Page 77 of Light and Shadow
Patting her hair, Fancor sighs, and it’s more like a bear about to attack. “We lost four elves including Jarnol.”
“Oh no.” Harper sits up, but her eyes roll and she eases back into my lap. “He was only a boy.”
“Ay, a good lad. He and the other three went into the sea when the big wave hit. We’re lucky we didn’t capsize. If not for Bert’s skill, we’d all be drowned, and the kron would be loose in Domhan.”
Voice sharp, Jax demands, “How did you know to use shadow magic, human?”
It’s not a good sign that he’s stopped using her name again, and I feel her annoyance with him.
“I don’t know, elf. I haven’t had any magical training. I did what you told me to do. I wished to save this ship and the lives on it. I wished for a way to defeat the demon. Why, is shadow magic bad?”
Jax’s jaw ticks.
Despite needing Jax and respecting him, I’m not immune to finding his old ways aggravating. “No. There is no good or bad kind of magic. The user and the usage determine such things.”
“The witch queen uses shadow magic to create her demons.” Jax stands and surveys the state of the ship. He sighs. “Aaran is correct, as is Fancor. Without your magic, we would likely have all perished. I shall attempt to alter my beliefs.” He stomps away and helps two elves push a burning barrel overboard.
“I feel like we just had a breakthrough.” Harper sits up again, only slower this time.
“What is a breakthrough?” Fancor gives her his hand and helps her to her feet, then he hovers to ensure she stays upright while I rise.
Gripping his shoulder and my arm, she smiles. “Humans use that term sometimes to describe when someone makes a step in a mentally healthy new direction.”
“Oh, yes.” Fancor laughs. “I see.” Still chuckling, he leaves us near the wooden rail, black with ash and soot.
Harper looks from one end of the ship to the other. “How will we ever get anywhere now? We’ll be adrift.”
I wonder the same thing, but kiss the top of her head. “Let’s help clean up and then we can talk to Bert.”
“We need to have some sort of memorial for the elves who were lost at sea.” She bends down and tosses a burnt piece of railing overboard. “I hope we’re not the next to be mourned.”
Underneath her sarcastic tone stirs fear and sorrow that stab me to my core.
It’s full dark, and most of the elves are asleep on the lower deck. We’re all exhausted and sad over the loss of four souls. Jarnol was only a boy with his entire life ahead of him. I failed him and the others.
Harper squeezes my hand and whispers, “It’s not your fault.”
Bert sits between Nainsi and Fancor.
Jax kneels to my right. “How do we get to the western continent?”
Taking Nainsi’s hand, Bert kisses her fingers. “We’ll use the tide. It won’t bring us as far as we’d hoped, but we’re lucky to still be afloat. By all rights, we should have capsized, and then burned. Nainsi tells me there are shallows where a sandy bottom might save us from falling apart when we beach. I’ve made thatour heading, and the tide should bring us to a grinding halt just after first light.”
“How do you move us without the wind?” Harper asks.
“We’re not the first ship to lose her sails. She has a manual rudder, so that helps. Not having electronics to begin with makes small disasters easier and everyday sailing more difficult. I’ll try to tack us in with Beran’s help. I suggest you all get a couple of hours’ sleep. It’s not going to be a three-point landing.” Weary and determined, Bert rises and heads back to the helm. He and Beran exchange whispers.
Nainsi stands. “I’ll stay nearby in case he needs me to wake you.”
I can see there’s no convincing her to get rest. She won’t until her man is able. As if they’re always meant to be together, one unit working together despite having been raised in different worlds, their differences do not matter to either of them.
Rather than separating, we all stay in the small circle with the magical light that Jax created to give off heat. The deck is still damp, but the rain helped wash away most of the ash and dirt.
I pull Harper close so she can rest her head on my shoulder as we attempt an hour or two of sleep before daybreak.
“These shallows that we’re headed for, do they extend very far from land?” Harper’s mind is already calculating all the things that might go wrong even without the witch queen’s interference.
“I’ve never been to the area north of Bolcán except to visit the port, and that’s a long way from where we’ll stop.” I avoid saying crash, even though that’s what will happen. “On the maps, it’s perhaps half a mile out to sea where the continental shelf ends.”
