by J Seab
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The island was tantalizingly close when the orcs struck.
One leaped in from the side, crushing the pirogue. Splinters flew off and a crashing wave pounded Willow and Rengade into the sea. Geldane tried to jump aside but he was caught in a glancing blow and pulled under by the bulk of the orc.
The other orc thrust up from beneath, its toothy mouth gaping as it aimed for Rengade. He thrashed forward, avoided the orc’s deadly bite, rode up on its snout, and was thrown high into the air. He hurtled down and grabbed at the orc’s dorsal fin. A knife appeared in his hand. He plunged it deep into the orc’s back, held on tightly, and rode the orc as it dived.
Willow struggled on the surface, gasping, spitting out seawater. She saw Rengade tossed. She also saw something else: a mark emblazoned on the orc’s snout, too regular to be a natural scar. It looked more like a brand. Then the orc crashed back into the water; its wave swallowed her, slamming her beneath the sea.
She struggled feebly, overwhelmed. A slick surface battered against her, turning her. Which way was up?
She almost didn’t care. Her arms paddled, her legs kicked, but she didn’t know where she was going. Her efforts deteriorated, became largely ineffective. She drifted, her future dimmed and her past became fuzzy, a receding memory.
Something tugged at her shirt. She felt herself pulled firmly. The light brightened around her. Her head popped into the air. Air! She sucked it in, taking great gasps, oblivious to anything else.
An arm circled her chest and pulled her along. She rode limply, savoring the sweetness of breath. Slowly, her senses returned. Memory flooded back in, punching her awake.
She struggled feebly, her muscles unresponsive. The arm tightened around her chest and pulled strongly, reassuring her. She relaxed against the pull, the sounds of turbulent waters sodden, receding.
Her heels scraped across a gravel surface. The motion stopped and the arm shifted, pulled her to her feet, and helped her stagger blindly inland. She collapsed on a sandy surface.
The world faded.
Chapter 11