Aella (manxman) - ON HOLD

Part III~~ ch1~My first sail

Ceri   (my baby Ceri in the pic)

I opened my eyes with difficulty. The sun was up high, but my mind and body were too drained to care. I started stretching and immediately whimpered as my bones ached, mostly my side and my foot but a few other places joined in the game of making me suffer. As I settled down from my moans, I managed to slowly regain my consciousness. I couldn't open my eyes fully as I felt more weight on my right eye so it stayed half closed.

I turned to lay on my better side and I suddenly became aware that I was alone.

Despite the difficulty, I pushed myself up with my hands and looked around. The waves still swayed the raft, the paddles were beside me, one of them was broken with only its blade remaining there. I lifted my eyes to find the sea extending to the horizon from all directions.

And there I was, alone on the raft in the middle of the vast sea.

I leaned closer to the water and the raft tipped dangerously. The sea beneath me was so dark that it made my heart sink with fear. Another wave hit, almost throwing me into the sea with the way I was leaning forward. I yelped and pushed back, evening the swaying wood. Wave after wave, rhythmically passed, some of them deciding to get spilled on the raft. The cold water coated my hands and legs making me doubt that this was a dream.

I kept looking around me frantically. Maybe, just maybe, he was here and I was too stupid to see him! Maybe my eyes were playing a trick on me!

"I-I-I-Ithel?" I called, my voice almost whispering his name. Then I raised it the best I could and shouted. Again and again, hoping he'd hear me and come back.

What happened? We were together! He was here, holding me close!

I slept... how could I? How could I simply sleep like an idiot!!

What was going on???

This couldn't be happening... I could barely fathom what occurred last night, or more precisely this very early morning. I believed that Drita did find me again. That part was so awful to be just a vision or a dream. And I believed that I did stab her because I aimed for her throat but ended up stabbing her in the chest, or was it shoulder? Either way, I failed.

What I wasn't certain of was everything that happened afterward. I tasted sea water. I was on the rocks... How did I get into the sea? And...... the beautiful Aella that called my name under the water. She had a smile that warmed my heart in a way that I've never felt before. She was.........

She was the spirit of my mother, the pretty Dilara. Did the others see her too? Was she even real??

And then there was a fight. My memory was totally messed up, but I thought I saw my father, bravely kicking the Aella hunters and keeping them back.

Was he truly there? Did he sail back when he heard that I was in trouble? Or was it because Cailyn called for his Aellos?

I called for him as we sailed away... I called but he didn't answer, he didn't look at me... maybe he didn't hear me, or maybe he wasn't even there