On the Deep Waters

Chapter Twelve

Navigating the rocks was harder than Nimah had anticipated, but she didn't have time to think about it. To be completely honest, she hadn't been doing much thinking at all in the past few minutes. She'd jumped when Orion said jump and started running. She'd only stopped long enough to grab Solomon's war hammer (it seemed like a better weapon for the situation) and only hesitated on the rocks to make sure Annaliese was keeping up. The poor woman looked haggard, but there was a spark of determination in her eyes. It was like she knew if she just forged ahead and kept going, this would be over and she could finally rest.

Hopefully that determination would be enough to carry her through.

One thing Nimah hadn't been clear on when she left the boat was what their distraction was supposed to be. Obviously, there would be one beyond the shock of the ships crashing. This entire plan would fall apart without one. She just didn't know what. She had been expecting more theatrics with the water, but there was nothing for a worrying amount of time.

Did Orion pass out? Should we turn back?

Nimah almost looked back to see what was going on, but was distracted by the sound of someone shouting her name. Solomon was running towards them as quickly as he could without falling. From the panicked look on his face, he was not happy to see them running towards the danger.

He was probably less happy when he saw a strong guest of wind rush through the pack of oncoming pirates, nearly knocking a few of them over and causing the ocean to kick up in a spray of salt water. Nimah, meanwhile, was relieved at the sight. That must've been the overdue distraction she'd been worrying about.

Solomon caught up to them. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Freeing the other captives!" Nimah would have explained more, but the water had started shifting rapidly from all the magic, making it hard to tell which rocks were truly safe and how far apart they really were. The rain of arrows that suddenly started coming from the captured ship didn't help with the chaos.

"We should be running!" Solomon said as he followed alongside her. "We have them trapped! Let's just go!"

"But..." Nimah paused as she jumped from her current rock to a less even rock. She didn't fall down, thank Taran. "...we shouldn't just leave the others!"

She didn't say can't leave, because they could. Solomon might have even pointed it out if she had phrased it that way. They certainly could, but it wouldn't be right.

The look of panicked frustration on Solomon's face was a now-familiar sight to Nimah. She was also familiar enough with his character that she wasn't surprised when he didn't argue. Solomon might've had a stronger self-preservation streak than her, but he could be recklessly selfless when the need called for it. "If this starts going poorly, we run," he said as he fell into step with them. "Okay?"

"Fine by me!" Though she was sure their definitions of going poorly were completely different, it was a concession she was willing to make. Nimah held out her hammer to him. "Here. Think you might need this."

Solomon took the hammer, but he didn't look happy about it.

The arrows and wind kept flying as they made their way towards the first ship. It was leaning at enough of an angle that they could climb aboard easily. There was one person still standing guard on board. Solomon gave her a good smack across the jaw. Even if it didn't kill the pirate, she likely wouldn't be getting up any time soon.

The captives on board that ship were clustered together as best they could, some tending to the wounded, all looking noticeably rattled. They froze at the sight of newcomers. "Don't suppose that bloke on the deck had the keys?" Nimah asked.