I surveyed the graveyard of debris that we drifted amongst, the only living souls. The storm had retreated, and the ocean had ceased its assault, seemingly satisfied with the toll paid in wood and iron, lead and canvas. The calm that followed the fury felt wrong. I shivered as the last of the adrenaline left my body and sobering reality settled in.
I didn’t have the luxury of rest. Land was miles away, and the child needed to get to shore quickly. Even though we had survived the storm, no good would come of her cold, wet body being exposed to the frigid night air.
Once more, I conjured light. Only this time, the golden ball seemed to flicker and radiate heat like a palm-sized sun. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought it was a ball of fire.
Putting the insane thought out of my mind, I looked to the horizon for any sign of land. Endless ocean bled into the distance in every direction, which meant I would have to rely on my knowledge of the currents to be our compass.
Using my power, I compelled the water to push the timber with the girl still on top of it. I must have put more force into it than I intended, because she suddenly opened her eyes. Our gazes locked for a moment, then she passed out again.
Without so much as a backwards glance, I forged ahead. Iwouldn’t allow myself to stop, not even to catch my breath.
Rest would only be earned once the currents had led us to safety.
Chapter 7
Lingering in a peaceful oblivion where past and future did not exist, where neither dream nor memory resided, stillness was the only occupant of my mind.
The first thought that pulled me out of the nothingness was how the sand felt like mud underneath my aching body. Then, I was uncomfortably aware that I was being caressed. Not by hands, but by the gentle lap of waves as they rolled in and out of the nearby ocean.
My head pounded, my right arm prickled, and my throat burned for water. Something had happened, but, like willing myself to recall a dream, the more I tried to grasp the memory, the more it evaded me.
Overhead, I heard seagulls calling, probably curious about the bodies that had washed up on their turf.
Bodies.
My eyes shot open as I remembered the figure nestled into my chest. The steady up and down movement of breath told me that she was still alive. Relief flooded me, but it was short-lived.
Where were we?
The moment I had spotted land, hours before, I had labored towards it, desperate to find relief for my aching muscles. Once I had used every last reserve of energy I possessed to haul us both to shore, the plan of action was irrefutable—rest first, askquestions later.
The extended use of my powers had also taken its toll on me physically. I was depleted and I wouldn’t be able to use magic again until my powers had been restored.
Exhausted, my body had given out seconds after I expelled my tail. My mind had tumbled into unconsciousness shortly afterwards.
How many hours had it been?
With heavy eyelids, I scanned the deserted beach around us. The sun had not come out yet, and a single star remained in the pewter sky, as if not quite ready for sleep. Behind us, the ocean was calm and peaceful—a far cry from the malevolent beast unleashed mere hours before.
Now, it reached for me, its waves whispering of home. Remembering my bargain, I ignored it as my eyes continued to roam.
All around, the beach was littered with fragments of the ship’s wreckage.
The little girl shivered slightly against my body. Although I was shivering myself, I took pity on her. Her fragile, mortal body looked no older than twelve and yet she had come alarmingly close to death. I felt a strange compulsion to keep her safe, as if she were a wounded baby bird. But what could I do? Nurturing was as foreign to me as the mortal in my arms.
Warmth.She obviously needs warmth.Wearing nothing but my undergarments, I didn’t have a stitch of clothing to warm her up with…The dress!I had a dress in the leather pouch that, thankfully, was still hanging dutifully from my shoulders.
Careful not to disturb the sleeping girl, I sat up and shrugged off the pouch. One peek into its contents showed me the linen frock was, predictably, soaking wet. I needed to find something else to wrap her in.
Scanning the shoreline, all I found was a jumble of debris,defaced wood and some torn fishing net.
Further up the beach was a formation of rocks that looked dry. At least over there she would escape the sting of the water’s chill.
Using all the strength I could muster, I lifted the girl and moved her to the rocks. With a grunt, I placed her gently on the coarse sand. I removed the drenched garment from the pouch and laid it across one of the rocks in the hopes that the light breeze would be enough to dry it.
I should go find help. I should’ve tried to decipher exactly where we were. But the resounding protest coming from my mind and body was impossible to ignore.
Lightheaded and bone-tired, I curled up to the child. All I could offer her was my body heat.
