The tears continue to stream down my face. I can’t calm down.
“Briar, look at me.” He cups my jaw. “Breathe. I’m here.” Silas wraps his arms around my trembling body. “You are okay. I’m okay. We’re safe.”
Another crackle of lightning illuminates the cabin as Silas observes the severity of the storm. The shadowy water swirls around the boat in a chaotic dance, as if the surrounding darkness is trying to capsize us. The black clouds overhead resemble a giant beast attempting to drag us to the depths of the darkest realms, and fear overrides my system.
“We need to get dressed right now. I will head to the deck to see what’s going on.”
I remain frozen, the fear controlling me.
“Briar,” Silas calls again.
Tears fall like the rain outside.
“Briar,” he snaps. “I need you to listen.”
Just like always, his voice brings me back. I jolt back into my right mind and begin to grab my clothes as the boat rocks from side to side, causing us both to fall off balance.
“As soon as you finish dressing, meet me on the deck. Okay?”
I nod and continue shuffling around the room, grabbing what clothes I can. He moves toward me and kisses my forehead. I holster my two axes; the gold weapons shimmer in the dimly lit cabin, helping me see. Thunder claps around the room, and wecan now hear the shuffling of many feet—likely the ship’s crew—springing into action.
Silas rushes out of the room, glancing over his shoulder one last time, before disappearing. I grab a bag and begin stuffing a few things inside, including my mother’s crown.
A wave hits the boat, causing me to lose my footing as I crash to the ground.
Maines bounds through the threshold in a panic.
“Gods, are you alright? We need to get to the deck.” Terror floods her expression. “Oak just rushed up there to help the crew. He’s half drunk.” She glances around the room. “Where’s Silas?”
“He’s up there as well. The storm, Maines. It… It’s so similar.”
She nods. “I know. I thought so, too. It’s not, though—we are far from Rohhit right now. It’s just a storm, but it’s a bad one.”
I shudder.
“We heard people saying the storm had pushed us off course and toward a cliff. We’re close to Andorwood, but not close enough.”
Panic rises once more in my core, “Rose and Myah. We have to get Myah off the ship if we must abandon it. We can’t leave her. She’ll drown.”
Maines nods in agreement. “Okay, first we need to see what’s going on. I promise we won’t leave her. Silas won’t let that happen, either.”
She’s right. If there is someone who loves this horse more than I do, it’s Silas. We follow the same route that Silas took to the top deck. We bound into the hallway, the staff pushing against our bodies in a rush to get to the deck. Shouts and curses come from all around as people panic and fight to keep their balance against the rocking ship.
As we ascend the narrow staircase, Maines grips my arm tightly. The ship’s crew hurries around the deck, seizing any ropes they can find to secure the masts. The chaos is disorienting, but I breathe through my nose, trying to quell the fear surging within me. Rain splatters our faces as we struggle to make out a few figures. Silas, Oak, and Captain Darcy are on the quarterdeck, shouting at the crew below and pointing behind us toward the cliff approaching at a rapid pace.
Sprinting to the deck beside them, Silas grabs my arm, steadying me. “Rose went to find you. You weren’t up here, and I got worried.” A crashing wave sends us stumbling backward. “They needed me here to grab the helms. We are going to have to abandon the ship, Briar. The storm is too strong to control anymore.”
I glance at Maines with a concerned look. “You can shift people out of here and onto the cliff’s edge. You need to start moving now. Many of these Wielders won’t be able to make the shift on their own.”
“What do you mean by us?” Maines responds. “You can help, too.
“I need to go to Rose and Myah. She went looking for me,” I snap back in protest. “I’m not going to leave her down there.”
“You are insane if you think I’m letting you go down there,” Silas says. “This ship is going to sink, and if you are down there when that happens…”
The wind continues to howl as the ship moves closer to the rocky shore with each passing second. The movement of the masts against the wind sounds like beasts groaning in the night. I watch the sails whip in the raging wind, and there are no signs of this storm passing soon or gently.
“We don’t have time for this, Silas. You need to start helping now.” I push back. “I can handle this. You know I’m strong. Letme assist her while you help the others. You know this area. They need you—they need your direction—and you know it.”
