And then?—
Lucenna gasped and jerked up on the pier’s dock. Tarn’s ship was on fire. Something blew, and the explosion had thrown them off. Her Essence, she must have softened their fall.
Screams and running feet swarmed around her as Raiders fled or jumped into the sea.Flames flared into the sky, filling the air with smoke. The burning ship groaned loudly as it tilted on one end.
“Oh Gods, Dyna!” She pushed to her feet.
Klyde hooked his arm around her waist. “Lucenna, don’t!”
“Let go! Dyna is on that ship!” She shoved him off and sprinted for the gangway, shouting her name.
The world ripped away with a roar.
Heat hurdled Lucenna and slivers of wood through the air. Klyde caught her as they crashed into the sea. Rogue waves dragged her under, tossing her around like a rag doll. She gagged on mouthfuls of salted water and panic set in. Her arms and legs flailed wildly as she tried to locate which way was up. Something rough scraped her leg. Lucenna whipped around, and a burst of pain beat her skull.
Her vision went dark.
She could see nothing. Feel nothing. Except her soul falling through the depths.
A force punched against her heart. Lucenna jerked with a gurgled gasp, choking on water. She rolled over and vomited the rest of it onto the sand. Her lungs burned with the effort, her body shaking.
“Oh, Gods, thank you.” Klyde slumped beside her on the beach.
“What happened?” she rasped.
“You hit your head on the reef and nearly drowned.” He brushed away the wet strands clinging to her face, stained pink with her blood. His face was deathly white, his blue eyes prominent against his wet lashes. “I thought I was too late.”
She touched her bruised chest. He must have…
Her wide eyes flicked past him to the burning sea. Tarn’s ship had cracked in half, already sinking into the depths.
“No!” Lucenna leaped to her feet, stumbling.
Klyde caught her hand. “The ship blew, lass. I don’t think?—”
Another explosion ripped through it and rocked the harbor.
“Dyna!” She tried to yank out of his hold, but he pulled her back to his chest.
“Lucenna, stop.”
“I have to get her!”
“Don’t get any closer! Lass, please!”
The air burned, and heat knocked them down on the sand with another massive eruption. Fire and wood tore through the air like a wave. Klyde yanked her around, and they crashed onto the sand. Fire was everywhere, and the sea was burning.
Lucenna sat up with a sob to find the ship gone. All that remained were the sails on broken masts. She cried out for her cousin as her vision blurred with tears and smoke. No, she couldn’t accept that Dyna was gone. She got out. She had to.
“Lucenna,” Klyde rasped. “We can’t stay here.”
He helped her up, but she whimpered at putting pressure on her foot. Damn it. She must have sprained it. Lucenna took another failed step before Klyde lifted her onto his back.
“Klyde—”
“Aye, you can complain about it later, lass. We need to go.” He broke into a jog, carrying her from the beach. Shieldmen came running onto the dock at the commotion. But Klyde’s steps seemed stunted, and his breath came in heavy.
“I should have left our ride closer,” Klyde muttered.
