The Winds of Time Read online

  The sea monster slammed its massive head against the boat, and the boat rocked. The crack of splitting wound sounded again.

  "It's gonna sink us!" shouted one sailor.

  Darius strode to the center of the deck, where everyone could see him. "We need to remain calm. We've fought sea monsters before. This one's bigger, but that doesn't matter."

  "We have to do something," Nadia said to Markus. Neither of them had found much time to practice their magic, or a place to a do it safely, but they had to try something.

  Klint strode toward the railing, his gaze fierce, and pointed his staff at the monster. Shards of ice exploded from the staff, striking the monster. But just like the arrows, they had no effect. If anything, they made the monster more enraged.

  "Try lightning!" Nadia shouted. "It should travel through the water."

  Klint nodded, then sent a burst of lightning at the creature. The field of yellow danced around its massive head, and the monster writhed as the spell struck it. It retracted a few of its tentacles that had reached out toward the ship. For a moment, Nadia thought it would retreat, but then it charged toward the ship again.

  The ship rocked violently. Nadia hit the ground, scraping her knees on the deck.

  "Try it again," she said, struggling to her feet.

  Klint sent another field of lightning at the creature. Again, it writhed, and this time it emitted a strange shrieking sound. Still, it seemed more enraged than anything. It rammed the boat again and again and again. Sailors rushed back and forth, slashing at a tentacle whenever one reached the deck.

  "There's gotta be something we can do with our earth magic," Markus said.

  Nadia tried to think. No one had explained the magic to them. She knew they could make the ground quake, but that would do no good here. They could open holes in the ground. Again, that was useless right now. Or they could pull spikes of rock from the ground.

  Useless again. There was nothing that would work.

  "What about pulling rocks down from the sky?" Berig asked.

  "None of us have ever tried that before," Nadia said.

  The boat rocked again as Berig said, "Well, anything's worth a shot, right?"

  Klint sent more lightning at the monster, and it continued slamming into the ship. Nadia, Markus, and Berig stood outside the range of its tentacles and focused on summoning rocks from the sky. She imagined these rocks were much like the water back in the Oasis Outpost. They came from somewhere, summoned by the magic.

  The rocks appeared in the sky, small at first but growing larger with time. A few of them were as large as small boulders. When they struck the monster, though, they didn't seem to affect it. It shrugged aside the magic as though it were a mere annoyance.

  "It's not working!" Nadia shouted, already feeling her magical reserves dwindling.

  Markus stepped closer to the railing. "I think I've got more to give, but I’m not sure."

  The monster rammed the boat, and Markus lost his balance. By the time he got back to his feet, a tentacle was slithering toward him. Focused on his magic, he noticed it too late. The tentacle wrapped around him, dragging him toward the railing.

  "No!" Nadia shouted. She dashed forward, ready to slice at the tentacle, but it was moving too quickly. She wouldn't reach it before it pulled Markus into the sea.

  But then Klint launched fire at the tentacle. The flames burst to life, and the tentacle writhed, releasing its grip on Markus moments before it would have pulled him over the edge. Markus scrambled to his feet, grunting in pain. Some of the flames still burned around him.

  He hit the ground, rolling to extinguish the flames. But now the deck had caught fire.

  "Somebody put out that fire!" shouted a sailor.

  Klint pointed his staff at the fire and launched a jet of water. The spell quickly extinguished the flames. Now they returned their focus to the monster.

  It kept ramming the ship and trailing its tentacles across the deck.

  "Keep its tentacles away from me," Markus said. "I know I've got bigger rocks in me, but I don't want to risk hitting the ship with any of them."

  The sailors all jumped to his defense, slashing at a tentacle whenever it came near him. Nadia approached the railing as well, nocking an arrow on her bow. Perhaps she could feel this creature's heart as she had with the monster back in Bradenton.

  She closed her eyes for a few moments, focusing on the heart.

  There. She felt it. Its heart was about halfway down the head.

  With a deep breath, she nocked an arrow on her bow. She aimed, letting her instincts guide her, and then released the arrow. Her breath caught as it flew through the air. When it struck the sea monster, nothing happened.

  "Damn," she said. "Its skin must be too thick."

  A tentacle reached out toward her, threatening to wrap around her, but she got her sword out in time and delivered a slash to the tentacle. Green blood stained the deck.

  The monster slammed against the ship again. The crack of splitting wood was louder than ever.

  "That didn't sound good," Darius said as he delivered a blow to a threatening tentacle.

  Crack after crack came from below, then the sound of crumbling. The monster vanished from sight as it passed into the interior of the boot.

  "Not good at all," Darius said.

  Berig's eyes were wide. "You saying we're gonna sink?"

  "Looks like it."

  The ship kept swaying as the monster made its way through. Nadia cringed at each sound. If they fell into the water with that creature, they'd be dead. Even if they somehow defeated it, they were a long way from land, and the water was freezing.

  "We're all gonna die," Berig said.

  "I'm going in after it," Nadia said. "I can sense its heart. I couldn't reach it with an arrow, but I can do it with a sword or with my magic."

  Markus gripped her arm. "Nadia, don't!"

  "No, I have to do it." She broke free from him and raced toward the railing of the ship. Before she could have second thoughts, she leapt over the railing. Her stomach lurched as she plummeted toward the water. When she hit, the cold washed over her, and she felt as if she were getting stabbed all over her body.

  The shock of the cold almost made her inhale water. She coughed and spluttered once she reached the surface. The cold of the water continued to knife into her. She'd never felt so cold in her life.

  But she had a mission.

  Every muscle in her body wanted to freeze, but she forced herself forward, swimming toward the monster. Its large white body was just ahead, wreaking havoc in the bowels of the ship. It hadn't appeared to notice her, but how long would that last?

  She quested out with her instincts, feeling for its heart, and found it again.

  But then the creature noticed her. A tentacle wrapped around her, and she felt so cold and weak that she couldn't break free. The tentacle pulled her toward the gaping mouth.

  No. She couldn't die like this. She had a mission to fulfill.

  She focused her thoughts on sending a spike of rock at one of the creature's eyes. Before, she'd always thought magic was accompanied by a hand gesture, but perhaps that wasn't necessary.

  To her relief, her guess was correct. Twin spikes of rock flew toward each of the monster's eyes. It didn't close its eyes in time, and the spikes plunged into its eyes. The tentacle released Nadia. Now the beast thrashed in the water, sending mighty waves at her.

  She submerged, then struggled back to the surface. Its heart was so far away, and she was doing everything she could just to survive.

  Then she noticed it: a large plank from the ship that had fallen across the creature's back. She swam to the plank, then grabbed hold of it and climbed. The long nails on the plank had penetrated the monster's skin, holding the plank in place.

  Still, the plank swayed with every violent motion the monster made. It was no longer intent on destroying the ship. Instead, it wanted its vision back.

  Don't worry, Nadia thought. You'll be
out of your misery soon.

  She reached the top of the creature's head. Covered in water, the monster was slick. She almost slid off, but then she grabbed onto the plank for support. Holding on for dear life, she felt for its heart again. She raised her sword and plunged it through the monster's head with all the force she could muster.

  To her surprise, the sword sank into its flesh easily. The sea monster let out that horrible shriek again and thrashed more fiercely than ever, sending her flying. She hit the cold water flat on her back, then sank beneath the surface. Suddenly she felt too weak to swim.

  The surface grew farther and farther away as the sea embraced her in darkness.

  No. She couldn't die like this. Steeling her determination, she pushed toward the surface with everything she had. Her lungs cried out for air. Her muscles seemed frozen, unwilling to take her to the surface. But she ignored them. She had to survive.

  The pressure in her lungs became unbearable. Panic took hold of her like never before. It would be so easy to take in the breath that would end her life.

  She pushed and pushed, trying to ignore the excruciating pain in her lungs.

  At last, she broke the surface and took in a greedy mouthful of air. The creature was in the middle of its death throes, however, sending wave after wave through the underbelly of the ship. She found another plank, one still attached to the ship, and held on with all the strength she could manage. The waves slammed against her again and again, cold and powerful.

  Then the creature fell still.

  She longed to give into her body's desire to rest, but she couldn't do that. Struggling to her feet, she glanced around. She stepped through an opening to her right, entering the ship's cargo hold. About a foot of water had flooded the hold, and some of the cargo floated in the waves. Her frozen legs didn't want to move, but she'd die if she stayed down here.

  At last, she found a door leading out of the cargo hold. She pushed through it, then collapsed in the corridor beyond. Maybe she'd rest for just a few minutes.

  Before she knew it, she was asleep.

  Chapter 7: The Island

  Markus stood on deck, peering over the railing for any sign of Nadia. The ship had rocked a few more times, but now it had fallen still.

  Berig's face looked pale. "You think it's safe to go down there?"

  "I don't care," Markus said. "I have to see if Nadia's okay." He strode across the deck, then passed through the door leading belowdecks. Down and down he went, into the parts of the ship passengers didn't normally go. Right now, he didn't care if he was allowed down here.

  Berig and Klint had followed him. Darius, Filip, and the rest of the crew were still on deck, probably trying to figure out what to do.

  No more vibrations passed through the ship as they plunged into its bowels. Many sets of stairs led them downward until they reached the hallway adjoining the cargo hold. There, in a corner by the door, Nadia lay still. When he touched her, he was sure she'd died. Her skin felt as cold as ice, and she was soaked in seawater.

  At his touch, she groaned feebly.

  "Nadia, it's me, Markus."

  Her eyes came open a little, but it looked as if it were a major effort. He didn't see any blood on her, nor any other sign of injury. Perhaps she was weak from the cold water.

  "Nadia, can you hear me?"

  She groaned again, looking up into his eyes. Her voice sounded weak. "Markus."

  "I've got you, Nadia." He took her close, holding her in a tight embrace. The chill of the seawater made him shiver, but he surely didn't feel as cold as Nadia.

  "I'd start a fire," Klint said, "but the ship's made of wood. I can try a shield. That might help." He pointed his staff toward Nadia and Markus, and sure enough, Markus did feel a little warmer. It probably wasn't enough to help Nadia, though.

  Berig was gazing through the open door into the cargo hold. "I think we've got even bigger problems. There's a lot of water over here."

  Markus and Klint joined him by the door, and when Markus looked upon the flooded cargo hold, he felt as if his insides had turned to ice. He didn't know much about sailing, but this ship had clearly taken on too much water. It was only a matter of time before they'd sink.

  "Need to tell Darius," Klint said. He took off back up the nearby stairs. Markus and Berig followed more slowly, leading Nadia between them. As they walked, some of her strength returned, but they still had to hold her tight.

  "I killed it," she said feebly. "I saved us."

  Markus prayed that was true, but he had his doubts. If they sank out here, they would surely die. No one could survive long in the cold water. He remembered how it felt to swim in the cold creeks back home. This was much worse, and there was no escape.

  The toughest part was going up the stairs. Nadia's legs didn't support her weight. Markus and Berig both grunted with the exertion of helping her up the stairs. The water on her clothing had begun to soak through theirs as well.

  But after a long time, they did reach the deck. The sailors were scrambling back and forth. The ship was moving.

  Markus approached Darius, who stood near the wheel at the front of the ship. "What're we doing?" he asked. "There any land nearby?"

  Darius pointed to the west. "See the way the clouds look over there? It's gotta be an island. Don't know if we'll have enough time, but it's the best hope we've got."

  "And what if the island's abandoned?" Markus asked.

  "We'll worry about that later."

  "Is there some place we can start a fire to warm Nadia up?" Berig asked.

  "Go to the galley."

  Nadia was becoming a bit more lucid. "I killed that monster. I felt its heart."

  "And we thank you for that," Darius said. "But now you need to rest."

  "You have anything she can change into?" Markus asked.

  "She's almost as big as some of the sailors. See if they've got some extra outfits."

  Markus did find some clothes that almost fit Nadia. Alone with her in their quarters, he removed her freezing clothing. For a moment, he admired the curves of her naked body, but then he returned his focus to the task. She would be in no mood for sex right now.

  He dressed her in the sailor's clothing.

  "This feels much better," she said, but her skin still felt cold and clammy. He led her to the kitchen, where they had constructed a metal fire pit, which was normally used to cook food. Klint had already started a fire. Markus moved Nadia close to the fire, and she let out a contented sigh, as if she'd never felt anything so wonderful.

  He appreciated the warmth as well, after spending time in contact with her cold, wet clothing. They all sat close to the fire pit, relishing in the warmth.

  "You think we'll reach that island?" Berig asked.

  Markus wrapped an arm around Nadia's shoulders. "No idea."

  She looked up into his eyes as color came back to her skin. "I love you, Markus."

  "You gonna be all right?" he asked.

  "I'm still a bit cold, but I'm feeling a lot better."

  He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "You're a hero. You know that, right? The rest of us had no idea what to do, but you leapt into action. You saved us all."

  She leaned in closer to him. "I was the only person who could."

  "Doesn't change the fact that it was heroic," Klint said. He had relaxed near the fire, his staff sitting on the ground a few feet away.

  "Wish we could get a chance to rest," Markus said. "A nice, long rest."

  "That would be good," Nadia said.

  But they wouldn't get that chance. If anything, they were likely to die in the cold ocean. Their last hours would be brutal. Even worse, there was nothing Markus could do about it. He knew nothing about sailing a ship, and there was no way they could slow its sinking.

  "Nadia, have I ever told you how much I love you?"

  "We're not going to die," she said, her voice regaining strength.

  Berig chuckled. "Sure looks like it to me."

  They w
ere all out of reassuring words. Once Nadia felt warm enough, they left the fire behind and returned to the deck. A chilly breeze blew, catching the sails and guiding them toward the island.

  To Markus's surprise, it was more than cloud formations now. He could see it in the distance. But the ship had grown low in the water.

  He approached Darius. "How long do we have?"

  "Maybe twenty minutes."

  "Will we reach the island by then?"

  "It'll be close."

  Those twenty minutes felt like the longest of Markus's life, and also the shortest. The island grew steadily closer, but was it close enough? No one said much as they stood at the railing, praying for safety. They didn't even know what the island would offer beyond a temporary escape from death.

  The sailors worked madly, trying to get the sails to catch as much wind as possible. Klint even stood beneath the sails, sending gusts of wind at them. It wasn't clear if his magic was hastening their travel, but they'd take any help they could find.

  The boat sank lower and lower. The island grew closer and closer. The waves looked cold and unforgiving as they crashed against the ship. Soon those waves would swamp the deck, and then they'd all be swept away.

  The entire crew stood on deck. The rest of the ship had filled with water.

  The island was still a quarter of a mile away.

  "We may have to swim the final stretch," Darius said.

  His words proved prophetic. The island wasn't far, but the ship would hold them no longer. They all jumped over the railing and plunged toward the cold water. When Markus hit the water, he took in an involuntary breath. The water tried to get down into his lungs, and he came above the surface, coughing and spluttering.

  He searched for Nadia, Berig, and Klint but didn't see them. Other members of the crew surfaced and began swimming toward the island. Markus couldn't leave until he found his friends.

  At last, the three of them surfaced.

  "You all right?" Markus asked.

  "This water is bloody cold," Klint said.

  They began their swim toward the island. With each stroke, Markus felt as if all his muscles would cramp. The cold knifed into him from every direction. Wave after wave crashed against them. Sometimes, they'd submerge for a few seconds before struggling back to the surface. No matter how much they swam, it seemed as if they'd never reach the island.