Page 64 of The Sea Witch
“Let’s start looking.”
She ran her hands over the sheer rock that made up the walls of the cavern, searching for anything loose that could possibly hide the cache. After a moment, he did the same, passing his palms along the craggy surface.
Her hand glided over something smooth. It was so unlike the other jagged rocks that she passed her fingers back over the expanse. Yes, it was flat and polished, the area roughly the size of a platter one might use for serving a roast. Her fingertips brushed against delicate lines in the stone.
“Ben,” she called.
He was immediately at her side.
“Words,” she explained. “Etched into the rock.”
His hand passed over the faint carving. “It’s too dark in here to read it.”
“I lost my flint somewhere in the climb.” She reached for her magic, calling forth the light of a firefly. Yet it sputtered and died. She tried again, and again the light failed. “I can’t get my magic to hold. Seems Little George put a block of some kind in here, something that keeps my magic from working. But,” she added, “we can pry it loose. It’s brighter at the mouth of the cave. We can try to read it there.”
She wedged the tip of her dagger between the polished stone and the jagged rock. With the heel of her palm, she pounded on the hilt to create a lever that would pry it free.
“A little more,” he urged.
Tension mounted as she continued to work at the buried stone, and grew even more as it began to work its way out of the rock. Her boots slipped on the ground as she pushed. The blade of her dagger nicked her thumb, but she ignored the drop of blood that ran down her hand. Swelling apprehension grew, as she kept digging out the polished rock. His eagerness danced with hers in rising waves.
“Yes, yes,” Ben said eagerly. “That’s it.”
The smooth stone leapt from the wall. She grabbed it before it tumbled to the ground.
They both gave an elated shout, turning toward each other and beaming in triumph.
And then his mouth was on hers.
She immediately pressed her lips to his. He cupped the back of her head to angle her better to taste more of her, going deeper. She still held the stone, but pressed into him as she kissed him with equal hunger.
A sudden burst of energy blasted between them. They were thrown through the water and out from the cave. Pushed out of the cavern, they flew through the air.
She had a fleeting glimpse of his astonished face as they soared briefly before plummeting down into the deep pool at the base of the waterfall.
Dark green water surrounded her. For a moment, she was suspended in the pool, stunned. The polished stone in her hands pulled her to the bottom.
Her lungs burned. With quick, forceful kicks, she swam upward, fighting the downward drag of the rock in her hands. She broke the surface and took a deep breath.
“Ben,” she shouted, swiveling her head to find a sign of him. Nothing.
A beat of her heart later, he emerged from the water, gasping, just as stunned as she had been.
He pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked around. When he caught sight of her, they swam to the edge of the pool. Clothes soaking, water squelching in their boots, they trudged up the bank. They had a moment to stare at each other, drenched and dazed, before Stasia ran up, with Susannah right behind her.
“Captain,” Stasia exclaimed. “What the hell happened? Has the fail-safe been found?”
The magpie on her shoulder twittered.
“What are those?” Susannah added.
She pointed to the dark markings on Ben’s skin, winding across the back of his hands and up his neck. They stood out in bold relief as they formed arcane patterns that twisted and curled over his flesh. He stared at them, shocked.
“These only appear when my skin touches seawater.” He turned accusing eyes to Alys. “What did you do? What magic are you using on me?”
She looked up toward the cave behind the waterfall, where they had been moments earlier until some power had blown them out with explosive force.
Bewildered, she said with a shake of her head, “That magic belonged to you alone, Sailing Master.”
