Water Shaper (World Aflame) Read Online Free Page A

his shoulder and saw Sean pulling on his jacket as well. It had been so warm when they were eating lunch at the Azores. The warmth was clearly gone, as a cold seemed to emanate from the ocean around them.
    For some reason he couldn’t explain, the cold seemed to affect him far less than the other two. He remained in his T-shirt and, though he could feel goose bumps spreading across his exposed skin, it wasn’t enough to warrant putting on the thick winter coat.
    The darkness swallowed the filtering sunlight, leaving the sea around them in perpetual dusk. The sunlight that had followed them surrendered its chase and retreated to the surface. The glassy perimeter of the vortex still swirled around them, but it was barely visible anymore.
    “H-how far down are we g-going?” Sean asked as he began shivering uncontrollably.
    Xander could feel the tug in his gut like someone had tied a rope to his stomach and dropped it from a bridge. “We’re close. Really close now.”
    He looked back at both Sean and Jessica hovering behind him and noticed their lips were turning blue. Jessica’s eyebrows looked frosted as small ice crystals formed on her brow.
    When the darkness was on the verge of swallowing them whole, their feet touched down on the silt and sand of the ocean’s floor.
    “I can’t see anything,” Sean said.
    Jessica fumbled in her pocket, and they heard the jingling of keys. She pulled out a massive keychain, its lengths adorned with charms and discount tags from assorted department stores. She sifted through the jumble before exclaiming loudly and raising her hand above her head.
    “Found it,” she said.
    “Found what?” Sean asked as he stared inquisitively at the barely visible shape in her outstretched hand.
    Jessica lowered her hand and pressed a button on the object dangling from the end of her keys. Light spilled from the pocket flashlight. Though its illumination was weak compared to the oppressive gloom, they were able to make out the shapes immediately around them.
    The light fell first on the ground at their feet.  Xander furrowed his brow as he leaned forward and brushed away some of the damp sand. His hand fell on hard stone with clearly defined edges. The narrow gap on the edge of the stone led immediately to another paver stone set artfully beside it. From that paver, Xander followed the path to another and another.
    As his eyes adjusted, he was able to make out the silt-covered edges of the path—a clear trail that led forward from where they had landed.
    “What is it?” Sean asked, crouching beside his friend.
    “It’s a road,” Xander said unbelievably, his words escaping in an amazed exhalation.
    The two stood and glanced along the path of the trail.
    “Shine the light over there,” Xander said, pointing ahead of them.
    As Jessica turned the meager flashlight forward, the light poured over the unnaturally sharp corner stones and dilapidated rooftops of the nearest buildings. Just beyond the crumbled buildings, the light exposed the rounded exterior walls that were now crumbled from age and choked with sea life.
    “It’s a city,” he whispered unbelievably into the still air.

    It was a city, or at least it had once been ages ago. Xander touched the slime-encrusted stonework of the nearest building with admiration. Despite the water being held at bay by his vortex, the sea still clung to the ruins around them. Coral had taken root on the collapsed walls, growing bulbous forms until the stonework was nearly unrecognizable at parts. Water still poured in miniaturized waterfalls down the facades of the ruined buildings. He stepped further away from the cobblestone road they had discovered as he explored the structures.
    “Who built this?” Jessica asked as she took a squishy step forward. Her foot sank slightly into the ocean floor, and the seawater flooded into her shoes. It only added to the cold that had permeated ever corner of her body.
    “I don’t know,” Xander