They descended, keeping to the rocky sides. Ray felt wet against her nose, inside her mask, tried to keep her emotions in check. Every time she saw Fari below them, fins scissoring slow rhythm, her jaw trembled and fresh tears emerged. The female held her fingers in a light touch, still leading, her slim body arrowed head-first into the deep, waist continuously undulating, free arm flat against her side, trailing Ray. She copied her posture, resting her left arm against her hip. At any moment it was possible to let go, float effortlessly up to eighteen metres and beyond. It was. She gritted her regulator with her teeth, taking conscious, long breaths. Sometimes her body shuddered. She wasn’t sure if it was cold or fear.

The ridge was a cragged, pale yellow cliff. Thin lime-green weeds, little else. It went on for ever, although she couldn’t tell whether that was another human interpretation. As they reached thirty metres she noticed something else. Crevices or alcoves arched like dark church windows. Lower down, they had protruding, slightly curved half-metre lips. Small caves big enough to hold one or two people at best. Possibly two water beings.

Darkness seeped like dusk. She swallowed hard, clearing her ears. Her chest tightened. It was tougher to kick. When Ray looked down, she saw nothing. She stiffened again, and for the first time the female gripped more firmly. Was she mistaken, or had a thumb caressed her knuckle? Was she being reassured, or was it the touch of cold water? There was no light, no way of telling. How could she know?

Ray chose to believe.

Had they changed direction? Were they horizontal, not diagonal? For a long while she knew nothing apart from her awareness that the pressure on her chest and temples had eased. The fingers on her hand were gone, it shocked her to realise this. How long had they let her go? Where was she? Ray floated in the abyss, in silence. She gasped, trying to see, head twisting, bubbles tickling her cheeks and ears, flailing, telling herself not to panic, suppressing her scream, feeling it rise anyway. Then the female was there, her hands were on Ray’s hips, cold and strange but undoubtedly soft. Another cold feeling on her upper chest. A palm? Possibly? Was she being righted? And then her feet touched solid hardness and she was standing, yes, she was, soles resting against something cold and firm for a moment, ground maybe, before she felt herself being lifted upwards again, the furred fingers holding hers, and she made herself calm her breathing, conserve air.

They walked, or at least feigned the motion. Floating above whatever surface she’d been made to tread. Holding on to cold fingers tighter, grateful, thinking Don’t let go. Please don’t let go. She squinted. Something ahead. Light. It was light. Her cheeks lifted in a smile, she felt her collected tears. There was light.