Page 33 of Fate Promised

They tumbled to the deck. “Hold on to me!” Juri shouted. She clung to his neck as he grabbed the side of the boat to stop them from sliding.

The ship leaned farther sideways; if Juri hadn’t held on, they’d have tumbled into the water. “I thought you told me you’d make sure the ship didn’t capsize,” he said.

“Boats seem to hate you. You have a real gift.” She wrapped her arms and legs around him and ducked her head into his chest as the serpent splashed a cascade of water over them. The water was … warm. Not the icy cold of the bay.

Fergal clung to the helm, one hand raised and golden light glittering in his palm. “This damn serpent is eating my boat!” A flash of white light whizzed past. “Shoo!” Fergal shouted. There was a rush of water, and the boat lurched back upright with a shuddering jerk. The serpent shifted its bulk, not letting go.

Juri leaped to his feet. “Shoo? It’s not a damn bug. I’ll take care of it.”

He helped Triska up, his hand lingering on her waist. She clutched at him. “No! Let Fergal use his magic!”

One of Juri’s brows rose as if he were amused by her. “It’s only a wee little guy. Barely larger than an eel. Stay back with Fergal.”

She pointed. “Have you seen one of them before?”

He shrugged. “Nah, but I’ve seen plenty other creatures. It’ll be all right.” He shot her a cheeky grin, then leaped toward the bow and roared.

The serpent froze, eyed Juri, then thrashed its tail. The boat shot toward the island, and spray splashed across the deck, drenching everyone. Triska spluttered and wiped her eyes.

Fergal desperately spun the wheel, but they continued hurtling toward the island.

“Better hold on, it’s going to get bumpy,” Fergal shouted.

Juri lunged at one of the serpent’s legs. The beast clutched the boat harder, as if it had discovered a prize and refused to relinquish it. It slapped its tail at Juri as if swatting a pesky fly. Juri roared again, and the serpent-dragon released the boat from its jaws, hissed, then uncoiled and slipped back into the water.

The boat groaned and righted itself, still listing port side, even though the serpent no longer clung to it.

The boat shuddered and with a jolt, churned forward. Juri clawed across the deck toward the bow, and Triska swung along after him, holding onto the overhead ropes.

The serpent held the boat by the anchor line, pulling them through the water. Its blue scales revealed hints of emerald and burgundy—kind of pretty, actually. Juri gestured toward the stern. “Go back with Fergal. This thing might jump up again.”

She raised a brow. “I thought you said it was practically an eel?” They both studied the serpent as it wriggled effortlessly through the water in a rather eel-like way. “It doesn’t seem to want to eat us.”

“Nope.”

“It’s a damn zmey,” Fergal yelled from behind them. “I thought they’d all died off.”

“Zmey?” Juri said. “You think? I thought they were huge?”

Fergal snorted. “This one is a baby.”

“What’s a zmey?” Triska asked.

“Sea dragon. I’ve never heard of one eating anything other than birds or fish, but we need to get it away from the boat before it sinks us.” Juri leaned over and roared. The boat lurched to a stop. Triska skidded forward, and he caught her before she fell. The serpent emerged in front of their boat, his head and back clear of the water.

Triska pointed down at the waves. “We’ve hit ground! The water here is shallow.”

Dead ahead was the beach, framed with thick trees making an imposing dark green wall with wisps of fog curling from the canopy. The pressing clouds prevented the suns from peeking through, resulting in a murky light.

Juri leaned over the side of the deck. “That’s good because we need to get off this boat. It’s in awful shape.” He pointed. “Hey, look at this.”

Schools of bright yellow and red fish darted around, and a light green seaweed waved gracefully. “Those aren’t fish from Ryba bay,” she said.

He frowned and drew back. “We’re beached. And the serpent damaged the hull, so we’re stuck here.”

“If we don’t return, my father will come out looking for us. We’ll get home.”

Juri nodded. “That’s true. And Kyril will get tired of dealing with the mayor and demand someone fetch me.” He looked around. “Well, we’re here. Let’s explore and find out why a bunch of necromancers wanted to raise this isle from whatever hole it existed in.”

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