Empire's Legacy- The Complete Trilogy by Marian L Thorpe

Author:Marian L Thorpe [Thorpe, Marian L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781999210106
Publisher: Arboretum Press
Published: 2019-11-05T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

I woke, stiff and sore, to a faint paleness in the eastern sky. I had roused several times in the night to pull the cloak back over us, and once to make my way to the gunwales to relieve myself, falling back into a shallow and fitful sleep again each time. But now I was fully awake, and it was time to sail.

“Cillian,” I said, “wake up.” He grunted, and stretched, rolling onto his back.

“Lena,” he muttered.

“Time to get moving,” I said, sitting up. I looked around. The stars were clearly visible, and already seabirds were skimming the waves, hunting. No fog, but a stronger breeze, blowing from the north-west. Exactly what we needed.

Cillian got up, uncertainly moving toward the stern. I glanced at him; he was undoing his breeches. “Pay attention to the wind direction,” I told him. I turned my back on him—there were basic courtesies on a small boat—and opened the lid of the chest again, looking for water. An earthenware pot, stoppered with a woollen rag, looked promising. I picked it up. It sloshed, but it sounded and felt half-empty. I removed the rag, sniffed, and sipped. The water tasted of the pot. I allowed myself two small swallows, before passing the pot to Cillian, who had come forward again, tying his breeches.

“A couple of mouthfuls, no more,” I warned. “We will have to find more water somewhere.”

With the water re-stoppered and stowed, I used an oar to swing the boat into the wind again. “Hold it there,” I said to Cillian, and raised the sail. He pulled up the anchor-stone, and we began to move south slowly, the light wind just sufficient to propel the heavy boat. But until it was fully light, this was enough.

As the day brightened, I could see we were among a line of islands, creating a wide channel between the open sea and the mainland. Other boats would be on their way out soon. We needed to stay as far out from the mainland as was safe, and even that course was predicated on none of the islands being inhabited. And somewhere, we needed to go to shore for water. I would worry about that later. The wind was freshening, promising a long reach. I adjusted the sail for the increased wind. “Sit there,” I directed Cillian, pointing to the opposite gunwale. He complied, although a glance over showed me his face was set and his knuckles white.

The little boat ran with the wind for some time, needing little adjustment of sail or tiller. But looking ahead, I could see the line of offshore islands was ending; we would lose our shelter from stronger winds. Dark patches in the water beyond the last island told of stronger waves. “Cillian,” I said, as I shortened the sail, “be prepared for some rougher water, and move as quickly as you can if I tell you to.” I reminded myself to use terms he would understand.

The wind hit the sail with more force than I had expected, the boat heeling sharply.

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