The falcon's daughters

Chapter 5

On the horizon, the vibrant colors of pink and purple spread across the morning sky as they walked down to the boat. Kit looked back at the cottage where she had lived for as long as she could remember. A sadness she did not expect filled her and she pulled her eyes from the cabin. She couldn't look back now. Not when her path lay in front of her, across the sea. Lace looked at her and saw the conflicting emotions in her face.

- What is wrong my dear?

- I think I will miss the islands. Somehow it feels like I'll never come back here again.

When they reached the beach, Dorcha jumped in the boat and Kit and Lace put their satchels in the bottom of the boat before pushing it into the water. They pulled themselves up over the railing and she tried to squeeze some water from the bottom of her pants while Lace pulled out a long wooden stick from the bottom of the boat and pushed them out into deeper water. Kit leaned back and put her arm around Dorcha as he tightened the sail. He carefully guided them through the maze of the sharp reefs that lay hidden just below the surface of the water. Finally, they were out on the open sea and the water lay still before them.. On the horizon, three silver-colored bodies broke the surface as they shot up from the water. They twisted their bodies in the air before breaking the surface again with a minimal splash as they landed.

- Lace what was that?

Kit stared in awe after the creatures. She had never seen anything like them before. Lace smiled at Kit's enthusiastic exclamations and fascinated facial expressions. 

- Dolphins i believe.

- Did you see the way they jumped? They are beautiful.

He noticed the shapes closing in on their boat and nodded in their direction.

- Look.

The dolphins swam beside their boat and made small jumps just above the water's surface. They were so close that Kit couldn't resist the temptation to reach out to them. She stopped in the middle of the movement and looked at Lace doubtfully. He nodded encouragingly.

- It’s ok. You can touch them. Dolphins are friendly animals.

With a bright smile she reached out her hand again and managed to pull it over the back of one of the animals.

- It's fantastic Lace.

He laughed at her happy face as she continued to look at the beautiful creatures. After a while, the dolphins left and the water became calm again.

- Where do you think they are going?

- Probably off hunting somewhere. But don't worry my girl. You will probably see more dolphins. They are quite common in this part of the sea.

She looked marveled at the sea, wondering what more kinds of creatures they would see before reaching land. 

Three days had passed since they left the Islands. The journey across the ocean would take them another four before reaching land. In the distance a disturbing sight had appeared. Black storm clouds towered in the sky and were driven by strong winds. It was fast approaching and Kit worriedly turned to Lace..

- What should we do? We are in the middle of the sea.

He pulled out a rope and handed it to her.

- Tie yourself and Dorcha to the boat. We must try to ride out the storm.

The sky darkened as the storm drew nearer. The flashes lit up the black clouds and the rain began to fall. The waves were lifted high by the winds and the heavy rainfall was brutally thrown over the sea surface. Lace took a deep breath and placed his palms against each other so that his fingertips touched his wrists. He twisted his hands until they lay flat against each other and spreaded his fingers before uttering a single word.

- Sgiath.

When he separated his hands, a bubble was created between his palms. Kit stared with wide eyes at the bubble, which grew more and more until it consumed the boat. The rain increased and Kit removed a wet strand of hair from her cheek. A faint shimmer spread over the bubble and she immediately noticed that the rain stopped falling. A flash crossed the sky and the loud bang that followed caused her to shrug and watch. She looked at the bubble that surrounded the boat. The rain hit it and she followed the raindrops as they ran down the invisible barrier. Outside the storm was raging but inside the water lay still and not even a breeze could be felt.

- Lace what's going on? Lace?

When he didn't answer her she turned to face the older man. He didn't move a muscle as he held his arms out towards the sides with his palms facing the storm. His gray eyes was absent and a raindrop slowly slid down his face. His hands trembled with the effort of holding the shield up. Kit realised what he was doing and that she couldn't bother him so quietly she put one arm around Dorcha's neck and waited.

For hours, the storm raged and they sat silent in the boat, watching the sea violently throw the waves high into the sky without being able to reach the boat or the calm water that surrounded them. Uneasily, she looked at Lace, who was getting paler and his breathing was getting more and more strained. She saw how new wrinkles formed in his face and he suddenly looked ten years older. Finally, the storm subsided and she smiled relieved when he relinquished control of the shield with a jerk. Trembling he let his arms fall down and breathed heavily when a shimmer spread across the bubble's surface as it disappeared.

- How are you?

He looked at her worried face and patted her reassuringly on her hand.

- I'm okay my girl. It only exhausts my powers to use magic. I'm not as young as I once was.

- And you won't get any younger by using it either. Should you really use magic again? What if it gets too much…

- I am aware of the risks.

He interrupted her harsh and smiled forgivingly when she winced at his words.

- What about if I promise you that I'll just use magic as a last resort. How does that sound?

Kit smiled and moved unsteadily over to the other side of the boat and put her arms around Lace's neck so she could lean her head against his chest.

- Thanks Lace. Apart from Dorcha, you are the only family I have. I don't want to lose you.

He put his hand comforting over her back, well aware that her fears were justified. The amount of magic he had used over the last seventeen years had taken his toll on him. He knew that he looked like an old man instead of the middle-aged man he actually was. He knew that he still had a lot of power left, but physically his body would not cope much longer if he continued to use the magic that he has done so far. A trembling breath filled his lungs and his voice was low as he spoke.

- One day you will have to anyway my girl. After all, no one is immortal but it will be a long time before my time has come. Do you think that you can steer the boat awhile?I need some rest.

Kit smiled and Lace took the place where she used to sit. He stretched his legs beside Dorcha and leaned his head against the mast before falling asleep. She pulled a rope and tightened the sail so it caught the light breeze and they slid across the shiny ocean.