Page 39 of The Unbound Witch

She wiped the rain from his face as she smiled. “No goodbyes.”

“There,” Torryn yelled, jutting his chin forward.

I could hardly see it through the rain that fell in sheets and the wind that tossed the ocean waves as tall as the ship. But in the far distance, barely discernible, was a magical barrier. A massive glimmering wall. A promise of magic and home if only we could reach it. We remained silent for a long time, the others gripping the ropes holding them down as the ship battled the sea in a torrent of fury and chaos.

The humans on the lower deck became sluggish, exhausted. I wondered if they could see the wall and, if so, what they knew of our journey. Though Crow gripped his wheel with confidence, he’d lost his conviction. The finish line was so close, but the sea and sky did not relent. We made no forward motion. Simply battling to stay above the water. The ship's nose rose so high in the air it was nearly perpendicular to the sea. The humans all hung by their ropes, Bastian holding Raven as they smashed into the railing. Torryn gripped Atlas with one arm, the veins in his forearms straining as he held the rest of the weight with the rope coiled around him.

“Come on, you bitch,” Crow yelled, eyes wild as he gripped his wheel for dear life, daring the ocean to break him. “I was born to this sea, and I’ll fucking die by it.”

“Remind me again why we picked this guy,” I bellowed into Bastian's ear as the ship came slamming down onto the surface again.

He smiled genuinely. “Only a crazy bastard would ever do this more than once.”

“We're not going to make it,” Rave called out, the wind whipping her soaked black curls across her face.

“We are,” Bastian shouted, determined. “The second we get across that barrier, I'll cast a door. Get through it by whatever means necessary.”

“No. The people on deck won't make it back. You have to let me counter the storm with my power. Maybe I can calm the sea,” Raven argued.

“You can hardly stand on your own two feet,” I shouted at her. “You’ll kill yourself trying to do something like that.”

Bastian gave me a look that I'd seen before on Grey's face. One that he'd given me just before I was questioned about Breya's death ahead of everyone else. He wanted me to trust him. To let her cross and him die if it meant she lived. And I would, even if she hated me for it.

16

RAVEN

Only the lightning crawling across the black expanse provided enough light to see any part of the war between ocean and sky. We had to be getting close to the barrier, but that would mean nothing if we couldn't pass through. The crew grew tired, Crow soon after, even we, the passengers, were exhausted. Bastian stood tall behind me, arm firmly around my waist as the storm raged on, content to take our ship down. Kirsi was near, though we couldn't see her. Occasionally she would shout above the pouring rain and sharp wind, but for the most part, it was only us in the violent world. Torryn holding Atlas, Eden clutching the Moss Coven Grimoire to her chest, Crow screaming at the sky like a lunatic.

The tip of the enormous ship rose once more toward the sky, forcing everyone to cling to the ropes tied around them for dear life. The creaking and groaning of the vessel held my heart clutched in its foreboding hands as I held Bastian tighter.

“The ship is going to flip,” Crow yelled. “That or break in half. You better make a plan, King.”

My heart plummeted. “How close are we to the barrier?”

No one answered. He couldn't hear me. But I could feel it. A tiny kernel of power like static I couldn't quite reach.

“How close?” I screamed.

A bolt of lightning struck salty ocean water nearby as the tumbling ship crashed back down to the angry sea. Anything on board had long been tossed over, several of the crew members had also been lost to the gripping fists of the waves thrashing the ship. Feet planted solidly back on the deck, I turned in Bastian's arms to force his attention to me. Cold determination sat in those silver eyes as he stared straight ahead, jaw tight as if he alone could will us closer to our destination. I placed a soaked palm to the coarse hairs on his cheek, shaking him from his own horror-filled imaginings.

“Can you feel it?”

“No. Not yet.” He paused, drawing back. “Can you?”

I nodded as the boat tossed to the left, taking on more water before righting itself. “We're nearly there. I just don't know how close.”

“Whatever you're thinking, don't do it,” he shouted. “You're not strong enough. You'll hurt yourself.”

“I have to try. That or we all die. Which is your preference?”

“No!” Kirsi screamed from somewhere nearby. “Listen to him, Rave. If we are as close as you say, he can cast a door. We'll go through.”

The ship lifted again, the planks of wood snapping in half directly in the middle. The crew below became a chorus of screams and shouts of chaos.

“She's going to break,” Crow yelled. “I hope you really do have those strong swimming arms.”

Again, a tiny tug of magic swarmed within me. I stole a glance at Bastian, but no markings appeared, and he hadn't seemed to feel it. Shouting came from behind us as Torryn and Eden frantically untied their ropes.