Chapter 94 Chapter Ninety-Four

Chapter 94 Chapter Ninety-Four
The water crashed down on Sylvan’s back as though it took Isla’s power as a personal affront to the laws of nature. If he hadn’t seen the wall of water coming for them with his own eyes, he may have thought it scorching flames rising from Hell itself to lash at his back. The massive weight slammed against him, knocking them against the rocks he had carefully led her into. Isla’s cry was cut off as her head cracked against the cliffside he’d hoped to use as protection. Her body went limp in his arms. Before he could yell for her, the water swallowed them whole. Now, it was up to him, and him alone, to get them to safety. Isla had done the lion’s share; he only needed to make sure it wasn’t all in vain.
Sylvan kept Isla’s inert body secured against the rock until the waves settled into their natural rhythm. Though natural, it was nothing like the ones that would mosey upon the shores where people sunbathed or held bonfires. No, these waves broke against the rock as though they could be shaped into precious stones. The waves sliced at his back while the rocks beneath his palm and forearms cut into his flesh. He called his wolf forth: not enough to shift but to borrow its strength and stamina. He was already losing oxygen  and needed to pull himself and an unconscious Isla higher up the rocks to reach a spot no longer struck by waves. From there he hoped to either spy Ameretta or track back through the woods to Deveraux and safety.
Already, his lungs burned for oxygen he so desperately needed. Sylvan extended his claws and used them to dig into the rock. With one arm wrapped around Isla’s waist, he lunged upward through the water. He swung his arm like a grappling hook and impaled his claws into the cliffside. The sharpened edges sliced into the rock, sliding down until it finally caught and held. The sea around them worked like a vortex. The water churned and threatened to suck them back into the abyss of the cave they’d only just emerged from. Ignoring his instincts that this test was far from over, Sylvan unhooked his claws from the rock, propelled himself upward, and latched into the stone again, another few feet gained. Working like that, he managed to scrape up along the cliff foot by foot until finally his head breached the surface of the water.
Sylvan gripped tight to the rock he held and took several steadying breaths. He glanced down at Isla, whose face seemed serene: like a princess with a curse waiting for her true love’s kiss to revive her. It did not appear that she had been unable to breathe for the last few minutes as he’d scrambled up the rockface. Yet another trait of a Saltbound to add to the list? Sylvan didn’t have time to contemplate it. A large roar sounded behind him. Sylvan glanced back and felt his blood run cold as a large tidal wave rivaling those spoken of in legends that wiped out entire civilizations came barreling toward them. He looked out across the water and spotted something hovering above the surface of the part of the ocean that remained calm: a figure, an easily recognizable figure.
Even from this great distance, Sylvan could see the sly smirk Ameretta wore as the wave moved closer and closer, gathering in speed and intensity. Sylvan snarled, his distaste for this woman and her antics reaching new heights. He understood why she felt the need to test Isla; in fact, he supported it for the most part. But after the last grueling test she’d succeeded in overcoming, he was not ready for her to face another. His wolf growled in the back of his mind, thrashing against the partially opened cage Sylvan had opened. The innate desire to protect his mate was overriding all logical thought.
The wave grew closer. Sylvan saw no way out. Finally, he closed his eyes and opened the cage the rest of the way. The transition had become smoother with each shift. Hair rose higher along his body. Bones snapped at a rate that allowed a splintering pain for nothing more than a few seconds before it was gone. His nervous system vibrated as its priorities and objectives reoriented themselves. Isla slipped through his arms but was caught by the sharpened edges of his wolf’s teeth. Isla dangled like a rag doll as his wolf shoved upward over the cliffside toward safety.
Sylvan could hear the wave crashing against the rocks but not slowing in intensity. The ledge beneath his paws started to give way as the water traveled up the embankment. He heard the rumble of the cliff starting to shift. The claws of his wolf were being filed to useless dull nails as he clambered upward. Once near the top, he flung his head back before throwing it forward, tossing Isla into the air and away from the edge of the cliff. Then the ledge disappeared beneath him.
Sylvan’s wolf yelped as he tumbled downward. He shifted mid-fall and flailed his arms, trying to find purchase. He let out a grunt followed by a cry of pain as he grabbed hold of a root and heard his shoulder pop as it was dislocated from its socket. He groaned and bit his lip, trying to remind himself his mate was unconscious, with an army of determined men set about removing her type of magic from the world. He yelled again as he slung his other arm upward and latched on to the thick tree root. He tried to use his feet to dig into the cliffside, but the rock was too soft, and he continually lost his grip. The water churned beneath him like piranhas hoping for a snack.
“Sylvan,” Isla called from above him.
His eyes jerked up to find her leaning over the cliff, her hand extended downward for him to take. Without hesitation, he reached upward and gripped it fiercely. She yelled as she pulled him up. She fell backward, and he tumbled over her. Their awkward dance stopped a few feet away from the cliff’s edge with Sylvan on top of her. They both laughed as they tried to get their breath back. He brushed some wet hair from her face and smiled.
“I’m going to kill your mother.”
“Why? We passed the test, didn’t we?”
Sylvan shook his head and chuckled. “Whether we did or not, I think I’m through with her teachings,” he said, rolling away from her to lie on his back.
Isla twisted to her side and looked down at him. “Single day,” she said, pointing at him. “Past two weeks,” she said, pointing back at herself.
A rush of water cresting over the cliff made Isla and Sylvan sit up straight and scoot slightly back. “What is that?” Isla asked.
“I don’t…”
Ameretta’s head appeared, followed by the rest of her body. She rode a tall wave but stepped forward to join them on the cliff. “Well, that took long enough,” Ameretta said while taking the back of Sylvan’s hand to examine the tattoo running up his forearm.
“We needed to get out of the cave, and the only way…” Isla began.
“Was to seal the bond. Yes, I know,” Ameretta remarked, releasing Sylvan’s hand with a slight shove.
“You said I wasn’t ready,” Isla argued, her face twisting with anger. “You said I wouldn’t be able to handle my power and…”
“The fae bond must be sealed through trust, not coercion or a need for power. I sent you into a cave where your power was contained in case it grew out of control. I gave you an inescapable situation where you were forced to confront your trust in your mate. Unorthodox? Maybe. Effective?” Her eyes perused the two people still laying on the ground collecting their breath. “Remains to be seen. Now…”
Isla groaned. “I need another minute. I can’t do any more today. I just need…”
“This is no lesson. This is a reckoning.”
“What are you talking about?” Sylvan asked, sitting up and hanging his hands limply over his knees.
“You could not sense it when she was with you. Your memories from that place have been distorted in such a way that keeps you from seeing the truth,” Ameretta said with a click of her tongue and a head shake filled with disapproval.
“Enough of the riddles and the double meanings. What are you getting at?” Isla demanded.
“The dragon rider,” Ameretta said. “The female who showed up last night and immediately set about testing your bond and tearing it apart.”
“Yes?”
“Do you not believe the timing of her arrival to be a bit suspect?” Ameretta turned around.
Sylvan's gut dropped. "The Aradian Council."
Ameretta turned back to face them. “I hope these few lessons have prepared you, Isla, because our time for schooling has come to an end. I believe the council has sent their messenger. And she arrived amidst the might of dragon wings.”

Dear readers, I apologize for the lack of updates the last few days. Some of you may have known I was expecting my second child to arrive this month and she came nearly two weeks earlier than expected. While in the hospital, I wasn't aware that my scheduling system had failed, resulting in a lack of updates for you. Now that I am home and we are settling in, I'll be fixing the issue and putting out more chapters each day to make up for lost time. Again, thank you for your patience and sorry for the interruptions! - Allison