Blood Bound ||The Arcane Legacy #1

31/ Fang and Storm

The screech was loud and piercing to her ears, pouring out of the sheraki's mouth relentlessly. Avira's eyes squeezed shut as a piercing ache cut through her skull like a knife. Her legs gave way and she crumpled to her knees. Her hands were covering her ears when she felt warmth trickle into her palm. She gasped as her ears rang. The echo of the scream covered the entire ocean bouncing and recollecting itself into a stronger force.

Avira felt dizzy and nearly fell forward. With her hands propping her up, she managed a glance at Wensley. He was still gawking at the sheraki, completely unaffected by the screech in the air. When she turned around, she realized no man was affected like her.

Her skull felt full of daggers scratching her from the inside and she collapsed. Black spots flickered in her vision and she nearly succumbed to the pain. A pent-up scream itched to be released but her energy was fading.

Instead, praying that whatever was watching over her would listen, she started screaming in her mind: Colsen! Colsen, wake up! Sheraki have surrounded the ship. The sailors are under their control. Can you hear me? Colsen!

Energy seeped from her body and she collapsed, lying on her stomach. There was no way of knowing if he had heard her call since there was no reply. She only hoped Colsen had felt her urgency and pain. Now she was gasping for breath, broken nails digging into the floorboards. She felt the thudding get louder and louder until she couldn't take any more.

Then a hand reached for her shoulder. She craned her neck enough to see Colsen's dark eyes bubbling with worry. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling her up.

She gave in to his pull and unsteadily stood on shaky knees. She shook her head, words failing her. He pursed his lips and put an arm around her waist while she kept her hand around his neck. As they turned around, she saw a number of people had made their way to the deck.

More men lined rails, all staring down like in a trance. A cluster of women had gathered at the center, fear etched on their faces. Wives shook their men's shoulder as children clung to their skirts, but to no avail.

Colsen whipped his head back and forth, eyes searching for someone. Before she could rasp a question, he swore fiercely and pulled her to their right. It was dark, the moon covered by clouds, so only when they were close enough did she realize Rollen was also by the rail.

His broken arm was still strapped across his chest, clutching the rails with his left. "Rollen," Colsen called. "Can you hear me?" There was no response. 

Colsen gently disentangled himself from her. She planted her feet firmly on the floor, fighting the pain in her head. She then realized that the screech had disappeared. Colsen grabbed Rollen and turned him around.

His light brown eyes were glazed, his mouth hanging open. His chocolatey hair whipped with the wind, brushing his forehead. The dreamy expression on his face made her shudder. A tiny line furrowed between Colsen's eyes. He glanced back at her. "I'm going to try something."

He had already turned when she nodded. He grabbed the entranced man's head, palms at his temples and stared at him. A few heartbeats passed. Thunder rolled over the heavens. Avira glanced up to see an army of storm clouds had gathered overhead. Light cackled in the dark clouds, dancing in the night. Children whimpered and cried out as their mothers tried to calm them down.

Then Colsen let go of Rollen, who shook his head rapidly. He blinked a couple of times before looking around. The confusion on his face only deepened. "What's going on?" he asked.

Avira swallowed. "Sheraki have surrounded the ship and are holding the men in a trance. Women don't seem affected by them, though."

"Because men are their prey," Colsen explained, twisting his head to watch the dazed men along the rails. "Their daze doesn't work on women, and rarely children." He eyed the foggy sea. "But they eat anyone they find in their territory."