As the waves continued to pummel my little vessel, I poured more magic into the shield to keep afloat. I wasn’t a weak mage by any means, but I couldn’t keep the shield up forever. Panic began to set in as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. Darkness would descend soon, leaving me with no visibility out here at all. An orca or a shark could come out of the water and try to make a meal out of me. I could only hope the water here was too cold for seamonsters.
Stop that,I ordered myself as I began to shake from the cold. Our high metabolisms meant that shifters didn’t get cold easily, but I’d been out in the freezing water for too long, and I didn’t dare take any magic away from the shield to try and warm myself up.There must be something I cando.
I took stock of the contents of my magical sleeve, hoping to find something that could get me out of this predicament. Unfortunately, I hadn’t exactly packed in preparation for a stormy sea voyage, so there wasn’t much. The novel I’d been reading would be soaked if I pulled it out, as would the blanket, and my weapons weren’t going to do me any good against Mother Nature. I did find a water canteen, which was useful since Fenris knew a desalination spell to make sea water drinkable, so I filled it up. I also found a sturdy rope, which I used to lash myself to the boat just in case the shield spell failed and I was thrown overboard. There was also half a bar of chocolate and a crushed muffin, which I devouredimmediately.
I need to pack more food in the future,I resolved once I’d swallowed the last mouthful. Back when I’d been an enforcer full-time, I had always kept a pouch full of snacks for when I needed quick energy. But living at the palace, with access to warm meals and unlimited snacks at any hour, had caused me to neglect to take emergencyprovisions.
Sitting back in the boat, I touched my serapha charm, wondering if Iannis knew I was missing. I reached for the bond between us, but to my alarm, I couldn’t sense a thing. Had Ta’sradala somehow severed the connection when she had ruined my gulaya, destroyed the sliver of his essence contained in the stone? A surge of anger filled me at the thought—who did she think she was, interfering with Iannis’s and my life like this? It was one thing for her to want to meet me, but to cut me off from himcompletely?
Would Iannis even know yet that I was missing? As busy as he was, he might not realize anything was amiss until he came to bed and I wasn’t there. But no, the girls would have reported that I’d disappeared and raised the alarm. Maybe one of them had even seen what had happened. Someone had to have alerted Iannis bynow.
I only hoped he was able to guess where I’d gone. Because if I didn’t figure out how to pass these so-called tests, I was inbigtrouble.
9
Hours passed,with no end of this torture in sight. For a little while, the waves abated, and I was able to let the shield down long enough to dry myself, refill my canteen, and attempt a few spells. A location spell told me that I was indeed west of Manuc, but much too far from the coast. If the current kept dragging me in this direction, I was going to be hopelessly lost at sea. I attempted to redirect the current with another spell, but I couldn’t do much—such magic required multiple mages, like the anti-storm spell that Iannis and I had used along with eight other mages during our voyage toGarai.
I did manage to lure some fish close enough to catch them, and I shifted into beast form so I could eat them raw. They helped keep the gnawing hunger at bay for a while, but even so, I was exhausted from my magical exertions. Putting the shield back up, I curled up inside the bottom of the boat and did my best to get some sleep. The sun rose and fell again as the endless hours passed, and I dozed uneasily, unable to sleep for fear that another storm might strike, or that I might actually come close to some land and miss it. Though from Fenris’s geographical studies, this part of the ocean was too deep for any islands—the closest one was a thousand miles to thesouth.
Part of me wondered if crying uncle would end this madness, if the old Tua would hear me and transport me back to Manuc. But no, she would probably let me suffer out here until my magic was depleted and the sea ended up drowning me. That old crone was as vindictive as they came, and for whatever reason, she had it in forme.
Besides, it wasn’t like me to give up. I might be miserable, but I wasn’t desperate yet. I wasn’t going to give in just because I was afraid, and I damn sure wasn’t going to drown out here like an unwanted kitten. If I was going to go out, I would do it fighting, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to give that bitch the satisfaction of hearing me beg formercy.
Several hours passed,and the weather gradually worsened again. Just as I was about to resign myself to yet another day at sea, I noticed a weak, far-off light. It flickered and disappeared several times, but it was definitely there. Could it be land? Or anotherboat?
Gathering what energy I had left, I rose a little into the air using the levitation spell to get a better view even as the waves drove the boat from under me. Squinting, I saw it was a fishing vessel just close enough to make out in the foggy dimness. Its sails were furled to ride out the storm as it bobbed up and down on the open water. My heart leapt in my throat as I realized my boat was being carried in the wrong direction by the currents, and the fishing boat would no longer be visible within minutes. As I tried to decide if I had enough magic left to reach the boat with levitation, a huge wave slapped into me from behind, dragging me back into the icywater.
“Fuck!” I sputtered as I came up for air. I looked around desperately for my boat, but it was no longer in sight. Grimly, I struck out in the direction of the fishing boat, hoping like hell I was going the right way. I couldn’t hold out against this storm for muchlonger.
The waves were tossing me up and down like a toy, and my arms and legs burned as I fought against the strong current trying to push me backwards. Twice, I swallowed mouthfuls of bitter seawater. Only sheer determination kept me going, even though my body was crying out for me to stop, to let go. The actual distance wasn’t too far, but for a soggy, exhausted swimmer, getting there was beginning to seem impossible. The cold numbed my muscles and fogged my brain, whispering that it might be easier just to give up. But I couldn’t do that—Iannis would never find me if I let the waves drag meunder.
When I was so cold I could no longer feel my arms and legs, the fishing boat finally loomed before me. But the deck was too high up for anyone to see me struggling in the waves, and the winds were too loud, so it would be useless to scream or pound on the side of the ship. Gathering the last of my strength, I levitated myself onto the deck, then collapsed, my heart galloping in my chest as I gasped forbreath.
But there was no time for me to lie there on the deck, which was slick and reeking of fish guts. A sailor rushed toward me, eyes wide as he brandished a cutlass, and I had to roll out of the way to keep myself from beingimpaled.
“Wait!” I cried, springing to my feet. “I’m not here to hurt you! I just need some help!” By Magorah, could my luck be any worse? Instead of sanctuary, I had found moredanger.
“Help?” The man narrowed his eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to speak Northian, though his Manucan accent was quite thick. “What manner of creature are ye, then? A sea witch? You won’t fool me.Begone!”
I stared at him, noting that he was trembling despite his defiant words. “I’m not a monster,” I said tiredly, leaning against the railing. My legs were shaking, and I had to hold onto it to keep myself upright. Playing up my exhaustion, I sagged, and tried to make myself look as helpless as possible. “I just want to go home,” I said in a pitiful voice that I wasn’t exactly faking. “An evil mage banished me here, and I nearly drowned. I’m so c-c-cold…” My teeth rattled, and I wished like hell I could conjure a flame to warm myself up. But I had no magic left, and that would only scare the sailor,anyway.
The sailor stared back at me for several long moments, weighing his options. “Wait there,” he said in a wary voice. “I’ll get thecaptain.”
I sank to the deck, leaning my head against the wall and closing my eyes. If these guys wanted to gut me, then so be it. I had no strength left to fightback.
A few moments later, I heard footsteps, and I opened my eyes to see another man, presumably the captain, climbing up the wooden steps. He must have dressed hastily, from the state of his jacket and unbuttoned breeches. He held a mug of something hot in his hands, while the sailor came up behind him with a blanket over hisarm.
“Well, I’ll be,” the captain said as I took the mug from him and he got a good look at my face. “A shifter, out here in the high seas? What kind areye?”
“A panther,” I gasped, taking the mug from him. It was some kind of tepid tea mixed with rum, but it was warm, and I sighed gratefully as I took a sip. “Thank you,” I said as the sailor wrapped the blanket around me. My shivering was finally beginning tosubside.
The captain opened his mouth, no doubt to ask what the hell I was doing out here on his boat. But before he could speak, an invisible hand gripped me, and I was unceremoniously yanked away. I screamed as the world streamed by in a blur, wind howling in my ears so loud I worried I was going to godeaf.
Suddenly, I came to a halt and found myself standing inside a living room. Iannis’s three relatives were seated on the couch and armchairs, warm and comfortable, looking up at me with mixed expressions on their faces. My hands curled into fists, and the impulse to beat the hell out of Ta’sradala surged through me. If I wasn’t as weak as a newborn kitten, I might have actually acted onit.
“Well, well,” the Tua woman said, rising from her seat. She didn’t look at all happy to see me. “It would appear that you survived afterall.”
10
