Heart of the Ocean

by Jason A. Gilbert

  "That doesn't really answer the question," Laila said.

  "Perhaps, but it is the answer I gave. Do you wish to turn back?"

  Laila shook her head. Tomo was right; they had no other choice.

  "Then let's be on our way. If we leave now, we can make it to the other side before sunset. Once we are across, it is another day's journey to the Tomb. We can rest once we are across."

  Laila could not suppress the quickening of her heartbeat as she stepped toward the small boat. Tomo and Ayman stood on either side of it, ready to push it into the water. Connor stepped next to Laila, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her. She let it rest there for a moment, then, remembering her anger from earlier, she brushed it off, moving toward the boat by herself. She did not look back to see Connor's reaction. Stepping over the edge of the hull, she climbed toward the center of the boat and braced herself as Tomo and Ayman slid it off the stone and into the water. Connor climbed in after her and was quickly followed by the Edonin as the boat slid into the water and bounced along the calmer waves of the cove.

  "You will need to do exactly as I say at all times," Tomo explained, taking his place at the rear of the boat and grasping the long wooden pole that served as the tiller.

  Laila and Connor both nodded.

  "Ready?" he asked, looking at them once more.

  Laila nodded again, despite her apprehension.

  "Aye," said Connor.

  Tomo nodded and then said something to Ayman in their own language. Ayman stood and released the canvas from the small mast. It hung, flapping slightly in the gentle breeze within the cove. Laila knew that calm would not last long. He then sat in the center and grabbed two oars and pushed them out of the cove and into the tempest.

  As soon as they were free of the cove, the canvas violently filled with air, lurching the ship forward. Laila caught herself on the bench beneath her, but she felt water spray her from all directions. Ayman slid the oars back into the boat before the Straits could consume them and then turned and placed himself at the bow of the small boat. Tomo gripped the tiller tightly and the winds of the Straits pulled them into the ragged water.

  The boat jumped and shifted constantly, knocking Laila and Connor together as they struggled to keep their balance. Ayman shouted back at Tomo, who pulled against the tiller sharply, turning them to the east. A large wave rose up beneath them and Laila felt her stomach rise. The boat tilted back as it moved up the spine of a wave. With another shift, Laila's stomach did not follow her body as the boat crested the wave and dove back down into the depths of the Straits. She held tight to the bench beneath her and fought desperately to keep the contents of her stomach from coming up, suddenly developing a fierce compassion for Dio. Tomo leaned back, pulling the tiller again, and the boat swerved against the side of another wave, turning them back to the south.

  Up and down, they moved tenuously across the Straits. The wind and rain pounded against them, and even the treated leather of the Edonin cloaks could not protect them from the wet. Within minutes, Laila could feel the water soaking through to her robes. But the cold and wet did not bother her, she simply held to the bench and her staff, praying that it would be over soon. Ayman shouted directions at Tomo from the bow and he would shift and pull at the tiller, turning them east, then west, then south, slowly making their way across the narrow part of the Straits. The wind dragged at the canvas hanging from the center post, helping them move despite the Straits’ attempts to destroy them.

  "To the starboard side, now!" Tomo shouted over the roar of the waves.

  Laila hesitated a moment, she had to remember what Captain Drachus and his crew had taught her about directions on a boat. Remembering, and despite the protestations of her stomach, she and Connor threw themselves to the right just as the boat leaned left. The starboard side of the boat lifted out of the water, threatening to overturn them.

  "Lean!" shouted Tomo.

  Ayman had moved as well, and Tomo moved as much as he could while still holding the tiller. Their combined weight kept the boat from capsizing, but they slid along with the starboard side in the air for what felt like ages. Laila no longer felt the water. She pushed against the side of the boat, all thoughts focused on keeping the Straits from consuming yet another ship. She could hear Tomo shout in frustration as he pulled against the tiller, maintaining their course.

  Suddenly the ship dropped, the waves shifting yet again. Laila caught herself heavily against the side, her breath bursting from her lungs. A shout from Ayman and the boat turned again, into a wave that rose up in front of her. She stared at the rising wall of water, trying to recover her breath. For a moment everything seemed to freeze. The water rose in front of Laila slowly, her breath no longer mattered. She could feel the staff in her hand and the wood of the boat. In the water, she thought she could see something. A face looking at her. The visage was twisted in anger and pain. Laila watched as it drew closer. A shout registered in the back of her mind, but she did not listen, she was too engrossed in the face before her.

  Something hit her from the side, knocking her from the side of the boat and back next to the bench that stretched across the middle. Icy water crashed into the boat, covering her and Connor as Connor rolled off of her. She gasped, remembering to finally breathe. Tomo shouted wordlessly again, pulling continuously against the tiller. Laila could see the veins in her hands straining as he defied the Straits, fighting to get them across. Ayman's voice sounded from the bow again, and Tomo shifted his weight. The boat turned again and then lurched forward as it struck something solid. Laila could just see Ayman clamber out, toward the water. She screamed something unintelligible, but then cut herself short when she saw his head appear in front of the bow, but on the outside of the boat. He grabbed the bow and pulled against it.

  "Help him, boy!" shouted Tomo, pointing to Ayman and looking at Connor.

  Connor rolled away from Laila and sprang to his feet, stumbling to the bow of the boat and climbing out beside Ayman. Laila felt the boat move forward again, but this time it was much more controlled, and the rocking motion of the waves no longer pushed beneath them. Once the solid feeling had reached the center of the boat, Tomo released the tiller and grabbed Laila's arm, pulling her to her feet. He helped her toward the bow of the boat. Seeing a stretch of ground beneath the boat, Laila felt a surge of excitement. She pushed herself away from Tomo, climbing out of the boat herself and rushing up to the patch of solid ground. This side of the Straits was not as cliff covered; the raging waters had worn the coastline smooth. Devoid of any vegetation or sand, there was a gradual rise to the main part of the island, unlike the sharp cliffs of the northern isle.

  She turned as she reached a high point, finally safe and away from the water. Tomo, Ayman, and Connor pulled the boat free of the Straits and up a ways toward Laila. Once they were clear, Ayman climbed back inside and began dismantling the mast and the canvas sail. He then tied the boat to a nearby rock. The three men then climbed the coast toward Laila.

  Tomo had a weary grin on his face. "Did I not tell you we would make it across?" His face was drenched, as were his clothes, but the pride in his eyes was unmistakable.

  Laila rolled and twisted on the ground, trying to get comfortable. The rain beat steadily on the canvas above her head, drilling its rhythm into her skull. Her robes were still wet and cold. Their shelter was a tight grouping of trees a few hundred yards south from the coast of the Straits. Over the din of the rain, she could hear the roaring of the waves through the Straits and crashing against the coast. Her heart fluttered, remembering the chaos of the crossing.

  Finally, conceding that she would not be able to sleep, she sat up. Tomo and Connor sat across from her, speaking softly. Ayman sat with his back to the three of them, watching out in the darkness. Laila was not sure what he was watching for; she did not think there was any creature that could hunt them in the storm. She glanced past him into the night. This part of the Splintered Isles did not have the same barren landscape
of the Edonin’s island. Huge trees stretched into the sky, blotting out the stars and actually dampening the downpour.

  "Why are there trees here?" she asked abruptly.

  Tomo turned to her from his conversation with Connor. "What?"

  "The trees. On the other island, there aren't any trees within a day’s walk of the Straits. Why are there so many here?"

  Tomo glanced out of their small shelter, past Ayman, and then turned back to Laila and shrugged. "I don't know."

  Laila rolled her eyes. As adamant as the Edonin were about her place in their destiny, Tomo did not seem too concerned with the world outside their villages. Tomo turned back to Connor and continued where he had left off. Laila only half-listened, but it seemed that Tomo was teaching Connor some of the language of the Edonin. He appeared to be picking it up rather quickly, to hear Tomo's encouragement. The cadence of the Edonin language fit well with Connor's already unusual manner of speaking.

  She listened to the sound of the rain beating against the canvas and pulled her staff in tighter. Backing herself up along the ground, she leaned against one of the trunks they had suspended the canvas from, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. The cold dug deeper into her skin, and she tried to ignore it. She knew there was an answer, but she was still fearful of using it. Her hand stroked the stone of her staff absently.

  She continued to shift and fidget, willing her body to become comfortable, but with no success. Finally, giving in to her discomfort and pain, she drew on her power, calling through the staff into the Earth beneath her. It was only a trickle, enough to warm her tired and cold limbs. A tingling ran through her arms and legs as they warmed at the touch of her magic. She rested her head against the trunk of the tree and tried to let herself relax in the mild warmth. Perhaps now she could get some sleep.

  A sudden jolt ran up her arms. She pitched to the side with a shout and instinctively pushed her staff away from her; that was where the jolt had originated from. Connor and Tomo rushed toward her.

  "Laila!" Connor said.

  "I'm all right," she answered, recovering. She pushed herself up from the ground where she lay. Her arms shook frantically.

  Connor leaned over and helped her up by her shoulders. "What happened?"

  "I don't know. Something...something came through the staff, I think. I was trying to warm myself and something attacked me." As her mind processed what had happened, she realized that it was a similar sensation to what had happened on the Via in the Straits. The power beneath the Straits had attacked her. "The Ondine!" she snapped suddenly, realization dawning. "That's what happened in the Straits. That's what attacked me!"

  Her eyes found Tomo. "The Ondine are trapped within the Tomb?"

  Tomo nodded, not understanding.

  "You believe they're responsible for the Straits and the Storm? That they cause it, even from within the Tomb?"

  Again, Tomo nodded.

  "That's it. By the Aspects, the power that they wield is immense." Fear crept into Laila's voice as her emotions caught up with her realization. "I... What can we do against that?" Her voice fell to a whisper.

  "Against?" Tomo asked. "You are meant to free the Ondine, not fight them."

  Laila pulled herself all the way upright. Ignoring Tomo's statement, she reached for her staff, placing it in her lap and then removing her hands from it as though just touching it might harm her. The Ondine must be attracted to her magic, to her power. That was why they kept striking out at her, even from their Tomb. The last Magusari had imprisoned the Ondine for their defiance of her. Imprisoned them for thousands of years. That anger and pain now raged all around them. The Storm and the Straits. What could she do in the face of that?

  "We must rest," Tomo said. Laila could see the concern in his face, but he did not press the issue. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a small stone flask. He handed it to her. "Here, child, try some of this. It will keep you warm when there is no fire. And it may help you sleep."

  Laila, still reeling from her revelation, reached out distantly and took the flask from Tomo's hand. She tipped the opening up to her mouth and took a long pull. The liquid burned as it hit her tongue, and she felt fire running down her throat. But it was not an entirely unpleasant sensation. It did banish some of the cold from her limbs. Unsure of what else to do she leaned back against the tree. Connor looked at her, questions in his face. Tomo placed a sympathetic hand on his arm and motioned for them to return to their spot beneath the canvas. Reluctantly Connor turned, leaving Laila to her own chaotic thoughts. Finally, as the draught worked its way to her stomach, Laila felt herself drift off into an uneasy sleep.

  Twenty-Five

  The Tomb

  Laila stood at the peak of a strange building. Forest stretched all around her. She looked down and saw the strange black pyramid. That seemed so long ago now. She stood at its peak and looked out over the world. A distant roaring sound came to her attention. Behind her. She turned and saw a wall of fire burning its way through the forest, rushing toward her and the temple. Anger overtaking her fear, she raised her staff defiantly to the flames, daring them to approach. She felt heat on her arms, wrapping around them, coating them in fire. As the flames drew closer she screamed in defiance…and the flames halted. They continued to burn, but they did not approach the black temple.

  Another sound then intruded on Laila’s ears. Another roaring sound, from the other side. Looking behind her she saw a mighty wave rising up, covering the forest. The wave tore its way toward her and the flames. Laila held one hand toward the wall of fire and reached out with another toward the wave, her anger distancing her from the fear she could sense within. A sensation of cold draped itself around her neck, settling just near her heart. And with it, the water slammed to a stop, as though striking an invisible wall.

  Laila stood, between the wall of fire and water, holding them back. She felt strong, defiant in the face of these thunderous forces. A thrill ran through her. This was her place, the Magusari, master of the elements. She could stop Nuriel; she could stop the Ondine.

  As her confidence blossomed, so too did a darkness. A great shadow covered the forest, casting her and her power into the dark. Laila continued to hold the fire and water and bay, but felt her power waning in the shadow. Something else had appeared, something greater than the elements themselves. With a horrible crack Laila felt her staff shatter in her hand. The fire on her arms began to cut into them painfully, burning to the bone. The cold around her neck pulled her head forward, forcing her to bow low in the shadow. She screamed as pain wracked her body. A hazy figure appeared in the air before her.

  “You will learn….”

  Laila's body ached as she sat up from the ground. The now-familiar sensation of heat had left her limbs, and she fought to keep her movements slow and deliberate, determined not to give away her anxiety. The visions seemed to be getting worse. Perhaps Nuriel was getting closer to his goal. She needed to stop him. She needed the Sacred Waters. Those thoughts kept her in control, if only just.

  Connor and the two Edonin were already moving, packing what little supplies they had brought back into their packs and getting ready to take down the canvas that hung above her head. They had been waiting for her to awaken. Now that she had stirred, Tomo and Connor began to untie the canvas. Laila climbed out from beneath it and took a few shaky steps as her body tried to loosen up and warm up after the uncomfortable night. She pulled her arms upward, trying to untangle the knots in her back and shoulders unsuccessfully. The rain dripped down on her from the canopy of the trees and she pulled the hood of her leather cloak over her head, hoping for at least a few moments of dryness before the rains set in once again. Connor and the Edonin finished their packing, and the southerner walked toward Laila.

  "Are you ready?" he asked softly.

  "I am. Did Tomo say how long it would take to get to the Tomb?"

  "Half a day with the weather like this. He said he'd only been there twice, once by himself, and o
nce with Nina." Laila caught a hint of a smile when Connor said her name. "But, the Storm is not at its peak, so we should make good time."

  Laila nodded, taking her own pack from Connor's hand and pulling it onto her back. Tomo and Ayman walked past them, moving south into the dense forest. Tomo placed a hand on Laila's shoulder briefly as he passed and then motioned for them to follow. Laila fell into step behind the two Edonin with Connor taking the rear position.

  The trees rose up into the sky around them as they walked. There was no clear path, but Tomo led their small group confidently to the south. The rain falling through the canopy of trees made for a constant dripping sound that gave a rhythm to their march. The forest floor moved up and down in wave-like formations, emulating the roiling waters of the Straits. Tomo had to frequently change their direction to safely climb up and down the hills and around the large trees. But their bearing always remained south.

  There was little discussion as they walked. Laila still wondered what she was going to do once they reached the Tomb and how they would follow through with what the Edonin expected of them. Though she could not tell, she figured that Connor must have been thinking something similar. The expectations of the Edonin were not just on her; he was thoroughly involved in them as well. But he remained silent as they walked. Tomo and Ayman had brief conversations amongst themselves, usually trying to figure out the best way to continue, but those were always in their own language, so Laila could not be certain.

  The dim light slowly grew as they made their way south. They still could not see the sun, but the light did increase as the day passed. Near midday, they made their way toward a narrow hollow. The walls of the hollow rose up on either side of them and were then topped with the tall trees of the forest, casting the hollow into darkness. The hollow headed to the east, and Laila expected to move past it, but Tomo and Ayman led them to the entrance. Ayman reached into Tomo's pack and pulled out two small torches, their tops wrapped in thick cloth and coated in some sort of sticky substance. Covering the torches with their bodies to protect them from the rain, Ayman struck a pair of sharp stones together. The sparks from the stones finally caught in the tops of the torches and they burst into flame, immediately banishing some of the cold.