The scene was illuminated by gigantic . . . well, Seba didn’t know what they were. They looked like mushrooms rising on dark, fleshy stalks to tower over the kelp beds. They peaked in arched caps whose veined undersides were bioluminescent, spreading amber light. Seba had emerged from a pod growing on one such stalk. It bubbled from the trunk of the mushroom, veins glowing faintly. As she watched, the pod closed and the veins grew dark.
Hurry, came the mindvoice of Seba’s companion. She glanced down to see the nereid swimming, her tail lashing side to side in graceful undulations.
I’m not as fast as you, Seba complained, kicking rigorously.
No, the other agreed with a touch of smugness. I am the colony’s fastest swimmer.
Seba didn’t bother responding. They swam for a minute toward a fa
