by Candy Crum
Though the temptation was there to rush the trip so she could find anywhere with food, Arryn refrained from using magic to hurry the ship along. Mariana preferred not to, and the druid didn't want to disobey her.
The Caller could sense the use of nature magic, so she understood Mariana's need to be elusive in case they got close to the Raider ship. Arryn didn't want to ruin the woman’s chances of finding them.
She and her group stood silently at the rail of the ship, watching the town grow larger the closer they came. While Arryn didn't mind being on the water, she preferred land. Still, she had to admit she wouldn't mind going back one day to visit the Daoine people and play at the beach.
Arryn saw rows of ships as they moved closer to the port. The docks were at least a quarter-mile away, but when she saw families playing on a wide-open beach in front of the town, she thought it was wise placement, whether that had been done on purpose or not.
The families were far more likely to be safe in a wide-open area in front of a busy town than in the more secluded area where the ships docked.
"This is as close as we can get. We don't plan to stay. Give us a moment, and we'll lower the boats for you and your animals. Unfortunately, we're not equipped for unloading horses, so they'll have to swim," the captain said as he wandered up behind them.
Cathillian nodded. "It's not far. These horses love the water, and we'll be with them, so it'll be fine."
Corrine was the first to turn, a smile on her face. "I'm good, thanks!" she said just before jumping over the railing.
Cathillian shook his head. "That girl is feral, I swear."
Arryn laughed. "Yeah, well, she kinda came to us like that, and I'm glad she still has some of it. I hope she never loses her wild spirit." She turned to Captain Veren. "I'll swim to shore. These guys can go with the familiars."
Mariana laughed and pointed. "That's probably for the best, judging by the ripple I see shooting under the water toward the beach. She's already almost on land."
Arryn felt a rough thump on her leg and looked down to see a large snow rabbit sitting there. She opened her senses and felt his annoyance.
"Ran off and left you, did she, Whiskers McFluffbutt?" She reached down and picked him up. "Don't worry. I don't think she understands yet what's happening between you two. She still thinks the wolf pup is the one."
She felt a sharp intake of breath from the oversized rabbit before it huffed out a sigh. Pulling him up to her face, she gave his head a little kiss before handing him to Cathillian.
"I'm going after Rin. You guys can take the boats. Please bring my weapons. I don't want them in saltwater again."
Before Cathillian could respond, Arryn dove over the edge, her eyes flashing black as she sliced through the water. She'd learned a thing or two from the Daoine people, but nothing like Corrine. The girl was a fast learner, and Arryn wondered if it was a combination of her age and her stubbornness.
She had no doubt the girl had already reached land, so Arryn needed to get there as quickly as possible. Corrine was strong, but that didn't mean she should be left alone.
Allowing her power to surround her, she propelled herself through the water. It was sloppy and not as fast as Corrine had been, but it worked. She came up for air a few times on the way to shore, not bothering with an air bubble. When she got there, Corrine stood at the water's edge, arms crossed in an impatient pose.
"You're slow," she said, a smile on her face.
Arryn rose to her feet and walked onto the sand. She flicked both hands to the side, and all the excess water pulled away from her body and fell. "You had a head start. No fair!"
"Mmhmm. I'm sure that was it."
Arryn laughed and shook her head. "When it comes to magic, I've learned there are things I'm good at and things I'm not. The water stuff? Definitely not. I can do it, but you're a lot better at it than I am. I have a feeling that's going to happen often, but I'll still be able to kick your butt, so don't get cocky."
Corrine laughed and hugged Arryn. "I love you."
Arryn hugged the little girl tightly. "I love you, too." When she looked toward the ship, she saw two boats being lowered into the water. "Now we have to wait for Cathillian. I might be slower than you, but he's the slowest of all."
Corrine giggled.
"Oh, and what do we have here?"
Arryn groaned as she slowly turned to see four men standing behind them, weapons drawn. Echo called out overhead, and Arryn waved. "I've got this. It's all good."
The four men laughed, and one of them stepped forward. "That's cute. That your pet birdie?"
Arryn snorted. "’Birdie?’ Clearly, you're either blind or dumb as hell. My guess is the latter." She delivered a snarky smile. "And if you'd like to leave my presence with the use of your legs, I'd suggest using them to walk away now."
He laughed again, this time much louder. The men behind him joined in. Arryn saw a fifth man headed toward the water, staff in hand. Her eyes narrowed as she examined it.
"No way," she whispered.
Her eyes flashed white, and she looked into his mind. Just on the surface was a memory of him standing at the bow of a large ship, one she didn't see anywhere around as Captain Veren dropped them off.
In the man's recent memory, she saw black clouds form overhead as the wind picked up. The very staff he held now sat in a cup of water as the Caller used his power to force wind into their sails.
His mind showed her a smaller vessel up ahead. Skipping through, she saw dangerous waves crashing into the smaller ship, and she heard screams as the people aboard were pitched from side to side.
There was no doubt in her mind—that was the bastard who took down the ship they'd found the remnants of.
"What the fuck are you doing?" the man who'd spoken to her before asked. "What are you doing with your eyes?"
She looked at him, the sclera of her eyes turning black, her pupils ringed in a smoky white. "Like I said, you should have used those legs to walk away when you had the chance. This is for all those you murdered and those you left for dead."
Chapter Six
Once again, she opened her mind. Her suspicions were proven correct as she saw each of them had been aboard that ship and had been involved in sacking the smaller ship before killing men, women, and even children. They'd taken what they wanted and gone back to the safety of the Raider ship before their Caller finished off the other vessel, leaving those who were still alive to perish in the water and be ripped apart by the sharks and other marine predators.
She could feel the worry building in several people playing on the beach who had seen the men approach her. Worried they may get caught in the crossfire, Arryn sent out a mental warning. There were no words, only emotion.
Some grabbed their children and ran, others following suit when they saw people fearfully fleeing the beach. Within seconds, screaming erupted as the beach cleared.
Satisfied her message had been received and the rest would clear out before things got too bad, Arryn used the distraction to her advantage.
Her right hand shot out, twisting. The man in front of her screamed in pain as his knee gave, the horrible crunching sounds of the joint being crushed echoing around them as he hit the sand.
Arryn quickly turned to Corrine. "Can you use seaweed as well as you can vines?"
The little girl shook her head. "Not that good, but I can do whatever you have in mind."
The men charged, and Arryn nodded. "Good."
She flexed her body and a blast of telekinetic energy burst backward, throwing Corrine into the water. Arryn tumbled forward, snatching the sword from the man groaning on the ground and holding his broken knee. When she came back up, the men enclosed her, weapons drawn.
She allowed her magic to surround her, and with a loud crack, it transported her just outside the group. She rushed at them, feeling a chill in the air as the wind began to pick up. The Caller now stood ankle-deep in the water, the tip of his staff buried in the sand.
One of the three remaining men stepped forward and slashed at her with his sword. She arched back, dodging the blade that narrowly passed overhead, and raised her pilfered weapon to parry his next swing. The sound of the swords meeting rang in her ears. He was faster than she thought he'd be at his large size. He was able to land a hard punch on her face.
Everything spun, and her vision went blurry. Taking advantage of her disorientation, he punched her in the abdomen, eliciting a loud grunt. The pain radiated through her as she collapsed to the ground, her weapon falling beside her.
"Come here, you little bitch!"
Vision still blurry, she closed her eyes and opened her senses to feel for his movement. As he stepped forward, she jabbed her elbow into the soft tissue located at the front of his pants. He howled in both pain and anger as he stumbled back.
Arryn climbed shakily to her feet and planted her shoulder in his gut with a scream, knocking him to the ground, then began to punch him in the face. She connected twice but missed a third time when he grabbed a handful of her hair.
In a desperate attempt to level the playing field, she threw a handful of sand into his face to blind him. He cried out and bucked her off.
Senses on alert, she felt the other two as they ran for her. Though she couldn't see the sky, she could feel the darkness above and knew the Caller was ready to take action. She only wondered why he'd waited so long. More than enough time had passed for him to do serious damage.
Out on the water, Arryn could feel the swell of another's magic. Mariana had felt the power from the other Caller and now engaged.
Magic surrounded Arryn as a shield burst forth, her irises turning green as she began to heal herself. Her vision quickly returned, and when she thrust her hands directly in front of her, wind sent the two men flying backward. They tumbled over one another as they tried to keep their feet.
She spared a quick glance at the Caller and realized he'd been focused on Mariana's ship and the approaching boats, which were only a couple minutes at most from arriving.
"Corrine!" Arryn shouted as she stood and flung out her hand.
The man with the broken knee soared through the air and landed in the water. Corrine's eyes turned neon-green as seaweed rose from the depths and entangled the attacker. She started to pull him under, but Arryn stopped her.
"No! Leave them alive, just entangle them. Let Mariana and the others decide what to do."
Arryn felt a tingle in the air, and her hair began to stand on end. "Shit," she said out loud before jumping out of the way.
She moved just in time to avoid a bolt of lightning. Sand exploded everywhere and rained down on her. She turned, realizing the Caller had momentarily focused on her, but those aquamarine eyes had turned back toward the water. Arryn stood again.
At that moment, she realized she'd spent far more energy healing the victims from the water than she'd anticipated. It had been a long time since she'd received such a beating, and if those boats didn't arrive soon or if she didn't find a way to end it fast, she would be in serious trouble.
Everyone would be.
The blinded man on the ground had stumbled to his feet. Sword in hand, he began to swing it wildly. "I'll fucking kill you!"
Arryn shrugged, though he couldn't see it. Her eyes clouded over as she sent a quick thought to him, unable to help herself but smart enough not to give away her position.
You'll have to find me first, and I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.
The other two men had climbed to their feet and ran forward with several feet between them. Arryn widened her stance, preparing to fight when she heard an angry battle cry.
Her eyes widened as she saw Corrine leap high enough in the air to do a flip and wrap her legs around the neck of one. She was small, but she sat upright before flinging her body back as hard as she could, yanking him off balance.
As he fell, she released him, landing on her hands and tumbling in a perfectly executed backflip as he hit the ground. Her eyes lit again as she thrust her hands forward, and a blast of energy radiated through Arryn that was hot enough to take her breath away as healing began.
Not wanting to waste the gift Corrine had given her, she took a confident step forward, her eyes flashing obsidian. Her hands arced over her chest and she pulled them away, a blue fireball glowing in each hand.
She hit the man running for her in the torso before throwing the other at the downed man, who had spun onto his stomach to go after Corrine. The fireball struck him hard in the back, and both men screamed as they rolled around on the ground.
A shaky Corrine stood, her neon-green eyes still glowing as she raised her hands and screamed again. Seaweed lifted above the surface and twisted around the ankles of each man, pulling them into the water and holding them there.
Arryn's eyes were wide as she watched the young girl, ferocious and strong, confidently fight alongside her.
Corrine looked over her shoulder to make sure her job had been done before glancing at Arryn and smiling. The girl blinked twice before her eyes rapidly faded to normal and she collapsed.
"Corrine!" Arryn called as she rushed to her side. "Damn it! I'm who's supposed to take care of you, not the other way around!"
Before she could focus on healing, she looked back to make sure the blinded man posed no threat. Then she felt the familiar tingle in the air. Looking around, she saw the sky had gone even darker. Focusing her energy, she once again allowed a barrier to form around her and Corrine just in time for lightning to come down all around them.
The sudden flash affected her vision, but she was able to blink away the worst of it after several seconds.
She saw the Caller once again turn toward the sea, and her still-blurred vision made out a dark smile on his face.
Her eyes widened when she realized why he'd waited so long to take action. He'd wanted a clear shot. So far, Arryn's group, Mariana, and the few men who traveled to shore with her had all been safe in the boats. A single lightning strike would not have been enough to kill them, and he'd wasted a lot of energy to keep Arryn pinned down. Now that they had all jumped into the water to run ashore, all of them could be killed with a single well-placed bolt.
As Arryn tried to stand within the barrier, ready to go after the Caller, lightning once again struck all around her and Corrine, preventing her from moving. She did her best to keep her eyes protected while covering Corrine's, but she couldn't take much more.
That bastard had them pinned, and she imagined that he'd assumed there wasn't much she could do.
Unfortunately for him, Arryn wasn't the type to give up easily.
Bast and Cleo used their incredible strength to leap from the water and soared toward the Raider. A flick of his wrist, the wind sent them flying far back, and they hit the water with a huge splash.
Arryn wasn't close enough to the water to control it, and doing it while keeping the barrier active would have been damn near impossible anyway.
As she tried to think of something, she felt Mariana's power swell, and lightning again webbed the sky. Arryn could feel the battle between them as they fought for control.
She saw Cathillian swim toward Bast and Cleo as the tigers rushed up the bank and ran to Arryn and Corrine. The men who'd accompanied Arryn's friends from the Storm Caller ship ran to help. Dante looked at the rogue Caller and Arryn sent him a silent warning through the bond, begging him not to go.
Thunder boomed overhead, and Arryn used all the energy she could spare to erect barriers around both large cats as they approached.
"Take her and get her out of here! She's fine, but she's unconscious. Get her somewhere safe, and I'll end this."
Snow nodded before lowering herself. Arryn lifted Corrine horizontally onto the tiger's back, the girl's arms hanging off one side and legs off the other. She was small enough that that was the best way for her to travel.
"Dante, run behind them and stabilize her if she starts to slip. Go!"
Each tiger growled i
n response, Dante giving her a quick, loving headbutt before rushing off behind his mother. Arryn watched them, doing her best to keep the barriers active as long as she could while lightning once again touched down all around.
She screamed as she shut her eyes to keep from being blinded. After the lightning faded and the thunder stopped booming, she saw that the tigers were out of sight. Her eyes wandered down to see blood on her hands. Reaching up, she touched her ears and pulled her fingers away to see more blood.
"This has to stop," she muttered.
Standing with her barrier still in place, she saw Mariana and the other Caller engaged in hand-to-hand combat. She hadn't realized Mariana had gotten so close.
Bast, Cleo, Cathillian, and Samuel were all on land, but they ran in the direction of the town. Echo's large shadow floated across the sand, and Arryn looked up to see her flying over a large group of men who had jumped into the fray.
Arryn's eyes flashed green as she healed herself again, her hearing quickly returning. She couldn't do a full heal, but it would be enough to get her going again.
Mariana, are you okay? Arryn sent to the Storm Caller.
I'm good. Go get the men coming to aid their Caller. The thunder alerted them to the fight.
The damage she'd suffered made her realize she hadn't been able to think or strategize. She hadn't even thought about the thunder alerting anyone from the Raider ship to come aid in battle. She'd been so focused that she hadn't thought of much of anything except surviving.
"If we make it out of this, I swear I'm going to take better care of myself," she said to herself. "No more stupid risks."
Her friends had told her more than a few times she'd gone far too hard for far too long, but she never listened. Now her actions had caught up to her.
That didn't mean she couldn't kick a few asses before unconsciousness took her as it had young Corrine.
She felt the energy swirling in the sky. The Callers battled for control, and it was painfully obvious that Arryn didn’t have the power to come between them. Even at her strongest, she wasn't certain she could overtake either of their storms. While there were a few druids who could control the weather, Storm Callers grew up specifically training for that. That was their magic.
