Born of Water

Born of Water Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

TY'S ISLAND

"I won't go with you!"

Ria's shout echoed in Ty's ears as he stormed down the inn's stairs and hurtled toward the exit. As he took the ten paces from the bottom step to the door, he saw heads turn and a few people rise from their seats. His dash burst into a run.

He hit the small skiff Skree had lent him with both feet, his momentum surfing it away from the end of the short dock. The slipknot pulled out with one practiced tug and he was fifteen feet from the dock before he even sat down to grab the oars. No one pursuing him would have any chance of catching up.

The dock extended back to the small town of Drufforth without a soul along its length. A great seabird spread its black-tipped, alabaster wings and took off to skim toward the far end of the bay. Ty bit the oars in deep and hauled back with all his might.

He was halfway around the point of the bay, fighting the tide and wind, when his fury finally left him. His cheeks were damp but he would have denied to the world that it was anything other than sea spray. In futile disgust, Ty slammed the oars into the skiff. The tide caught the boat and it bobbed along on the swells, finding a direction dictated by forces greater than him.

Today, the waves tossed him up on a small island north of Drufforth's bay. Ty waded through brisk water to drag the skiff onto pale, crystalline sand. He flopped onto the ground next to the boat to stare across a stretch of deep-blue water to the mountainous forest towering over the shore.

"My sister is in there somewhere," he said to the tiny sand lizard that poked its head into the sunlight next to him. It blinked as disturbed sand grains rained down around its head. Ty gritted his teeth and lay back, feeling the sun-warmed sand through his shirt. Arm across his eyes, he couldn't see the dark forest or its stunted twin on the island. There were only the sounds of wind and waves against the beach. He could have been anywhere.

The dreams rose the instant he relaxed into the blackness. This time it was the night of the council meeting in Lus na Sithchaine. Before him stood Niri, Ria, and Lavinia, silhouettes barely discernible in the dark. His stomach clenched as first Ria and then Lavinia supported Niri's actions. Lavinia placed a hand on Niri's shoulder as she stepped forward and spoke.

In the swarms of living light, three Kith stood watch, weighing the words spoken. Their eyes were on Lavinia, one set concerned, one heavy with thoughts, and the last with a look that boiled fury in Ty's chest. The Kith that his sister had whispered to Ria was Darag gazed at Lavinia with a proud fondness. It was a look too unmasked and far too intimate for Ty's liking. Lavinia did not belong in Lus na Sithchaine. She certainly did not belong with a Kith boy.

His sister's words echoed from the forest, growing louder with each reflection. "She saved our lives, twice."

Ty bolted awake. Sand scattered from the folds of his clothing as he sat up, sending three lizards diving for protection. He held his head for a moment, rubbing his eyes while the knots in his stomach unwound. The daylight was too bright for his eyes. The faces in his dream haunted his mind, but they were better than the nightmare version of his failed apprenticeship. Or the dream from the night before where he battled the Curse alone while Niri taunted and called it to destroy him.

"It wasn't just him," Ty said to the nervous lizards on the beach, offering them some of the bread he found in his pocket. The thin, tan creature with scales that glinted like tiny crystals froze, cocking its head to look at the food with one eye. It flashed a deep violet color, lunging forward to grab the morsel before squirming into the sand. Ty chuckled and then sighed at the empty beach.