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I made it to the back of the boat to the tiny ladder that was banging around in the sea spray and waves being created by the boat’s dizzying speed. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the fire fully engulfed the cabin, and the hungry flames were licking along the deck directly toward the gas. Even though that was my plan, knowing the boat was minutes away from a catastrophic explosion sent an icy chill down my spine. At least, I think that’s what caused my skin to prickle from the cold.
Steeling myself for the impact, I threw myself off the back of the boat. The pain that shattered my body as I hit the churning surface of the water was far worse than I had imagined it would be, and I could hear my scream of pain over the roar of the boat’s engine. My next scream was drowned out by the earth-shaking boom of the exploding vessel.
A pillar of fire and debris shot up into the sky, a beautiful display of destruction. It sickened me to think of the trash that was sinking to the ocean floor, but this was a necessary evil to protect my people. My one consolation was knowing the creatures of the sea would be pleased to have another broken ship to create their homes in.
I ducked below the water’s surface and hid from the burning embers falling from the sky and crashing into the water around me. Several pieces of shrapnel from the boat slammed into me, but the damage I sustained was mild compared to my other injuries. Blood was oozing from where the bullet had sliced through my arm, the two ragged holes from the hooks that had partially reopened when I slammed into the sea, and from a large gash on my head from the ladder as I exited the doomed vessel.
With a flick of my long, tattered tail, I turned myself in the direction I needed to go. It had taken me longer than I thought to get off the boat, and I was many miles from the rock outcropping. That was good news for Atlantis, as any rescuers would not be searching the water closest to Atlantis. It was bad news for me since I was in no shape to swim a few feet, let alone many miles. But Kosta needed me, and I wouldn’t let her down.
“Sheba?” I whispered into the midnight blue sea around me. “I need you.”
Body trembling from exhaustion and fatigue, I began the swim toward my people and my home. There was no hiding my grin. Beat-up as I was, the night had been a success… And it had been entertaining.
Now it was time to face my mates.
An explosion rang in the distance. A plume of fire billowed up into the night sky. It would have been a stunning contrast of fiery oranges and midnight blue had I been able to admire it. Instead, my stomach turned itself inside out. Zosime was out there, and if I had learned anything about my girl, it was that she was definitely involved.
“Our troublemaking minx probably caused that.” Fynn must have been thinking along the same lines as I had been.
“For us to see it at this distance, it has to be a large explosion. She did well.”
There was no denying the pride in Eason’s voice. He adored our beautiful little soldier. I did too, but right now, I mostly wanted to find her so I could spank her… and not in the fun way.
Lokene had refused to come with us, his behavior continuing to confuse me. He had looked sick with worry but adamantly stated he couldn’t come or he would risk changing events and bring down the wrath of the Ancients on us. He blinked us to the surface, sitting us inside a small boat, but stated even that was pushing the boundaries of what he was permitted to do.
Knowing that Zosime was likely near the explosion while we were so far away had anger burning through me. Couldn’t he have blinked us closer to her? What purpose did any of our lives have if she died?
He claimed the Ancients needed her to save their sorry hides, yet he wasn’t allowed to lift a finger to help us? I didn’t understand their rules or their purpose, but I didn’t care enough to find out… yet. I had one mission right now, and that was getting in this boat to find Zosime.
Thankfully, the boat had a motor. Unfortunately, it was a tiny motor, and we were miles from the explosion, which meant it would take time to make it to her side.
Zeno, our newest family member, claimed to have picked up on distressed emotions the moment we popped into existence. He ducked beneath the waves and left us behind without a backward glance. He had a lot to learn about how teams worked, but I would still be glad if he found her quickly, just so that one of us would be at her side quickly.
“Let’s move out.” I shook myself at the sound of Eason’s voice. We were wasting time. Everyone pitched in to get the boat moving, excruciatingly slow but steady, across the glasslike surface of the water. The world was eerily silent except for the soft ripple of waves the moving boat created. What exactly had we missed?
* * *
“What’s that over there?”Eason squinted at something ahead of us. He slowed the boat motor until we came to a stop. I stood, wobbling for a moment from the boat’s rocking while trying to see what he was pointing at.
“Is that a shark fin, Fynn?” Kye asked. The fact he didn’t so much as snicker told me how stressed he was feeling. Looking around at the tightly drawn faces around me, I knew we all felt the same.
“Yes. It’s definitely a shark.” Fynn scooted to the side of the boat closest to the shark that was heading toward us. Adjusting his glasses, he too squinted, trying to get a better look. “It’s a great white shark fin.”
“Sheba?” I knew my voice sounded pathetically hopeful. I didn’t care.
“I have no way of knowing without seeing her full body. It is a very large shark, so I would say the odds are good.” Fynn took off his glasses, wiping at the salt-covered glass anxiously.
“If Sheba is here, where is Zosime?” My hope was draining away quickly. I turned, taking in the flat, never-ending sea around me. How would we be able to find her? For all we knew, she was hurt and lying on the ocean floor.
The large shark fin disappeared. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen next. Something bumped the bottom of our tiny boat, rocking it like crazy. The fin reappeared, slicing through the water as it circled us. The fin once more disappeared beneath the surface.
I yanked off my boots, tossing them to the side. Hauling my shirt over my head, I threw it to the side.
“What are you doing, Storm?” Kye asked. Suspicion sparked in his eyes as he tracked my movements as I finished undressing.
“I’m going in. This is Sheba; she wants something.”
“You don’t know that it is Sheba, and this shark could just be looking for an easy meal!” Fynn exclaimed.
