Halfway (Wizards and Faeries Book 1)

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Temet had fallen unconscious alongside Nessy and Cemagna when Aylward had thrown the white powder. He had awakened in the ship. No amount of screamed demands would make Aylward return him home—Temet had shouted until his throat felt raw—so he had decided to bide his time. Until they reached land. Tossing back the blanket covering him, Temet stood, only to be hurled almost into the bulkhead from the motion of the ship. The heaving deck was awash with rain and seawater. Men ran about, shouting, all of them looking similarly indistinct through the rainstorm.

Lightning flashed and he saw in the momentary brightness a man fighting the helm while others rushed up the ratlines to take in sail. One of the masts was gone. And he saw the dark rocks ahead of them. Temet shivered as the first splash of water soaked him. A man next to Aylward shouted an oath. The man swore again and shouted at a group of men on a yardarm, then ran towards the ratlines to join them. Lightning struck again—illuminating a row of jagged rocks jutting all around the ship like knives wanting to stab him.

Temet screamed, shrinking back. Beginning to shiver, Temet followed the man.

Though the ship was no longer heaving, it sat on the rocks, being pummeled to death by the storm. Aylward threw back the cloth covering the lifeboat. Temet climbed into the lifeboat and Aylward threw the cloth back into place. Temet felt the lifeboat move. Rain pounded on the canvas covering it. Scared, Temet curled up at the bottom of the boat. The boat heaved beneath him and he felt himself falling. Temet awoke slowly, first noticing the cold wooden boards under him, then the gentle swaying he felt.

He opened his eyes and saw gray canvas stretched above him. Memory came flooding back. Frantically, he sat up, the boat rocking even more.

He pushed the canvas aside and blinked. The boat was adrift in a sea of fog.

Halfway (Wizards and Faeries) (3 page)

Dimly he could make out dark shapes of the rocks the moon-eye ship had died on. Different shapes lay in the water—wooden shards of what had been the ship. But nothing else moved. The boat still drifted in the steel-gray water, with Temet curled up at the bottom, trying not to cry and shivering. He heard voices and bounded up. Through a thick fog, he could make out the huge bulk of—was it a ship? Do you see me? Leaning forward against the tiller of the lifeboat, Temet pondered. Pressing his lips together, he concentrated. The fog began to move… and so did the water below it.

See a Problem?

The ship was now clearly visible to him. He moved the water under it to bring it closer to him… closer… closer… they could see him now.

Shouts issued from the deck. Releasing his hold on the water and the fog, Temet sagged forward, exhausted, his wet hair plastered to his forehead. The sky was still gray, filled with clouds. He heard the men on the ship talking in low voices. A man was at his elbow, holding a steaming mug of broth out to him. My name is Erril. Temet lifted the mug to his lips and drank—the warmth that ran down his throat was like liquid comfort. He closed his eyes, drinking deeper—and the mug was empty. The sea stretched blankly on all sides of the ship, not a trace of his home.

A couple of the other men backed away slightly, an expression of wariness coming into their eyes. Sitting up and turning his head, Temet saw a gray-haired man, taller than any of the others and with a well-trimmed beard. Around his neck was a black scarf, and pinned upon the scarf was a silver moon-eye.

Where do you come from, child? The stone had glowed for Temet. Had Temet made it glow? I heard my brother shriek as he played. He probably was already wet from head to toe, having fallen into the surf like he always did. Today, I was concentrating hard on the stone, wanting it to glow like before. It had been so shiny. I concentrated on the stone, wanting it to glow like Temet had.

Wizards and Faeries (Book 1 and 2)

The stone was just a dull stone. I shook my head. I ignored him, brushing wisps of hair away from my face and trying to do what he had done to the stone, the sea breeze singing in my ears. Perhaps I would try again with it later. I walked towards the water, the sand warm on my bare feet. I had been right—he was already soaking wet. A small plume of water rose up and stood upright, wavering slightly.

I wanted the water to splash me, and it did. He reached outward again, spreading his hand this time. Another plume of water shot up, much bigger.

It grew until it was as tall as him. I took a step back. I shoved him backwards into the water, which made him laugh even more.

Try to make the water move. If I can do it, you can. I spread my hand in the same way he had and tried hard. I stared at the water, biting my lip. It remained motionless except for the humps of the waves. I narrowed my eyes, wanting it to form into something… anything…. Just think of the water moving. The shore where we played was the only sandy patch of beach that bordered the sea for miles. The rest of the shore was lined with rocks—huge rocks and cliffs that the sea angrily bashed on a constant basis. Our house was up among those rocks, a building so tall and pointed that it could be mistaken for a rock itself.

Temet and I had lived there all our lives. The three of us lived a hidden existence, though neither Temet nor I knew why. As we reached the top of the cliff path, I could see Nessy waiting for us. Nessy had the same ice-blond hair as we did and always wore a big smile—not a pasted-on type of smile, but an on-the-verge-of-laughing grin.

I knew the difference. Though we were alone in the world, I seldom felt alone because of the library of books Nessy kept, reading to us often until we learned how ourselves. There was another thing about Nessy that Temet and I knew. In addition to being our mother, Nessy was descended from an old, different race of people—Nessy was a faerie.

Howling Turtle : Book Reviews

She always wore the same red dress, ribbons lacing up the sides. I made the water move! I wanted it to move and it did! Babbling about his discovery, Temet led her back down the path to the water. When we reached the shore again, Temet splashed into the water, motioning us to follow. Nessy waded out to meet him, pulling the skirt of her dress up away from the water.

I watched from the shore. I found some more flour in the cellar, so I made moonfruit muffins for us. That was what we lived on. Moonfruit grew in trees in the old orchard nest to our house and mushrooms grew in the cellar.

Also in the cellar was a wealth of different jars of food, things Nessy preserved from the garden she grew. Temet and I never went hungry. By evening, after a day filled with reading in our library—Nessy insisted we should be educated—the sky had filled with clouds.

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