Heart of the Ocean (The Equilibrium Cycle Book 2)

by Jason A. Gilbert

  A backlash of power surged toward her. The blow was so strong it hit Laila like a physical attack, knocking her off her feet. Her connection with Connor broke and the blue light died out instantly. A loud crack sounded beneath her from the ship. Laila reeled from the backlash. Something had attacked her, deliberately. Pain tore through her head. She felt hands at her temples and a distant sound slowly came to her awareness. Other hands touched the hands on her temples, and she realized that she was holding her own head and that the sound was her own voice, screaming.

  Stopping herself, she slowly opened her eyes. The pain in her head was incredible. Her vision was blurred, but she could see two faces hanging above her. Connor and Dio. Both of their mouths moved, as though they were speaking, but she could not make out any sound.

  Through the ringing and pain in her head, she slowly began to hear the tearing of the wind around her. Through the wind she could then hear the boys' voices.

  "Laila!"

  "Laila, what happened?"

  Another cracking sound rang across the ship. Splinters of wood rained down on the three of them.

  "Abandon ship!" she heard the captain shout, his voice powerful enough to echo over Connor and Dio's voices.

  "We have to go! Now!" shouted Dio, looking between Connor and Laila.

  Connor nodded, reaching underneath Laila's shoulders and lifting her, ungraciously, to her feet. Laila was just aware of Lunete and Icarus carrying Wyndam between them as they clambered down to the main deck, searching desperately for a longboat. She felt another set of hands trying to steady her shoulder. Glancing around in her delirium, she saw Cadi pushing against her. Dio reached behind and helped pull Cadi forward. A tearing sound tore through the storm and the four of them were knocked to the side, a massive wave sweeping the deck.

  “Cadi!” Laila heard Connor and Dio yell together and Laila felt the hands on her shoulder ripped away with the wave.

  They spun and could see nothing but rain and lightning behind them. Cadi was gone.

  Dio and Connor stared into the storm as the ship lurched again. The captain yelled, forcing them into movement again. He was standing next to one of the longboats. One other man was working quickly at the ropes holding the boat to the ship's deck. The captain waved at them. Falling forward in the crash of waves, the six of them crashed into the longboat just as the other man set the lines free. The boat slipped down the side of the Via, moving out into the oceans to the north, the last place they had seen land, as the waves rose up and engulfed the ship, pulling it away from them and into the depths.

  Nineteen

  Survival

  Water crashed over the edge of the longboat as the survivors rowed desperately through the churning waters. Laila's head still pounded and her robes were again soaked through with seawater. Connor and Dio sat at the bow, pulling at the water with their oars frantically. Captain Drachus sat in the rear of the boat, rowing himself and trying to keep them headed toward what he hoped was land. Icarus and Lunete were crouched behind Laila with Wyndam between them. The Aurai was unconscious now, the exertion finally taking its toll on the elemental.

  As they crested the waves, Laila could see two other longboats near them filled with crew trying to make their way to the relative safety of land.

  How many are lost? she thought. Cadi? Stathis?

  Her stomach rose up into her throat as they dropped down the backside of the wave and crashed into the water again, another explosion of water sweeping into the longboat. Laila held onto the side, and her hands ached with the cold of the water and her grip, but she did not let go. There was nothing else for her to do. The Via was gone. They had no way of passing through the Straits now. Hanging onto the edge of the small boat, Laila felt despair engulf her.

  She had failed.

  Connor's arms no longer existed. At least, to his mind. The cold and ache from rowing through the violent seas made them feel as if they had fallen off. Only a strange sense of compulsion kept them moving, mechanically, despite his mind’s inability to register their location. The rain and ocean water pounded at the small boat from all sides. Dio rowed next to him, moving as mechanically as Connor was. Connor could hear vague shouts coming from the rear of the longboat, probably from Captain Drachus, but he did not hear what the captain was saying. His arms just kept rowing, pushing their small boat forward until it would finally capsize. There was no way they could survive the Straits in their small craft.

  Another shout echoed from behind Connor, and he continued to row. A jerk of the boat nearly knocked him out. Catching himself on the edge, he felt the oar slip from his hands and float away in the current. He watched it go with an odd sense of detachment. Another jolt against the boat and Connor turned back to see if he could make out what the captain was saying.

  "The rocks!" Captain Drachus was shouting. "We've got to get off the rocks!"

  Connor turned and saw that they had run aground of a series of rocks jutting out from a small cliff. The cliff was no higher than Connor's head, and he could see the expanse of land behind it. Turning back to the captain, he pointed at the cliff and tried to speak.

  "La..." He coughed as seawater filled his mouth; the salty taste nearly making him gag. Sputtering he looked up again. "There's a...a cliff."

  "I know, boy! We still need off these damnable rocks!" the captain shouted back.

  Connor nodded, turning to the rocks and the cliff. Leaning over the edge of the boat, he pushed at one of the jutting rocks that they had run aground on. Pushing with a newfound strength, he felt the boat slide away from the stone. Another wave pushed the boat up and then dropped them suddenly. Connor lost his balance and fell forward, racing toward the rocks and the water.

  A pull at the back of his tunic stopped him from falling in completely. A wave rose up and covered his head, but the grip on his tunic remained, bringing him back into the boat. Dio tossed him back, onto the floor of the boat as the waves pushed them in closer to the small cliff.

  "That's three!" Dio shouted, holding up three fingers.

  Despite his exhaustion, Connor forced a laugh. "Aye, it is."

  "Get up, boys!" the captain shouted. "Catch us on that cliff before we're crushed."

  Swallowing the ache of their muscles, Connor stood with Dio as the front of the boat slammed into the small cliff. Reaching out, the two of them found handholds, fighting against the current as the waves moved them in and out.

  "Everybody out! Now!" Captain Drachus's voice roared over the storm.

  Icarus lifted Wyndam onto his shoulders. The Aurai had regained a semblance of consciousness, but he hung heavily on the Magus. Under the control of the captain, the longboat swung in against the cliff, leaving the side of the boat rising up and down against the stone. Icarus waited for a surge in the water and then tumbled out onto the top of the cliff. The Aurai rolled away from him, gasping for breath as they finally felt solid ground beneath them.

  Connor felt the stone of the cliff bite into his hands. He glanced back to see Lunete trying to coax Laila up. Laila sat against the side of the boat, a vacant look on her face.

  "Laila-sa! We need to go, now!" her mother shouted.

  Laila continued to stare out on the crashing ocean.

  "Dio!" Lunete turned to the two of them. "Help!"

  Dio glanced at Connor briefly. Connor felt a twinge of jealousy, but he nodded his head, trying to ignore the feeling and knowing that it did not matter right now. They needed to get off the boat.

  Dio let go of the stone and rushed to Lunete and Laila's side. He lifted her arm and wrapped it around his shoulder. Lunete took the other arm, using the staff that Laila instinctively clung to as a hand hold. They waited at the edge of the boat, as Icarus had done, for the ocean to surge. When it did, they tumbled forward, pulling themselves clumsily up onto the top of the cliff and away from the ocean. The surge was quickly followed by a violent wave, and Connor felt the longboat being pulled out from under him. Jumping, he grabbed at the top of the cliff bef
ore it slipped beyond his reach. Hanging against the stone, he pulled himself up, scraping his arms and legs in the process. Finally rolling over the edge, he lay for a moment, letting the rain soak into him, thankful to feel the solidity of ground and stone under his back.

  He sensed movement near him and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. Lunete knelt in front of Laila. The Magusari's eyes were still vacant, staring out at the violent seas. Dio stood next to them, rain pouring down his face. Icarus and Wyndam were a few feet away, to Connor's left. The Aurai was catching his breath with one arm braced across a bent knee. His eyes were closed as he stared at the ground, but Connor could see his strength slowly returning, as though just being removed from the chaotic waters had rejuvenated him. Icarus stood behind the elemental, looking inland from the cliff.

  Connor stood, glancing at Laila, Lunete, and Dio. He did not think that he could help there, so he walked to Icarus. He stood at the Magus's side silently for a time, staring into the dark himself. He thought he could see movement to the west, along the short cliff.

  "Look, there," he pointed, drawing the Magus's attention. "Is that one of the other boats?"

  "Perhaps," Icarus said. "The captain made his way in that direction. If they are there, he will find them."

  "What are we going to do?" asked Connor.

  "About what?" Icarus said, turning to him.

  "This?" Connor answered waving his hands around frantically. "We can't get through the Straits now, if we ever had a chance before. Do we even know where we are?"

  "North Edonin!" The captain’s deep voice rang out through the rain and dark. "Essentially the last habited lands in the west. Though habited is probably an overstatement."

  As the captain's large figure appeared out of the gloom, he was followed by five others. Three men and a woman from the crew that Connor recognized, though he could not remember their names. And Stathis, the captain's second. Connor felt his heart sink, hoping that they were not the only ones to survive, but knowing that the chances against that were slim.

  "You've been here before?" Icarus asked.

  Captain Drachus shook his head. "No. Heard enough about the Ednonin from others that I didn't think it was quite worth it. They don't take kindly to strangers. Keep to themselves. Stories say they've been on this island for thousands of years, watching or waiting for something. But no one knows what. The Straits tend to keep people away, which I think is how the Edonin like it."

  Dio clambered over to their small gathering. He ran his hand through his short hair as he approached, taking in the sight of the captain and what was left of his crew. "Lunete says we need to find shelter. Laila's not responding to anything, and we need to get her out of this storm..."

  "How are we going to find anything in this?" Connor asked, swinging his arms wide.

  "I may be able to help with that," Icarus said calmly. Now that they were back on solid ground, Connor noticed that Icarus's confidence had also returned. "See to Laila."

  The Magus lowered himself to the soggy rocks. Placing his hands, palm down, against the stone, he closed his eyes. Connor waited for a moment to see if anything special was going to happen. When nothing did, he turned and walked toward Laila and Lunete with Dio.

  Lunete had knelt in front of Laila, but Laila's expression had not changed. It was still blank, staring ahead. Connor put his hand on Lunete's shoulder. She glanced up at him and shrugged. Connor could see the pain in her face.

  "Laila," Connor said, trying to meet her gaze. Her eyes stared right through him. He remembered back to their last minutes on the Via. She had done something with the Sword. Reached into his mind and pulled the blue light out of him. He had no idea she could do that, and the sensation of her pulling it from him had not been pleasant. Had her attempt to save them done something to her mind?

  "Laila, can you hear me?" Connor asked, his voice soft. The same blank stare. He reached his hand out and touched the back of her gown lightly. Laila flinched away from his touch.

  "So many..." Her voice was as distant as her stare.

  "So many what?" Lunete jumped in.

  "So many lost..."

  "Laila-sa," Lunete continued. "It's not your fault."

  "I failed," Laila said, her eyes still staring blankly at the Dead Straits.

  "Oh, my daughter, this is not..." Lunete knelt next to Connor but could not finish. Connor thought there might have been tears on the former Guardian's face, but in the downpour it was impossible to tell.

  Connor felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Dio pointing back toward Icarus and the captain. Icarus was now standing and speaking to Captain Drachus. Connor nodded and stood, leaving Lunete with Laila again. The two of them walked back to Icarus.

  "I've found something, but it's nearly two miles from here," Icarus explained.

  Connor looked into the sky. The fading light of day could barely be seen through the storm. "Can we make it?"

  "We don't have a choice, boy," Captain Drachus said. "We won't survive the night in this."

  Connor nodded. The captain was right. Moving back to Lunete, Connor explained what they needed to do. The group with Stathis had a couple of sacks of supplies they had been able to save before the Via had gone down. Connor and Dio had shared a short laugh when they saw that one of them contained the remnants of the melagranos he, Dio, and Laila had gathered nearly a week ago. There were only a handful left, but they might help sustain their small group of survivors.

  The group set out in the direction that Icarus indicated, trudging through the pounding rain. Connor, Dio, and Lunete took turns coaxing Laila along. She did not move quickly, but none of them really could, and she allowed them to lead her along. The rocky ground of the cliff slowly gave way to bare, rolling hills. The constant rain from the Straits had wiped them clean of any vegetation, leaving the ground slick and muddy. The wind from the storm pushed against their backs as they slid up and down the hills, moving to the northeast. After a few hours, the dim light had faded from the sky. Icarus continued to lead them, holding a stone that glowed like Laila's staff often did. Earthlight.

  Finally they made their way into a small depression between two hills and found the rocky entrance to a small cave. The cave bore its way into the side of the hill, giving them enough space to spread out and remain free of the rain. A small stream ran out from the middle of one of the walls and wormed its way toward the entrance to the cave.

  "At least we'll have water," Dio said, a brief smile crossing his lips.

  The captain glanced back at the perpetual storm. "You're right. At least we'll have water," he chuckled lightly.

  The survivors dropped to the floor of the cave in exhaustion, their energy gone. Connor lay on the stone floor and felt sleep begin to overtake him. Just before he was engulfed, however, he felt a faint heat emanate from near his arm. Turning onto his side, he saw Icarus placing a small pile of stones together; the stones all glowed with earthlight.

  "It's not much," the Magus said, "but it may help banish some of the cold."

  The rest of the survivors moved in close, drawn by the faint heat of the stones. Connor lay back and surrendered to his exhaustion.

  Connor sat at the entrance to their small cave. The night had passed and the dim light of morning had fought its way through the clouds. Connor rubbed at his back. The stone of the cave was not good for sleeping, and only his exhaustion had allowed him any rest at all. His stomach rumbled and he popped a couple of seeds from a melagrano into his mouth, though it did little to sate his hunger. The crew had managed to salvage a few handfuls of dried meat along with the fruits, but Connor left that for Laila and the others.

  Icarus moved up next to him at the entrance. The Magus's face was haggard and drawn. The dust and dirt that always covered his robes was clotted with rainwater, and some of it was streaked across his face. Heavy circles hung under his eyes, though it was unlikely that Connor looked much better.

  "Any change?" Connor asked, nodding his h
ead back toward Laila.

  "A little. She seems to be more responsive to her mother. Something broke her spirit in the Straits. I think she'll come out of it, but it was powerful, whatever it was."

  "Do you know what she did?"

  Icarus shook his head. "No. I didn't know her power could reach that far. I don't know that it was meant to..." Connor took a deep breath, remembering the uncomfortable sensation, "But, she'll recover. I'm more concerned about our own survival."

  Connor nodded.

  "We need to find the Edonin," Icarus said flatly.

  "The captain said they're not very fond of strangers."

  "Indeed. Nevertheless, we can't stay here. And they are out there somewhere." Connor thought he heard an odd undertone to Icarus's words, like he knew more than he was saying. Then he smiled; Icarus often knew far more than he told Connor. Why should this be any different?

  "Any idea where they might be?" asked Connor.

  Icarus shook his head. "No. But you're the only one that can find them."

  Connor's eyes widened. "Me? Why?"

  "You're the only one with wilderness experience. Is that not part of what you learned growing up in Custos?"

  "Well..." Connor hesitated. "Aye... I guess. But I was never very good at it."

  "Regardless," Icarus said, "you've still got more experience than anyone else."

  Connor sighed. He knew what Icarus said was true. "Aye, you're right. I still don't know where to go..."

  "Head north. The Edonin won't live underneath the storm, but they'll be close to it."

  Connor tilted his head. "How do you—?"

  "No matter. Head north," Icarus stated, cutting Connor off.

  Connor made his way back into the cave. He gathered what he needed, a few pieces of the dried meat and two melagranos, and slung them over his shoulders in one of the sacks. There was no need to say anything. The survivors knew the circumstances. If Connor did not find help, they were likely going to die in the small cave. He walked over to Laila, Lunete, and Dio.