SHIELD OF THE GODDESS

CHAPTER SEVEN

SHALA

SHALA KEPT WATCH in the stern of the small boat she and her father Ereg had sailed together since leaving Tinath seven days ago. Two sailors from the Ferosian patrol boat, a man and a woman, had come aboard to help them. The Ferosians started by bailing the water left by the storm. When that was done, as the wind still had not returned, they rowed in shifts. One of them offered to guide the boat, but Ereg declined, explaining that he had sailed his boat for years and knew it better than anyone. Shala was relieved to see her father’s hand on the steering oar. The boat had come to feel like home to her, and allowing one of the newcomers to take over now would feel like giving up the last thing they had any control over.

That evening, the wind returned. Shala unfurled the sail, and took her turn guiding the boat. At first the two sailors looked doubtful, but over time they seemed to relax, realizing that she could be trusted at the task. She steered through the night, following a lantern set out on the stern of the patrol boat. She could tell from the stars that they had turned southeast, and were approaching the eastern shore, because she began to see the glow of fire towers just over the horizon. At dawn she woke her father and took her turn to rest.

She was awakened by sounds her sleeping mind could not make sense of: clicks, whistles, and splashes. She blinked at the light of the midday sun in a clear sky. When she sat up, she saw that their little boat, still under a brisk wind, was surrounded by swimming animals. Porpoises leapt out of the water, landing with a boom and a burst of water. One of the splashes soaked her. She laughed.