Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Chapter 20

"Do you hear that?" Cord asked.

"Hear what?" Mikko said, straining her ears. The other men had begun to murmur, but the captain stood steadily, keeping his eyes forward.

Then, she heard it. It was a strange sound, clear and silvery, echoing through the fog. It sounded almost like a yell, yet it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

"Could it be a call for help?" Mikko asked.

"From what?" Ephraim said.

"I . . . " Mikko paused as she watched the men crowd to the rails of the ship. They shuffled to the edge, their eyes glassy and their mouths slack. Even Ephraim left her side and joined the crowd, pushing through to the front of the crowd.

"Ephraim? Ephraim!" she cried. He did not answer. She rushed to the captain, who was still clutching the helm. "Captain, what's happening?"

"Be quiet, boy!" he growled. Sweat was streaming from his temples. "It's only a legend, only a legend . . . "

"What? What legend?" the keening had grown louder, and new pitches had joined it, creating a melody that stole the breath from her. Maybe if she went to the rail, she could hear it better, or at least catch a glimpse at whatever beautiful creature was making such a sound.

"Boy! Stay focused!" the captain said. "I need you to look out for rocks ahead." Mikko blinked and shook her head. Going to the rail in such perilous waters was suicide; even she knew that. She stayed close to the captain, searching the fog for dark shapes. She wanted to go to the rail so badly, but she resisted, keeping her eyes ahead. Her stomach began to hurt and the song grew deafening.

"Ah!" the captain screamed, clutching his ears. The wheel spun wildly, and the ship listed to the side. She heard a few sickening splashes.

"Captain! The wheel!" Mikko cried. Blood began to leak through his fingers, and he fell to his knees. Mikko grabbed the wheel, trying to fight it back to a steady position. She yelled, forcing it still, her arms burning in protest. She gritted her teeth and held it steady. "Please!" she called. Her arms trembled as waves battered the sides of the ship and the current picked up. The sound had reached a fever pitch. Two cliffs emerged from the fog, looming above the ship. "No!" she cried, heaving the wheel against the current. But she was too late.

The ship hit the bottleneck sideways, breaking in half with a deafening crack. Mikko was thrown from the ship, colliding with the water. She was stunned; wreckage fell past her seemingly in slow motion, sinking to the darkness below. The water was a lovely turquoise . . . it reminded her a bit of home . . . 

Blackness was closing around her when she felt something grip her arms. They groped her chest, pulling at her shirt and the cloth that bound her breasts. She made a feeble attempt to swat at them, but she was losing consciousness fast. She heard a clicking, and then she felt herself moving, much too quickly, and then suddenly she could hear the crashing waves, feel the cold air whip across her face. She gasped and coughed, and she felt herself being carried away; or was the current pulling her away? She should swim. . . but she was so tired . . .

When she woke next, she was prostrate on a flat, dark gray rock. The waves were crashing around her, sea spray showering her with each crash. She sat up slowly, gingerly feeling her head and limbs for wounds. Her fiery hair was unbound, falling nearly to her waist. She had been deprived of her top and her bind, leaving her breasts and stomach exposed to the cold air. There was a small pile of fish next to her. They reeked, but her stomach ached in a way it never had; she carefully picked up one of them, and it promptly slid out of her hands back onto the rock. She sighed.