Chapter Thirty-Three
Sheona
Glad to have convinced him, she settled her mantle around her to cover her legs once in the boat. The wind grew sharper as the temperature dropped. “Do you have another set of oars? I can help row.”
“Can you get your arms out of your mantle enough?”
“Aye. I can do it. If two of us row, we’ll get there faster.” She arranged herself the best she could and took a set of oars. “We’re heading that way, correct?” she asked, pointing toward what she thought would be MacClane Castle.
“Aye. And once we arrive, we can get inside at Tristan’s home. They’re in the castle now. Hopefully, we’ll be in front of a fire in a little more than an hour. The current is in our favor.”
They started across the water without any issues, the only boat as far as they could see. Sheona couldn’t help but look over her shoulder, as if Clyde would suddenly appear behind her.
As if reading her mind, Taskill said, “I’ll not let him hurt you, Sheona. You know I’ll always protect you.”
She nodded, tears misting her eyes. “I know. Many thanks to you. I just hate that I have to deal with him. And I can’t understand why my father disappeared. What does Lennox think? And Sloan?”
“They were headed to MacQuarie land to see if Thane or Artan knew anything.”
“What?” The wind had picked up, making it hard to hear over the lapping waves. And shortly after that, the rain began, lightly at first.
“Never mind. Just row! It’s coming soon. I don’t like those black clouds, Sheona. They’re coming up on us too quickly.”
She matched his pace, pulling her hood up to protect herself from the increasing rain. “Can we go back?”
“Nay, we’re about halfway there. We may as well head to MacClane’s. It’s safer there, and that’s the direction the current is going. We’ll never be able to go against the current. The wind is making it too strong.”
She nodded and pushed ahead, her arms aching from the force she’d used to move through the building waves.
Taskill’s arms were powerful, his movements graceful compared to the awkward attempts she was making to assist him.
He was such a fine-looking man, someone she’d always thought attractive.
His looks were even more appealing to her out in the middle of the sea in a storm, though she was uncertain why.
It could be the line of his jaw, the stubble of his golden beard, the blue eyes that could be so serious but also glittered when he laughed.
Taskill had everything she could ever want in a husband. So why didn’t she? Thoughts of Rinaldo convinced her that she didn’t need a husband. And Taskill wasn’t interested in her, either. It was as simple as that.
If she did, she’d probably choose someone just like Taskill.
A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, the flash startling her so much that she let out a squeak, glancing over her head.
“Shite,” Taskill said. “I’d hoped to make it to land before this started.”
The thunder took a while before they heard it, confirmation that they weren’t in the worst of the storm yet, but the drenching rain told them it was nearby and coming soon.
Sheona’s hands gripped the oars so hard that her knuckles had turned white.
Another flash, another boom, and another jump warned her of how quickly the weather was changing.
“Don’t drop your oars. We need them, Sheona.”
“That last one was loud. I won’t let them go. I promise.” Even if her fear of capsizing increased with every passing moment. Every approaching wave. Every spout of water that landed inside the boat. Every shot of lightning that came closer and closer.
The boat rocked and tipped amid the rain. Sheona again yanked the hood of her mantle up over her head, attempting to protect herself. But it did no good.
“Pull the oars in, Sheona, and hang on to the sides. We’re going to have to let the waves take us. I can’t fight them any longer. Once the sea calms, we’ll find our way.” He reached for her once the oars were in, cocooning her against his body to protect her the best he could.
Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, two more bolts following it with ear-piercing thunder.
Another forked flash hit a tree on shore, the leaves on the tree falling to the ground as the bark on one side of it disappeared. Sheona screamed at the instantaneous thunderclap that was so loud, it shook the boat, the wood trembling.
“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” she shouted.
“Nay, we are not. I won’t let you die. If the boat goes over, we swim to the nearest shore. That way.” He moved to sit next to her. “Over there. That’s where the tree was. It’s not that far from us. I can see land and it’s closer than you think.”
A monstrous wave hit them and sent a deluge of water into the boat, sending Sheona into another scream as the small vessel tipped but then righted itself—this time. “We’re going to sink, Taskill!”
“If the boat goes down, we’ll swim. Promise me that you’ll fight, Sheona. You have much to live for. I know it.”
She shivered in the pelting rain, thinking of all that Lia had said. Things would be wonderful, eventually. Not yet. Worse first.
Would she survive?
She thought of Brynja and Hildi and suddenly made the decision to fight. “Help me get this off, Taskill.”
“What?”
“My mantle will take me under. I have to get it off if I’m to swim.
I need to remove it.” She had a small, more valuable sack inside the larger one, so she took that one out and tied it around her waist. It had a necklace her mother had given her and two daggers.
She couldn’t lose the necklace. Everything else didn’t matter.
They managed to remove her mantle and toss it behind her in the small boat. Another lightning bolt, another swell, another loud boom.
“You’re right. I’m taking my boots off in case we go over. You should take yours off too.” They both fussed, one at a time, but finally set their boots at the far end of the vessel.
A gigantic wave hit the boat and sent it careening onto its side.
“Hang on, Sheona! It will right itself! Hang on!” But unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
The boat tipped and exploded into pieces.
The two catapulted into the cold sea.