not careful I’ll get stuck with my hands wedged by my sides. I won’t be able to bring them up to protect my face.
Don’t panic, Sapphire. If you panic in here you’re in real trouble.
Very cautiously I roll on to my side, and push backwards until I’m pressed against the tunnel wall. Carefully, I work my right elbow loose underneath me until my right arm comes free, and then I roll and do the same for my left.
You’ve done it, I tell myself. You kept calm and worked it out. That’s what you’ve got to do if you’re going to get through the passage.
It feels safer with my hands stretched in front of me. I can’t move as quickly, but I can shield my face. Faro’s quite a way ahead now. He must be moving more easily than me, with the force of his tail to push him on. My head knocks against the roof. Slow down, Sapphire. Take it easy. Faro’s bigger than you and he didn’t get stuck.
My foot catches on an outcrop of rock on the tunnel roof. For a desperate moment I struggle to pull it free, but it won’t go the right way. The rock’s holding on to me. It won’t release me.
I’ve got to think. Think. Use your mind instead of going into a blind, blank panic. You won’t ever get free if you struggle; it’s like pulling a knot tighter. Maybe if I push backwards a little, it’ll take some pressure off my foot.
Very gently I push back against the sides of the tunnel until the grip on my foot eases. I wriggle my foot sideways, and the rock lets me go.
I mustn’t let it catch me again. I scull hard with my hands to bring my body down as close to the floor of the tunnel as possible, and then I edge forwards with my feet together. I won’t kick any more, in case I get trapped again.
It works. I’m moving, slowly and steadily. But there’s no time for relief. I’ve got to catch up with Faro. If I lose him—
What if the tunnel divides and I don’t know which way to go?
It’s cold as well as dark. It feels as if the tunnel walls are breathing out a dead, freezing mist. Every time my fingers touch the rock they get more numb. Got to keep moving. Faro’s up ahead; I know he is even though I can’t see him. I can’t even find him with my mind. Keep going, Sapphire. Pull yourself along. One handhold. Another handhold. Keep going. The water feels cold and lifeless, but it isn’t really. You’re still in Ingo.
My worst fear is that the tunnel’s going to squeeze shut, closing me in. I could never find my way backwards, all the way to the entrance. I’d get stuck, and then I’d be trapped in the tunnel for ever.
As if the tunnel senses my panic, it starts to crowd me. My hands scrabble for space. My feet kick against the tunnel roof.
Faro!
There’s no reply. My thoughts bounce emptily around my mind. Faro has left me. I’m alone.
A wave of panic wipes me out. The rock bulges, crushing me. My fingers scrape at the surface but this time I can’t move. The tunnel has got me and it’s never going to let me escape.
But as the tide of panic roars, a small, quiet voice speaks deep inside me. I don’t know if it’s my voice, or Faro’s. Think, Sapphire. Use your brain. You’re not trapped as long as you think.
I remember how I freed my foot. Ease backwards. Don’t struggle, because it only ties the knot tighter.
It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. When you’re trapped, every cell of your body screams for you to fight free. But I’ve got to do it, because even Faro can’t help me now. He’s up ahead, waiting for me, I’m sure he’s there, but the tunnel’s too narrow for him to turn and pull me free.
Somehow just the thought of Faro waiting makes the rock face move back a fraction. The roof of the tunnel doesn’t press down quite so hard.
You survived the Deep, Sapphire. None of the Mer can survive the Deep, but you did it. This isn’t so terrible, compared to the Deep.
That’s when I first see the light. It’s a tiny greenish glimmer, so faint I’m not sure at first if it’s real or not. As I watch, another tiny light springs out on the rock face, like a signal. Don’t be afraid. We’re here with you.
Like fairy lights. But they can’t be fairy lights because there’s no electricity down here. I peer through the darkness and then I see them. They are small, worm-shaped creatures, clinging to the rock. The glow of light comes from their heads. As I watch, another point gleams out, and then another. They light the passage, showing the way onwards.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and the lights glow more strongly, as if the little creatures have heard and are glad to help me.
Slowly, slowly, the rock lets go of me as I relax. I’m easing myself forwards again. There is clear water between the rock and my body. I carry on doggedly pushing myself along. A few centimetres, a few more. The tunnel is curving round to the left, and surely it’s growing much wider now…
There’s a shimmer of light ahead, and a shape, moving—
A conger eel!
No. A familiar shape, strong and supple and like a seal’s tail. Faro’s tail. He’s swimming up ahead of me.
“Faro!”
“Little sister, I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you. I tried to reach you with my mind but all I could find was rock.”
I swim up alongside, so overwhelmed with relief that I’m afraid I’ll cry if I try to talk. Faro turns and smiles impishly.
“So those conger eels didn’t eat you up after all.”
I laugh feebly.
“You’re bigger than me, Faro, however did you get through so easily?”
Faro shrugs. “We’re used to it. Our bodies know their way through rock passages. As long as you don’t think about it, you’ll always get through.”
The tunnel’s opening up like a flower from a stalk. In the distance there’s a murmuring ripple of sound. Faro takes my hand.
“Wait, Sapphire.”
We float, listening. The light is even stronger now, and I see that the sides of the tunnel aren’t black at all. They are a deep, rich ruby red. It looks as if the tunnel is carved out of a huge jewel. Faro’s face glows with reflected light.
“We’re
