Wrath of the Sea Queen
Page 80
"Shall we try again?" Vin asked.
Vin took her hand and moved to the opposite side. They both concentrated on the storm in front of them. Neither could estimate the passing of time. They did not see exactly what was transpiring around them. They moved through the storm with their senses, flowing first on the air currents, and then on the water, fluidly moving from one to the next. It was both frightening and exhilarating.
At one point, an unusually large wave swelled and rushed toward the shore, covering them both. The water receded as quickly as it rose. Within a moment of the wave’s retreat, the storm began losing its momentum. The rain tapered off to a mere drizzle. The wind subsided in an eerie calm. The frequency and height of the rolling waves diminished until the sea almost looked placid. Dark, storm clouds began to break apart and drift away. The storm was nearly over. Against all odds, Vin and Caeli had successfully averted the catastrophe that threatened the island.
"Ben! Where'd they go?" Salma rushed out the small door in hopes of getting a better look.
"It is over, Sister. I must go now." Michael's departing words held no comfort and offered no hope. He was gone before Salma or Ben could ask him any of the dozen questions on the tips of their tongues.
"Salma, be careful. Come inside. We will go down to the shore and look for them. If I were Vin, I would have taken shelter in the cave when that wave hit. They are probably somewhere inside. Hurry, let's go find them," Ben was as anxious as Salma to see their faces again.
They spent the next hour searching for Vin and Caeli only to come up with nothing. There was no sign that they had ever even stood on the shore. They were not in the portions of the cave that they searched. Ben even questioned Max. For once, the boy did not have any answers. Salma could not reach either of them with her gifted communication. Ben found no clues to their whereabouts. They had simply vanished with the storm.
Everyone on the island would live, though few would know how close they came to their demise. Thousands of lives had been saved, but Vin and Caeli were gone.
EPILOGUE:
The wave rushed toward shore, yet it seemed to be centered on the cave. A moment before it hit, Vin turned and wrapped Caeli tightly in his arms. He used his gift to force the wind to repel as much of the initial impact as he could. He knew it would not be enough. Thankfully, Caeli used her connection with the water as well. She placed a barrier around the two of them so that when the water engulfed them, they remained safely cocooned while they were swept deeper into the cave than either had ever been.
Caeli did not know how long they traveled that way when the sudden change occurred. The rushing current spit them out and now they floated in a calm pool in a dark place. She could not see or hear anything, but Vin's arms still held her firmly around the waist.
"Vin, are you ok?" Caeli did not want to speak out loud for fear of disturbing the unknown blackness around them.
"Yes. I'm trying to determine where we are. Are you all right?"
"Yes. We need a light. Wait a minute. I have an idea."
Caeli concentrated on her connection to the water. She searched for several minutes until she found what she wanted and called it forth. A few minutes later, the hint of a pale, greenish glow could be seen a few feet away. Then another glow appeared a few feet further away; then another and another. The glowing objects continued to appear until they could at last get an idea of what their surroundings looked like.
"That's a handy trick," Vin commented.
"I believe the ocean holds many such discoveries if I want to explore the boundaries of my gift. But, I think we have a more pressing concern at the moment."
Vin and Caeli were in a pool of water inside a small cavern off of a primary tunnel. They were still cocooned within the protective barrier that Caeli raised before the wave hit. Vin switched positions, still holding onto Caeli's hand, and started to swim toward the edge. Caeli followed and released the barrier as soon as Vin started to move through the water. He emerged onto the warmth of the cavern floor and extended his hand to help Caeli climb out.
"Well, it seems we have been washed up somewhere in the depths of Max's cave," Vin observed.
"I agree. How are we going to find our way out?"
"That shouldn't be too difficult. I can probably latch onto an air current that we can follow. The important thing is that we did it, Caeli. We stopped the storm and survived. Did you feel it?" Vin leaned over and kissed her as if they were newlyweds.
"I certainly felt that, and yes, I could tell that we succeeded," Caeli smiled.
At that moment, the ground began to shake.
"So much for being quiet and not disturbing anything," Vin grabbed Caeli's hand and began to move toward an opening in the cave wall opposite the one he presumed they had come through.
"Is that what I think it is?" Caeli asked with a touch of fear in her voice.
"It's a mild earthquake, but I think that is only part of the problem. Look over at the far corner where the ceiling is cracked."
Caeli glanced up where Vin indicated and saw a thin line of bright orange about a foot long across the edge of the ceiling.
"Is that…"
"Yes, it's magma. This is a volcanic island, and I think we got washed deeper in than we realized. We need to get out of here as fast as we can."
"Why don't we just go out through the water? Wouldn't that be safer?" Caeli wondered.
"There is no air moving over there. The tunnel has to be completely submerged for a good distance. The only reason we made it this far was because you protected us."
The ground shook more violently beneath their feet, and large chunks of rock fell away from the ceiling near the entrance on the far side of the cave, as if in warning.
"I can do it again," Caeli said confident now in her ability.
"But can you also move us against the strength of the current and watch for falling rocks or areas where the magma has superheated the water? And what happens if we get trapped in a place with no means to surface? It's not a bad idea, Honey, but it is very risky. I think it will be safer to follow the air current on solid ground. We must be relatively close to an outside opening to be able to feel the air from here," Vin explained.
"I can't feel it."
"Trust my senses, then. I can feel it. Come on. We need to get moving."
Caeli followed Vin closely as they stumbled through dark passages for what seemed like hours. Vin bumped his head more than once, and she tripped a few times when the ground made unexpected dips. They only saw a few more slivers of magma and the shaking of the ground did not get any worse as they traveled, which Vin took as a good sign that they were moving away from the danger. After several hours, there was still no evidence of an exit.
"Vin, I need to stop for a minute."
The warmth of the caverns they traversed had already dried out their clothes, and Caeli was sweating with the extended physical exertion of their trek.
"That's ok. You rest. I think we have come to an impassable point, but I see a tiny spec of light above that I'm going to investigate. Why does everything have to be so complicated this week? For once, I would like to be able to get from point A to point B without having to fight my way through."
The frustration in Vin's voice vented itself in the form of a spark as he pounded his fist once against the stone wall in front of him. To help relieve his stress, Vin repeated the process four more times, attempting to intentionally call up the spark with each impact. He was successful every time.
As he watched the little flames slide down the stone and approach the floor, Vin caught a glimpse of something moving on the ground. However, the sparks went out before they got close enough for him to determine what he was seeing. Vin concentrated on his newest talent and sent several sparks flying from his hand to the ground near the wall in front of him. After a few seconds, the little embers became flames, and the flames began to spread.
"Grass! Caeli, there is grass growing in here," Vin said excitedly.
"Come on. Hurry, before they go out."
Vin grabbed Caeli's hand and pulled her along, following the trail of flames along the floor. After turning the corner, it ran straight ahead for approximately fifty feet before dying out. When they reached the end of the flames, Vin found another left turn. But, by now, there was enough light in the tunnel for them to discern the shape of the walls. Continuing forward, the light increased rapidly, and Caeli began to feel the coolness of a draft brush against her heated skin.
"Air. Vin, I feel a breeze."
"The exit must be very close."
After another turn, an opening suddenly appeared twenty feet in front of them. Vin let out a huge sigh of relief as Caeli impulsively hugged him.
"Let's go see where we are."
Looking out from the opening, they could not see much. The entrance to the cavern was secluded and lower than ground level. They climbed up the incline and stepped out onto a road to face a clear, moonlit night sky full of stars. There was no traffic on the road. However, on the other side, there were several military vehicles beginning to pull out of a parking lot. The couple stayed clear of the jeeps as they drove off.
Only one jeep remained. Two men in uniform stood conversing with a group of several other people in the parking lot. The mood seemed somber, and none were looking their way as Vin and Caeli slowly approached. When they were about fifteen feet away, a young voice cried out above the rest.
"Pretty Aunt Caeli! Mr. Vin! You're back!"
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Join Vin and Caeli in their continuing adventures in Plague of Heritage.
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