Union (15 page)

With the mainsail reefed, half of Vahkil’s men were helping to fasten down the last of the cargo.

“Everyone but crew below deck! The rest of you tie yourselves to something sturdy.” The captain’s order carried to the nearest man and was repeated in yells and shouts across the rest of the ship. The soldiers immediately began to scurry down to relative safety below. “You need to go too, Your Highness.”

The urge to follow his men was strong, and the warmth and dryness of his cabin sounded like heaven, but Ryneq had never been one to run away from anything. “What do we do now?” he asked instead.

“Wait it out and hope we don’t die,” Vahkil answered, pulling hard on the wheel as wave after wave barreled into them.

“What about you and your men?”

Vahkil showed no signs of moving from his post, and the rest of the crew were already busy trying to keep the ship afloat. Ryneq hated the idea of leaving them up here while he and his men hid below.

“We’re right where we’re supposed to be, Sire,” Vakhil replied, tying a length of rope around his waist. “Here”—he tossed Ryneq the other end—“attach this to that ring behind you and make sure the knots are secure. I don’t particularly fancy a swim.” Ryneq grabbed the rope off him and fastened it tightly to the metal ring. “Now go join your men, Sire.” Vahkil must have seen the expression on Ryneq’s face, because then he added, “With all due respect, they probably need their king right about now.”

Ryneq immediately felt abashed. His men were soldiers, not sailors, and even though they were among the bravest men he’d ever met, he imagined most if not all were probably terrified by this point. If he was being honest, Ryneq had never been more scared in his life. “Good luck.” He squeezed Vahkil’s shoulder and hurried to join his men below deck.

As he pulled the doors closed behind him, Ryneq thought about Nykin and Cerylea. He prayed to all the Gods that neither of them were caught up in the storm. With any luck, the dragons and their riders could escape whatever this was and find shelter. The fact that Cerylea’s ship was nowhere to be seen meant one of two things. Ryneq firmly believed that she’d escaped this peril too. The alternative made his chest ache, and he refused to even go there.

The guards were all huddled together amid the bunks, hanging on to anything they could as the ship continued to be tossed about. They were wet, exhausted-looking, and as white as sheets. Ryneq sighed and wiped the water out of his eyes. He feared they were in for a long night.

“D
O
YOU
want some?” Nykin offered his water bottle to Selene, and she smiled gratefully.

“Thanks.” She took a long drink and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. “I can’t believe I forgot mine.” She huddled further into Nykin’s side, and he slipped his arm around her shoulders.

They had taken their turn to rest and eat and were currently perched high on a rocky outcrop of the nearest small island. Both Nykin and Selene were wearing thick furs over their uniform and gloves, but the wind had picked up considerably since they’d landed, and the chill was starting to seep in.

“Nykin, we need to get moving soon. It’s too cold out here, and something doesn’t feel right.”
Fimor nudged Nykin with the tip of his wing, pulling him closer against his side.

Kalesh and Fimor were shielding them from the worst of it with their huge bodies, and their warmth was the only thing keeping Nykin and Selene from shivering. Nykin knew they couldn’t stay here much longer. They needed to get out of the biting wind and find calmer air.

“I know. Can you contact the others? See if they’ve managed to fly above it?”

“Yes, I’ll
—
”

Fimor’s whole body tensed, and Kalesh’s low, rumbling growl made the hairs on the back of Nykin’s neck stand up. Selene grabbed his arm just as Fimor’s worried voice sounded in his head.

“We need to go now. Nykin, the ships are in trouble.”

Selene was already climbing onto Kalesh’s back, and they launched into the sky with Nykin and Fimor hot on their heels. They’d only been on the rock for an hour or so, and it shouldn’t take them long to catch up to the others, especially at the speed they were flying. He’d never gone this fast with Fimor, except on exercises, and Nykin tried not let it worry him that they needed to do it now.

The wind lessened a little the higher they climbed, and looking down directly below them, the sea appeared relatively calm.
“What’s wrong with the ships? Are they
—
”
Nykin forgot whatever he’d been about to ask because….
“Fimor, what the hell is that?”
His mouth fell open at the sight before him, and he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.

Directly in front of them, in almost a perfect circle, the sky was dark and angry with flashes of lightning streaking through it and showing the true horror before them. The sea was a turbulent mass of waves, and Nykin’s breath caught as he spotted the two ships caught in the middle of it all.

“No!” Nykin yelled out loud, needing to vent his anger and his terror. “We have to do something. Fimor!” One of the ships was listing badly. Nykin couldn’t tell which one from up here, and his heart hammered in his chest as wave after wave crashed into them both. “We need to do something… anything…. Fimor, I—”

“Nykin,”
Fimor cut in, pulling him back from his panic.
“It’s not an ordinary storm
.
”

“I can see that,”
Nykin snapped back, calm enough to answer in his mind this time. He wasn’t a fool. He knew that nothing natural could produce something like that.

“Then you will realize that there’s probably magic at work. And if we’re to have any chance at saving them, we need to join the others. Now.”
Fimor was already banking slightly to the right, and although Nykin couldn’t see, he knew that’s where Eldin and the other riders would be.

“Hurry.”
Nykin gripped the harness tight and leaned into Fimor’s neck as they shot through the sky. The cold wind whipped past his face, and Nykin shut his eyes to block out the sting. He trusted Fimor to get them there safely. All he needed to do was hang on.

Soon Nykin felt Fimor ease up and start to fly in a wide arc. He opened his eyes and strained to see anything in the darkness. They were closer to the storm circle, and the wind was so much stronger, buffeting them about. A trickle of fear slid down Nykin’s spine. If the wind was this bad outside the circle, Nykin hated to imagine what it was like inside.

“What’s happening?”

“They’ve already tried to breach the storm circle, but no one could get inside. Vashek says the magical barrier is too strong for them to break.”

“So what now?”
Nykin’s whole body trembled with worry. They were wasting precious time that the ships didn’t have. “
We can’t just do nothing, Fimor.”

“Calm yourself, Nykin. You’ll be of no use to anyone like this.”

Fimor sent a wave of soothing warmth through the bond, and for a moment Nykin was tempted to tell him to stop. He wanted to be angry and worried, but he managed to rein in his temper, because Fimor was right. Again. If Nykin was going to help those on the ships, he needed to be able to think clearly.

“Thank you
,
”
he replied instead, concentrating on breathing slow and deep.
“Is it a spell? Can we break it?”
A horrible thought occurred to him, and Nykin hesitated before speaking
. “It’s not… it’s not
elven
magic, is it?”

“No. Nykin. This is not the work of the elves.”

“Who is it, then?”
Fimor was one of the older dragons, and Nykin hoped that over the years he’d come across others who practiced magic. If the dragons didn’t know how to stop this, then Nykin had no idea what they would do.
“Fimor?”

“Sorry. I was just talking to the others.”
Fimor turned in the air, and by the feel of it, they were now flying away from the other dragons.
“Do you trust me to guide us this time?”

“Yes, of course,”
Nykin answered, clinging tight as Fimor banked to the right.
“What are you going to do?”

“A few of us have seen magic like this before. This is a witch’s doing, and the only way to break the spell is by using magic. We are magical creatures, Nykin, but we don’t possess enough individually to counter what the witch has done.”

Fimor slowed down, circling around in the same spot. Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and Nykin realized they were now on the other side of the storm circle. He could just make out some of the other dragons on either side of them.
“So, what? Are you strong enough together?”

“Yes! Exactly. Now you need to hold on as tight as you can. In order for this to work, we need to get as close as possible to the barrier. We’ll feel almost the full effect of the storm that close in, and I need to know you’re safe. Use the straps.”

Nykin resisted the urge to groan. He hated the straps—they cut into his thighs and sometimes left deep, red marks that took days to disappear. But rather that than get knocked off and fall to his death.

“Nykin?”

“Yes, okay. I’m doing it now.”
Nykin reached for the thick strip of leather attached to the saddle and pulled it tight across his right thigh. He winced as the edge dug painfully into his leg, even through the protection of his uniform.

“Make them tight, Nykin.”

Nykin huffed out a grunt in answer, fastening the strap to the buckle at the back of the saddle. He then swapped sides to repeat the process for the other leg.
“Ready.”
Nykin sat back in the saddle, and waited.

“Any second now. Prepare yourself.”

Fimor was still flying in small circles, keeping close to the storm, and Nykin was a ball of nervous anticipation as he sat clinging to Fimor’s back. He couldn’t look down. He knew that Ryneq’s ship was getting battered by the waves, but if he saw it again, he’d lose what little hold he had on his emotions.

“Now! Nykin. Hold on.”
Fimor shot forward like a bullet toward the storm circle.

Despite his warning, the move still took Nykin by surprise, and the force of it pushed him back. He struggled to drag himself back upright, and managed to hunch low over Fimor’s neck just in time. The wind slammed into them, forcing Fimor off to the side, and if Nykin hadn’t been strapped to him, he would’ve fallen off.

Fimor roared, turning his huge body back into the wind, and Nykin felt the ripple of his muscles as he used all his considerable strength to remain steady. He had no idea how the dragons planned to combat the witch’s magic. Although the dragons were creatures of magic, Nykin wasn’t aware that they could use it themselves.

They got closer and closer, fighting against the wind and the rain. Fimor drew his head back, and Nykin had the oddest feeling wash through him—like ice flowing through his veins, from his toes, all the way up his spine, and out through his fingertips. Fimor’s whole body seemed to glow in the dark night, and he opened his jaws, unleashing a stream of bright blue fire directly at the storm circle.

Nykin had never seen anything like it before. The fire looked alive as it clung to the invisible barrier. It produced long blue tendrils that weaved through the air, spreading outward and seeking the matching fire from the other dragons. Nykin watched in awe, eyes watering from the stinging wind and rain, as the wall of blue slowly surrounded the storm.

“It’s working, Nykin,”
Fimor’s voice was only a whisper in his mind, but Nykin heard him all the same.

Nykin had been so caught up with watching the blue fire, he hadn’t noticed anything else, but now that he really looked, he could see it. Fimor was right—it was working. The storm circle was getting smaller. Only a little at first, but as Nykin continued to stare, it moved inward, leaving calm seas in its wake.

Fimor followed after it, breathing more fire into the barrier, and not stopping until it covered the whole of the circle with pulsing blue flame. Nykin could see the other riders clearly now, all of them illuminated by the glowing barrier. They were close to each other, and he easily made out Selene and Kalesh to the right, and Eldin and Vakesh to the left.

All of them hunched low over their dragons, just like Nykin, concentrating on just hanging on. The wind began to die down as the circle got smaller and smaller, the rain trailing off into a soft drizzle. Nykin finally allowed himself to look down, and he sagged against Fimor in relief as he saw both ships, looking more than a little worse for wear, but thankfully now outside the storm.

“Fimor, look.”
The first rays of dawn began to break through.

“I see them, Nykin. Just a little longer and we can go down and check on Ryneq.”