Chapter 22 #2
As soon as I felt the wave of relief rush over me, the wind came to a stop. The ocean smoothed to glass as the sail fell empty and quiet. “Shit.”
“Look alive!” Manus said.
I took a piece of the rope that was holding the sail and cut it, tying one end to my arm, just above the elbow.
Manus looked at me with one eyebrow raised.
I pulled my mother’s sword from my back and tied the other end of the rope to the hilt.
“I’m not losing this to the sea for her to have.
” I stood to see how far the rope let the blade fall.
I had tied it just out of my reach, but it wouldn’t be lost to the sea.
There was a lurch in the water off the port side. “Here we go, guys,” I said. “Brace yourselves.” Abbey put herself down in the bottom of the boat with Coyle. Manus and I stood with our legs apart and our swords out.
Nothing happened, the water was still and black in the noontime sun. “There be monsters here,” Abbey whispered from her place at Coyle’s side.
Something in the water raised its head, now off the starboard side but at least a good twenty feet away.
Okay, so the Loch Ness monster might be real too.
This thing looked like Nessy on steroids.
Its head rose—and rose and rose—out of the water, at least fifteen feet, and I glimpsed three humps behind it as the beast moved toward the tiny boat fast. It ducked down and smashed the boat hard with its head.
The vessel didn’t stand a chance. Wood split and the wake of the creature pushed the broken pieces apart. Manus fell forward into the water. The rest of us flipped backward and half the boat landed over us, leaving us in a pocket of air between the water and the boat.
Abbey was kicking frantically and holding on to the seat, which was now above our heads. I had Coyle under one arm and held us both out of the water, gripping the same piece of tattered wood.
“Abbey, swim out from under here and get on top. I’ll bring him.” She followed my instructions and went under the water.
It was dark and murky as I pulled Coyle with me under the remnants of the boat.
Abbey was already on the floating fragment when we surfaced.
I flung Coyle up and he groaned, my ribs crying out from the effort.
She pulled his shoulders as best she could.
When we got him safely out of the water, I pushed them as far away from me as I could. I turned in the water to find Manus.
Only the movement of the broken pieces of the boat disturbed the smooth surface of the water.
I went under and tried to look around, but it was too black.
I surfaced to find Manus and the monster struggling some distance off to my right.
The huge sea dragon had him in its bite.
It tossed the Shifter, catching him again across the middle, trying to get a better grip.
Manus was trying to stab at it even as he was bitten repeatedly.
I pulled one of the daggers and flung it at the side of the dragon, not too close to its head to keep from hitting Manus. The dagger hit home, plunging deep into the side of its neck. The dragon jerked. It dropped Manus as soon as it saw me and came at me like a giant shark.
The sword was dangling just past the reach of my fingertips. I dived under the surface and the creature surged past me. Massive turbulence from its wake sent me tumbling helpless through the water.
I kicked and struggled for air, fighting to find the direction of the surface, breaking through just long enough to get a lungful of air before the thing clamped its toothy mouth on my leg.
It pulled me down, fast and with little effort.
I brought the sword down hard, stabbing into one ugly green eye.
The sea dragon jerked against the force of the blow, trying to lose me.
I twisted the blade and the dragon abandoned my leg to swim off, dragging me behind him until I could jimmy the sword loose.
Back on the surface, I got to Manus. He was struggling to get back to the piece of floating boat.
I helped him up onto it. My leg was burning from the cuts made by the dragon’s sharp teeth.
Manus was cut severely in more than one place across his stomach and back.
He was bleeding badly. I tried to hold pressure on the worst wound on his stomach but the cut was larger than my hands.
“Manus, can you shift?” He didn’t respond. “Manus! Can you shift?”
He looked at me, not understanding. “If you shift I can cover the wounds and stop the bleeding. They’re too big now.
” He rested his head back and closed his eyes, his face tight, his breathing shallow, his skin losing color.
He took in a big breath and started a slow and painful shift.
Before he could completely change I saw more movement coming toward us from behind him.
Fins. Heading this way. Attracted by the blood in the water.
Sharks.
I got the sword in my hand again and ducked under the remains of the boat to meet the sharks head-on.
The first reached me before I made it all the way under the boat.
It came close but didn’t attack. I reached out and tried to slice it with the blade but missed.
The second, right behind it, wasn’t so lucky.
I cut open a large wound on its side. Two others that were following went into a frenzy and attacked the injured shark.
I had to surface and get more air. They were busy, but at the rate they were tearing through the flesh of the injured shark, it wouldn’t be long until their attention came back to me.
I searched the horizon to find the touch of green. It was in the opposite direction of the feasting sharks. Thank God for small favors. “How’s he doing?” I asked Abbey. She was holding the soaked cat with both hands, holding the blood back as best she could.
She looked at me with pleading eyes, blood seeping through her tiny fingers.
“I can’t stop it.” The winds were picking up again, making the sea choppy.
I couldn’t swim them to shore. The sharks would be back at me too soon.
Coyle was still out cold and hanging with a leg in the water.
I pushed it up onto what was left of the boat.
I had no choice. I held on with one hand and pushed my hand deep into my pocket and found the delicate twist of silver and gold tangled in the wet denim. Tynan, I thought as I pulled it out and held it tight.
Where the hell are you? His voice was fraught with worry and anger.
In the water. I’m okay. Manus is hurt bad and— I was hit in the side by one of the sharks and spun underwater.
Keena?! he roared in my head, but I couldn’t answer.
The shark was coming back at me. I could barely make it out in the churning water but it moved with a lethal grace and speed I couldn’t miss.
No time to fish for the sword, so I drew a smaller dagger.
The shark pushed against my side, knocking against my broken ribs.
I screamed underwater and stabbed at the shark.
The hit to my side made me drop the necklace. I watched it sink out of my reach, unable to move fast enough to reach for it.
I had to surface and couldn’t go for the necklace.
I pushed up, found the air, and took in a forced gulp, along with some water.
I choked and coughed at the intrusion of the salty water in my lungs.
Turning, I saw a shark heading for me. I put my hand out and said the thrusting spell in my head.
Water shot high into the air and the shark spun and shot off. The others followed.
I hadn’t even thought to use my magic before that moment. Fucking stupid. Manus was hurt, I was hurt, and my magic hadn’t even come into my head. I swam back toward the others, cursing.
When I reached them, Abbey was talking in a slow, steady voice to Manus.
“You stubborn, mangy cat! Hold on!” I felt another wave of guilt hit as I treaded water, not really caring if anything else was coming up from the depths below.
I could only watch her struggle with the cat that was almost her size.
I reached out to feel for Manus’s magic, to try to touch it with mine.
I felt it, weak and struggling to respond.
I rested my head on the floating debris that served as our own little island.
Something grabbed me by the sheath around my shoulders and pulled me from the water. I struggled violently against it.
“Keena!” It was Doran’s angry voice. I turned my head enough to see that Marcus, one of her consorts, had me by the saber sheath, and I relaxed so he could get me into her boat.
Two other Magicians started to get Manus, Abbey, and Coyle.
I was tired and weak and fell into Doran’s lap when Marcus put me beside her on the floor of the boat.
We were safe.