by AC Cobble
Amelie’s strokes continued to slow, but Ben encouraged her, “I see a boat coming our way. Keep going the way you are and we should be able to wave them down.”
Without looking up, a little burst of energy coursed through her and she kept swimming. Seconds later though her pace fell off again and her arms churned sluggishly through the water. Ben knew she had minutes left before she started to sink and likely take him with her as there was no way he could pull both of them through this current for long.
Ben bobbed up again to get a bead on the skiff and almost got run over by a little row boat that he hadn’t seen.
“Ho there!” called a muffled but familiar voice.
Mathias reached over the side and with strong arms hauled a sodden Amelie out of the water and rolled her into the bottom of his boat. Ben swam over and grabbed the side before Mathias pulled him in as well.
“Now that is two drowned looking rats if I’ve ever seen them,” exclaimed the barkeep. Glee and excitement filled his voice.
Amelie lay wheezing at the bottom of the boat, too tired to talk. Ben reached up and slapped a wet hand on Mathias’ arm. “I thought we were done,” he panted.
“Ah, I know that must have hurt when you saw I wasn’t there. I had to move. I could see the guards sweeping the bank and they would have spotted me easily.”
“I understand. I’m just glad you stayed out here watching for us!”
They both paused as a sharp snap split the night air. Amelie sat up and all three of them watched a blaze of energy arc out from the Sanctuary and soar over the river.
“We need to get out of here. Now,” demanded an exhausted Amelie.
Mathias nodded and sat down to the oars but none of them could take their eyes off the swirling red light as it crackled and popped closer until it struck the deck of the sailing skiff Ben saw earlier. The red light exploded in flames and heat. Screams from the doomed vessel filled the night air but were quickly choked off as the unnatural fire consumed it.
The oars dipped into the water and the tiny row boat surged forward, cutting through the low chop of the river.
Several minutes passed in silence. Mathias steadily rowed them further from the island and they watched behind his silhouetted figure as more crackling lights arced out from the Sanctuary and torched nearby ships.
Ben and Amelie could only watch in shock as the brutality of the Sanctuary was displayed in full force.
The disks of white light drifted out aimlessly over the water but their row boat was too small to be seen from the shore and everything larger was already burning. After a long and tense half bell, Mathias had gotten them far enough away they could breathe a sigh of relief. They moved out of the river basin and upstream into the Venmoor River. The Sanctuary and the island disappeared around the bend.
“Where to?” croaked Ben.
“The only place that could be in more chaos than where you left,” answered Mathias grimly. “Lord Reinhold’s estate.”
Amelie slumped against Ben and laid her cheek against the bare skin of his chest. He wrapped his arms tight around her shivering body and sat back to watch the water glide past while Mathias rowed.
The End
I wrote this book for myself. It’s the book I always hope to read when I pick up something new. I hope it’s a book you enjoyed reading as well. If you did, I encourage you to leave a friendly review and share with your friends. Books sell by word of mouth and I’m counting on you the readers to help spread that word.
For updates on the next volume in the series or just to chat, please check out my Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/accobble
Thank you for your interest in my book,
AC