Stormy Seas - Witch Way to Go?
The boat slammed into another wave trough, and the block slipped a few more inches. Kat feared it would slide off the boat at any moment. She edged out of the wheelhouse and dropped to her hands and knees to avoid the worst of the wind.
Ivansi glanced in her direction. “No! Stay!” he shouted. She ignored him and continued to creep to the stern, water and wind lashing at her, holding the sides of the boat or anything else she could get a grip on.
“Don’t, Kat! You can’t do anything about it,” Rune yelled. With both hands occupied keeping himself and Nadia upright, he was unable to stop her.
She looked back at her brother and saw the desperation in his eyes. “Got to try,” she whispered, knowing the howling wind would whip away any words she spoke.
She reached the closest line holding the ice. Thinking hard, she tried a containment spell, gesturing with one hand while she gripped the rope with the other. The ice slipped again, tugging her to the back of the boat. The rope burned her hand, and she shut her eyes against the stinging salt spray. A huge wave hit, and Kat flew through the air, following her father’s body into the angry sea.
“No,” Rune screamed as his sister disappeared behind a huge wave. Ivansi slowed the engine, but he didn’t dare stop or try to turn back. He had to keep the boat headed into the wind or risk being capsized. The boat kept pitching with the high waves. Rune strained to extend his vision in the direction his sister and the block of ice vanished, but even his vampire eyesight couldn’t find her through the tossing waves and the wind-driven spray. The salt water stung his eyes, and the motion of the boat kept him from focusing in any one direction long enough to pick up Kat’s life force.
The wind blew them farther and farther away. Ivansi slammed the throttle to its forward stop, and with the engine screaming at full power, he attempted to bring the boat about. As he turned the bow away from the howling wind, the boat heeled over until the rail was almost under water. He had to bring it back around before it shipped too much water. Freed from the weight of Boris’ ice block, the little boat bobbed like a cork. Punching his fist against the wheelhouse wall in frustration, Ivansi brought it back. It was no use. The boat was no match for the wind and the monstrous waves. The sea tossed them around like a giant slapping the boat back and forth. Indeed, it was a giant—the giant sea playing with the toy boat.
Rune squinted against the spray and then turned back to Ivansi, whose grim face did nothing to raise Rune’s hopes.
“We go.” The old man pointed away from where Kat had disappeared.
“But we’ve got to go after her,” Rune yelled. “We can’t just leave!”
Ivansi looked away from Rune and spoke to Nadia.
Nadia turned to Rune, her eyes sad. “No choice. Boat can’t do it.”
Rune pulled away from her and slipped and slid toward the stern, searching the crest of every wave for something, anything that might be his sister. He saw nothing but the raging sea. Rune hung his head. He could see that trying to follow was useless. He held his hands up, closed his eyes and concentrated on a farseeing spell. Again, nothing. Kat was lost.
* * *
Traveling with her newly-found grandfather, a raging storm catches them unawares. Kat is tossed into the icy seas, while her brother and grandfather travel on to find help. Kat is rescued by an unlikely creature, and Rune is captured by mutants. Only the magical Midnight Oil can save her brother, but an evil forest elemental is trying to stop her.
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