“You mean she hurled you and your aunt into the ocean. I spotted Tibby swimming over that way, by the way.” Fel pointed again toward the cliffs.
“Good. We need to catch up with her.”
“I’ll help you.” Fel gripped her arm lightly.
“I’ll accept your guidance, since I can’t see well, but Vorik is coming too.”
Fel issued an exasperated grunt but didn’t force her to release him. When he pushed off the rock formation to swim for the cliffs, Syla did her best to paddle along so she wouldn’t be dead weight, but she kept one hand firmly on Vorik.
Doing their best not to kick each other or crash into rocks, she and Fel swam awkwardly toward shore. When they reached a small beach of black pebbles and agates between two sections of the cliff, Fel released her and climbed to dry land.
Vorik still hadn’t woken. Syla did her best to tug him up, but the waves that kept crashing onto the beach made it difficult. Further, as soon as his weight wasn’t supported by the water, she couldn’t budge him.
Blood ran not only from the side of his head, mingling with water as it dripped onto the dark sand, but from the numerous gouges in his torso and a long one in the side of his thigh. His breathing, though even, had a pained hitch, and she worried he’d broken ribs and bruised organs. Once she had him safe and stable somewhere, she needed to heal him. Unfortunately, she was so exhausted that she doubted she had the power at the moment.Hopefully, his hardy rider constitution would keep him from dying before she could rest up.
“First, we’ve got to get out of the water,” Syla said and heaved, trying again to pull Vorik up the beach.
After watching her for a moment, Fel grumbled under his breath and helped her. As battered as he was, he had the strength to drag Vorik up above the tide line, though the pained expressions that twisted his face suggested the effort hurt him. Syla would have to offer him healing again too, as soon as she was able.
Seagulls squawked from perches on the great black cliff that loomed behind the beach. Syla hoped they could locate Tibby and find a way up. She also hoped there would be a road leading to civilization. They hadn’t come ashore where she’d wished, and she didn’t know how far it was to the small harbor city that housed the local government and most of the island’s non-farming population. She did know of a temple perched along the cliffs of the north shore and wondered if they might be near it. Ships wrecked in this area from time to time, so the healers kept trained men and women in the area to handle the wounded.
“Syla,” Tibby called, waving from farther up the beach. Clothes sodden and torn, her tunic half-fallen off one shoulder, she picked her way past algae-blanketed rocks toward them. It looked like she’d lost her pack, or maybe cast it aside to keep from drowning. “Thank the moon god for blessing our ancestors. You’re alive!”
Syla waved at her aunt, though so many water droplets dotted her spectacles that she struggled to see her well. With a damp sleeve, Syla wiped them. The effort removed the water but left sand on the lenses, and she sighed in frustration.
“I’m alive too,” Fel remarked.
“My machines wouldn’t have mourned your passing,” Tibby said.
Worried about all the blood seeping out of Vorik, Syla torepieces from his shirt and attempted to staunch the worst of the wounds. But he needed real bandages.Drybandages. Somehow, through all the swimming, she’d managed to keep her pack over her shoulders, but everything inside would be soaked.
“If they’ve the capability of mourninganything, I’m concerned,” Fel said.
“There’s a path up the cliff over there,” Tibby said. “I think we’re within five or ten miles of Lavaperch Temple. If so, I have an engineering friend who retired from the capital to work there and be close to his wife’s family. If he’s at the temple now, he might be willing to assist us with our quest.” Calculation gleamed in her eyes as she looked out to sea.
“Retired to…work?” Fel scratched his head.
Maybe Fel had no plans to ever again lift a finger after he turned in his uniform.
“Instead of designing shipyards, piers, and boat lifts around the kingdom,” Tibby said, “he now lends his engineering expertise to fermentation projects. Lavaperch is known for its beer and ale as well as being a home of healers.”
“I’m more ready than ever to visit the place then,” Fel said.
Tibby stopped beside Vorik and frowned down at him. “We’re leaving him here, right?”
“That was my suggestion.” Fel crossed his arms over his chest.
“If we’re not far from the temple, we can get help for him there.” Syla brightened with relief, hoping her aunt was right.
“Help for him?” Tibby asked. “This is our chance to get rid of him. Why did you bring him ashore?”
“He helped us with the dragon battle,” Syla said. “And he’s helped menumeroustimes this past day and night. I can’t intentionally let him die.”
Judging by the long look that Tibby and Fel exchanged, they felt differently.
Syla stood. Too bad. “Sergeant, I must ask a boon. Will you help me carry him up the cliff to the temple?”
Fel scowled his opinion on that. It was a lot to ask—that path had to be steep, and the temple would be a long walk. Maybe she could ask Tibby to go ahead and send back help?
