Two.Mother of the Moon, hear my cries, see my tears, embrace me in your darkness. A silent prayer.
Three. A breath.Do not take him too. Son of the sea, Kinslayer he is called, but know his heart. And know mine too.
Four.He will not die today, he is not yours to take.
A prayer or a threat, I did notknow.
I waited and waited for the head of white, for asignof anything, but nothing came. My scream was a match for the roar of the ocean, wrath for wrath. Anger matching ire. I did not need to be water-blessed to know that the sea was angry, writhing. A beast intent to ruin.
“He is not yours to take!”Hot tears mixed with the cold rain and seawater, tracking my grief down the cold of my skin. I moved to push off my captor when—
“There!”
Antoni’s voice was a beacon, howling with the wind like a blessing to my ears. A flash of lightning, and then I saw it.
A wave rising—no, not a wave. It was too sculpted, not chaotic enough for the raging of the sea. It was blessed magic and in the middle was Roan, Kairen clutched tightly within his grasp.
Relief shot through me, suddenly sick from the worry that plagued me only moments before.
I braced as the water hit, a shower cascading across the deck, washing the two men upon its wooden floor. I moved quickly, steps stumbling forward when Antoni’s panicked yell cut through the chaos.
“Grab them! Hold tight.”
Unconscious, they were both unconscious.
I didn’t look back, couldn’t allow myself to as I dove for Roan. Kidd’s hold found Kairen just as a massive wave hit us, my scream of terror cut off as water filled my throat, salt burning through all my senses. Icy and tortuously cold as it clawed and tugged at me.
The wood of the ship groaned loudly and Ifeltas the vessel tilted. The rope around my middle snapped tightly as Roan and I slid across the frozen deck. My hold did not break, my nails digging into the freezing skin of his arm as I coughed the sea from my lungs and my eyes frantically searched for Antoni.
He stood, arms braced, hands splayed as though holding some great invisible weight. As though he himself was using his blessed magic to keep the ship upright and preventing us from tipping into the raging waters below.
Moments later the ship rocked and steadied, at least as much as it could. Amber eyes found mine, a breath releasing as his focus turned to the man in my arms.
“Take them below deck, they need to warm quickly. Body heat,go!”
I scrambled to my feet and grabbed Roan beneath the arms, intent to drag his massive form below deck, but Kidd’s hand had me pausing. I glanced at the man who merely shook his head and pointed towards Rena. I hesitated for only a moment, but he gave me no option as he grabbed both men by the collars of their drenched shirts and began dragging them towards the door that led to the cabin below deck.
With a curse I ran for the Healer, untying the rope securing her before I quickly grabbed beneath her arms and dragged her backwards.
It was dark below deck, so dark I could not see even the lilting dance of a shadow, but I knewthis cabin now. Even with the items strewn across the floor, I managed to drag Rena to where I knew Kidd had taken Kairen and Roan. How the griseled man had managed to drag them both was beyond me, but I didn’t care at the moment.
My teeth chattered as Kidd’s voice called out to me, the small glow of a little flame meeting my eyes as I entered the sleeping quarters.
“Is it not dangerous—”
“It’s hooked securely to the wall and concealed, no fires will be started down here.”
I glanced at where Roan and Kairen were laid out, bodies resting upon what looked like slats and blankets so their skin did not touch the coldwood of the floor below. Blankets too covered their bodies, but it was clear Kidd had stripped them of their wet clothing.
I startled when he began to tug off his shirt and shimmy from his soaked breeches, my gaze quickly averting.
“No time for modesty girl, you want to save them from the chill or not? Strip her down to her knickers and we’ll get her placed between these two.” I hesitated for merely a moment, but when he turned his gaze away I quickly laid Rena on the floor and removed the wet clothing that clung to her form. With enormous effort I managed to lay her between Roan and Kairen. “Hurry now, you too. I won’t take a peek.”
I stripped from the wet clothes, leaving only my undergarments. A chill immediately wracking my body before I was crawling beneath the blankets, pressing my body to Roan’s.
Please wake up. Please.
“Nearly flung yourself overboard after those two, aye?”
