LITMIR.BIZ

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over the next wave. Up and up. I was the ship, feeling the poetry of its beautifully crafted timbers - feeling those timbers screaming and cracking under the pounding water. I made myself light - felt myself rising and suddenly I was at the top of the wave in the screaming wind and below was a huge glassy black drop. I felt the ship begin to topple. I turned us, righted us, and held us back as we went sliding down that incredible watery slope, the sound of sailor's voices screaming in our ears.

      And then another monstrous mound of water loomed above us cutting out all light and leaning over to fall down upon us again.

      Oh, the power of the sea! It was too mighty for even the remotest chance of stilling the storm. I had never felt anything as powerful, not even when I had fought Bedazzer the demon back when I was 17. The sea wasn't hungry or even angry. It was just raw, mindless power thundering out of control, smashing and smashing. The ship and I were a tiny wooden cocoon that struggled on and on, dragging ourselves up though each terrifying wave and sliding down each vertiginous drop, teeth clenched, muscles and timbers straining in the pound, pound, pounding of the waves. Magic is power singing in your veins, but here it was merely a whimper trying to keep the ship and I from foundering under the weight of the mighty waters. Through that endless weary time we managed to ride the waves, but sometimes that was impossible and then with a teeth clenching effort of will we managed to stay afloat in an act akin to swimming.

      The world had changed from black to grey.

      "Dion! Dion!" Kitten was kneeling beside me shaking me. As I looked up startled to see her, she cried "Praise Aumaz!" and hugged me.

      What was I doing here lying face down on the wheel deck? My arms and legs were buried in the wood. They were wood. I had become one with the ship and fought the waves with it. For how long? Slowly I pulled myself out of the deck. Coming back hurt. The numbness in my limbs changed unpleasantly to pins and needles. I was sopping wet. I ached all over as if it was I who had been battered by the waves. As in fact I had been. I rubbed my eyes and looked round. Little squalls of rain were still battering against the protection barrier, but the sky had lightened from thunderous black to heavy grey. Though the waves were still big they no longer threatened to swamp the ship. Through my changing hands I could feel that the ship no longer needed holding together. Somehow even though I had been wood I had retained enough of my own mind to know that it was time to change back to my original form.

      It could be dangerous to change shape thoughtlessly. Once I had lost consciousness in the shape of a stone and if it had not been for the voice of someone I loved calling me back, I might still be a stone.

      It had been Shad's voice that had called me back then. God and Angels, all my thoughts still led back to him.

      "My Lady," said the cabin boy. He was offering me a steaming cup. I took it and cupped my cold hands gratefully around it. It was water and rum. The water was brackish and the rum was rough medicinal stuff, but it was blessedly hot. I felt as cold and damp as waterlogged wood.

      "Thank you my lady," said the boy blushing and bobbing. He scurried away quickly.

      "What was that for?" I said.

      "You silly thing, you just saved all our skins," cried Kitten "Those waves... My God we would certainly have sunk without you."

      Had I been fighting for all our lives or simply instinctively for my own? So often in this last month I had wondered if there was anything still worth living for. Yet it seemed that part of me still wanted to live despite that.

      Even though the deck was still heaving in the big waves, there were sailors moving about. They were cutting ruined rigging from the masts and hauling up a couple of sails. They had opened the hatchways too and the green-faced passengers were poking their heads out, risking the frequent rain squalls for the sake of some air. Suza Simonetti waved at us. Twilight was falling over a metal grey world. The ship rocked over the waves like a galloping horse.

      The rain battered against my protection barrier and ran down it as if it were glass. We were nice and warm behind it with the brazier and our hot rum drinks. Everyone's clothes began to steam.

      "My God, that was one hell of an experience," said Kitten, walking up and down the deck with remarkable steadiness. "Like riding a horse only much bigger. Coming down those huge waves would have been great if I hadn't been so scared."

      The man at the wheel rolled his eyes, but good humouredly. He did not seem the least worried that Kitten had earlier called him a stupid man. The cabin boy and the other sailor looked at Kitten with frank admiration. Who could blame them? Her blue eyes glowed with vitality and her fine skin was luminous in that grey light. Her hair, disheveled by the sea, fell in a charming golden tangle around her face. She had once been the most famous courtesan on the Oesteradd Peninsula and the Duke of Gallia's favorite mistress. Now she was simply a beautiful and wealthy actress returning to her homeland of Aramaya. Past glories did not hang heavy upon her. Unlike me, she had too much zest for life to regret yesterday.

      "Land ho," shouted a voice from above.

      "By Aumaz' mighty finger, it'll be the coast of Aramaya," exclaimed the man at the wheel whom I had discovered was the first mate. "We must be very close to see it in this weather. Two days early. This wind has been a kind of blessing. It's blowed us ahead of ourselves."

      "So when will we make port, Mr Mate," said Kitten.

      "I don't rightly know, ma'm. It's possible we've been blown off course. We're likely something south of Karenagrad now.

      "The capt'n'd know," said the other sailor regretfully. "He's the man what knows this coast line - the rest of us only bin on this route once before. Best we find a sheltered place to heave to for the night and in the morning we can go ashore and ask."

      "Light," shouted a voice from above. "I can see lights."

      "Get the chart, Gianni," shouted the first mate.

      Shortly afterwards even we could see two little lights shining though the gathering dusk. The shore was quite close. I could see a hint of cliffs in the gathering darkness.

      The cabin boy returned with a parchment chart and the first and second mates pored over it.

      "This light'll be some warning of rocks, maybe these here Ursus rocks," explained the mate. "What we are doing is heading so that we get the lights lined up and then we know we're past them. But what we really need is somewhere quiet to drop anchor. Maybe..."

      Suddenly there was a sickening tearing crash and the whole ship shuddered, tipped over on its side and stopped moving. I fell onto the deck and lay there momentarily winded. I could feel the ships timbers shuddering and tearing under me, hear them screaming as the next wave pushed us forward.

      Feet pounded on the deck. "Rocks! Reef!" shouted voices all around. "Lower the boats."

      Summoning magic I pushed myself back down into the ship and suddenly knew the rocks that were tearing into its belly and the pressure of the waves that were grinding it further and further onto the jagged shelf. A craggy lump of rock was embedded in its side timbers - the only thing preventing the water from rushing in. I pushed a protection barrier over the hole, letting myself flow through the timbers. There were no more holes yet, but the waves were powerful and they were pushing us slowly forwards and grinding the sharp rocks further and further along the side of the ship. I must lift it off the rock and get it somewhere safe. But where? It was so dark. Another wave foamed over the rock shelf around us and the ship shuddered forward again. Timbers ripped open against another jagged lump of rocks.

      Could I lift the ship? Could I carry it far enough? I could see nothing, but rocks all around. I lit a light and suddenly the whole world was illuminated in a blinding white light. I strained magically to see... I could see white water, surf, a shore, a beach, people on the beach.

      Could I bring it there? Would it be safe? I had to try. I could feel the rhythm of the waves pounding over the rocks, could feel the next one coming. I held the ship steady for a moment and then as the wave broke, I lifted. I felt the strain of carrying it for a moment and then suddenly the wave took hold of us and we shot forward and were off the rocks and lumbering through the shallow water. I let it go,

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