wrath of the Sea Queen (31 page)

C
a
eli continued to concentrate on the water surrounding the damaged wing.  After several attempts, she finally erect
ed
a barrier around the wing
very similar to what she had done with the leaking hull, only much larger
. 
C
a
eli
could do nothing to repair the metal,
so
she did the only thing she could.  She shielded the wing from further
aquatic
assault.

Max jump
ed
down
o
ff
his
father's lap
, made his way into the small cockpit,
and
picked up
something off the floor near the pilot's seat.

"Look!  I found it, Papa, but it's dirty
and sticky
.  I
wi
ll have to wash it when we get home.  Will you put it in your pocket, Papa?"

The boy
held out the
small object to his father, who glanced at it briefly with a furrowed brow before pocketing it.  Meanwhile, Max made his way over to where C
a
eli sat in the aisle and tapped on her shoulder.

"What are you doing down there, pretty C
a
eli?  Can I play in the water, too?"  Max's voice rang in C
a
eli's ear. 

Before she
could
respond
,
Apela
grabbed hold of
Max
and sat him
in a seat
.  He
shushed the boy and pulled a
picture
book out of his bag
to occupy
Max.  Apela
leaned over
C
a
eli and
quietly questioned her
.

"
C
a
eli, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she replied distantly.

"Are you certain?"
  Apela did not believe she was paying attention, much less giving him a real answer.  It sounded more like a polite, social response instead of a true assessment.

"Is something the matter, Apela?"  Salma overheard his question.  She was concerned about C
a
eli, too, and was curious to know if Apela had noticed a change in her condition
that she might have overlooked
.

"No.  I thought she might be hurt the way she is sitting there."

Salma considered his answer, but then finally seemed to accept it and return to her private thoughts.  Apela knel
t
down next to C
a
eli and spoke
to her privately t
his time.

"
I can see the effect you are having on our situation.  I noticed
it earlier
when the water suddenly stopped sloshing into the opening up front.  I don't know how you
a
re doing it, but I can tell that you are the one
responsible
.  No, don't be worried.  Your secret is safe with me.  I doubt the others will notice.  I only figured it out because I once knew someone who
had a talent
similar
to your own
.  I
t made me
a strong believer in performing the impossible.  What you are doing is a kindness for us all.  Is there anything I can do to help
you
?
"

C
a
eli did
n
o
t want to lie to Apela, but she also did not know how best to handle the situation.  He was the second person
, aside from Salma,
to know about her
newly discovered
talent
. 
C
a
eli found it mildly disconcerting.  She sat there a moment trying to decide how much she should tell him. 
While she
thought about it
,
Apela
reached up and pulled her forgotten blanket down from her seat and draped it around her shoulders.

"
Don't worry.  You don't have to
answer or
explain.  If what you
a
re doing might give my son
even
a few extra minutes, a chance that help might reach us in time, then it is worth it to try.
"

C
a
eli
smiled
up
at the man for his understanding and for not making her explain what she barely understood herself. 

"
I agree,
"
she
answered softly.

C
a
eli
once more
concentrated on the water and the wing of the plane.  With surprisingly
less
effort
this time
, she adjust
ed
the barrier around the wing to match the shifting of the plane.  C
a
eli hoped that her strength would hold out long enough and allow her to maintain both barriers until help arrived. 
She
had no idea how much of a toll this large
r
, on-going exertion of her new gift would take on her. 
She had been tired and sick before all this began.  The added exertion would push her to the limits of her endurance. 
Apela offered her encouragement as if he could read her unspoken thoughts.

"
I will make you a deal.  When we get
us
out of this,
you can rest at my hotel. 
I would like you and your family to come stay with us
while you're
on the island
.  I have watched both you and your aunt generously
offer
to help the others with very little regard for yourselves.  And you saved my son.  Please
,
let me return your kindness.  It
i
s the least I can do.  It would be my pleasure to have you as my guests.
"

"
Oh, we couldn't do that.  You have already said
that
you wanted to spend time with your son.  Max will certainly need you
r attention
when
this
is over
.  Besides, we already have reservations at the conference hotel, but thank you for the offer.
"

"
Well, the offer stands, in case you change your mind.  I
a
m going to sit with Max so that he doesn't disturb you again, but you nudge me if you need anything
at all
.
"
  With that, Apela returned to his seat.

"
You can k
eep an eye out for a
ny sort of
rescue team.  The
sooner they
get here
, the better
.
"

Just then, C
a
eli felt more water at her feet.  She
had allowed
her concentration slip, and
water began to trickle in through the cracked hull
again.  She quickly restored her protective barrier, but had to work twice as hard this time because he
r strength
was already
gravely depleted
from her
continuing
efforts.
  The lack of sleep last night was
now a prominent
factor in her
waning stamina
.

As she sat there getting wet
ter
by the minute
, something
else
caught
C
a
eli's
eye.  S
he saw S
alma leaning against the window with her eyes closed
.  He
r hands were clasped tightly in front of her
and
a look of deep concentration
etched
her face.  C
a
eli suspected
what Salma was attempting. 
C
a
eli
also
understood
that the cost Salma
would pay
for using her own special talent would be weariness
similar to
her
own
.

"
Ben, can you hear me?
"
  Salma's
mind sought the man she loved.

Her gift
had been
considerably enhanced and continued to grow
ever since she helped Vin and C
a
eli during the ordeal in Idaho
six months earlier
.  However, at such a great distance from the lake house, Salma doubted that she would be able to reach
Ben
.

CHAPTER
9

Ben woke from his
nap
and looked around.  Vin
slept
fitfully in the bunk next to him
,
exhausted
after that last episode with the fog and
w
ould probably
sleep
for a while yet.  A few of the guardsmen
from the plane
had come
down
and now occupied
some
of the
nearby
bunks.  Ben was climb
ing
out of his b
ed
with plans
to
go up on deck
and
check their progress when he again heard the call
that woke him
initially
.  At first, Ben thought it
to be a lingering
part of his
anxious
dream
about his wife
.