He got another four oars ready.
“We need to get moving,” said Azrael. “The men are starting to stir. Well, except for the one with the… neck.”
Raphael put out his hands and helped Azrael aboard. Once she was safely settled, he reached for Micah.
“Pass Gabe to me,” he said, seeing the boy’s arms tighten around Micah’s neck in response to his offer.
“It’s okay.” Micah lifted Gabe into the boat then clambered aboard herself. The moment she took one of the seats, Gabe scrambled onto her lap.
Raphael was going to need to go easy on that boy. It seemed his trust in men had been destroyed. Perhaps over time, he could show Gabe that not all men were like the one who’d tied that rope around his waist.
Having finished stowing away the sails, Griffen looked around the boat, scratching his chin.
“We need to balance our weight and our strength,” he said.
Griffen was twice the size and three times the strength of any of them, which made things a little more difficult, but with a bit of shuffling about, they figured out that if he and Pip sat on the left and Raphael, Azrael, Micah, and Gabe on the right, they were roughly even.
Raphael jumped out of the boat to push them off the sand and deeper into the water, climbing back aboard when he felt them float free. He was dripping wet, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about that.
He slid back into his seat at the stern of the boat and took hold of his oar, just as Gabe let out an almighty scream that almost stopped Raphael’s heart.
Spinning around, he saw that Gabe was pointing to the shoreline. One of the men had gotten to his feet and was stumbling around on the sand.
Gabe screamed again and the man’s head snapped up and his eyes found focus.
“Row!” called Griffen, hauling his oar through the water.
Raphael did the same, pleased to see the rest of his companions were also doing their best to get the boat moving. Micah was struggling with a terrified child on her lap, but she seemed to be making more headway than Azrael who was still trying to gain some traction with her oar in the water. Pip was fumbling in a panic, but with a powerhouse like Griffen behind her, her slack was more than being made up for.
“Row!” Griffen called again.
This time they all pulled together and the boat shot across the water.
Daring a quick look behind him, Raphael saw the man trudging through the water toward them with his fists in the air. They needed to get into deeper water as quickly as possible.
“Row!” Griffen’s voice boomed across the water and Raphael pulled on his oar with as much strength as he had.
A wave crashed into them, pushing them back toward the shore, but undeterred, they pulled on their oars again.
“You need to be our lookout!” Micah said to Gabe, gently ejecting him from her lap so she could put her full effort into the task. “Stand beside me and tell us if the man gets close.”
They pulled on the oars again, and the extra power Micah was exerting became obvious and they mounted a building wave and slid forward in the water. But the man was closing the gap now, finding it easier to push one body through the waves than this heavy boat.
“He’s catching up!” shouted Gabe, taking a step closer to Micah.
“Row! Row! Row!” Griffen kept up the chant to keep them in time and they moved forward some more, almost over the worst of the waves now. If they could get lucky and catch a break in the waves, they might just get away.
Listening to Griffen shouting at them to row gave Raphael an idea. Griffen’s shouts were no different really to their earlier whispering for a boat. They were all wishing to row faster and Griffen was calling out the words and sending them into the sky, but somehow it wasn’t quite right.
“The boat is moving fast!” called Raphael as loudly as he could, only to be met with a few puzzled glances. “Let’s whisper for it! Come on. The boat is moving fast!”
Griffen dropped his chant and joined in with Raphael, and soon they were all shouting. “The boat is moving fast.”
Raphael wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or if it was really happening, but the strength in the next stroke of their oars seemed to gain momentum.
“The boat is moving fast!” they called again on the next stroke and found they moved faster still.
Soon, their momentum built and they were gliding over the breaking waves and out to flatter water.
“We’re doing it!” shouted Gabe, taking his job seriously. “He’s given up!”
“The boat is moving fast!” they continued to call, not wanting to be too confident. They were working as a team and they were gliding faster over the water than it seemed possible for five people to do alone.
Renewed hope filled Raphael’s soul. They were going to Feldspar and they were going to get Lily back. He didn’t know if she’d love him in the same way he’d come to love her, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was safe. Because nobody—absolutely nobody—deserved to be taken from their home against their will.
I’m coming, Lily. I’m coming.
LILY
THE NOW
Lily slipped out of the lighthouse and pressed her back against the door. She was certain neither Mother nor Father had heard her leave. They were too busy sipping on the tea she’d made them in the kitchen, before asking to be excused so she could have a nap. Given she was still recovering from her illness, they’d agreed, despite their usual insistence that she join them for the entirety of Father’s visit. Sometimes Lily wondered if they were afraid to be left alone.
Her heart thumped wildly as she scanned the rocks along the shoreline, her eyes resting on Father’s six oarsmen, who were sharing a flask of what she was certain must contain a spirit of some sort. Hopefully, the alcohol would put them in a good mood, for they were about to have to make a decision and she hoped their answer was a resounding yes.
She drew in a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. The plan she’d come up with was crazy, but she could do it. She just had to be brave like Aunt Micah.
Deciding there was no point in waiting for her heart rate to slow down, she waved at the oarsmen, motioning for them to come over to her. She couldn’t risk going to them. If Mother or Father decided to look out the window or went to the balcony, she’d be ruined. Speaking to her Father’s oarsmen was strictly forbidden.
The oarsmen looked at each other, raising their eyebrows. One of them punched another on the shoulder, no doubt misinterpreting what Lily wanted from them.
She motioned again, this time with more urgency. She didn’t know how long she had. Sometimes Father’s visits stretched for hours and other times he was gone only moments after he’d arrived. Given that Lily had left him alone with Mother, she doubted he’d stay for long.
One of the older men said something to the others and ambled over with his hands jammed in his pockets. She willed him to hurry but he seemed to only be able to travel at one speed. Slow.
“Quickly,” she called, as loudly as she dared. “I need to talk to you.”
“We ain’t supposed to talk to the likes of ya,” he said when he was close enough. “King’s orders.”
“Then why are you talking to me?” She stared at him and crossed her arms.
He shrugged.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Norris.” He crossed his arms and eyed her closely.
“You were on the boat that brought me over here, weren’t you?” she asked. “I remember you.”
He nodded. “What ya want, Princess?”
“I have something for you.” She reached into the bag she had slung over her shoulder and produced an enormous ruby. “I have six of them. One for each of you. Worth enough for you to never have to row the King over here ever again.”
Norris’s eyes widened. “Keep talkin’. You ain’t giving it to me for nothin’ I presume.”
She tucked the ruby back in her bag. “Take me back with you. Hide me und
er a blanket in the back of the boat. Get me there without the King seeing and the rubies are yours.”
“The King will have me head if he finds out.” Norris scratched at his beard in a most unbecoming way.
“Then he’d better not find out.” She swallowed, but the lump in her throat was stuck fast.
“Need to discuss this with me associates.” He shook his head with a look of wry amusement.
“Be quick about it.” She suppressed a huff. “If Father sees me out here, the deal’s off.”
She watched as Norris made his way back to the other oarsmen, walking somewhat faster now that there was a ruby at stake.
The men stood in a circle, the wind carrying their words away from Lily out to the ocean. Even Mother Nature was working against her. Did this plan have a hope of succeeding? But she had to try something! She couldn’t just sit here waiting for the lighthouse to crash into the ocean. She didn’t even know that her Prince was coming for her. Maybe she was seeing him in her visions because she was supposed to go to him.
Escape had always seemed impossible. The seas were too rough and land too far away, no matter how good a swimmer she was. Otherwise, she’d have tried it years ago. So, she’d decided the only way was to stow away on Father’s boat. If she could get to Feldspar, maybe she could find her way across yet more water back to the shores of Forte Cadence.
Home.
After what felt like approximately one hundred years but couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes, Norris marched back to her.
“Tomorrow,” he said.
“I’m ready to go now.” She locked eyes with him.
“Not going to work I’m ‘fraid. Not everyone agrees. We need a sensus.”
Her brow furrowed as she tried to work out what a sensus was, then it hit her.
“A consensus, you mean?”
“Don’t go getting all fancy and correcting me grammar now, Princess. I said tomorrow. I’ll make it good by then.”
Lily’s shoulders slumped. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow. The lighthouse could fall at any moment. It had to be now.
“Tomorrow won’t do,” she said. “The deal’s off. It was a today-only offer.”
“Flamin’ heck! Okay, wait ‘ere.” Norris stomped off, back to his associates where a heated conversation took place. The sort that was held with fists and boots as well as words.
Lily grimaced. She hadn’t expected to be the cause of such angst when she’d come up with this plan. But she swallowed down her regret. She’d suffered far worse than this over the years.
One of the younger men stumbled backward as Norris landed a blow on the side of his head. He picked himself up and held out his palms, nodding slowly as his eye immediately bloomed a shade of purple.
It seemed a sensus had been reached.
Norris came back to Lily carrying an empty sack that’d been used to deliver food supplies to the lighthouse when they’d arrived.
“Get in.” He held it open for her and waited.
Lily threaded one of her trembling legs into the sack, then the other, curling herself into a ball at the bottom, with her small bag of belongings clutched at her stomach.
Norris closed off the top of the sack and darkness surrounded her.
“Lucky there’s nothin’ of ya,” he muttered, as he hauled her into the air.
Her plan had worked. Well, so far it had. There was still a possibility that one of the men who hadn’t wanted to be a part of it would tell the King. She mustn’t get overly confident. Not yet.
Although, a tiny part of her was celebrating. She may not have struggled as much as she should have when she’d been captured in the desert, but she was sure as hell fighting now.
Aunt Micah would be proud.
MICAH
THE NOW
Micah’s arms ached from pulling the oars through the water, but there was no way she was going to admit to it. Each stroke took her closer to Lily. She could feel it in her soul. Gabe was stretched out at her feet, fast asleep. She liked the comfort of having him close. It gave her strength whenever she felt it wane.
She wasn’t the only one starting to struggle, having heard several groans from her companions. All except Griffen who she was sure would be able to row for days if required. The Guardians were quite a strange creation. Was creation even the right word? Probably not, as that made them seem like they weren’t human, when Griffen clearly was. She’d seen glimpses of fear, love, courage, and vulnerability cross his eyes. He was just stronger and bigger than the average human, a result of generations of tonics and training. As long as that strength was used for good instead of evil, then it was a good thing, she supposed.
Much like the Whisperers. When they’d been used for evil, the consequences had been devastating. But now they were being used for good, Forte Cadence was flourishing. All despite having a Queen who ruled with a broken heart.
Whispering for the boat had certainly worked well. Although, in fairness that could’ve been a coincidence. Certainly, she doubted the increased speed of their rowing had had nothing to do with them shouting to the universe. That’d been fear driving them. They’d all known it wouldn’t end well if that man had made it to the boat. Griffen would have had to kill him and they didn’t need another death on their hands. This quest was about restoring life, not ending it.
“Are we nearly there?” asked Pip.
Micah was certain that Pip had been skimming her oar over the top of the water for some time now. Although, the way Griffen was rowing behind her, it didn’t seem to be making all that much difference.
Azrael was rowing at a steady pace, her hands strong from all the healings she’d performed. Raphael was seated behind Micah and putting in an impressive effort. Although he was a slender guy, he was stronger than he looked, with larger hands and a wider arm span than Micah, giving him an advantage. For a group of people who’d never rowed before, they were doing remarkably well.
“It’s hard to tell,” said Azrael in response to Pip. “Too dark now to see the land.”
“Then how do we know we’re not going in circles?” asked Pip.
“I’ve been watching the stars,” said Raphael. “We’re been heading east this whole time.”
That answer seemed to satisfy Pip who fell silent once more.
“I’m sure it won’t be much longer,” said Micah, trying to convince Pip as much as herself.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the boat hit sand and they came to an abrupt halt.
“Sandbar?” asked Micah, not daring to believe they could have arrived.
“Land,” said Raphael. “Quiet, everyone.”
He was right. So much for them arriving in stealth. Here they were talking loudly as they’d drawn right up to the shore. They could only hope they’d arrived in a deserted part of the kingdom where nobody kept watch.
Gabe stirred at Micah’s feet. Not being able to see him in the dark, Micah sat forward and put her hand on his chest.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’re here.”
Gabe scrambled onto her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck.
“Shhh,” she hushed, rubbing a circle on his back.
Why had he chosen her to be his person? Was it because she’d been the one to attack the man at the other end of his rope? Or was there more to it than that? Had he sensed her desperation for a child and decided he could fill that hole in her life? Whatever it was, she didn’t plan on letting this boy down. Not now and not ever. Hopefully, Tallis would understand. He knew how hard her childhood had been. He’d witnessed it with his own eyes and experienced hardships of his own. He’d accept Gabe into their lives and be his father. She didn’t need to have birthed this child from her body to be his mother.
A gentle breeze swept Micah’s hair into her eyes and she pushed it away. If only it were a full moon to light their path.
“What do we do?” whispered Pip.
“I think we wait for sun-up,” said Griffen. “Get s
ome rest. I’ll keep watch.”
Micah wasn’t sure how he was going to watch in the dark but held her tongue. He was right. Climbing out of the boat in the pitch dark would be too dangerous. They didn’t know what was out there. If they got moving at first light, they’d be in a much better position.
Maneuvering herself out of her seat, Micah sat on the bottom of the boat and leaned against the side with Gabe snuggled into the crook of her arm. It was hard and uncomfortable, but her arms were grateful for the rest.
“I’m hungry,” he whispered in her ear.
Remembering that she’d filled her pocket with shelled walnuts, she reached in and took out a handful, guiding Gabe’s hand to her own.
“Eat these,” she said, her own mouth watering, but not willing to eat any herself. Gabe needed them more than she did.
She nestled back against the side of the boat, listening to Gabe crunch on the walnuts as the boat gently rocked in the water.
Putting her hand back in her pocket, she took out her lucky walnut shell, wishing she had a string to tie it around her neck.
Closing her eyes, she filled her mind with Lily, begging the universe to give her a clue as to where to find her.
She gasped when a vision came to her, stronger than ever before. Lily was begging for help with her eyes once again, only this time she wasn’t under the water. She was standing on some rocks holding what looked like several large rubies in her hands. Then just as quickly as the vision appeared, it vanished.
Her eyes sprang open and darkness engulfed her once more.
“Did anyone else see that?” she asked, keeping her voice low. The others had had visions before. It was possible they’d seen this too.
“I did,” said Raphael.
“See what?” asked Pip.
“Lily,” said Raphael. “She’s in trouble. Worse than before. She’s in the dark.”
The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set Page 101