wrath of the Sea Queen (268 page)

CHAPTER
64

Vin, with the assistance of his gift, caught up with C
a
eli
a moment
before she stepped into the water.  He pulled her back and held her close.  He didn't try to talk to her.  His voice would be lost in the noise of the storm.  Instead, he took a moment to comfort her and be comforted by her. 
Through their link, C
a
eli felt an abundance of love from Vin. 
He didn't care where they were or what was happening
.  H
e was happy to be at her side.  She was glad
Vin
was there.

"
Vin, why did you stop me?  What are you doing out here?
"  C
a
eli finally asked.

"
We need to be together.  The reason we aren't succeeding is because we
ha
ve been
working separately.  We are much more effective together.  I need to be near you
.  I need
to touch you in order to fully combine my gift with yours.  I believe you are
facing
the same
obstacle
,
" Vin answered.

"
Yes
, I am
.  I couldn't expend the energy that I collected, and I couldn't pass it to you w
hile you were working with your winds
.  I
don’t want you to be out here, but I
a
m
so very
glad
you came
. 
I don't want to face this alone. 
I love you, Vin.
"

"
There's no place I
woul
d rather be
than by your side
. 
N
o matter where I am, you
will
never
be
alone
, C
a
eli
.  I
wi
ll always be with you. 
I love you, too.
"  Vin smiled and kissed her.

C
a
eli's
inner
struggle to find
some
meaning in the events
of
th
e past
week ceased.  She
finally
understood
what her grandmother was trying to tell her all those years ago
. 
She could hear those words repeated in her mind.

"
You have a special heritage
, Dear
.  You will know what to do with it when the time is right.
"

Her grandmother's words were
perfectly clear to
C
a
eli
now. 
Looking into Vin's sparkling eyes,
C
a
eli knew her gift had a purpose and
a place, and so did she.
  She belonged with Vin.  Their gifts were meant to strengthen them individually
, allowing them to embrace the vast potential and possibilities in the world around them.  However
,
when harmoniously combined, their gifts could become something
much more
than either could achieve on their own
.

"
Shall we try again?
"  Vin asked.

Vin took her hand
and moved to the opposite side.  T
hey both concentrated on the storm in front of them.  Neither could estimate the
passing of
time.  They did not see exactly what was transpiring around them.  They moved through the storm with their senses, flowing first on the air currents, and then on the water, fluidly moving from one to the next.
  It was
both frightening and
exhilarating.

At one point, an unusually large wave
swelled and
rushed
toward
the shore
,
cover
ing
them both.  The water receded as quickly
as it rose
. 
Within
a moment of the wave’s retreat
, t
he storm
began los
ing its mo
mentum.  The rain tapered off
to a mere drizzle.  The wind subsided in an eerie calm.  The frequency and height of
the
rolling waves
diminished
until the sea almost looked
placid
.  Dark, storm clouds began to break apart and drift away.  The storm was nearly over.  Against all odds, Vin and C
a
eli
had
successfully averted the catastrophe that threatened the island.

"Ben!  Where'd they go?"  Salma rushed out the small door in hopes of getting a better look.

"
It is over, Sister.  I must go
now
.
"  Michael's departing words held no comfort and offered no hope.
  He was gone before Salma or Ben could ask him any of the dozen questions on the tips of their tongues.

"Salma, be careful.  Come inside.  We
wi
ll go down to the shore and look for them.  If I were Vin, I would have
taken shelter
in the cave when that wave hit.  They are probably
somewhere
in
side
.  Hurry, let's go find them," Ben was as anxious as Salma to see their faces again.

They spent the next hour searching for Vin and C
a
eli only to come up with nothing.  There was no sign that they
had
ever
even
st
ood
on the shore.  They were not in the
portions of the
cave
that they searched
.  Ben even questioned Max.  For once, the boy did
n
o
t have any answers.  Salma could not reach either of them with her gifted communication.  Ben found no clues to their whereabouts.  They
had
simply vanished with the storm. 

Everyone on the island would live, though few would know how close they came to their demise.  Thousands of lives had been saved, but Vin and C
a
eli were gone.

EPILOGUE:

The wave rushed toward shore, yet it seemed to be centered on the cave.  A moment before it hit, Vin turned and wrapped C
a
eli tightly in his arms.  He us
ed
his gift to force the wind to repel as much of the initial impact as he could.  He knew it would not be enough.  Thankfully, C
a
eli us
ed
her connection with the water as well.  She placed a barrier around the two of them so that when the water engulfed them, they remained safely cocooned while they were swept deeper into the cave than either had ever been.

C
a
eli did not know how long they traveled that way when
the
sudden change
occurred
.  The rushing current spit them out and now they floated in a calm pool in a dark place.  She could not see or hear anything, but Vin's arms
still held her firmly
around
the
waist.

"
Vin, are you ok?
"  C
a
eli did not want to speak out loud for fear of disturbing the unknown blackness around them.

"
Yes.  I
'
m trying to determine where we are.  Are you all right?
"

"
Yes.  We need a light.  Wait a minute.  I have an idea.
"

C
a
eli concentrated on her connection to the water.  She searched for several minutes until she found what she wanted and called it forth.  A few minutes later, the hint of a pale, greenish glow could be seen a few feet away.  Then another glow appeared a few feet further away; then another and another.  The glowing objects continued to appear until they could at last get an idea of what their surroundings looked like.

"
That's a handy trick,
" Vin commented.

"
I believe the ocean holds many such discoveries if I want to explore the boundaries of my gift.  But, I think we have a more pressing concern at the moment.
"

Vin and C
a
eli were in a pool of water inside a small cavern off of a primary
tunnel
.  They were still cocooned within the protective barrier that C
a
eli raised before the wave hit.  Vin switched positions, still holding onto C
a
eli's hand, and started to swim toward the edge.  C
a
eli followed and released the barrier as soon as Vin started to move through
the water.  He emerged onto the warmth of the
cavern floor and extended his hand to help C
a
eli climb out.