Chapter 90 Chapter Ninety

Chapter 90 Chapter Ninety
Isla sat beside Sylvan on the small row boat while they moved further and further along the rocky cliffsides where the ocean thrashed against the Deveraux mountains. The oars sat uselessly in their laps as Ameretta stood at the bow. Rather than the motion of the oars, it was the water itself which pulled them toward their destination. Isla couldn’t figure out what her mother was doing to persuade the water to move them. Her palms weren’t held outward, her eyes weren’t closed, her lips did not move. It was as if she had convinced the water to help based on her thoughts alone. Saltwater sprayed against Isla’s skin as the boat sailed through the waves as though they were in a tranquil pond and not amid the choppiest portion of water that stood between the shore and open ocean.

“Here, this will do,” Ameretta announced as if she didn’t hold command over the vessel they rode.

Isla and Sylvan glanced around themselves, curious to see what the queen had planned next. Sylvan raised a brow and smirked at Isla while he sat back and started to whistle, completely at ease knowing he merely stood as witness and boat procurer. Isla brushed her hands nervously against her skirt and stood to her feet, stumbling a bit as the boat rocked along the waves. Ameretta turned just in time to see Isla grip Sylvan’s shoulder to steady herself, and Sylvan place a hand on her waist as an added point of stability.

“Hm, well, as with the first lesson, this one will need to be done in an expedited fashion,” Ameretta informed her daughter.

“Why am I not surprised?” Isla asked, casting a knowing glance down at Sylvan, who merely winked.  “Shall you throw me into the surf and tell me to calm the waves? Perhaps latch me to the cliffside and strike me with water until I’m able to combat it?”

“Both are good suggestions,” Ameretta said, nodding along. “If I felt putting you in danger would teach you anything.”

“Okay, so removing danger…” Isla looked around. “Exactly how do you get me prepared for defending against the strength of the ocean?”

Ameretta took two steps forward on the cramped boat. Her hands were behind her back. She did not stumble; she did not waver; instead she walked as though she stood on firm ground with guards at her side.

Ameretta smirked at her daughter, her aquamarine eyes glinting with devious intent. “Who said anything about removing danger? I merely said putting you in danger would be a useless task.”

A single flick of the fae queen’s wrist. That’s all it took. The boat tipped sideways. Water cracked the hull of the vessel as it reached inward and seized Sylvan by the arm. A disgruntled growl tore through his throat as he was ripped from the small bench seat he’d been casually sitting on. One second her mate was seated, watching them with great interest, then Isla blinked, and the ocean had swallowed him whole.

“Sylvan!”

Isla threw herself down, reaching her arms over the side of the vessel as if he were just below the surface. Her hands met only cold, restless water. Her eyes caught the current, an unnatural surge of water carrying something massive toward the cliffside. Isla shoved herself up from the side of the boat and wheeled on her mother.

“What have you done?!” she screeched, feeling the panic and anger of her mate shred through her chest, which only amplified her own. She could feel him fighting the current, the shift of his wolf as it took over to lend its strength, the desperation for air as his struggle against the current turned to a crippling need for oxygen. She gripped her mother by her dress sleeves. “Bring him back!”

Ameretta merely smiled. “No.”

“At least let him up for air! He’s dying!”

“He will have air to breathe in a moment,” Ameretta remarked with a sigh as she sat down on the bench Sylvan had vacated. “It is imperative to your training that you…”

“Kill my mate?!”

“For the gods’ sake, Isla, calm down. He will find relief in a moment. He is being carried to the back of an underwater cave,” Ameretta said, gesturing toward the cliffside. Isla followed her mother’s flippant wave. “If I were to throw you into the ocean, your defenses would turn to survival instinct. Your fae would come forward to preserve itself, and you would learn nothing other than that your fae will always protect you if you are in peril.”

Relief flooded through Isla’s body as she felt her mate take a gasping breath. She fell to the floor of the boat as though it were her own lungs taking in air for the first time in minutes. Pain ripped through her chest, down to her limbs as the oxygen flooded into her system.

“I told you he would be fine. For now.”

“For now?” Isla asked, glaring up at her mother.

Ameretta shrugged and looked upward at the overcast sky. “You’ve learned the flow of the tide by now. Surely you can time when it will flood the cave completely and drown your mate.”

“So, what? You want me to go into the cave and bring Sylvan out?” Isla asked, struggling to get to her feet as she continued to feel the effects from the lack of oxygen Sylvan had experienced for too long.

Ameretta chuckled. “The pressure inflicted when water is forced into a small cavern is too immense for you to get through at this stage in your training.”

Isla sighed. “Alright…”

Ameretta stood. “All you have to do is find your way into the cave and keep it from drowning your mate.”

“Won’t I just awaken my fae when the water comes in? You just said it would activate to defend against death, so what’s the…”

“Against yourself, yes, but not your mate.”

“But… he’s my mate,” Isla argued. “He is as much a part of me as my…”

“Your wolf, yes,” Ameretta explained. “Your fae has not been vowed; it has not mated.” Ameretta sighed and looked down. “When a fae is mated, the connection between them and their mate is unmatched, even compared to the wolf bond. The power and leverage your mate will have will be a magnificent but dangerous thing. However, before that happens, a fae’s power is a selfish entity. If your mate cannot protect himself, it will see them as weak and sacrificial.” Ameretta narrowed her eyes, wanting Isla to fully grasp what she said. “If that water comes in and you are not able to defend against it. If you cannot protect your mate and hold back the desire your fae has to take over, Sylvan will die.”

“What if I fail? I could not keep the tide from touching my toes for nearly a week. If I do not succeed, what are the fail-safes?” Isla asked, glancing down at the churning water. Ameretta was silent. When Isla looked back up, her mother’s face was grave. “There are no fail-safes.”

Ameretta shook her head. “There was a shift in the water this morning, Isla. Trouble is imminent. Your time for preparation is nearly over. I cannot allow you a week to learn this lesson. This is it: pass or fail.”

Ameretta sat down on the bench, telling Isla she was done talking. Isla looked back out at the water. She tried to remember how long it had been that Sylvan was out of breath. Four minutes? At the speed with which the water had carried him, it would take her nearly ten to swim without aid unless she could channel her fae enough to move faster.

“You may want to remove the outer ribbing of your dress,” Ameretta suggested, most likely the only piece of advice she’d relay.

Isla gave a distracted nod, still trying to formulate a way to get through this task without killing her mate and, in turn, herself. She unbuttoned the top layer of her dress and let it fall to her feet.

Sylvan? Isla sent through their mindlink.

I’m okay! he called back. I’m in some sort of cave. There’s light from openings at the top of the corridor, but they’re too small for me to fit through.

I’m coming.

There was a pause. It’s a long swim, Isla.

I know. Just hang on.

I’ll be here.

Isla didn’t take a deep breath; she knew she didn’t have to. Instead, she closed her eyes and took a slow inhale. She tilted her chin toward the sky, imagining the oxygen feeding her blood all the way down to her toes. Exhale. She imagined the oxygen sticking to her blood vessels, gripping tight to ensure she had enough contained within to lend her enough time to get to her mate. Another long inhale. Without opening her eyes, she launched herself into the water. The speared points of her fingertips pierced the frigid water as she sailed a dozen feet away from the boat and her mother.

Using the lesson she’d learned, she felt for the energy around her with each stroke of her arm through the water. Soon the energy became a tangible thing. She could feel the smooth, electric tension rippling across her body as she moved against the current, wanting to throw her back out to sea. As she pulled her arm back and circled it forward with her stroke, she manipulated the energy to move with her rather than against her. She fought a gasp as she surged several feet forward with the renewed trajectory of the energy. She did the same with her other arm, and again she found herself moving faster through the water.

Isla opened her eyes in disbelief and found that not only were her tattoos glowing and a small band of light allowed her to see through the dark water, but the energy around her body seemed to shimmer and spark. Isla smiled to herself, gathering the energy she felt coursing around her in order to propel her with more vigor. Soon she was gliding through the water with ease. She entered the hidden opening of the cave her mate had been sucked into. Freshly loosened rocks told her the opening had been made larger when his body was hurled into it. She could scent his blood in the water, and her anger at her mother renewed. She had not been gentle with her daughter’s mate.

Once Isla made it through the opening, the current took hold of her, and she choked in surprise as it towed her inside with a force that rivaled anything she’d felt outside. She was helpless to fight against the pull that carried her toward where the cave would open up. The water spiraled and churned, spinning her in every direction in a way that disoriented her. She didn’t know how long she was carried in such a manner, but knew it was long and harsh enough for her air to dwindle. A warm hand caught her forearm, and Isla was hauled upward. She coughed and hacked up water as she was pressed down onto a smooth, rocky surface.

“Isla!” Sylvan called.

Isla inhaled sharply. Her eyes flew wide, and she looked up at her mate, his hair dripping wet, his expression frantic as he gripped her cheeks between his palms. She lurched upward and clutched him by the shoulders, trembling from the sudden loss of control she’d felt when the current took hold of her body.

“It’s okay, I know, it’s okay,” Sylvan whispered into her neck.

Isla pulled back and examined his face and exposed skin. She could make out the healing scrapes and scratches he’d sustained from his own ordeal. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine. I can’t say my wolf’s pride isn’t hurt or that your mother will necessarily be safe the next time we cross paths,” Sylvan answered with a smirk that did nothing to hide the fury in his eyes. He brushed his thumb over her cheek and sighed. “So, I take it this lesson isn’t one of retrieval but something exponentially worse?” he guessed.

Isla stood with the help of Sylvan’s firm hand. She glanced around herself, gathering her bearings in the small cave opening that featured a speckled ceiling with small cracks of sunlight peeking in, a tidal pool of water and a smooth rock landing barely the size of the bedroom they’d woken from hours before. She looked down at Sylvan, who remained crouched on the ground, his brow creased with worry. Isla let out a frustrated puff of air.

“I need to start practicing.”