Page 88 of Beacon

Fear cinched my chest as I yanked away from Owen to run down the dock, ignoring his frantic calling of my name. I stood on the edge of the pier and stared towards the ship; in the time it’d taken for us to arrive, it’d made little progress, all its efforts focused on battling the sea in order to stay afloat.

Images immediately filled my mind similar to those I’d seen nearly every night in my dreams or within the enchanted pool—towering waves of water swallowing a ship whole.

My sob escaped as the terror I’d fought to suppress back burst free. “No.”

Owen reached my side in time to hear the word. He laced our fingers together in a feeble attempt at comfort, but his touch couldn’t quiet the rough sea. I’d witnessed enough storms to know that nothing could calm the ocean while it was in such a state until the storm had played out in full.

…save for magic.

The thought acted as a single shaft of light that penetrated the clouds shrouding my mind, but even with this guidance, I hesitated. I couldn’t use my powers—not only was I just beginning to rediscover them, but it had been this same magic that hadcausedthe storm so many years ago. If I summoned them only to make the sea worse…then the life of my only remaining family as well as all the men on the ship would also stain my conscience, another burden I’d be forced to bear for the rest of my life.

But if I didn’t try, fear and inaction would condemn the lives of every sailor on that ship. I couldn’t allow that to happen. As a lighthouse keeper’s daughter, it was my duty to do all within my power to guide those out on sea back to shore.

Without another moment’s thought, I pulled away from Owen and dove into the water. The rough, powerful waves fought to keep me under, making it difficult to emerge. Although it was shallow enough to stand, it was still nearly impossible to stay afloat. Above the sound of the fierce wind and raging sea, I could hear Owen’s frantic calling my name from the dock—a sound almost immediately swallowed by a splash.

I swiveled around to see he was no longer on the dock. My panic rose as I swam towards where he’d disappeared, arriving at his side just as he emerged with a sputtering cough. “Owen!”

He heard the scolding surrounding his name. “I will never allow you to jump into an ocean alone, no matter how rough the waters.”

So much meaning filled his statement, words enhanced by the determination in his gaze and the love in his embrace as his arms enfolded me—a task made difficult with the force of every rough wave from the furious sea.

An exasperated yet adoring sigh escaped my lips. “Owen.”

I wanted to both hug him and kiss him, but most of all, I yearned to stay in the safety of his arms and never let him go…but there was no time for that.

I pulled away and turned in the direction of the ship being roughly tossed in the distance, each fierce wave that beat against its side threatening to swallow it whole.

It was difficult to push past my rising anxiety in order to reach for my magic. It responded to my summons with the greatest reluctance, as if afraid to venture out during such a storm. After an urgent tug and another wriggle of protest, it obeyed my command to illuminate the surrounding water. I could barely hear Owen’s startled gasp above the wind, but by his widening eyes, I knew he understood my intention.

The daunting task before me required all my concentration, so I closed my eyes. My hum was quickly swallowed up by a mouthful of seawater as another wave crashed over me, nearly pulling me under; only Owen’s firm grip around my waist yanked me back to the surface. By the wild worry filling his eyes, I could tell he yearned to pull me back to the safety of the shore…yet he remained at my side, understanding me in the way he always had, knowing I needed to do this.

He reluctantly released me to give me the space I needed to once more summon my powers. They came easier this second time, though just as reluctantly, illuminating the water around us with silvery light that penetrated the grey gloom of the stormy sea.

My humming was muffled by the rushing wind, making it difficult for my powers to follow its command, so I tried singing. But rather than calm the sea, the waves only grew more fierce, causing fear to seize hold of my voice once more.

My magic was only worsening the storm. Despair threatened to engulf me at the thought; I was only spared being completely yanked under when Owen’s fingers intwined with mine, anchoring me in the way he always had.

“You can do it, Marisa,” he said.

“But water—more rough—”

“It’s only your fear,” he said. “Focus not on it but on hope.”

I wasn’t sure how I could do such a thing when the waves were so encompassing. I frantically searched for something to latch on to…only for my gaze to settle on my lighthouse in the distance, standing erect against the cloudy sky, steady against the storm as it cast its beacon across the sea.

I stared at the golden light, extra bright against the surrounding grey, until it seemed to reach inside me to chase away the last of the shadows that had shrouded my heart for so long.

Hope. A light amid the storm. Owen’s hand, my anchor, my harbor.

These thoughts filled my mind and gave power to my voice as I once more lifted it in song. At first the light that touched the water wasn’t enough to cause it to still, but the longer I held fast to my images of hope and Owen, the longer I was able to sing, every bright emotion contained in each note; with each one, the sea around us gradually stilled.

My heart lifted, giving my voice further strength to fill the air. It fought against the wind before eventually becoming a part of it in order to first tame it, then dance with it. My glowing magic continued to spread across every wave, and with its light, the sea finally began to calm.

I’d never used my powers for so long and the effort left me exhausted, especially when the ship still felt so far away. But Owen’s presence gave me a strength beyond my own, allowing me to continue my song until the wind and waves surrounding the ship also stilled.

Only then did my voice fade, leaving silence that felt more pronounced with the wind and sea so tranquil. Owen gave my hand a squeeze. “You did it, Marisa. I knew you could.”

“Only because of you.”

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