behind the rising ocean.
"C'mon, baby." I patted the console. "You survived the first tidal wave. You can make it through this one."
"I don't think petting the ship is going to help," Elyssa shouted over the din of rushing water, groaning metal, and the thunderous roar of malaether.
The bow shuddered as if it had hit something. I saw a cluster of small boats that must have been cast out to sea spinning before us and figured we must have hit at least one. The yacht spun sideways and gravity shifted. Alon slipped and fell hard against the wall. The ship captain, who I hadn't noticed before, was buckled into a large chair, eyes wide with terror.
I almost wished he'd shout something crazy but encouraging, like, "Argh, mateys! This here ship has sailed the seven seas and ridden the deadly waves of hurricanes. Never has she let me down, and never will she!"
Instead, he closed his eyes and whimpered.
I'm totally with you, bro. Unfortunately, I wasn't buckled in, and it was all I could do to keep my grip on the slick console. The yacht pitched, and for a moment, I thought it would completely roll over. For a split second, I saw nothing but dark waves and water through the left windows. The hull slammed into more of the small boats riding the wave before us, and the entire craft shuddered.
We crested the tidal wave and the ship wobbled to the right. I lost my grip and tumbled down the aisle, crashed through the window. My fingers barely gripped the railing in time to keep me from hurtling into the water. The ship bobbed upright and catapulted me back onto the deck just in time to see the malaether sphere rushing toward us.
We're dead.
I tried to stand, but my body was beyond tired and beaten. Even if I got inside, it would roast us alive.
"I love you Elyssa!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and futilely threw up my arms.
Death didn't come. The crackling energy faded, leaving a boiling sea behind. Dead fish floated to the surface, and the steam turned to a dense fog.
The yacht's engines cut off and for a moment, there was nothing but profound silence. I heard movement, and Elyssa appeared by my side. She hugged me, not too hard, thankfully, and peppered my face with kisses.
"Justin, are you—oh, never mind—I know you're hurt." Tears sparkled down her cheeks.
"I'm going to need another vacation after this," I groaned.
She helped me to my feet. My legs were skinned to hell, and so were my arms, for that matter. I tasted blood in my mouth and found a painful cut on my lip. Elyssa put my arm over her shoulder and helped me limp back inside the control room.
Alon lay motionless beneath the broken window I'd fallen through. Elyssa knelt, touched his neck, and shook her head slowly. "He's dead."
The captain sobbed uncontrollably, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Two other people had strapped themselves into chairs and appeared okay as well.
We went inside the upper deck cabin and found two more bodies amidst stunned and frightened people. I didn't recognize the two men, but sorrow burrowed into my chest. I found Elizabeth and several other people clustered into one of the cabins.
"There are probably a lot of people who need your help," I told her. "Can you use the lounge up here as a makeshift medic station?"
She wiped tears from her eyes and nodded. "How many did we lose?"
I shook my head. "Three so far. I'm going downstairs to check on the others."
The lower deck situation wasn't as dire as I'd feared. Many of the people were strapped onto a long leather couch in the lounge by a length of sturdy rope. Thankfully, all the furniture appeared to be bolted to the floor, though glasses had shattered, and the odor of spilt alcohol rose from liquid on the floor. Several people had bruises and cuts where their heads had knocked against their neighbor, and one person who hadn't gotten seated in time had a broken leg.
"Rope always comes in handy on a ship," Reese said, loosening the knots of the rope he'd used to secure
"C'mon, baby." I patted the console. "You survived the first tidal wave. You can make it through this one."
"I don't think petting the ship is going to help," Elyssa shouted over the din of rushing water, groaning metal, and the thunderous roar of malaether.
The bow shuddered as if it had hit something. I saw a cluster of small boats that must have been cast out to sea spinning before us and figured we must have hit at least one. The yacht spun sideways and gravity shifted. Alon slipped and fell hard against the wall. The ship captain, who I hadn't noticed before, was buckled into a large chair, eyes wide with terror.
I almost wished he'd shout something crazy but encouraging, like, "Argh, mateys! This here ship has sailed the seven seas and ridden the deadly waves of hurricanes. Never has she let me down, and never will she!"
Instead, he closed his eyes and whimpered.
I'm totally with you, bro. Unfortunately, I wasn't buckled in, and it was all I could do to keep my grip on the slick console. The yacht pitched, and for a moment, I thought it would completely roll over. For a split second, I saw nothing but dark waves and water through the left windows. The hull slammed into more of the small boats riding the wave before us, and the entire craft shuddered.
We crested the tidal wave and the ship wobbled to the right. I lost my grip and tumbled down the aisle, crashed through the window. My fingers barely gripped the railing in time to keep me from hurtling into the water. The ship bobbed upright and catapulted me back onto the deck just in time to see the malaether sphere rushing toward us.
We're dead.
I tried to stand, but my body was beyond tired and beaten. Even if I got inside, it would roast us alive.
"I love you Elyssa!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and futilely threw up my arms.
Death didn't come. The crackling energy faded, leaving a boiling sea behind. Dead fish floated to the surface, and the steam turned to a dense fog.
The yacht's engines cut off and for a moment, there was nothing but profound silence. I heard movement, and Elyssa appeared by my side. She hugged me, not too hard, thankfully, and peppered my face with kisses.
"Justin, are you—oh, never mind—I know you're hurt." Tears sparkled down her cheeks.
"I'm going to need another vacation after this," I groaned.
She helped me to my feet. My legs were skinned to hell, and so were my arms, for that matter. I tasted blood in my mouth and found a painful cut on my lip. Elyssa put my arm over her shoulder and helped me limp back inside the control room.
Alon lay motionless beneath the broken window I'd fallen through. Elyssa knelt, touched his neck, and shook her head slowly. "He's dead."
The captain sobbed uncontrollably, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Two other people had strapped themselves into chairs and appeared okay as well.
We went inside the upper deck cabin and found two more bodies amidst stunned and frightened people. I didn't recognize the two men, but sorrow burrowed into my chest. I found Elizabeth and several other people clustered into one of the cabins.
"There are probably a lot of people who need your help," I told her. "Can you use the lounge up here as a makeshift medic station?"
She wiped tears from her eyes and nodded. "How many did we lose?"
I shook my head. "Three so far. I'm going downstairs to check on the others."
The lower deck situation wasn't as dire as I'd feared. Many of the people were strapped onto a long leather couch in the lounge by a length of sturdy rope. Thankfully, all the furniture appeared to be bolted to the floor, though glasses had shattered, and the odor of spilt alcohol rose from liquid on the floor. Several people had bruises and cuts where their heads had knocked against their neighbor, and one person who hadn't gotten seated in time had a broken leg.
"Rope always comes in handy on a ship," Reese said, loosening the knots of the rope he'd used to secure
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