Chapter Thirty-Five
Taskill
Taskill hurtled through the air, landing with a loud splash as the boat shattered from the powerful wave.
He gasped at the temperature, even though he’d adjusted to the cold from the waves that had sprayed them along the way.
Holding his breath, he opened his eyes in the water, searching for Sheona in the murky depths, kicking as hard as he could to break the surface to fill his lungs.
But he didn’t see her anywhere.
When he finally broke through, he gasped, taking in air before he was hit by another violent wave, but he gained enough breath to shout, “Sheona! Where are you?”
He gulped a mouthful of the salty sea water, spit it out, and kicked, his gaze scanning the area for her head among the broken wood. “Sheona!”
He said a quick prayer to get her to the surface. Then he’d help her get to shore. He could see that it wasn’t that far away. They were both strong swimmers and could surely make it to safety.
“Here!”
A faint voice called out, or was he imagining what he wished to hear? He pushed the debris aside and swam toward where he thought she was. Her head was above water, battling to stay up in the rough waves.
“Are you hale? Any injury?”
“I think I’m fine, but which way, Taskill? I can’t see in the dark.”
A bolt of lightning shot through the air, giving him enough light to see how far away they were from shore. “This way.” He tipped his head in the direction they were going. “Can you swim?”
“Aye, I’m fine. I don’t know if I can make it that far. It’s cold.”
He grabbed her tunic and tugged her along behind him. “Roll onto your back.” Then he did the same, one hand holding her while the other one went over his head rhythmically, his legs propelling them farther.
She fell back and he tugged her along, kicking to assist him. “We have to get away from all the boards first. Once we’re free of them, I’ll relax. If you see one coming toward us, let me know. We can’t get knocked out, either of us, or we’ll never make it.”
He swam on his back, pulling her along with him without any trouble. Once they cleared the debris, he calmed himself, knowing he would need all the strength he had to get the two of them to shore.
“Don’t leave me, Taskill. Promise?”
“I promise. Just try to relax. Save your strength. You’ll need it.”
He could feel the gasping ache in his lungs and knew he was working extra hard due to the conditions, but they’d both been in the sea all their lives.
They had to make it to the edge of the isle.
He tipped his head and stared up at the stars that broke through the clouds, switching his kick to one that seemed stronger, the one like a frog used.
He held Sheona with one hand to his side, making sure his feet missed her and that her kicks continued to be strong enough to help him.
If she fell unconscious, he’d never make it to shore.
They’d both go under.
The rain let up a wee bit, and the length of time between the lightning and the thunder stretched longer and longer, indicating the storm was moving away. He glanced over his shoulder, disappointed to see how far away the coastline was from them, but he powered on.
“Taskill, are we going to die?” she whispered.
“Nay, do not think like that.”
“But I’m losing my strength. It’s so cold.”
“Don’t talk. Save your strength.” He kicked on, his one arm repeatedly going over his head to pull them along.
They’d already traveled down shore from where they started, though as long as they continued toward land, it didn’t matter.
He thought it was Mull near MacLean land, but he truly had no idea in the dark.
If they were pushed much farther than MacLean land, they’d be propelled out to sea toward the mainland.
They’d never get across that. He could pray for a boat to come along to save them, but he doubted there were many foolish enough to be out now.
“I’m losing strength. I can’t kick much longer, Taskill.”
Sheona shivered underneath his hand, her teeth chattering enough that he could hear it. He had to get her to shore, or they’d both drown. If she could at least stay awake, she could float. If she passed out, she’d be dead weight.
Out of nowhere, an object landed on her belly, and she screamed, pushing it toward him.
He stopped swimming for a moment, staring at this odd object that floated in front of him.
It was white, a sizable chunk of something.
He tried to bat it away, but the odd thing was light as could be and stayed on top of the water, floating back to them.
“What is it?”
“I have no idea, Sheona, but it floats. I want you to hold it close to you. It won’t cut you or anything. It’s smooth. It must be some type of wood. Mayhap it fell from the tree that was hit by lightning. Hang on to it. It may help you.”
She clutched the object to her belly, her hands shivering. “Go ahead. I’ll kick when I can.”
He moved onto his back again and continued, surprised at how much easier it was to slide through the water.
“Taskill, this is better! I think we’ll make it. Is it easier for you?”
“Aye, it is. Much easier. We’ll be successful with this help.” He glanced over his shoulder, the rain now light, the wind having died down enough for him to see the shore. They were almost there.
They continued, Taskill catching drops of water occasionally to keep his thirst quenched. There was nothing like fresh rain to refresh yourself. He noticed Sheona did the same.
“You made it! Well done!” a youthful voice called to them.
Taskill nearly let go of Sheona, but he held tight, leaning forward to look back over his shoulder. Who the hell had just spoken? To his surprise, his feet touched the bottom. “Sheona! We made it. Touch. You can touch!”
“Welcome!” the voice said. “I’ve been waiting for you. I have the perfect place for you to warm up. Follow me!”
“What the hell?” Taskill turned around, now holding Sheona’s hand to keep her close in the small waves as they made their way to shore.
Sheona asked, “Who was that?” Then she stared around her. “Where did my thing go? The thing that kept me afloat?”
A lass stood on the edge of the beach. “I sent it away. You no longer need it. Follow me.”
Lia stood before them with a wide smile.