Warren wasn’t as worried about that, or even about getting the boat into the water. It was landing at Fingal’s Cave that concerned him. If the winds were as strong there, the waves would be crashing into the vertical rock face. Navigating out of the cave would be a bitch too, since it would be dark by that time. He glanced at Esha again. Was he willing to risk her safety?
He didn’t have a choice. Not if he wanted to get his soul back. Memories of last night’s debilitating cramps hardened him. If he didn’t get his soul back before the medicine stopped working, he’d be completely nonfunctional.
And it wasn’t like he was going to turn Esha over to Aurora. Once Esha led him to Aurora, he’d have her safely away before he confronted the other soulceress. Though how he was going to manage that, he still wasn’t sure.
“Let’s put the boat in,” he said.
Within twenty minutes, they had the boat launched. Waves crashed over the bow of the sleek powerboat as they sped through the water. Turbulent gray clouds crawled over the horizon, threatening an early dusk if they kept up through the day. Just what they needed.
Though the air was brisk and the wind fierce, Warren could feel the heat of Esha, who stood right next to him, hanging onto the support bar attached to the steering console. He forced his attention to the wide gray ocean.
“Shite,” he said, thirty minutes later when he caught sight of Staffa. The small island rose vertically out of the sea, waves crashing against its steep sides.
“That’s it.” Excitement and fear thrummed in Esha’s voice as she pointed to the dark space at the waterline of the cliff.
/> Warren steered the boat closer, slowing as he caught sight of the waves. The sound of them crashing against the stone carried even over the wind. He glanced at his watch, then caught Esha’s eye.
“It’s almost exactly low tide. It’s now or never, but those waves are still pretty fierce,” he said.
“No problem. We’re entering a soulceress space. I can guide us in. I don’t have a lot of control over elements, but enough that I can get us in safely. I think.”
Gods, she was brave. The prospect of piloting a small boat into the churning water of a cave made solely of vertical surfaces perfect to crash your boat against would have lesser Mytheans running with their tails tucked.
Esha walked to the bow for a better view. Her midnight hair whipped in the wind and spray splashed her. The entrance to the cave loomed ahead, dwarfing her tall frame. Regret that he was putting her in danger crept under his skin with little claws, an itchy feeling he couldn’t shake. He was supposed to be in control of the situation, to be able to protect her, but already things were getting out of hand.
Warren piloted the boat inside, gritting his teeth at the narrowness of the waterway and the sight of the waves crashing into the vertical walls. When he’d been mortal so many years ago, it would have been considered a fairy cave, its octagonal pillars of basalt a gate to their lair. Inside, it was narrow, the cathedral-like pillars soaring high above the waterline. There was no entrance to the howf that he could see. Nothing but stone walls.
“There’s no place to tie off,” he shouted over the echoing sound of crashing waves. “We should retreat outside the cave and hike in.”
No sooner had he said the words than the water surged up, crashing over the bow of the boat and throwing him to the stern. He choked on the saltwater that burned his throat and eyes and heaved himself to his feet.
“Esha!” he roared.
“Here!” She coughed and stumbled upright from where she’d been thrown to the floor at the bow.
Behind her, the water rose again, unnaturally high and shaped like a long-armed beast. It reached out with unnatural arms and threw their boat against the cave wall. Fiberglass crunched and the boat crashed back into the water, listing dangerously to the side. He held his feet, but Esha was thrown to the floor once again. He started toward her, only to stumble when the boat was thrown into the other wall. Fiberglass crunched again.
Shite. They would sink. Their boat was no match for the unnatural magic that haunted this place.
With a glance at Esha to determine that she was alright, he yelled, “We’re getting out of here!”
“No!” Esha screamed and threw a bolt of flame at the water beast. It shrieked and steam rose off its surface. Esha cast a bigger flash of fire at it. It evaporated, vapor sizzling and filling the cave with a steam that burned his lungs.
To hell with this. With the waves crashing and the steam filling the cave, this place was nearly as dangerous as it had been. He yanked the lever to reverse the engine, but before he could back out, a huge wave picked up the small vessel and threw it at the cave wall. Fear for Esha nearly sent his heart through his chest. He charged at her. Just as the boat was about to crash into the great stone wall, he dragged her to the deck and curved his body around hers to protect her.
He braced himself, praying to the god he no longer worshiped to protect them. But instead of the thundering crash he expected, the boat sailed gracefully down upon the wave.
“Get off me.” Esha pushed at him. She was soaked and still choking on seawater, but she stumbled to her feet.
What the hell? Frowning, he released her and stood. He spun in a three-sixty, taking in the giant cavern they’d entered. The boat floated in a small pond in the center, phosphorescence in the water illuminating the walls made of octagonal pillars. If he squinted back the way they’d come, he could just make out a shadow of light from the entrance to Fingal’s Cave. The steam was gone, along with the water beast. A quick survey of the boat revealed that the rails and part of the sides were nearly crushed, but it was still seaworthy. Barely.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
“Protective magic.” She scraped her wet hair off her face, then leaned over and coughed, no doubt trying to get the seawater out of her lungs. After a few heaving breaths, she stood. “It activated when we neared the entrance. I didn’t think I’d manage to stop it.”
“You were quick, though.” They’d have been dead if she hadn’t been. “Good work.”
“No. Good luck. I didn’t know what would defeat it. But it sure as hell confirmed we’re in the right place.”