A New Fear
Page 4
The trunk bumped into her side, into her shoulder, against her head. Pain shot through her. Dots of light burst before her eyes.
Nora shot up to the surface. She sucked in a huge gulp of air.
The gale lashed at her unmercifully. It flung the trunk away from her—but the rope held.
Nora coughed and gagged. Her water-soaked clothes weighed her down.
She pulled the trunk back to her and clung to it. It helped her stay afloat as the waves crashed around her.
Nora heard the men scream as they were thrown into the sea. They struggled to keep their heads above the churning water.
As Nora watched, the ship slowly sank beneath the water. Down, down, down.
Then the wind stopped.
The sea calmed.
The screams stopped.
What happened to the men? Nora thought. She searched the ocean around her for survivors.
But the dark waters had become as still as a glass mirror.
Nicholas’s trunk bobbed up and down. Nothing else stirred.
Not one of the men lived.
A deadly peace spread its cloak over them.
Nora felt exhausted. Every muscle and bone in her body ached.
I just want to sleep, she thought to herself. But I must not. I have to save Nicholas. I have to find the shore. I have to find safety.
She slipped off the trunk and into the cold water. With great effort, she began swimming, pulling the trunk behind her.
She tasted blood on her lips. Blood and salt. She did not know if the salt came from the water surrounding her … or from her own tears.
Nora’s arms grew heavy. She forced them over her head again and again.
Her legs began to cramp, but she continued to kick. How much farther? Where is the land?
Nora heard a mighty roar. She stopped swimming and clung to the trunk. She scanned the water.
Her eyes widened. Dark clouds circled over the sea. Lightning lit the sky.
The waves stirred, rising up from the depths of the ocean.
The storm had returned.
She scrambled onto the trunk. And waited.
Waited for death to claim her.
Roaring, the storm advanced. Huge waves tossed the trunk up and down. The ropes dug into Nora’s fingers as she hung on.
She was at the mercy of the storm.
And it had no mercy.
Chapter 10
Nora felt the fine spray mist her face. She was tired, so terribly tired. She only wanted to sleep
Painfully, slowly, Nora opened her eyes.
She was no longer clinging to the trunk. She lay sprawled upon the ground. Sand stuck to her face and her bare legs.
She bolted upright.
Nicholas! Where was Nicholas?
Nora’s eyes darted around the beach. She spotted the trunk—and gasped.
The trunk had smashed into a huge rock. The lid was open.
Was Nicholas still inside? Was he hurt?
Nora scrambled to her feet and ran toward the trunk. She slipped on the wet sand and fell to her knees.
She forced herself to her feet and staggered forward. With dread filling her heart, she gazed into the trunk.
Nicholas rested there.
Still.
So very still.
“Nicholas?” she whispered in a raspy voice.
He did not move.
Seagulls flew overhead, but even their screeching did not wake him.
He is dead, Nora thought dully. Nicholas is dead.
Tears welled in her eyes. She reached out and touched her baby’s cheek. “Nicholas?”
He scrunched his face and released a long wail. He was alive!
Nora laughed, lifted him out of the chest, and held him close.
The warm breeze caressed her face as she stood on the sandy shore. “We are safe, Nicholas. Safe.”
Nora walked into the ocean until it lapped around her knees. She stared at the crystal-blue water that stretched into eternity. “We will start a new life together,” she promised Nicholas.
He reached up with one tiny hand and grabbed the chain of her amulet. The chain snapped. The amulet fell to the ground.
Nora picked it up and studied it. She turned it over and read the inscription: DOMINATIO PER MALUM.
“Power through evil,” Nora whispered. “Your father gave this to me as a symbol of his love, Nicholas. The amulet was special to him, because it had been in his family for a long time.”
Nora sighed. “Your father’s family had power and money. But they paid a heavy price. They let evil into their lives, and it destroyed them.”
Nora stared down into the ocean for a long moment. “I do not want that evil to be a part of your life, Nicholas. I do not want you to suffer the same fate your father did.”
The amulet felt heavy in her hand. Heavy and warm.
Nora brought her arm back and flung it into the calm sea.
Relief swept through her. She hugged Nicholas. “Now the Fear evil cannot touch you.”
Nora stared down into her baby’s face. “We are going to start a new life—with new names. From now on, we will be known as Nora and Nicholas Storm.”
PART TWO
Chapter 11
Shadow Cove
1919
Nicholas Storm hated being a fisherman.
He hated the feel of slimy fish. The taste of salt on his lips. The odor of brine that filled his nostrils.
As he trudged home, he carried the stink of fish with him. No matter how often he bathed or how hard he scrubbed, the stench clung to his skin. He hated it.
He hated everything in his life. Everything.
Everything but Rosalyn.
Rosalyn was different. She did not belong to Shadow Cove. Rosalyn came from Spain.
Nicholas loved her long black hair and dark brown eyes. And the tiny gold studs she wore in her pierced ears.
None of the other girls in Shadow Cove had pierced ears. None of the other girls were anything like Rosalyn.
The other girls in their town only wanted to get married and settle down. Have babies. And eat the fish their husbands caught.
Rosalyn wanted more. And so did Nicholas. They wanted to get married and leave Shadow Cove together.
But Rosalyn’s father would never give them permission to wed. He had strict requirements for the man who would marry his daughter—the man had to be rich and powerful. As rich and powerful as Rosalyn’s father.
Rosalyn had been forbidden even to speak to Nicholas. They always had to meet in secret.
Nicholas promised himself he would make Rosalyn’s father accept him someday. No matter what it took. And then he and Rosalynwould get married.
Nicholas strode up to the house he shared with his mother. The salt air had faded the warped, weatherbeaten boards to a dull gray.
Nicholas pushed open the door and stepped into the kitchen. He came to an abrupt halt.
The house stood dark and silent. Too silent.
Flies buzzed around the eggs he had left on his plate at breakfast. “Mother!” he called, wondering why she had not washed the dishes.
A crab skittered sideways across the wooden floor.
Slowly Nicholas walked through the kitchen into the front room. Empty.
Nicholas heard a low groan. He ran down the hallway and barged into his mother’s room. He found his mother curled into a ball on the floor.
She did not move as Nicholas rushed over to her. Her face was as white as the shells that washed up on the beach. Her eyes were closed.
He knelt beside her and took her hand. It felt as cold as ice. “Mother?” he whispered hoarsely. The stench of death surrounded her.
Nicholas rubbed his mother’s hand with both of his. Her hand felt cold. Too cold. “Mother, what is wrong?” he cried. “Are you ill?”
Nora struggled to open her eyes. She stared up at him. “Daniel?” she rasped.
Relief washed through Nicholas. “No, Mother. It is Nicholas.”
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br /> Nora smiled wistfully. “You look so like your father.”
“So you have often said,” Nicholas replied. “Now tell me what happened,” he urged.
“My heart …” Her words trailed off.
He scooped his mother up in his arms. Light. She felt so light.
When did she begin to look so old? he wondered as he stared down at her. His mother had the appearance of a woman twice her age. Her once bright green eyes were dull. Her once brown hair now gray.
Grief tightened around his heart as he gently lowered her to her bed. He picked up the coverlet from the floor and wrapped it around her.
His mother had worked so hard to support them. As soon as he was old enough, Nicholas had gotten a job on one of the fishing boats. But for years his mother had taken care of him all alone.
He remembered the hours his mother had spent sewing, and washing clothes, and mending fishnets to earn enough money for them to eat and keep their little house.
Nicholas always promised himself that when he made his fortune, he would give his mother everything she wanted. She would never have to work another day.
Nicholas sat down next to his mother. Time was slipping away from him, like sand through his fingers. He realized he would never be able to give his mother the things she deserved.
“Nicholas. I have something to tell you,” his mother said, her voice weak. “I wanted to protect you, but …”
Protect me from what? Nicholas thought. A shiver ran through him.
Nora swallowed. “You need to know the truth about your family. I will not always be here to protect you.”
Nicholas felt his throat tighten. He wanted to tell his mother that she would be around to protect him for years and years. But he knew it was a lie.
Seagulls screeched in the distance. Wind whipped through the house, shaking the doors and windows.
His mother looked deeply into his eyes. Her expression so intense it almost frightened Nicholas.
“Your father … your father …” she began.
“Tell me,” Nicholas begged. “Tell me.”
He had waited so long to hear about his father. His mother had never spoken of him—except to say Nicholas looked just like his father. Now he would finally learn the truth.
“Your father left you a legacy …” Nora told him. She gasped for breath. “A legacy of …”
Her body spasmed. Nicholas heard a rattling sound deep in his mother’s chest.
The death rattle.
Her hands released their grip.
She fell back on the bed. Her eyes stared blankly up at Nicholas.
She is dead, Nicholas thought. My mother is dead.
Chapter 12
Nicholas heard his mother’s words over and over as he stood beside her grave.I wanted to protect you … Your father left you a legacy …
Would he ever understand? Would he ever learn what she wanted to protect him from?
Would he ever have the legacy his father wanted to give him?
Nicholas shivered in the cold wind. He wished Rosalyn were here. He needed to talk to her. She would help him figure things out.
He knew Rosalyn had wanted to be with him at the funeral. But her father would not allow it.
If I already had my legacy, I bet Rosalyn’s father would change his mind about me. Rosalyn and I could be married right away.
When the sun set, Nicholas walked away from his mother’s grave. He wandered down to the beach and stared at the vast ocean spread before him. The full moon reflected off the water.
Nicholas did not want to go home. The little house would feel too empty without his mother there. Tears stung Nicholas’s eyes.
He did not want to cry. He strode down the beach. Moving faster and faster. Then breaking into a run.
He ran until his heart pounded painfully and his lungs burned. Ran until he heard someone call his name.
Rosalyn!
The blue silk of her dress billowed as she raced toward him. The blue stones of her favorite necklace captured the moonbeams.
Rosalyn threw herself into his arms. Nicholas held her tight. So tight. He never wanted to let her go.
He rested his cheek on her head. Her long black hair smelled like the rose perfume she always wore. And it felt so soft.
With a sigh, Rosalyn stepped back and lifted her gaze to his. Her dark eyes held a serious expression.
Nicholas bent down and kissed her tenderly. Her full lips felt soft and welcoming. Then he cradled her face in his hands. “Rosalyn, what is wrong?” he asked quietly.
“You must leave,” Rosalyn blurted out. She pressed her face against his chest. He felt her trembling against him. “You must leave Shadow Cove right away.”
“Why?”
She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. “Tonight, my father told me that he is planning to arrange a marriage for me. A marriage to a wealthy man, a man who can take care of me. I was so upset. Without thinking, I told him I love you.”
Nicholas gritted his teeth. “Was he furious?”
She nodded. “He vowed he would kill you before he allowed us to marry.” She wrapped her fingers around his arm. “You must leave. My father does not make threats he will not carry out.”
“There is something I have to tell you. Something that might make your father change his mind about me,” Nicholas said. “Before she died, my mother told me my father had left me a legacy.”
“Did she tell you who your father was?” Rosalyn asked.
Nicholas shook his head. “But I will find out. I have to.”
Rosalyn looked doubtful.
Nicholas rushed on. “Even if I do not, I will find a way to make my fortune. I plan to leave Shadow Cove tomorrow. When I have enough money to convince your father to give us his blessing, I will come home. And then we will be married. Promise me you will not let your father force you to marry anyone else.”
Tears glistened on her face. “When you return, I will marry you,” she told him. “I promise I will never marry another. No matter what my father does.”
“I will hold you to that promise,” he said.
She gave him a shaky smile. “I must go before my father discovers I am gone.”
“I will come back for you, Rosalyn,” Nicholas promised again. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. He would miss her so much.
Rosalyn eased out of his embrace. “Please take care.”
“I will.” Nicholas’s throat tightened as he watched her race away from him. When she disappeared from his sight, he turned and headed toward his empty house.
Dark clouds passed before the moon, hiding the faint light. Nicholas hurried up the beach and back to the dirt road. He heard a sound behind him—like a twig snapping. He twisted his head and scanned the road. Empty.
He slowed down, but kept moving. Cautiously, he turned his head slightly and glanced behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadow move.
Is someone following me?
Nicholas shot another quick look behind him. A man ducked back into the shadows.
Had Rosalyn’s father sent someone after him already?
Nicholas kept walking. He did not want the man to know he had been seen.
When Nicholas reached a large elm tree, he ducked behind it. He wanted to get a better look at the man.
Nicholas peered through the branches.
The road stood empty.
Where did he go?
Nicholas heard a shuffling sound behind him. He spun around.
The man stood in front of him.
“It cannot be!” Nicholas cried.
The man looked just like him.
Chapter 13
“Who are you?” Nicholas demanded. He hoped the man could not see him trembling.
How could the man look exactly like him?
The man stared back at Nicholas in silence, his face blank.
Nicholas felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. “Who are you?” he shouted again.
Calm down, Nicholas ordered himself. Calm down. It is only a strange coincidence. Brown hair is not uncommon. Brown eyes are not …
No. That does not explain it, Nicholas thought. He does not look like me. Heis me.
“What do you want? What are you?” Nicholas cried.
The other man opened and closed his mouth. But no sound came out.
“Can’t you speak?” he barked.
The man stared at Nicholas pleadingly.
He opened his mouth again. “Shadyside!” he croaked.
The man’s face contorted. As though speech were agonizing to him.
The man began to fade.
“I don’t understand,” Nicholas cried. “What did you come to tell me?” Nicholas could hardly see the man now.
“Shadyside,” the man shrieked.
Then he was gone.
Chapter 14
“One ticket to Shadyside,” Nicholas said.
He anxiously watched the man behind the counter in the train station. Nicholas did not know if a place called Shadyside even existed. But the man gave him a curt nod, took his money, and handed him a ticket.
Nicholas had been unable to sleep the night before. He kept thinking about his strange vision.
Then he knew what he had to do. At dawn he packed his few possessions and made the long walk to the train station.
He did not know what he would find in Shadyside. But he had to start his search for his father’s legacy somewhere. Perhaps the vision had been sent to guide him.
Nicholas paced up and down the platform. He could not wait to leave and find out what awaited him in Shadyside.
Nicholas straightened the lapels of his new brown suit. He had bought it on the way to the train station. He was off to seek his fortune. He did not want to look like a poor fisherman.
His mind on his journey, Nicholas bumped into a woman in a straw hat. She stood hunched over, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Nicholas said.
The woman glanced up. Her brown eyes held his.