Page 61 of Light and Shadow
The archers stumble aft and continue firing.
I rush to the children who are sloshing from one side of the deck to the other with every wave. “Hold on to each other. We’re going below.” I grab the youngest, named Fort, and pull him to the stairs.
He grips Bor’s leg, the oldest boy, who has hold of two more sprawled across the deck.
I keep pulling until I have Tal’s hands in mine and all seven children are below. I grab the door to their room and the ship tips hard, sending them down the narrow hall. I grip the doorknob and hang for a moment before we’re righted, and I come down hard on my knees. “Hurry. Before the next one.”
They scramble back to me, and I lock us inside the room.
We get to the center of the large bed and huddle together. I put myriad dusty pillows along the walls, hoping it will cushion our fall should we climb another wave or be tossed over.
A sea dragon flies past the window, its sharp teeth bared and its roar shaking the glass. The children scream. It’s all I can do not to join them. Instead, I hug them tight in a group hug, my arms aching with the effort to keep them safe.
The children yell something in their native language.
I don’t know what they’re saying, and can only coo to them softly, telling them everything is going to be okay. It might be a lie. I have no idea if we’re going to survive this. However, Ihave to believe that if we die here, we go someplace good. Surely the babies will go to heaven or someplace like that. Will I go to heaven if I die in this other world? I shake away the ridiculous thought and renew my grip as another wave sends us all flying to one side of the bed. Another flings us toward the windows. I grip the wooden frame with my ass pressed against the glass and pray the pane holds my weight long enough for the ship to correct itself.
The ship sounds as if it’s breaking in two.
All their hands grip at me from different angles. I’m pretty sure this is exactly like some nightmares I’ve had about hell, but I scream, “Hold on.” As if they know what I’m saying.
We flop back to the mattress in a jumble of arms and legs. Lem’s foot smacks into my eye, and someone’s elbow catches me in the ribs. Everything moves from side to side like water in a bathtub when you stand out of it.
The swaying becomes gentle, and the only noise is from crying children and my own breathing. Kissing the forehead of a little one named Gnal, I dislodge myself from the pile and listen for signs of danger.
Standing with my back to the bed, I grab a broken leg from the shattered desk and hold it in one hand, then pull my knife from the sheath at my side. I wait.
The crying becomes sniffling behind me.
The door bursts open.
I stand ready to defend these babies with my last breath.
Aaran’s welcome form fills the doorway. Blood stains his shirt at the shoulder, and a long scratch blooms red on his cheek. He lets out a breath, as if he’d been holding it for a long time. “Thank the old gods.” He pulls me into his arms.
I drop the wood and hug him.
Little hands wrap around our legs and waists.
Chapter Sixteen
Aaran
By nightfall, we are far enough south that the chances of sea dragons are very slim. That’s not to say that Venora’s other minions aren’t seeking us, but for the moment, the sea is calm.
Maybe I should be below holding Harper and sleeping, but I can’t leave the deck until I feel we are out of danger. With a sword at my side and a bow and quiver next to that, I stare up at the stars. Arcania glows purple on the horizon.
The deck creaks, and in a long white shirt and shoes, Harper is picking her way past the sleeping forms of our companions to the bow where I’ve made my resting place on higher ground. She lies down next to me.
“What are you wearing?” I wrap my arm around her as she settles in with her head on my shoulder.
With a shrug, she tugs the fabric. “I found it in a box at the back of the closet with some other clothes. I’ve washed our clothes in salt water. At least the blood and sweat will be gone.”
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do my washing.” I changed when I went to Cara to heal my wounded shoulder. I had anextra set of clothes in my bag, while Harper was already wearing her extra clothes.
“I was washing anyway. How is your shoulder?” She adjusts her body and settles again.
Keeping her head on my biceps, I turn to face her. The bruise under her eye has darkened, and she looks as if she’s been in a fistfight. I skim my thumb along the mark. “My shoulder was healed and is only a dull ache now. How are you?”
