Stephen moved forward and grabbed the table in front of him. Another sailor joined him.
Lightning flashed outside the window and the ship juked again.
“This is crazy,” Stephen muttered under his breath.
“You’re right about that one,” the sailor said next to him. “But that’s the captain for you. He would rather face a storm than let a bunch of Austrium wasps take him out.”
“So that’s why we’re entering the storm?”
“Yeah, there were too many of them to dazzle them all, and they took out one of our rotors. Captain decided it was time to shake them off. They would be crazy to follow us into this storm.”
That might be true, but were they just as a crazy?
Anders poked his head into the galley and let out slew of unsavory words. “We have an emergency! The woman civilian is out on the deck. Reid, get me a rope. And you—” he motioned toward the sailor closest to Stephen. “Find me a place to anchor it.”
“Yes, sir!” Both men immediately moved to obey.
Stephen stared wide-eyed at Anders and the storm raging behind him through the doorway. Kat . . . was outside?
He blinked and sprang into action, making his way toward the door. Anders could not go out and get Kat. If Kat was out there, she had to be terrified out of her mind, and that could trigger—he took a deep breath and shuddered, remembering the inn at Covenshire a week ago.
She might go all-powerful.
“Let me get her.” Stephen approached Anders, using the walls and table to brace himself. “Send me out to retrieve her.”
Anders scowled. “You have no experience with this kind of rescue.”
“I need to do it. Miss Bloodmayne is no ordinary woman.” At Anders’ sharp look, Stephen pressed on, “I can’t explain now. All I can tell you is that she could put this ship in jeopardy.”
Anders’ nostrils flared. “We’re already in jeopardy, and there’s no way I’m letting you go out in that storm. The captain would strip me of rank if I allowed his friend to place himself in danger.”
Stephen gripped the man’s forearms. He leaned in so the other men couldn’t hear. “The captain knows about Miss Bloodmayne’s condition. If he were here, he would tell you to let me go to her. There is a reason we are on the run from the Tower. I am the only one who can help her.” I hope. Or maybe I’ll just make things worse.
Anders narrowed his eyes as Reid brought him the rope.
“I will take full blame for anything that happens to me.”
Anders scowled some more, but he yanked out the end of the rope and began tying it around Stephen’s waist, leaving a long tail. “Not sure how you’ll take the blame if you end up dead. Make your way to the lady, tie her to you with the tail end of the rope, and bring her back, do you hear?”
“Yes.” Stephen let out his breath.
“Reid, check the knots on Mr. Grey here. He’ll be the one retrieving the lady.”
Reid gave Anders an incredulous look, but he approached Stephen and began checking the knots, tugging them tight. “Watch yourself out there. The deck will be as slick as lard.”
Stephen nodded and turned. A gust of wind came through the door with a blast of chill and water. The ship dipped and the men tumbled to the side, Stephen included.
Stephen reached out and grabbed the doorway, clinging to it with his fingertips. His stomach churned. Dark mist encompassed the ship as Grim took the Lancelot deeper into the storm.
He scanned the deck. There she was, on the starboard side near the railing. Another gush of wind and rain struck him as he exited the galley. The air roared with the storm and the rotors churning above.
With his hands out, Stephen slowly made his way across the deck, past the first mast, slipping once on the slick wooden planks. He caught himself and continued toward Kat.
She was on her stomach, her fingers wedged into a thin opening between two planks, her dark hair plastered to her face.
“Kat!” he yelled as lightning flashed across the deck, followed by a deafening boom.
She looked up, fear emblazoned across her face.
Twenty feet away. Ten feet away.
One of her hands slipped and a scream rent the air.
Throwing caution away, Stephen sprinted the rest of the way, dove onto his side, feet first, and slid right next to Kat as she began to slip toward the railing. He threw his arms and legs around her and pulled her flush against himself.
They continued to slide toward the railing.
“God, please help me!” Stephen cried. He tightened his grip around Kat as he glanced down and scrambled his legs into position to catch the railing rapidly approaching them. The rope had more slack than he had anticipated. Don’t let us die before I have a chance to speak to her.
Right as they reached the railing, the ship shifted back. They slid to a stop, the rope still trailing behind him as Stephen’s boots hit one of the railings.
Kat lifted her head, her eyes wide and terrified.
Stephen scrambled to his feet and pulled her up. She clung to his forearms as he glanced toward the galley where light spilled out from the open door. All they had to do was reach the galley and they would be safe—
A strong gale swept across the deck, followed by a resounding crack. One of the main masts began to fall, right between Stephen and Kat and the galley.
His breath left his lungs, and a chill unrelated to the wind and rain spread across his body.
The mast hit the deck with a boom, and the airship shuddered. The rotors continued to run, tearing through the wooden planks. Chunks and splinters of wood flew into the air.
Stephen grit his teeth. With every bit of strength he had left, he pulled Kat away from the chopping blades, terrified that the ship would shift and send the dying rotor their way. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he felt a jerk around his middle. A second later, he spotted the rope flying in the wind. One of the blades had cut through the cord. If the ship tilted again, they would slide right off and there would be nothing to save them.
Time to act. He made for the captain’s cabin.
“No!” Kat pulled back and pointed to the cabin door. “We can’t go there!” she shouted over the storm. “The bulkhead is gone!”
What? Blazes!
Stephen looked around. The ship dipped again. The other mast remained, about ten feet away. He would have to tie them to the mast and wait out the storm.
“This way!” he shouted, his arm around Kat’s waist, and headed for the remaining mast.
“What are we doing?” she shouted back, but he didn’t answer. His clothing was soaked through and his hair whipped across his face.
They reached the mast and Stephen pulled Kat closer to him. “Hold onto me!”
Kat hesitated, her eyes on him, her body shaking. Lightning flashed within the clouds and boomed across the deck. She closed the distance between them and gripped the front of his shirt. He worked the rope around the mast, then around the two of them, his fingers growing numb from the cold.
There. He let out a sigh of relief. The fallen rotor had stopped chopping into the deck. Robert or someone else must have turned off the machine inside.
He put his arms around her and held her tight. Now to pray Robert could take his crippled ship out of this storm.
Chapter
10
“Hold onto me!” Stephen yelled.
Lightning flashed nearby, illuminating Stephen’s face only inches from hers. His overcoat whipped around him, and his hair was slick with rain.
Kat froze, the hurt from the last few days surging inside her.
Why him? Why couldn’t Captain Grim have been the one to save her? Or Fitz?
A boom followed the flash of light.
Heart racing and ears ringing, she closed the small gap between them and gripped the front of Stephen’s shirt.
He wound the rope around and between them until they were tied to each other and to the mast. When he finished the knot, he wrapped
his arms around her. Still the storm raged, the ship bucking and diving beneath them.
Kat closed her eyes, torn inside. She didn’t want to be here with him. She didn’t want to touch him. But self-preservation took over, and she continued to grip his shirt. A gust of wind swept across the deck and Stephen pulled her in as close as he could.
Why? Why had he turned her in? Now she wished she’d taken the chance to ask. But every time the words had pressed against her lips, they’d been accompanied by bile. And yet . . .
She couldn’t hate him either. She wanted to—blazes, she wanted to! But it was as if the very hand of God were stopping her. Maybe that was a good thing. Ms. Stuart said hatred destroyed the heart, and her heart was damaged enough already.
Stephen cupped the back of her head and held her against his chest. Another gust of wind rushed across the deck. He didn’t let go after it passed.
Kat stood there, next to Stephen, her head pressed against his heart to the point she could almost imagine she could hear each beat. A sob filled her chest, different than the bile. It rose until it burst from her. She dug her fingers into his drenched shirt and cried.
“Why?” She raised a fist and hit his chest. “Why? Why? Why?”
He didn’t react.
She looked up and blinked back the water. “Why did you leave me?” she shouted. “Why did you leave me there, at the Tower?” Could he even hear her over the storm?
A pained expression filled his face, that same one from when she’d first spotted him on the ship. He placed his hand across her cheek and leaned in until his nose brushed hers. “I’m sorry.”
She barely heard the words, but she could see him mouth them. Two simple words. Words never spoken to her before.
Did he really mean them?
The airship fell beneath them.
Kat screamed and gripped Stephen. Her heart thrashed inside her ears. Every beat moved her blood, and the coldness awakened deep inside of her.
The ship continued to fall.
The dark power surged through her, riding along the adrenaline buzzing across her body. Her fingers tingled.
Kat brought her right hand up. Flames licked the tops of her fingertips. Not even the torrent of rain could dampen the fire now spreading across her hand.
She let out a raspy breath. No, no! This couldn’t be happening!
Stephen’s eyes widened at the sight of her fingers.
Kat crushed her hand into a fist, but the fire blazed around her skin, steam rising where the water hit her knuckles. The cold ache throbbed inside her chest. One flame, then another fell from her hand onto the deck. Like a red flower opening its petals, the flame spread in a small circle.
She looked up at Stephen, an invisible hand clutching her throat, making it hard to breath. “Stephen, please help me! I-I’m losing control!”
He lifted his hands and placed them along her cheeks. Using his thumbs, his tilted her head upward. “Focus on me,” he shouted. “You’re stronger than this. I’ve seen you control yourself before. You can do this.”
Lightning flashed again, followed by a boom that set her ears ringing. Water traced Stephen’s face, dripping from his chin and nose. His eyes were set on her. There was no fear in his gaze. Just resolute confidence.
He believed in her.
Kat gripped onto that belief and took a deep breath. She clenched her hands tighter and focused on the cold ache inside her chest. She would not let her fear get the best of her.
Calm, focused breaths.
The wind howled and rain splattered across her like a dozen tiny bee stings.
Breathe.
The tingling retreated from her fingers.
Just breathe.
She glanced at Stephen again, and was struck by how similar he was to his aunt, Ms. Stuart. They hardly looked alike. His features were lean and angular, his facial hair giving him a distinct male look, whereas Ms. Stuart was round and . . . comfortable. Yes, comfort. But they both had a way of looking into her eyes and giving her strength.
She still wanted to know the reason Stephen had left her at the Tower, but there was no denying one fact. He had come back for her.
Maybe, just maybe, she could trust him again.
The ship tilted to the side and dropped again. Something in the pitch of the remaining rotors changed.
Stephen and Kat lurched to the side but caught themselves. With sound strangely muffled by the wind and rain, an explosion flashed through the engine powering two of the three remaining secondary rotors. The airship began to descend at a chaotic speed.
Kat swallowed the scream inside her throat. She grabbed the front of Stephen’s shirt again and hid her face in the wet fabric. Terror blazed across the edges of her mind. No. She squeezed her eyes even tighter. She would not lose control again.
The ship juked the other way, sending them both staggering back against the mast. Stephen steadied them before they went crashing to the deck.
Faster, faster the ship went, diving deep into the clouds.
No, not diving. Falling.
Kat’s limbs shook and black spots appeared across her vision. “We-we’re falling,” she said through chattering teeth.
Stephen licked his lips and nodded.
Kat wanted to collapse and curl into a ball, but she didn’t want to lose what little control she had.
Wait.
Could she—could she stop their descent?
What am I thinking? I just got this power under control!
But you’ve controlled it before, back at the inn. You stopped that bullet from hitting Stephen.
But I lost control at the end.
Everyone is going to die if you don’t do something.
I-I can’t let that happen.
Kat balled her hands into two tight fists. I won’t let that happen.
I am in control. She closed her eyes. I am in control.
Cautiously, she felt inside for the coldness that surrounded her heart. With mental fingers, she expanded the cold ball, letting it slowly flow out to every part of her being. It wanted to rush, but she held it back.
She no longer felt the ship falling or Stephen’s hands along her shoulders. She only felt the aching coldness inside her body, expanding until it connected with every particle around her.
Yes, they were falling. She could feel the ship cutting through the air toward the cold, dark waters of the Narrow Strait below. She didn’t have much time. The ship was already exiting the clouds.
Kat grasped onto the matter beneath the airship and forced the particles together like a net. As the strands meshed, the Lancelot began to slow on the cushion of air.
She raised her hands, feeling the invisible strings that attached her to every particle around her. She could feel Stephen, the crew, the wood and metal from which the airship was made, the clouds, every particle of moisture. She could also feel the air, the water below, and . . .
Land. Just on the edge of her senses.
If she could use the air to push the airship in that direction, she might be able to land the ship.
Kat scrunched up her face. The cold ache throbbed inside her, but she was the one in control, barely. Her head began to pound as if ice picks were being driven into her skull.
She winced and moaned at the sensation, shutting her eyes against the pain, but kept her hands raised, tugging and pulling at the matter, willing the airship to move toward the land.
Something popped behind her eyes and an explosion of color filled her vision like fireworks. Her head throbbed even more and the coldness at the core of her being clawed outward toward her skin, fingers, and toes.
She didn’t have much time. The monster was coming.
She reached out again toward the large landmass, but it was still too far away. However—she double-checked and confirmed—there was a smaller landmass. An island, not too far from the mainland. She could get the airship there. She had to get the airship there.
Sweat poured down the sides of her face and n
eck. Something hot and wet trickled from her right nostril, mingling with the water on her face.
Kat grit her teeth and moaned, her eyes still tightly shut. The throbbing inside her head was now a set of drums beating against her forehead. Nausea swam up her throat, riding on the column of frigidness taking over her body.
She curled her fingers and held them upward as if she held the airship in her very hands and guided it through the air. Down, down, toward that small bit of land—
Her knees gave out beneath her. Hands caught her and held her while voices shouted around her. She couldn’t let them distract her. She had to finish this.
The airship touched the ground and her grip slipped around the air holding it up. It hit the earth with a thud, sending her back. Down she fell, her back and head hitting the deck. Another body fell on her, but she never opened her eyes.
The monster inside her roared in fury, and a smile slipped across her lips as she fell into the warm darkness inside her mind. She did it. She had controlled the power.
A chill spread over her as the darkness embraced her.
But at what price?
Chapter
11
Stephen’s stomach flew up into his chest as the airship plummeted through the dark clouds. One hand pressed against the mast, his other arm wrapped around Kat to keep her steady. Her eyes were shut, her face tense, but oddly so—more like concentration than fear.
He glanced toward the top deck, but it was too hard to see anything, let alone Robert at the helm. Come on, Robert. I know you can do this. I’ve heard your stories. You’ve been through storms before. Pull up!
Could they survive a crash in the water? Could the Lancelot even float?
Kat started to raise her hands, her eyes still tightly shut. The ship exited the clouds, plunging toward the water below—
And began to slow.
Stephen blinked and let out a breath. Good job, Robert.
Wait.
Kat’s eyes opened and focused, but on what he couldn’t tell. Her hands rose higher between them. With them tied together, her face was only inches from his own.
“Kat?” Stephen whispered, the word lost in the wind.
She didn’t answer. It was as if she were seeing through him, watching something that no one else could see.
Awakened Page 6
