by Dawn Chapman
I heard her words, but I wasn’t so sure I believed them. It was almost as if she were telling me a cheat was okay, but then again, I wasn’t cheating on anyone—we’d broken up. There was no relationship, least not in my eyes. But it was also as if she were telling me she wouldn’t personally let me die. Maybe she could help me if I did get close. Then I noticed something glinting from inside her shirt. I’d only seen it once before, and I remembered the pendant I’d been given from Oarhn. What?
“These little talks, though,” Jane continued, “must not keep happening. I need to let you get in there and do your thing, and you need to not push the log-out button.”
I thought for a moment. “Even in the direst situations, I guess that log out button is there for a reason. The best thing I can do though is not to push it. Not give in to the fact this was hard, that this wasn’t my normal thing.”
Jane grinned. “That’s my girl.”
I stood, not even waiting for her approval, and I returned to the room and then to Puatera, Andy and the revenge I wanted on him really at the front of my mind.
The darkness around me gave way to the sway of the boat. I never even felt the transition to the game this time around. And when I sat up, I orientated straight away. This was getting much easier. But the sounds of the ocean were stronger.
Abel knocked on the door. “Thought you would have had enough rest by now. Taffie wants you back on deck with us for a drill and then training. Seems there are some storms about, and that means creatures. I pushed the covers aside and grabbed my clothes. Abel never batted an eyelid, and I caught him still watching. “Hey, turn around,” I said.
He obeyed, his face blushing. “I shouldn’t look, I’m sorry. You’ve been through a lot. The last thing you need is...”
I leaned in and touched his arm. “It’s okay, don’t worry. We have a job to do, though. Feelings come later.” I really couldn’t cope with something happening between us, as much as the attention was nice. I just wasn’t sure—sure of men or sure of myself.
He nodded, turned, and walked away.
Chapter 20
Training always wiped me out, but sleep was amazing on the ship. As time passed I thought things would be easier because I’d grow stronger. However, early mornings were not good. The rocking and motion of it just made me want to get out of the tiny bunk. Myleen stared across at me and held her stomach. “I’m not so used to this way of travel.”
“Maybe Macie can offer something to help with the motion sickness,” I said, then moved to stand.
There was a fine line of offerings about the ship. Ferris was the same. He didn’t like the motion either. But, for Abel, he strode about like a child at a fairground. He wanted to learn everything, and I admired that.
I tugged Myleen’s arm. “Come on. We’ve got some training to do. I’ll get Macie to settle your stomach, and then you can start me with some hand-to-hand combat like you said.”
She tried to grin, but it wasn’t a very good one.
Macie and Anlea were in the galley, of course, cooking up breakfast for her family and for us. I guess a couple of the other guys were helping. I thought it was more due to her friendly nature than they actually wanted to eat. Her personality radiated about the cabin, just as her mother’s had.
Myleen plopped down on the side of the bench, and Anlea gazed at her with sorrowful eyes. “I’ll get you something made right up,” and she was soon off rushing about the side of the cabin, which held a hundred tiny bottles of mixture and potions.
Within a minute, she was shaking a concoction inside a silver shaker and then pouring it out for Myleen. “This will really make you feel better,” she said. “Though it might not taste so great, it’s something my father used to make for me while I was younger. Now I’m past that and love the ocean, but in really strong storms, I do still feel sick myself.”
Myleen picked up the potion and started to drink it. She gagged once and then let it settle. I saw as her skin colour returned to normal. I watched as Abel walk in, grabbed a bowl of porridge, and then strode out, with all but a ‘morning.’
I let out a sigh, and Myleen noticed. “He’s more nervous on this boat than you think.”
It didn’t come across that way, but I just nodded and helped myself to a bowl of breakfast too. It smelled and tasted lovely, rich with lots of honey. Myleen started to look even better by the time I’d finished my bowl, and she got one for herself.
“I talked to Dovol and Cris for a while about the plan for the day. It seemed the ocean was going to be calm enough for us to be out on the deck to practice and train. The boys also said they’d join us when their chores were done.” I thought mildly about fighting with them, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. I’d learn as much as I could while I could. That was, after all, what I was meant to be doing—not here for the scenery and to be treated well but to work hard and train.
Myleen went off with the boys, I stayed to help Macie and Anlea clear up. The washing and prep for dinner were as important as their jobs to keep the ship safe. They were both happy for my company, and we talked about her training days with her brothers. Listening to Anlea, I actually gained some great insight into how they might start to teach me to fight. I would keep mental notes on those for sure. I didn’t need either of them to get the upper hand on me or make me look like a fool in front of Abel or my audience.
Man, I was crushing on this guy a lot. I needed to get him out of my head. So, I made my way to the deck and on finding Myleen so we could get straight into training with her and the boys.
I watched her at first and trained with my bow. My aim was much better after spending a Karma point. Now, the more I practised, the easier it became. I reacted to both the winds and condition of the ship as well as the position of the target. Cris helped with moving objects, throwing balls for me to try to hit, starting with a large rubber one then moving to smaller objects.
Dagger work was also a good idea, and I enjoyed the friendly competition between the boys as they sparred. It was only fair they beat me when it came to my turn.
Myleen then paired me with the younger of the two, and I started to get a feel for him as a person as well as a warrior, I noted how he held his daggers just like Anlea had said, and the way he leaned back on his left leg. She’d also told me he favoured it because of an old injury that not many would know about. This was good information to have, and when he started with his lunges and basic attack moves, I could easily out step him. He was known more for quickness than anything else. I had no extra advantages now, so our fighting felt stunted to me. I watched and observed him. Copying his manoeuvres was easy. I finally learned the basic attack actions and discovered a few fancier ones for my dagger fighting. More importantly, I discovered a couple of abilities and advantages that could really help me out. When I was sweating and exhausted, we both stopped to watch Myleen and his brother on the floor.
“That was a good effort,” he said, holding out a hand for me to shake. “You’ve been talking to Anlea, though. I can tell.”
I laughed. Yeah, this was a given. I watched and waited for his signature moves, and because I listened to her, I could counter his steps even if I wasn’t capable of getting in a strike. “She’s a good teacher, of all things in life.”
He tapped the edge of his hilt. “She’s been kicking my ass for a few years now. Macie’s powerful in magic and good with combat. Anlea’s much better at close range and has a little magic. Put the two together, and they’re an awesome powerhouse not to be messed with.”
I leaned back and glanced into the skies. There was a deep sense of foreboding over the coloured horizon. I knew the boys had said the weather ahead would be great, and there were no signs of storms, but I reached into touch the dolphin, and there was something there.
“Myleen,” I called out, stopping their fight.
She looked at me, just at the wrong time, and Dovol got a good swipe in at her arm. She cursed and then came over. “Sorry,” I said.
“What
is it?”
I pointed to the skies, tucking the dagger into its sheath and in the back of my trousers. “To the bridge, boys!” Ferris shouted out.
My heart raced, and I grabbed Myleene’s arm. “A storm?”
She shrugged. “Let’s get below decks and see what we need to do. Ferris will let us know.”
I followed her, and shivers ran down my spine as the ship started to sway more. The sky darkened, and the wind howled. There was no way this was any ordinary sea storm. We’d not been out long. Was it the ocean creatures or gods already angered by our presence? I didn’t really want to find out.
Ferris’s voice came in across the small comms panels they had set up. “Macie, tie down everything. This one’s going to be rough!”
Macie and the others began tying everything off. The cookers they prepped food on were taken apart, tucked away, and their pans secured inside.
I helped where I could and followed all instructions she yelled at me, but I knew this was going to end badly. The pendant cooled on my skin, and I wanted nothing more than to run it under a hot tap.
I reached under my shirt and moved it. That’s when Macie saw it. “Where did you get that?” she almost demanded.
I was going to put it back when she reached out and touched it. I didn’t stop her because her fingers glowed instantly with a powerful rebuff. She didn’t flinch, however. “No, you don’t need to tell me where you got it. It’s okay.” Her eyes misted with tears.
“I...” I really didn’t know what to say, but I had to know. “Macie, whose was it?”
Macie carried on with her jobs, as she started to explain. “It belonged to my grandmother, of course, and you got it from my grandfather. He wouldn’t have given it to just anyone. I thought I might have been his chosen one, but it seems I am not.”
I went to take it off, but she stopped me. “No, this is a gift that you can’t choose to give away. You’ve been blessed with ocean sight and magic from the depths of our ocean gods. If there’s a bad storm coming, then you can help, but my father shouldn’t know yet. I’ll show you some of its powers below the decks. We’ll need to go where the horses are. I think that’s the closest to the water lines as I dare go.”
I really didn’t want to go any further below the ships water lines. If anything tried to get us, it would come through the slim wooden sides. I sucked in breath after breath feeling myself wobble.
Macie touched my arm. “We’ll be safe, don’t worry. We’ve got my ancestors on our sides.”
I didn’t know if I liked that idea—all I could do was panic.
As she led me down a deck to where the horses were freaking out, I managed to hear Ferris’s shouting from the bridge. Water slewed inside and down the steps as we went deeper, but she didn’t look worried. Quickly, I saw her harness some of her magic, and with a glowing swirl of energy, she calmed the horses down. I commended her for the act alone. That’s when I heard something hit the side of the ship.
A large thud, and then another. Ferris’s voice and then Abel’s... “Keep them off the sides of the ship. They’ll try to drag her under!”
I could only imagine what it meant and how much I wanted to scream back at them.
Macie grabbed hold of my shoulders, bringing me instantly back to look into her eyes, the energy around her amazing, but I didn’t know what to do. “Listen to me, I’m going to speak to the gods of our oceans and ask for their forgiveness. I’ll need you to help me. The pendant is the communication device. I’ll utter the words, and you copy me. Then maybe they’ll listen to the both of us.”
I swallowed, nodding, my mouth as dry and painful as anything. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to speak to her, let alone do anything else.
Macie focussed, and she started to whisper. I couldn’t make out the words at first, but then I could hear them. They were clear.
Ocean masters, we beg for your forgiveness.
May you see that our intentions are pure.
May you breathe life into our pathway
and free us from the gore.
Then she started with a different language, and when she stopped, she nodded at me.
I tried to remember how she spoke it, but I couldn’t. She repeated.
For mel otheos. Croles bandos, meai croplik.
I finally repeated it, and then she did so again. We did this until our words joined, the sounds and the ocean above us crashing down.
The ship’s sides groaned as I knew creatures on the other side were forcing their bodies against us, trying to crush us where we were, to drown every single one of us.
The words came quicker and faster, the water starting to rise up to my ankles. I tried not to panic, forcing air into my lungs. It was freezing, and I shivered, yet still keeping to the tune of the enchantment.
Then the dolphin pendant started to feel warmer, Macie grinned as we carried on in our frenzy of words. They were making a difference. The water around us started to appear warmer. It started to bubble, but it was with magical energy and not the forsaken creatures that were hiding all around us. I then saw that there were indeed creatures swimming around my ankles. She pulled my focus back to her, and then I finally allowed myself to let go. I wasn’t so worried anymore, yet the water kept on rising.
This wasn’t working. . .
“Macie,” I said. “This isn’t going to work.”
She stared at me, and I saw this time she was terrified. She didn’t, however, give up. She strengthened her words and her grip on my arm, tilting her head to the side and watching as I noticed the water had stopped rising. The ship swayed once to the left and then, as it came back, the swell of that and the water knocked us both to our knees. I was soaked right through, but we didn’t stop the chanting.
The water would have frozen us immediately, but with the magic, it was warm and almost inviting. I wanted to be in it. I liked it.
Macie stopped her words. She indicated for me to keep going while she sucked in huge breaths and stepped away from me. “You’ve got this. Keep going. I need to go to the surface and help my father.”
I couldn’t believe she was going to leave me down here with no one but the horses for company. I wanted to shout at her to stay, that I couldn’t do it on my own, but she smiled, turned, and vanished up the stairs just as another wave of water came rushing inside. The creaking had at least stopped, so I took a breath and pushed myself up and against the far wall of the ship. I could almost see what was going on outside. No, hang on! I could see. The ships sides started to turn transparent, and the large gaping mouth of a sea creature stared right at me. I stumbled back and tried not to fall into the swelling waters. Then I noticed its eye. It was looking at me as if it too could see me. It couldn’t, could it?
My words kept tumbling from my mouth, and I made the decision to stop repeating the words. They didn’t feel right anymore. I then knew there needed to be something else. I needed to follow the way my heart was feeling. Scared, but also exhilarated that I was looking into the soul of something so big. Well, big as in its head would be able to swallow the horses and me in one bite...
“Illuminati of the deep, I know you see me, and I see through and into you. There’s a sadness I feel, and I know you thought we were something we are not. Disband your efforts and swim away. There’s someone who waits for your attention.”
The creature almost blinked, but it had a second eyelid, and it slithered over its surface in one quick motion.
Then came back the mental voice of a monster. I fell to the floor as its bellow hit my ears. With nowhere to run, I covered my ears to try to stop the sound from splitting my drums.
“Creature of the lands, I hear you. I will retreat my intentions,” the creature said.
And with that, I saw it push off the side of the ship in one large fluid motion, leaving a wake of bubbles. I rushed to the side of the ship, expecting it to blow out at the action, but it held fast. Then, in the distance of the waters view, I could see there was indeed an
other creature that lay in wait for him. That made me happy.
The water slewing around me started to go cold. That meant my magic was also fading. I looked at the horses. They weren’t in shock, but they were going to catch cold if I wasn’t able to do anything else to help them.
I noticed a billing pump at the side of the wall, and quickly turning to it, I flicked the switch. There was a whirring motion and water started to move.
Blankets and bedding were ruined, but I could get fresh ones from the stores. Quick to act, I did so and started to rub down the wet animals, soothing them as I could. It wasn’t long before the others had joined me and were doing the same. Macie managed to get fresh food out and added in some healing potions. It would keep them calm and help with the shock of the ocean waters. No matter how many times an animal could be calmed, they never wanted to go through something like this. I sure as hell didn’t, ever again.
“The storm’s receded,” Myleen said, “but there are still hundreds of creatures inside the lane we need to use. Father wants to switch tracks and tack across to another, but it might add more time. You need to go on deck and see him. See how we might be able to get through them without losing speed and our time.”
“I’ll grab a set of spare clothes from the stores,” I nodded. “Be up as soon as I can.”
Rushing, I climbed the stairs with no thought to my own strength having been sucked away from me. By the time I managed to get to my bunk and strip off, I was shivering and shaking with the shock and cold of the ocean.
It was Abel who came to me. He saw I was struggling and was quick to act pulling the towel off my bed and wrapping it and his huge strong arms around me. “You shouldn’t have let Macie order you about when you needed healing.”
He rubbed furiously and then pulled me into him, the warmth of his body felt more than amazing. I snuggled against him to try to feel anything but the chill. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m not used to talking to guys who don’t want my attention.”
Abel chuckled in my ear, and it sent a different wave of shivers through me. “If you think I don’t want your attention, then you’ve hit your head somewhere down in the bowels of the ship.”