Page 11 of The Shadow Gods

It was chaos.

Screaming. Crashing.

My stomach lifted, like I was on the precipice of a rollercoaster. Around me, the world went into slow motion. From the corner of my eye, the boxes and bags lifted into the air, held aloft like gravity had ceased to exist, before we crashed into water. Something sharp cut my hands. I'd fallen through the plastic top of the container holding the shard of the seal. Blood welled from tiny cuts and two gouges on the palms of my hands where I caught myself. For a second, I didn't feel the pain, and then it was hot and impossible to ignore.

The lights of the ferry flickered, went out, and the engines silenced.

The quiet was all-encompassing but lasted only one second, maybe two. In the distance came a groan, not human or animal. Something was pressing into the metal hull of the ship, forcing it to bend.

There were more screams now as panic replaced confusion.

Sudden storms weren't unheard of, but this couldn't be natural. Climbing out of the debris, getting my blood everywhere, I tried to find my balance and make sense of what was happening.

Like Orestes had said, I was only mortal. There was nothing I could do to shield the guys or the innocent people who had the bad luck of taking the same ferry as me.

Another dip, this one less severe than the previous ones. Reaching out blindly, I accidentally clasped the shard in my hand, digging the edge into the wound.How can I protect them?

I wished I had power like the gods and could surround the boat, keeping the evil out until we made it to safety.

As the thought went through my head, the abrupt dip of the ferry stopped. The lights blared to life, and the engines powered up.

I held my breath, waiting for it all to disappear and for the next wave to pull us under. The water on the windows sluiced away so I could see what was happening. Hector regarded me from outside the van. His hair was dripping wet, and he was soaked to the bone. Not giving him the chance to stop me, I opened the door and climbed out.

The other guys were helping frightened passengers back into their cars. It was a miracle none of the cars were tossed overboard, and the worst thing that had happened were a few scratches and dents on their vehicles. The ship's crew moved frantically in and out of the “crew only” sections of the ship or among the passengers. Now that the immediate danger had passed, I ignored everyone else and hurried to the man closest to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked Hector. There was a tear in his sweater and the collar of his shirt was ripped, but I didn't see any bruises or blood. Reaching for him, I ran my hands over his arms. “Is anything broken?”

“I'm fine,” he replied at the same time I realized I was bleeding all over him.

“Oh, shit.” Pulling my hands from him, I squeezed them into fists. “Shit. I'm sorry.” I spun toward the car to find something to staunch the bleeding, but he beat me there.

Hands on my shoulders, he spun me toward the edge of the van and made me sit. Then he found a T-shirt and tore it into strips. Examining my hands, he sucked in a breath. “You might need stitches.”

The wounds throbbed in time with my heartbeat, but the pain wasn't too bad. Truthfully, I'd forgotten all about them in my concern for him and the others.

Over his shoulder, Paris got into one of the cars, backing it up, and straightened it out. Orestes held the arm of one woman while pressing a cloth to her head. He spoke to her calmly, his golden eyes focused on her.

“Are people badly hurt?” I asked.

“Nothing that won't heal. No one drowned.”

“Was that a rogue wave or something?” I asked, my tone hopeful. They had seen more than I had, so maybe...

“No.”

Which meant it was probably god-created. “Something meant to scare us, then?”

Hector didn't answer. Instead, all his focus went to my hands. On the fourth wrap, I pulled away from him. “Hector.”

His entire body stilled. He canted his head to one side, then peered at me. “Do you feel that?” he asked.

Jerking my chin up, I examined the ferry and the surrounding darkness. I didn't feel anything beside the gentle motion of the ferry as it sliced through the ocean.

What was he noticing that I wasn't?

“No wind. No rain. No water.”

What?I turned toward the prow of the ship, standing to get a better idea of what he was saying. “No wind?”

---