Heart of the Ocean

by Jason A. Gilbert

  Connor swung his hand out again, grabbing the staff slightly higher as he swung his weight up, pulling Dio closer to the edge of the railing. Laila pulled as soon as Connor grabbed the staff, grabbing the back of Dio's tunic at the same time and leaning back with all of her strength. She felt the muscles in Dio's back tighten as he pulled at Connor's arm. In a rush, the three of them fell back, crashing onto the deck.

  Laila felt herself laugh. The two boys stared at her sudden mirth. Then, slowly, they began to join in. The whole situation was crazy. Laila could not help herself. It was either laugh or cry.

  As her laughter subsided with the seriousness of the situation, Laila once again looked over the deck. The crew had gotten the fires extinguished as she had struggled with Dio and Connor. Her mother had moved over to Icarus's side; the Magus, having brushed off Lunete's ministrations, was now checking over her burned hand. Laila then noticed the Aurai, who was still kneeling near the door to the cabins. Gathering what little remained of her strength, she stood and made her way over to Wyndam. She heard Connor and Dio stand behind her and follow her over.

  The elemental had his hands over his head, the most blatant display of emotion Laila had ever seen from him. Nuriel had scared the Aurai, terribly. And he had felt his approach, somehow. Laila wanted to know how.

  "Wyndam?" she said. Her anger threatened to make its way into her voice, but she fought to keep it back. She needed to keep herself calm for the moment.

  The Aurai slowly raised his head, looking into Laila's eyes. That was when she saw the bare fear in them. His face did not show any of the signs that might be expected on a human face, but Laila saw something in his eyes, a deeper sense of the elemental's fear. It surprised her. He had such an arrogance around him that this blatant display of emotion caught her off guard.

  "Is he still near?" Laila asked.

  The Aurai shook his head. Taking a deep breath, Wyndam stood up, towering over Laila. As he stood, the emotion that had been plain on his face faded away, and his emotionless expression once again covered his face and body.

  "How did you know he was coming?" Laila probed.

  "I could feel it. It was terrible. Could you not feel it?"

  "No, I didn't feel anything."

  "Perhaps you are not as sensitive as I might have thought you were."

  "Obviously," Laila snapped.

  "Did I not try to warn you?" he asked.

  Laila caught herself before another retort could cross her lips. He had. Knowing she would get little else from the Aurai now, she turned and walked over to Lunete and Icarus. For the first time, Laila saw her mother's burned hand up close. Icarus was trying to pull off the cloth that Lunete had wrapped around the wound; Lunete flinched with every adjustment.

  "Are you all right, Mother?" Laila asked, sitting down next to Lunete, concern plain on her face.

  "I will be, I think," Lunete answered, wincing again at another pull from Icarus.

  Laila could see the blistered skin across her mother's hand. There were even bits of cooled metal stuck to the skin. They would have to clean the wound thoroughly to avoid infection. Icarus pulled something out of a small pocket in his robes, a thin powder.

  "This should help with some of the pain, but we're going to need fresh water to wash it clean," he said as he sprinkled the powder over the wound. Laila saw Icarus close his eyes briefly and felt a small surge of magic from him that passed into the powder. She then saw her mother's face relax slightly. The ship pitched upward and then crashed back down, sending a spray across the blackened deck, reminding them all of their current predicament.

  Laila wanted to stay with her mother, but she needed to know what the captain planned to do in the wake of the attack. She stood, leaving Connor and Dio to watch over Icarus and Lunete. She made her way to the stairs leading to the rear deck. Captain Drachus stood at the wheel, shouting orders and spinning the wheel back and forth, trying to keep the ship steady.

  "Captain?" Laila said, interjecting between his shouted commands.

  "A moment," Captain Drachus said. "Stathis! I need the jib tightened. If we're going to maintain any sense of motion, that's got to be fixed. Help that fool boy! He's getting it tangled."

  The captain then glanced back at Laila before returning his attention to the bow of the ship.

  "What in the bloody void was that?" the captain finally asked of Laila, disregarding the inappropriateness of his language.

  "It... Well..." Laila was not sure how to explain. "Something akin to the Aurai, I think."

  "Sure did not look like the elemental. Fire and darkness! By the sea, I've never seen anything like that! And look at what it did to my ship!" He swung one arm in front of him. "Main sails in tatters, deck burned and cracked. This is not quite what I was expecting!"

  Laila felt her heart sink. Was the captain going to give up on their journey? She would not blame him. This was more than she had ever wanted. Even now, spurred by the captain's words, Laila felt herself wishing she had never heard of the Magusari or met Icarus.

  "But I've never been one to shy away from danger," the captain finally said, a deep laugh bursting from him.

  Laila tilted her head, surprised.

  "There are only a few reasons men like me take to the seas. Most often it's because they think they can make some money. Some are just trying to escape. I, however, love this. Love the danger. And damn me if you and your friends haven't exposed me to more than I ever thought I'd find!"

  Another laugh burst from the captain, and Laila found herself smiling in response. At least she had not lost his support—yet.

  "Is there a plan?" Laila asked.

  Captain Drachus turned toward her briefly, the mirth in his voice fading slightly. "There might be something. If we turn a little further north, there's a large island maybe a day's sail from here. At least, it would be a day from here if we could move a normal speed. With those," he waved at the fluttering main sails, "it'll take a few more. But, as long as the wind holds up, we can get there. That should allow us to make some repairs. We're going to need to stop somewhere if we're still going to get to the Splintered Isles."

  "Is there anything I can do to help?" Laila asked. Her relief was plain. They might still get out of this.

  "No, that's quite all right. I think you've helped enough," the captain answered. He smiled at her, but she could hear the edge of fear in his voice. She agreed; her help had already caused enough damage. Perhaps it was time to let the captain do what he needed to. She thanked him and made her way back to her friends.

  They arrived at the island on the evening of the third day from the attack. The passage had been grueling, and Laila remembered little of it except the cold, the wind, and the rain. Clouds had rolled out of the west the night of the attack and they had not abated since. The ship had been far less steady with the damage to its main sails, and Laila had spent most of the time during the passage sitting beneath the main mast staring up at the tatters.

  Once they had secured the ship in a small cove on the southern side of the island, the crew took the evening for a much-needed rest. Men and women were scattered below decks in hammocks and sleeping pallets. Laila lay in her own small cabin, trying to rest but finding herself incapable. She stared at the ceiling, replaying her encounter with Nuriel. How had he known where they were? Was it her? Could he simply sense her? She did not think that could be it. Otherwise, why had he not attacked her before? There were too many questions.

  She had tried to speak to Wyndam, but the Aurai had locked himself in his own small cabin and refused to speak to her, sitting silently on the floor of his cabin, his eyes closed, lost in some kind of trance. Or, she thought, he was simply ignoring me.

  She eventually fell into a fitful sleep. She dreamed of fire. Fire everywhere. And a dark, burning face laughing at her. She woke harshly as dim light filtered in through the small window in her cabin. Dressing quickly, she grabbed her staff and made her way up onto the main deck. The crew was already up and
working, taking advantage of the break in the weather. Laila saw Icarus and Lunete speaking with the captain on the rear deck and made her way to them. She had not seen Connor or Dio.

  "How long will the repairs take?" asked Icarus.

  "Depends on a few things, but I think I can get us underway again in a couple days. The damage to the deck is superficial," he explained, though he looked at the blackened and cracked deck with a sense of pain, as though it were a piece of him that had been broken. "The real trouble is the sails. We can't take them off the rigging here, so we'll have to do the patchwork while they’re still up. That's dangerous. My crew can do it, but I'm not going to lose people making repairs, especially after what we've just been through." The captain nodded toward Laila as she walked up. "So, to be safe, it's going to take some time."

  "Two more days..." Icarus said to himself.

  "Is there anything I can do?" asked Laila.

  "Ah..."

  "It doesn't have to be on the ship."

  The captain's face softened. "Actually, if I remember right, there are some fruit trees scattered across the island." He waved behind him at the dense forest. "Wouldn't hurt to have some more food."

  "I can do that." Laila was thankful there was something she could do to help. "Might be good to feel the ground beneath my feet again."

  "Perhaps it’s too stable for me most of the time," the captain said in return.

  "Don't lose sight of the shore. We don't know what might be out there, and after..." Icarus waved up at the tattered sails. "Be careful."

  "Should I be worried?" Laila asked.

  "I don't know for sure. I doubt he'd come against us so soon. Otherwise, why did he wait so long already? But just stay near the shore to be safe."

  Laila nodded and left the three of them to their conversation. She walked down onto the main deck, looking for Connor and Dio. It would actually be nice to get off the ship for a while and explore, engage in a distraction after the weight of the last couple of weeks. She found the two young men arguing near the front of the ship.

  "I want to learn from Shi Wardein too," Dio was saying.

  "Learn what? How to fight? I don't think you do," Connor said.

  "Why not?" Dio snapped back.

  "It's not as simple as picking up a sword and being able to use it. It takes years of practice. I'm not just learning with her now. I was raised knowing how to handle weapons." While Laila knew that was true, she also knew that Connor had considered himself ill-suited to the life of a warrior and that he had not been the most skilled practitioner in his Clan.

  Dio scoffed. "You were raised with weapons? Please... I was almost a Guardian. Then who would be teaching who?" Laila raised an eyebrow at that. It was true that Dio had wanted to be a Guardian, but the Test does not accommodate preference, and there is no “almost” in Terus. They were what they were, and Dio was an Artisan.

  "Aye? A Guardian instead of a potter? Come on..."

  "An Artisan, not a potter, damn it."

  "Does it matter?"

  Laila could see the two of them escalating quickly. Before things could get too out of hand she stepped toward them. "Boys, please. Is this really necessary?"

  Finally registering her presence, the two young men immediately turned toward her. Laila could see their anger and frustration etched on their faces.

  "What's the problem?" Laila asked.

  "I simply asked the southerner here if it would be possible for me to learn some of what your mother is teaching him."

  "And I told him—"

  "I heard what you told him." Laila cut Connor off. "Maybe it's not such a bad idea."

  "See!" Dio said.

  Connor took a deep breath. "Fine. We'll see what you can do."

  "Not right now," Laila said.

  They both turned back to her.

  "The captain said there might be some fruit and other food on the island. I offered to go and gather things for the day. I was hoping you two would come with me."

  "Of course," Connor said without hesitation. She knew Connor would want to come; he was not likely to let her out of his sight after Nuriel's attack. Not surprisingly, Dio also quickly agreed.

  The two young men went to their cabins to grab their things. Laila found Stathis and told him of her plan. The captain's second helped unload a small, narrow boat from the side of the ship that they could easily row across the few hundred feet to the shore of the island. Within a few minutes, the three of them were pulling the longboat up onto the beach.

  Once the boat was secure, Laila stood on the beach, feeling the shift of the sand underneath her feet. She buried the end of her staff in the soft, white sand and called on her power. The rush almost overwhelmed her. Her connection to the Earth had been so distant on the ship. She could feel the strength and confidence flow through her, buoying her from the struggles of the past few days. She took a few deep breaths, reveling in the sensation. Aware that Connor and Dio were watching, she let all but a small trickle of her power go.

  "It feels good to be on solid ground again," she said, walking between the two of them and moving toward the line of trees just off the beach.

  "Not that solid," Dio said quietly, moving his feet awkwardly over the sand.

  They walked into the forest and Laila picked a random direction. Connor and Dio walked beside her, helping push branches out of the way as they explored. She breathed in the fresh smell of the forest, reveled in the squish of wet leaves underneath their feet, and enjoyed the feel of the cool air on her skin. After an hour of walking, keeping the beach in view on their left but slowly moving deeper into the forest, they found a small grove of trees with an odd red fruit beneath it.

  "Look," Dio said. Walking toward the trees, he leaned down and picked one of the fruits up from the ground. It had a reddish color, like an apple, but had lighter marbling across its skin.

  "What is it?" asked Connor.

  "It's a melagrano," Dio answered.

  "A what?" Laila asked.

  "A melagrano. There was a stall near mine back in Terus that used to sell these. They're not very common back home. Not the right type of climate or something," Dio said. Reaching into a pack at his side, he pulled out a small knife. "But, they're really good. Watch."

  He pulled the blade of his knife through the center of the fruit. Once he had cut it in half, he scored the back of it a few times and then pushed the center out over Laila's hands. Small, red seeds fell into Laila's palm. They had a similar color to the outside of the fruit but a deeper red.

  "You eat the seeds," Dio said, cutting the other half the same way and dropping the seeds into Connor's hesitant hands.

  "Really?" Laila asked.

  Dio tilted his head to the side. "Yes, really. Look." He reached and grabbed a small handful of the seeds sitting in Laila's hands. Popping them into his mouth, Laila could hear a slight crunch as he bit down. He smiled at the taste and swallowed. "I'm not trying to poison you, I promise."

  Laila returned his smile awkwardly. "All right."

  She placed what was left of the seeds in her mouth, biting down hesitantly. A sweet juice quickly filled her mouth. It was refreshing. She took a few more bites before swallowing the juice.

  "That was actually pretty good."

  "Did you not trust me?" asked Dio.

  Laila shrugged, smiling.

  Connor popped the handful of seeds he had into his own mouth. Laila watched as he bit down with a grimace. But his grimace quickly turned to enjoyment. He swallowed the juice and seeds as well, nodding appreciatively. The three of them began gathering the fruit. Most of the ones that had fallen to the ground were broken open and spoiled; Dio had found one of the only intact ones. The branches of the trees, however, held several each. They spent the next hour picking fruit from the small grove before starting back toward the ship. The bags they had brought with them were half full of the sweet fruit.

  They took a different route back to the ship and as they walked, Laila caught glimpses of s
omething through the trees, deeper inland. She could not make out exactly what it was, but it seemed large and dark. They came upon two more small groves like the first one, and Laila turned her attention to gathering more fruit and away from whatever she had seen. They soon had three full bags of the melagranos. Deciding that was enough, they headed back to the Via, leaving behind the groves of fresh melagranos and the lurking, inland presence.

  Sixteen

  The Island

  The next day, after a cheerful evening meal upon their return, thanks to the addition of the fresh, tropical fruit, Laila and her companions set out to explore the island again. Icarus and Lunete were still recovering from their brush with Nuriel, and Wyndam remained closed off in his cabin. They went under the pretense of gathering more food, though Laila actually wanted to see if she could spot the strange structure she had seen in the distance the day before. Pulling the boat onto the beach, they quickly dove back into the trees again, but this time Laila led them inland.

  "Where are we going?" Connor asked.

  “There was something further in yesterday. I wanted to see what it was. Maybe there’s more fruit…” Laila answered.

  “All the trees we found yesterday were near the beach, though,” Connor said.

  “I know, but I wanted to see if we could find anything else.”

  “What are you really looking for?” Dio asked, “I know that look, Laila. Just tell us.”

  Laila sighed. “I saw something yesterday. Like a building maybe, further in. I just want to go look. We’re on an island in the middle of nowhere. I doubt there’s that much danger to it. We haven’t even seen any animals yet.”

  “But didn’t Icarus tell you to stay near the shore?” Connor asked.

  “I know. But…I don’t think it’s that far. What else are we going to do?” Laila responded.