Turning Tides

Chapter Ten: Sea Trials

After weeks of working with Beatrice to practice her anti-ghoul skills, occasionally interspersed with light rescue missions, Malia was surprisingly comfortable with her newfound abilities. She was still far from confident, but she at least felt she wouldn't be completely useless if they ever encountered the rogue souls again.

All that was left was putting herself to the test.

Okeanos heard about the next ghoul resurgence by the time it was already in progress. At that point, the spirits could only rush to the scenes and aim to save as many lives as possible. Malia just hoped they wouldn't be too late.

As always, Malia heard the screams echoing through the water before she saw the chaos, the sound muffled as it traveled from the air into the sea. But unlike the previous instances, she was mentally prepared for the chaos that awaited them.

The target was a small yacht, but it sat much too low in the water. About six ghouls were swarming the hull, either clinging to the sides or circling the waters beneath them like sharks waiting for chum. The former were taking turns pulling and pushing the ship, viciously rocking the boat with wicked grins on their faces.

"Unstick those barnacles!" Beatrice ordered. "I'll keep them away."

While Malia's nerves churned with the sudden responsibility, she couldn't let that stop her. Beatrice entrusted her with a job, and she couldn't let her down.

So as Beatrice swam ahead, Malia stopped, calmed her mind, and extended her energy through a small section of the water between her and one of the ghouls hanging onto the hull. It was like she was looking at them through the lens of a microscope, and the ghoul was on her stage. All she had to do was bring them into focus.

The first time she pushed them through the water, the ghoul merely glanced down at their shoulder—right where Malia had been aiming—before shooting her a snide smirk. Malia faltered immediately, and she scanned the area for anything at all that could possibly help her.

In retrospect, she wasn't sure what she expected to find—something physical she could throw in defense, perhaps, or maybe even a textbook on how to get rid of a ghoul problem. What she didn't expect was for her gaze to land on Beatrice as she held off the swarming souls, nor for the woman to briefly turn to her with calm composure.

"Trust your instincts."

Beatrice's voice echoed in Malia's mind, and a sudden calm washed over her. For weeks, Beatrice had repeated those same words, reminding Malia every time she forgot, and every time she didn't want to believe it.

Even if Malia wasn't confident in her own abilities, Beatrice was. And even if Malia couldn't trust her own judgment, she could trust Beatrice's.

With that in mind, she refocused on the water and steadied her nerves.

She didn't want to leave Beatrice to fend off the ghouls by herself. She wanted to help her; she wanted Beatrice to rely on her. She wanted to prove that Beatrice didn't make a mistake in placing her faith in Malia.

She thought of the humans that must be piled on the boat, their screams stills echoing around her. She focused on her rage at the ghouls, and how they could be so pathetic as to attack defenseless humans who were just trying to survive. She thought about the fear she felt when she was trapped and drowning, and how she wouldn't wish such a painful end on anybody else.

She took aim at the ghoul as they completely ignored her, more focused on terrorizing the helpless humans, and fired.

The ghoul instantly disappeared into the sea; after briefly panicking that they dodged her attack, she finally saw them drifting aimlessly in the current, wide-eyed and dazed. Seconds later, Beatrice pushed back the ghouls she had been fighting, and she spared a moment to give Malia a small, proud smile.