The Fisherman's Niece

Chapter 13

       Meriel watched in fascination as the second boat tore through the water. It caught the crest of a particularly large wave and, for a moment, it was airborn. She watched as it came down in a vicious arc, each savage point staring straight at her. Then she was flying as the deck was torn from beneath her feet. She crashed into a solid metal column and lay there in a crumpled heap.

       When she was sure that the effects of impact were over, she looked up and was amazed to see how far she'd flown. Looking towards the new ship, she found herself facing the impossibly sharp points of several long metal spikes jutting out from the ship's hull. They looked even more menacing from a few feet away. She looked up and could see that she'd run into the control panel for the crane. Her ribs were aching, but she didn't think anything was broken and, for the moment, she was just happy to be alive and more or less in one piece. The mer-skin she'd been clinging to had not been so fortunate.

       Dylan's means of rejoining his friends at sea had been impaled by one of the heavy armaments, and as she watched, it began to split in half and slip back onto the wounded deck. The merciless point rended the top half completely in two and it landed on the deck with a wet thumping sound. Dylan was going to be pissed. Which reminded her, where had he gone?

       She looked around the deck and could see no one. The storm was deafening, but there were no signs of life anywhere. She tried to prop herself upon her elbows and roll onto her stomach so that she could get to a standing position without using her hands and see what she could make of her new situation. When she tried to roll, a shooting pain ran up her leg. She could feel the pain all the way from her toes to her teeth and when she looked down could see that there was a large chunk of metal debris, sharp and roughly the size and shape of a four by four beam, pinning her leg to the deck. It must have happened in the crash.

       Trying to lift it with two injured hands was useless and feeling faint from the effort, Meriel sprawled out on the deck and lay looking up at the storm clouds toiling overhead. Dylan was alive or else the sea would be so rough that his boat would have sunk, but his control was definitely slipping. The beautiful blue sky that had been shining through before was gone, replaced by a bunch of angry-looking thunderheads. The boat was shifting beneath her, and she was sure that huge waves would soon be crashing over the sides, threatening to drag them under. She closed her eyes and lay there in the midst of the chaos, trying to ignore the latest throbbing ache in her leg.

       Both hands felt numb now and she was sure that her right shoulder would never be the same. How much more could one person take? When thick, calloused hands grabbed hold and tried to pull her up, she screamed as muscles that were surely under great strain felt as though they would tear to pieces, and was dropped immediately. Strange, those weren't Dylan's hands, his were smooth. Her curiosity got the better of her and she opened her eyes. At first it looked like there were fluffy white clouds floating just above, but as her vision focused, she saw the grave concern etched across Matthias' face as he leaned cautiously over her, seeming uncertain of what to do next.

       “What's the matter wit ya?“ he barked. “This ain't no time ta be layin' about.“

       Meriel couldn't speak, she was sure this was a trick or an illusion. How could Matthias be here? He took advantage of her silence and looked her over, making a mental note of her various injuries. She could see his worry mounting. When he saw her leg, he sucked in a breath between his teeth.

       “I hate to be the one ta tell ya girl, but this is gonna sting a bit,“ he paused. “Is it broke?“

       “I-- I don't know. Hurts like hell though.“ She shook her head and tried to sit up a bit to take a better look.