Chapter thirteen
The ship moored in the harbor near the Island.
It was a sight that stole her breath if she were honest. Each time her eyes moved in a different direction, Elanor saw something spectacular in green or blue. The water sparkling under the sun’s beams was so beautiful. Its glistening waves unlike the dark murky water that they’d sailed on from Inglid.
Here the water almost a green, yet still held a blue reflecting from the sky. And she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering to the Island again. White sand! She’d never seen such a color for sand on a beach. And the trees, they had strange leaves that spiked wide and had strange bark on their trunks. Giddy excitement held her entranced the entire time the crew unloaded the ship. Her eyes kept darting from sight to sight. It wasn’t until Derek came up behind her to stand that she’d realized how long she’d been in her trance.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” He said with a pride.
“I’ve never seen anything so vibrant! How did you find this place?”
“About four years ago, we were caught in a hell of a storm. It blew us into this harbor… Well after Caspin did a lot of fancy moving of the ship over some reefs back there. We had damage to the ship. While we were making repairs, we decided it was a perfect place to stay. He brought his family and some others that year.”
“Amazing.” She laughed feeling energy vibrant and up lifting. He gestured towards the rope ladder edged over the rail.
“We’ve finished, time to go ashore.”
Elanor made her way to the rail looking over. Below a small boat shifted lazy in the waves. It was a very long way down.
“I don’t know, we’re really high up. Is there another way to go?” She felt the span of his hand smooth over the small of her back, rubbing gently.
“I’ll go first and then you. I won’t let you fall, I promise.” He gave her another reassuring pat on the back before hefting his leg over the rail. He stood on the rope ladder, one hand on it with the other gesturing to her to follow. She felt her heart jump in her chest, fear coiling in her belly like a heavy lead snake. She couldn’t let go of the feeling that she would be betraying her mission. She had to attempt one last time to change his mind.
“I don’t want to. Won’t you just restock the ship and take me back? Please? I don’t think I could do this even if I wanted to.”
His laugh wasn’t mean, he seemed genuinely trying to help her.
“You’ve just faced an angry dragon and pirates! What’s a short drop from a ship?” He teased completely ignoring her plea to go back again. “What’s the worst that could happen? You’ll fall into the water.”
Break your bones into pieces and drown slowly after, she thought fretfully.
His hand again gestured for her to draw near again. “You’re still a good swimmer aren’t you?”
Reluctantly she lifted her own hand and placed it into his. He pulled her towards the rail.
“Yes, I can still swim. During the summer we went to a pond every day at Nain’s.” He smiled, nodding as he helped ease her right leg up towards the rail. Her skirt hitched at her thigh though, making her pull on it to give some more room for her leg to lift. He stopped a moment then. “Wait… put your leg back down a moment.”
She did as he said, looking at him expectantly.
“Put a knot in your skirt, about knee high, not too tight though so it doesn’t make it hard for you to bend your knees.” She realized almost instantly why he’d instructed that. It helped to focus on the skirt knotting. Her nerves having something to keep occupied. It only lasted as long as the tying had.
After she finished, his hand extended again to her. “Up and over my darling.”
She took a deep breath, putting one leg over. Her fear returned in full force. She felt his arms slide around either side of her, gripping the ladder.
“I’ve got you. Now, one rung at a time.”
He moved a step down, she followed.
A slow process. He would step. She would step.
Her eyes kept trained on the rail above them. It eased her heart a little more with the growing distance of the rail. But then it would pick back up with the sway of the ladder with the breeze and water gently rocking the ship. She didn’t dare look to see how much further there was to go, focusing completely on getting down in one piece.
In the rhythm of their stepping, she didn’t notice when he stopped until she stepped down completely into his space on the ladder.
“What’s wrong?” Panic thrust into her stomach like a fist. “Why did you stop?” Were they going to fall? Behind her, his body pressed her against the ladder; forming her body perfectly against his.
“It’s hard to concentrate with your body shifting against me like that.” His face nuzzled into the back of her neck and hair.
“Are you insane? I thought we were in trouble!” Fear made her snap. He pressed forward again this time his hips into her bottom.
“Derek!” She squeaked. “This is not the time to be doing that!”
“I’ve day dreamed about taking you to that beach over there for a long time.” His voice husky in her ear, his grin out of the corner of her eye, charming. She tried to smoother the involuntarily sensations he caused with the fan of his breath and embrace of strong arms. He’d purposefully used the situation to trap her. He didn’t call himself a caster but he sure knew how to put her under a spell.
“We need to go down-”
“-lying with you in the sun. Worshiping every inch of your body.” His hand left the ladder, gripping her right hip to pull her back against him again.
“This makes me want to hike your skirt up right now.” He growled. The warm breeze picked up and a sudden crash back to reality came when the rope ladder shuttered from a quick gust.
Elanor gave a surprised cry, clinging to the ladder. Derek’s arms flexed as he held them both firm until the ladder stopped jerking against the ship.
“Please, just get me off this ladder.” It sounded like someone else’s voice.
“We’re almost down, just a little ways. Come on,” He reluctantly gave up the game. They started their stepping in sync again. “That’s it. We’ll get down safe enough and then I’ll show you your new home. It‘s just up the path from the beach.”
Home? He was still holding onto the idea that she was staying. Worse, she’d encouraged his attentions just now. She felt a wave of shame wash over her.
She stopped.
“Come on Elanor, we’re almost down. We won’t fall, just step down towards me.”
“No. Derek, you have to take me back to NewLlynn, to Inglid.”
A frustrated sound. “Not that again. We can discuss it later if we must. But right now, let’s just get down from here. ” He said.
She didn’t move. “I’m going back up. I’ll stay on this ship until you-” A grunt cut in. He pried her hands from the ladder. He twisted her roughly around to face him. She stared, stark terror now slamming her heart against her chest.
“What are you doing! We’re going to fall!” She put her arms around his neck, clinging in fear.
“Good idea, let’s fall.” A sudden thrust of his body and they were dropping down towards the water. She screamed for but a breath before they were swallowed by the waves. When her head surfaced, she coughed, sputtering salt water. He swam towards the small boat without looking to see if she followed.
“It’s so warm.” She said dazed.
After realizing she wasn’t dead or in pain from the drop, it occurred to her the water had been close. And as warm as cooling tea water. Derek untied the smaller boat from the ship, reaching over the side to pull her in. Like a fish flopping in, she wiggled, struggling to sit up once in. Once she settled, he started rowing towards shore.
She refused to look at him.
“Stop pouting.”
“I’m not pouting.”
“The sooner you accept this, the better it will be.”
It was her turn to make an aggravated sound.
“No, the sooner you realize I can’t stay here, I have to go back, the better.” Crossing her arms, she gave a frustrated cry. “I won’t stay here!”
“Why?”
“I’ve told you! Because my family needs me.”
“This is about your sister, right?” He stopped rowing, glaring at her accusingly. “You thought you’d go off alone to find Meagan? Ela, she’s gone. You have to accept that.”
“I know she’s alive. And I know where she might be.”
“How do you know she’s alive? Someone found her?”
“No. Not yet…. I just know she’s alive and North.” Her lips pressed together stubbornly. He wouldn’t understand, anymore than her family. She would prove it once she got back on track. The vibrant vision of Meagan in the north had been of tending a garden of all things. Elanor knew it to be Istland, from visiting cousins.
“You’re being impulsive, reckless and stubborn. If I hadn’t been there Elanor, you’d be with pirates in a slave market right now.” His tone dark, his grip on the oars so tight his knuckles were white. “And you would be dragon food!” She shot back.
“You should have sent word to me.” His voice didn’t raise this time. Instead, a velvet deep chested tone carried that message to her.
Elanor felt compounded guilt instantly. It had been inevitable this conversation would come up. The really emotional conversations always did come at odd times. He would never be able to understand why she’d left for the country side with her family. To him, that night they hadn’t done anything wrong. But she’d betrayed her mother and sisters by pretending to be sick so she could run off to spend time with Derek. Her Mother had been killed because of a witch hunter trying to discover if they were indeed the five elemental witches. The horses had spooked from the chaos of the chase and the carriage had over turned. Such a simple explaining of a night when death and loss had been a tremendous impact.
And now, she betrayed them all over again for being here with him when they surely were sick with worry over her being lost to pirates, and Meagan…so far out of reach.
“You’re not being sensible about any of this. We’re meant to be together. You still feel it too. But you’re holding onto the past in the wrong damn way!”
He didn’t look like him again. This man before her, angry. Bitter. Not the charming, teasing man she had known all her life. “We should have come here together. We would have been happy and settled right now if you hadn’t left.” He shook his head as he rowed. “We made vows to each other that night, Elanor. I won’t bring you back, not now, not ever.”
“But my mother died! My little sister was missing! My father thought it best too that we go live with my Nain. How could I do anything but to grieve with my family?” The full truth of it would only upset him more. She had asked her Father to go to Nain’s. She knew it had best for them to be apart, for good. As much as it broke her heart to leave him, it was the right thing to do. Her Grandmother’s country home had been the safest if more witch hunters were after them in any case.
“You could have stay with me! I would have taken care of you, you know I would have!”
“It wasn‘t-”
Her eyes welled with tears, spilling over her cheeks. Those words cut her deeper than a knife ever would.
“I’m sorry. I truly am.”
He reached out, touching her hand. “Then stay with me now. We have another chance.”
Part of her wanted to give into the old feelings always on the edge of her conscience. But she couldn’t. She needed to redeem herself. She had to find Meagan for her Mother. For her family.
“It’s not that easy. You’re an only child so you don’t understand the bond between my sisters and I. And your family isn’t as close as mine. You don’t understand when one is hurt we’re all hurt. My father is out of his mind worried right now, Derek. Your plan is hurting them.” She pleaded, her face contorting with the pain she felt inside. “Please take me back.”
His face changed from different emotions until that familiar closed look covered it. His mouth set, a nerve ticked at his jaw.
“I used to think your family would be my family too. I’ve changed Elanor. I do know about being a close family from living here.” He took a breath and let it out forcefully as he rowed. “You aren’t going anywhere. This is your home. I let you grieve with your family and take to the country side but look where it got us. I’m deciding what’s best for us both from now on. Sooner or later I know you’ll stop being stubborn. This is what we’ve always wanted.”
They had gotten nowhere again. The line drawn and neither would move over it. She couldn’t sit in the boat with him; his face made her furious and his words made her heart ache.
“Fine, if you won’t help me, then I will find someone who will.”
“I wish you much luck on that.”
She grabbed her skirt, bunching it in a swift motion, lifting off the bench seat of the boat to launch herself in the water. It wasn’t that far to shore. She could hear him cursing and then calling her name as she cut through the water with even strokes. Reaching the shore in no time, her feet peddled hard through the soft shifting sand towards the trees.
There was a small dock with a beaten path leading to it. He’d been rowing towards it from the ship. That had to be the way to the town or village. She’d find someone there to take her back. Elanor gave one look over her shoulder to see him rowing hard towards the dock.
She bolted for the path.