Surfacing - Book One in the Swans Landing Series

Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Daddy!” Elizabeth screamed. The group rushed forward, but the pier cracked dangerously, threatening to dump all of them into the frigid water. A human might not survive the shock of the cold for very long—nor the roaring waves that would toss him against the wooden pilings below.

Kyle and Will, the guys who had just moments ago been holding me captive, inched closer to where Mr. Connors held on. But the groaning of the pier grew louder as they moved toward the weak, rotted area and they had no choice but to back off helplessly.

My eyes darted toward the water and then back to Mr. Connors, swinging wildly as he tried to pull himself up.

“He has to let go!” I ordered.

Elizabeth looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“I can pull him to shore! But first he has to let go.”

Elizabeth shook her head and I advanced on her. Her eyes were wild with fear and desperation. She knew they could never pull her father to safety, he was too heavy and the pier too weak to support all of them crowded around the hole.

I grabbed her shoulders. “Tell him to let go. Trust me.”

Her tear-filled eyes glared at me. “Why should I?”

I resisted the urge to shake her as violently as her dad had shaken me. “Because right now, I’m the only option you have.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth, but there was no need. Mr. Connors lost his grip on the broken wood and he plummeted, screaming, into the crashing waves. I raced toward the end of the pier, unbuttoning my pants and then pausing only long enough to peel them off, not caring that everyone else was staring at me. I raced toward the broken end where there was no longer a railing and then jumped, arcing into the night air.

For a moment, I felt as if I were flying, suspended over the churning water below. Then I plummeted back to earth, crashing into the ocean.

The shock of the cold quickly turned into a searing pain as my body restructured itself. I opened my mouth, filling my lungs with salt water as bones popped and moved, and scales tore through my flesh.

I needed Josh or Dylan there to help me. I needed the song to take away this excruciating pain that kept me curled into a tight ball in the water, unable to move or help.

A thought hit me: Could I sing the song to help myself?

The lessons with Miss Gale filled my mind. She had taught me the song of the water and I focused on the melody that surrounded me, trying to hum along with it through my clenched teeth. I felt the pain ebbing away and I stretched my legs as they continued to change. My thoughts became clearer, no longer absorbed only with thoughts of the pain I endured.

I had to find Mr. Connors before the water killed him. I would not add another death to the ones the finfolk were being blamed for.

I dove down, shooting through the water toward the pilings. It was dark and murky and almost impossible to see anything within the shadows. I surfaced, but the water roared too loud here and I couldn’t hear my own voice when I called to him.

Despite my being finfolk, I still wasn’t a strong swimmer and didn’t have enough practice in the water. The waves tossed me toward the pilings, ramming my shoulder into the wood. I slipped under the surface, blowing out a stream of bubbles as I gasped at the pain.

When I resurfaced, I turned a full circle, searching the darkness for any signs of life nearby. A wave tossed me under again for a moment and I fought my way back up, shaking water out of my eyes. I was afraid that I was too late and Mr. Connors had already been bashed against the pilings all around me.