“Fuck!” I sputtered as I came up for air. I looked around desperately for my boat, but it was no longer in sight. Grimly, I struck out in the direction of the fishing boat, hoping like hell I was going the right way. I couldn’t hold out against this storm for much longer.
The waves were tossing me up and down like a toy, and my arms and legs burned as I fought against the strong current trying to push me backwards. Twice, I swallowed mouthfuls of bitter seawater. Only sheer determination kept me going, even though my body was crying out for me to stop, to let go. The actual distance wasn’t too far, but for a soggy, exhausted swimmer, getting there was beginning to seem impossible. The cold numbed my muscles and fogged my brain, whispering that it might be easier just to give up. But I couldn’t do that—Iannis would never find me if I let the waves drag me under.
When I was so cold I could no longer feel my arms and legs, the fishing boat finally loomed before me. But the deck was too high up for anyone to see me struggling in the waves, and the winds were too loud, so it would be useless to scream or pound on the side of the ship. Gathering the last of my strength, I levitated myself onto the deck, then collapsed, my heart galloping in my chest as I gasped for breath.
But there was no time for me to lie there on the deck, which was slick and reeking of fish guts. A sailor rushed toward me, eyes wide as he brandished a cutlass, and I had to roll out of the way to keep myself from being impaled.
“Wait!” I cried, springing to my feet. “I’m not here to hurt you! I just need some help!” By Magorah, could my luck be any worse? Instead of sanctuary, I had found more danger.
“Help?” The man narrowed his eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to speak Northian, though his Manucan accent was quite thick. “What manner of creature are ye, then? A sea witch? You won’t fool me. Begone!”
I stared at him, noting that he was trembling despite his defiant words. “I’m not a monster,” I said tiredly, leaning against the railing. My legs were shaking, and I had to hold onto it to keep myself upright. Playing up my exhaustion, I sagged, and tried to make myself look as helpless as possible. “I just want to go home,” I said in a pitiful voice that I wasn’t exactly faking. “An evil mage banished me here, and I nearly drowned. I’m so c-c-cold…” My teeth rattled, and I wished like hell I could conjure a flame to warm myself up. But I had no magic left, and that would only scare the sailor, anyway.
The sailor stared back at me for several long moments, weighing his options. “Wait there,” he said in a wary voice. “I’ll get the captain.”
I sank to the deck, leaning my head against the wall and closing my eyes. If these guys wanted to gut me, then so be it. I had no strength left to fight back.
A few moments later, I heard footsteps, and I opened my eyes to see another man, presumably the captain, climbing up the wooden steps. He must have dressed hastily, from the state of his jacket and unbuttoned breeches. He held a mug of something hot in his hands, while the sailor came up behind him with a blanket over his arm.
“Well, I’ll be,” the captain said as I took the mug from him and he got a good look at my face. “A shifter, out here in the high seas? What kind are ye?”
“A panther,” I gasped, taking the mug from him. It was some kind of tepid tea mixed with rum, but it was warm, and I sighed gratefully as I took a sip. “Thank you,” I said as the sailor wrapped the blanket around me. My shivering was finally beginning to subside.
The captain opened his mouth, no doubt to ask what the hell I was doing out here on his boat. But before he could speak, an invisible hand gripped me, and I was unceremoniously yanked away. I screamed as the world streamed by in a blur, wind howling in my ears so loud I worried I was going to go deaf.
Suddenly, I came to a halt and found myself standing inside a living room. Iannis’s three relatives were seated on the couch and armchairs, warm and comfortable, looking up at me with mixed expressions on their faces. My hands curled into fists, and the impulse to beat the hell out of Ta’sradala surged through me. If I wasn’t as weak as a newborn kitten, I might have actually acted on it.
“Well, well,” the Tua woman said, rising from her seat. She didn’t look at all happy to see me. “It would appear that you survived after all.”
10
“Gee, thanks for the praise,” I said sarcastically.
“That wasn’t praise,” Ta’sradala said tartly. Apparently, she had no sense of irony. “You still look like a drowned rodent, and you stink like one too.”
“Well excuse me, your highness,” I sneered, giving her a mocking bow. “I’m afraid I didn’t have time to change my clothes after nearly being drowned at sea for two days.” Or had it been three? I’d honestly lost track of time—for all I knew I’d been out there a fucking week.
“Don’t test me, mortal,” she said, her eyes flicking over me in a brief perusal. “You should count yourself lucky that I brought you back at all.”
“Well of course you did,” I said sweetly. “How could you test me again if you didn’t?”
“I think Sunaya passed with flying colors,” Deryna said before the Tua could lash out at me again. “She made it through the storm with her life, and relatively unhurt, too. That took guts and perseverance.”
“She cheated,” Ta’sradala said coldly. “If she hadn’t come upon that fishing vessel, she likely would not have made it.”
“How is that cheating?” I protested. “You never said I couldn’t use outside help.” Of course, if she’d bothered to spell out her “rules,” I’d have told her I refused to play her ridiculous games. How was I supposed to win against brute power like hers?
“I think we should consider it a draw,” Ennartha said. “I have to admit she did better than I thought. She has a poor grasp of magic but showed an undeniably strong will to survive.” She regarded me with cool violet eyes that seemed to pass right through me, and I had to subdue a sudden desire to stick out my tongue. I felt like I’d been dragged into the principal’s office.
“While you guys decide whether or not I lived up to your ridiculous standards,” I interrupted, “is there anywhere I can grab a shower and a change of clothes? Or would you prefer I continue to drip all over your carpet and make it stink like a ‘drowned rodent?’”
Ta’sradala gave me a cutting glare, but Deryna stepped forward with a soothing smile. “Of course there is,” she said, taking me by the arm. “Let’s get you cleaned up a bit.”