Island Dream [a Damian Priest fantasy story]

9 The real new high

The storm was still raging across the island as Damian and Sanja lay in each other's arms, panting for breath. Slowly but surely, they began to realize what was going on outside. However, the sounds that reached their ears could not mean anything good. Neither Sanja nor Damian had ever experienced such a massive storm. And the tremors of the earth could now be felt more and more frequently.

As he drew small circles on Sanja's back with his fingertips, Damian suddenly thought back to the day that changed everything. The last time he had lived through a storm was when he was on a ship with friends. The ship that had been wrecked on sharp cliffs after the relentless wind had torn the sail to shreds.

The memories returned all at once and hit him with full force. He shivered briefly before rubbing his eyes with his free hand. He would have liked to chase away the horrible images. But he did not manage to do so.

"It's bad, isn't it?" asked Sanja.

"Yes... It's bad." Damian replied.

"Is that...? Can you smell this?" she asked suddenly as she sat up.

Damian also sat up before he began to sniff to find out what she meant. It wasn't long before he smelled it too. The smell of sulphur hung in the room. And if they could smell it inside, that meant they could smell it even more outside. 

"Sulphur. It's the volcano. The earthquakes must have awoken it. I hope it doesn't erupt," Damian then replied.

Sanja jumped to her feet and was about to leave the cottage before Damian was able to stop her.

"Sanja no! You can't go outside. It's too dangerous," he warned her as he grabbed her hand.

Without saying a word, she stared at him. She immediately saw how deep his concern ran. A small furrow had formed between his brows. He didn't want her to get hurt, quick healing or not. She had said it herself... Serious injuries could still mean death.

"You're right. I'm sorry." she replied, but she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

Her fear was that great. So many questions were running through her mind. What if the storm destroyed everything? What if the volcano didn't calm down again? What if her family was on their way home and encountered this relentless storm right now?

Damian pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her hair. They both knew that there was nothing they could do at the moment. They had to wait out the storm and pray that nothing bad happened.

And so the hours passed. The howling didn't let up for a while. It almost seemed as if the weather god had the small island of Kekepania in a chokehold. Its claws sunken deep into the soil as it shook everything vigorously again and again.

It was also getting colder. Colder than it should be at this time of year. Damian made sure the fire burned all night long while Sanja spent her time staring out the window. She watched as leaves and twigs flew through the air. She heard wood splintering around her in the forest. There were so many unsettling sounds that could be heard despite and yet, because of the wind.

When he wasn't tending to the fire, he stood behind her so that he could wrap her tightly in his arms. The thick blanket that Sanja had fetched warmed them both and protected them from the cold drafts that seeped through the smallest cracks in the walls.

They didn't talk much that night. And that was fine for both of them. In fact, they needed each other's closeness more than words. Apart from that, there was nothing that would have helped against their worries anyway.

The sun was already beginning to rise when the wind and the rain finally calmed down. Sanja took Damian's hand in hers before they made their way outside together. Mentally, she was prepared for the worst. And indeed, many trees had fallen, but at first glance, the cottages seemed to be more or less intact. There was certainly some minor damage, but it was nothing that couldn't be repaired in a few minutes. To Sanja's relief, the animals had also survived the night unharmed, even if the goats would now need a new roof. 

The grain, vegetables and the fruit trees had not been so lucky. Almost everything she wanted to harvest in the near future had been destroyed. With a heavy heart, she wondered if they would be able to salvage anything.

The still strong smell of sulphur followed them all over the island as they took stock of everything the storm had destroyed. It was bad, yes, but surely it could have been much worse.

"Everything will be fine... We'll get it fixed." Damian said reassuringly, even though he had little hope that his words would help her.

But to his surprise, she hugged him tightly and gave him a long kiss. Sanja placed her hands on his cheeks as she looked deep into his eyes. She fought back the tears and took a deep breath before answering him.

"What would I do without you..." she whispered.

It was so soft that he almost didn't hear it, but still loud enough to make his heart beat faster.

"I don't think you'll find out..." Damian replied from the bottom of his heart.

"Is that what I think it means?" Sanja wanted to know.

"I think it means that I'm in love with you." he whispered as he looked into the eyes that had captivated him from the very first moment.

"I'm in love with you too," she replied.

With a smile, he reached for her chin and lifted her head. Damian pressed his mouth to hers. Only this time it felt even more intense than before. He thought that last night had taken them to a new level. But this... this was the real new high.

After a while, the two of them found themselves on the beach. They both immediately realized that another ship had been wrecked somewhere. The debris that had been washed up spoke for itself. Together they collected everything that could still be useful. It was a small consolation that they now at least had wood to repair the damage.

Sanja stood up to her knees in the sea and stared at the water. She had a bad feeling.

"That wasn't your family..." Damian said as he stepped up next to her.

"How can you see that and be so sure?" she asked as she suddenly reached into the water in front of her and picked something up.

To Damian's horror, it was a human arm. He swallowed hard. At that moment, he was at a loss for words.

With a soft sniffle, she turned to go back to the beach. She wanted to bury the remains... like they always did when that happened.

But Damian didn't follow her this time. Now it was him who stared out to sea. Until he finally spotted something in the distance. Was that it?

"Sanja? Have a look! There's a ship!" he called over to her.

"What, can you make out a flag?" she asked as he came running back.

"It's hard to say. Red, white and blue, I'd say," he replied as he strained to make out anything.

The ship approached the small island until Sanja finally recognized it herself. That was it! It really was. Her family was returning home.