Legends: The Folklore Trilogy Book 2

Chapter 20-Where We Play With Sand

My sword hit something with substance, and the shrieking cut off abruptly. I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders, and my face broke out into an unexpected smile.

Then I started to fall.

Oh yeah. That happens.

I felt the wind rush upwards at me only for a split second before I was engulfed by coldness and wetness. Bubbles were fizzing all around me from my abrupt entrance, and I could feel them pop on my face. The salt tingled on my lips.

Then I felt the water saturate my thick clothes and armor. The weight began to pull me down. Panic began to swell up in my chest, and suddenly, my lungs remembered that they hadn't taken a breath in what felt like a while.

Think, Ravi, think.

Then an idea flickered into my head, so bright and obvious it was pathetic I didn't notice it before. I scrunched up my face and tried to imagine a cold wave washing over me, which, given the circumstance, wasn't overly difficult.

The weight disappeared in an instant, and I slowly began to rise. My lungs began to ache, and I pushed towards the surface, fighting to find air. I burst out of the water, gasping and shivering. I looked up. The Tempter was gone. I looked to the boat, where Deynan and Isaac were gaping at me. I took two long strokes back and tried to reach the side of the boat. I flailed at it pathetically, but succeeded in nothing more than making a few wet slapping noises, as I didn't have the energy to reach the top.

Then I felt too strong pairs of arms grip me from either side and haul me up. They struggled a bit over the railing, but then my center of gravity shifted and I toppled over onto the hard wooden deck. Pain spread across my back, dull and throbbing, but still enough to make me grit my teeth. "Ow," I muttered.

Deynan snorted. "Audrey wasn't half as gentle."

My heart panged slightly at the mention of the girls, but I pushed it aside and slowly sat up. I took a deep breath. "You know, thinking back on that, that was kind of fun." I paused. "The slicing-with-the-sword part. Not the..."--I hesitated-- "...other part."

Isaac sat down next to me. "If you're talking about the part where you felt like a coward and a traitor," he said pleasantly, "then I felt that too. Presumably, so did Deynan."

Deynan sat on my other side, nodding silently.

I was still. I thought we might be having what people call 'a moment', but I wasn't sure. I wasn't a good judge of these sort of things.

"That sucked," Deynan said suddenly. "That sucked so much more than I expected it to."

Isaac nodded. "I NEVER want to feel that way again," he said firmly. Deynan nodded.

I nodded, mostly because everyone else was nodding.

It was silent once more, except for the ever constant sound of the churning of the waves.

I cleared my throat. "Hey, maybe we should look at those bags Liza threw us."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Isaac said, standing up. Deynan and I followed him.

"I still can't believe they abandoned us," Deynan muttered.

"They would've died, Deynan," I replied rolling my eyes.

"Oh. Right..."

Isaac picked up one of the bags. It was small, and made out of a coarse, yet flexible material. He pulled apart the drawstring and looked inside. He frowned. "It's...sand?"

He shrugged, passing the bag to me. I looked, and sure enough, it was filled, almost to the top, with orange sand.

I frowned. "That doesn't make any sense..."