Maaike and Aifric helped Aiden dig. She didn't have the strength to morph even her hands and hadn't had chance to quench her thirst yet, so she curved her fingers like claws instead and the cartographer mimicked her style. When they hit the spongy layer, she sat back on her heels and glanced about for something to cut through it while Aifric grabbed a small, jagged rock and bashed vainly at the dirt. Kiel had taken his katana and hook swords into the hole with him, but one of his throwing knives must have come loose when he dunked his head in the water the blade was sitting right by Maaike's hand.
Holding on to the blade was awkward because it was designed for throwing and didn't have a hilt. She nicked herself a couple of times as she tried to cut through the layer of sponge. “Aiden, you shouldn't stand in there.” No sooner had she said the words than he scrambled back because the ground rippled, as if it was alive. Maaike gasped and yanked back her hands.
“The heck is this thing?” She scanned the length of the trench to her left and right, noting how the water thrashed and turned. Everything they'd discussed about watering holes being the perfect spot for an ambush came back to run circles through her mind as did the fact that, despite this being the only water source for miles, they were the only ones here. In a desert, the oases became the centre of life. There weren't even any plants here.
“You! Zanaryan, Faris. What are we likely to find under here?” Besides Blabbermouth, she meant. The Zanaryan was no Dryad, but he could use the water to feel out the surrounding area and give them a better idea of what was down there. She was beginning to think this watering hole was no natural occurrence at all but an elaborate trap. Did the Malaki live underground? Or was there something even more dangerous out here?
“How deep is it?” Aifric asked. “How long do we have before he suffocates?” A grisly thought occurred to Maaike: The water was still trying to flood into the porous layer despite the Marid's efforts, so did that mean Kiel would drown before the air was gone?
Finally, the knife cut through the spongy layer and she managed to peel it back a little to create a gaping tear.