Page 61 of Rise of the Gods: Vardor's Destiny
"Roweena!"
Before I could stop her, she raced toward three male passengers aiming their guns at the water while a sailor threw fish into the sea to lure the dolphins closer.
"Five pounds I'll get that one," one boasted.
Roweena grabbed the long rifle by the end as the man was about to aim. A shot went wild, and the sailor chumming the fish yelped as the bullet grazed his arm. Surprised at having shot the sailor and by Roweena's sudden attack, the man let go of the rifle. Roweena didn't even stumble. She whipped the gun across the man's face before she tossed it overboard.
"You bit—" that's as far as he got. I stopped his raised arm midair and brought it down over my knee, breaking it.
Then I picked him up by the scruff of his neck and threw him overboard. Men shouted in alarm, and somebody rang a bell. The ship turned in a wide arc as sails were hastily lowered.
"What the hell, mate," one of the man's buddies approached me, anger blazing in his eyes.
"Stop!" A commanding voice rang out. The captain.
"Sir, this man just threw my buddy Hastings overboard," the man screamed at him.
The captain turned to me. I shrugged, "He was going to hit my wife."
"Your wife took his rifle," the other accused.
"He was shooting at the dolphins," Roweena declared in a composed voice.
"There, there, hold on matey," a sailor yelled, throwing a life ring into the water.
"We're not finished here," the captain warned, moving to the railing where his crew was busy trying to fish the man out of the water. With his broken arm, he had a hard time keeping his head above water while trying to hold on to the life ring.
"The moment you pull him aboard, I will kill him," I told the captain matter of factly, still seething that the man had dared raise his hand at Roweena.
"You will kill nobody under my watch," the captain declared indignantly, but his gaze rushed over me in concern. Heinstinctively sensed I could take him and his crew out without breaking a sweat.
"Let it be." Roweena grabbed my arm. "I think he learned his lesson."
"He was going to hit you," I raged.
"You stopped him and broke his arm. That should be enough," Roweena pleaded. I took a deep breath. Vaelora would have never interfered like this. She would have understood the kind of punishment a mortal deserved for daring to raise his hand against her. But this wasn't Vaelora, this was Roweena.
Vaelora was a goddess of balance, not a goddess of mercy or kindness, two character attributes that were strong in Roweena.
"As you wish," I grudgingly acquiesced.
"Come on matey, you're alright," a sailor pulled the man from the water, heaving him up over the ship's wall while the man panted in pain, having spent the last of his energy to stay alive.
His buddies crowded around him, offering him a jacket and their support, fussing like hens over a rooster. The ship's doctor arrived and ordered the men to bring him below deck to his office.
"Come," Roweena pulled my arm.
"Not so fast," the captain rushed over. "We're not done here."
"Yes, we are." I declared, glaring at him, daring him to contradict me. "Unless you want to be fished out as well."
"I will have..." he began, but faltered under my gaze.
More passengers had gathered, standing in groups, whispering and pointing at us. Roweena and I walked by them as they parted to give us room.
"You were magnificent," I told her, remembering the way she had pulled the rifle from the man's hands and whipped it across his head.
"I don't know what came over me," Roweena said, shaking her head. She was pale. "I've never done anything like that before."
