They all stared as the squall indeed strengthened and moved between theSwanand the French. Tam said, “Cade, do you think we might be able to invoke stealth so that we seem to disappear in the squall?”
Cade inhaled sharply. “It’s worth a try.” He turned to the captain. “Did the French lady tell you that we three passengers are all gifted?”
Jones lowered the spyglass, frowning. “No, she didn’t, likely because she knows how some folk feel about them. I’m fine with gifted people if they do their jobs. Think you can do something to help us escape the French?”
“We invoked stealth when we were riding to meet you, and it allowed us to encircle the men who were waiting in ambush for us,” Tamsyn said.
“A ship might be harder to conceal,” Andre said, but his tone was thoughtful rather than defeated.
“What other choice do we have?” Cade said. “Captain Jones, are any of your crew gifted? For something like this we work by joining our abilities. The more power we have, the better our chances of escape.”
“My boy Jem is gifted,” the captain said. “So is my helmsman here and one of my other sailors, Matt.” He issued an order to Jem, who immediately went off to summon his crewmate.
Jones waved his helmsman away and took over the wheel himself. “See what you can do with them, Gibbs.”
Scowling, Gibbs muttered, “I ain’t got any of them weird talents.”
“You might not want to admit it, but you always know where theSwanis and where the best breezes are,” Jones said. “Those are powerful gifts for those of us who live on the sea.”
“Every bit of power helps, Mr. Gibbs.” When Tamsyn smiled at the helmsman and took his hand, his expression became more cooperative.
“How do we do this?” Jem asked as he returned with Matt, another young sailor.
“We join hands. Tam and I will each put a hand on the ship’s railing so that we connect with theSea Swan.Then just relax and let your energy flow. I’ll direct it toward the ship,” Cade said. “This may take a while. If it’s too much for you, speak up so I can adjust as you leave.”
Tamsyn added, “You should be able to feel each person’s energy, and it’s a good feeling. Ready?”
Nods and curiosity all around. Cade closed his eyes and reached out to the others to join them into a cohesive group. The energies flowed together easily and he realized that the six of them together were generating great power. He also recognized how much of the smoothness of the joining was because of Tam, who clearly had a gift for blending energies. He and Tam and Andre were the most powerful of the group, but the three sailors made significant contributions that were tuned to the sea.
When he felt that he had full command of the energy, he started with a light touch on the squall. It strengthened immediately, and wasn’t that interesting? He needed to explore weather working later.
He shifted his focus to making theSea Swanhard to detect. He envisioned the ship’s shape and its sails blending into the gray waves, impossible for their French pursuer to detect.
Cade heard an awed curse from Jones and sensed that the captain was changing the vessel’s course so they wouldn’t be where the French ship was looking. More westerly. That felt like a wise decision.
He wasn’t sure how long the group held hands and created stealth, but it was a long time. Then a moment came when it felt all right to release the energy. “I think we’re safe now, so we can let go,” he said, realizing he was shaking with fatigue.
“Well, that was interesting!” Jem exclaimed. He was on Cade’s right side and he released their hands, opening and closing his fingers to loosen them.
“If this is what it means to be a member of the Tribe of Tremayne, I want to join!” Andre exclaimed. “Do you do this sort of thing often?”
Cade shook his head. “It was a new technique for a dangerous new situation.” He surveyed the others who had joined the gifted circle. Gibbs, the helmsman, was impressed at what they’d done and seemed more willing to accept the gifted side of his nature.
Jem and Matt were very pleased with themselves and wanted to learn more. And Tam—when her warm gaze met his, he felt as if they had almost read each other’s minds while they were working so closely together.
“If we’re safe now, Captain Jones, I plan to return to my bunk and sleep,” Tam said as she leaned wearily against the railing. “We did good work, but I’m exhausted. I think we all are.”
The captain looked them over. “You look like a bunch of half-dead flowers. We can manage on this course for the next few hours.” He glanced at the sea ahead. “We’ll be landing farther west than I originally planned, but I know a good, safe place. Get some food and rest now.”
Food. What an excellent idea. As was rest. Feeling ready to sleep the clock around, Cade followed Jem and Tamsyn and Andre below to the cabin they’d spent the night in.
When they reached the cabin, Jem said with amazement, “That was something, it was! I feel like I learned a lot about being gifted.” He hesitated. “And maybe my gift is stronger now?”
“It might well be,” Tam said. “This is new for us, too!”
Inside the cabin, Jem picked up the food basket and lifted the lid. “Bread and cheese and hard-cooked eggs. There are a couple of jugs of ale here, too.”
“What about you, Jem?” Tam asked. “Surely you need food and rest as well.”
