Sewn & Scarred (The Fated Creations Trilogy #3)

Chapter Eighty-SevenWyott

Chapter Eighty-Seven

Wyott

“ W yott,” Cora’s voice was rushed beside me, and I felt her hands on my shoulders, shaking me awake.

I shot up in the bed, heart pounding and head whirling to gather my bearings.

“What? Has it started?” I rasped, throat still scratchy from sleep as I worried the war had begun.

“No,” she said beside me and I finally looked down at her. Her eyes were wild and the blankets on her side of the bed were strewn all about. She hadn’t been sleeping. “I can’t sleep.”

I turned to her, tried to pull her into my side and to lay us back down, but she shook her head and pushed away, turning to face me.

“Something is wrong, I don’t know what it is, but in my gut, I know there’s something.”

I swallowed and turned in the bed to face her.

“What do you need from me?” I asked, ready to do whatever she requested.

The shadows shifted in her eyes and she pursed her lips as she thought.

Finally, she took a deep breath and turned to me. “I want to check on the marina. I just have a feeling, something is wrong. The Army will rely on the boats to get them to Widow Maker Plains for the war, and if they’re destroyed or sabotaged in the night, it’ll be on me.”

I nodded and we got out of the bed, throwing on clothes.

“We’ll go check it out, but it’ll be okay, Cor. You know the perimeter guards would catch anyone if they tried to harm the marina.”

She nodded as she jumped up slightly to pull her pants over the crest of her hips.

“I know,” she said, voice shaking. “Logically, I know that. But this worry won’t go away, no matter how many times I try to convince myself.”

I pulled my bandolier over my chest for my throwing knives and the second holster over my back with my two crossed swords.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly as she unwound the hair wrap that protected her curls at night.

I crossed the room, leaving the holster at my hips half-fastened to pull her face into my hands.

“Do not ever apologize for doing everything you can to keep your people safe,” I said, swiping a thumb over her cheek.

She smiled softly and nodded. “I just hope I’m wrong, I hope the ships are absolutely fine when we get there.”

I gave her a soft kiss before pulling away and fastening the rest of my weapons.

“I’m sure it will be. The warning bells would’ve already sounded if they weren’t. But there’s no harm in checking.” I said.

If she was worried, I’d make sure I was fully armored. Cora had spent so many years on the water. If she had a nagging worry, I’d listen to it.

I finished the holster at my hip, the one that held a sword on one side and two daggers on the other. I strapped a dagger on my right calf, and one on my left forearm, and turned to help her do the same.

After she had her sword hanging from her hip and two short swords crossed over her back, and a dagger across her chest, she stopped in the bathing chamber to secure her hair into two thick braids, one on each side. I knew she was anxious to leave, so after she oiled her curls and parted the two sections, I worked on one braid as her quick fingers wound the other, and then we were out of the door.

We sprinted to the marina and the braids on either side of her head jostled as she looked around, checking on her ships.

“What’s going on, Cora?” Mitch called, as he jogged down the steps from her office where he kept watch.

“I had a feeling that I needed to come check in,” she said to him.

I tugged the upper half of my hair up into a bun, annoyed by the coastal breeze blowing it into my face.

“No one has come by tonight, no odd activity,” he promised, but still, we all looked around to be safe.

We ran a quick inventory over all the ships. Made sure they were still anchored and tied up, and that their supply stores didn’t appear tampered with.

A couple hours had passed by the time we finished, and Cora stood at the edge of the marina, on the stone slab that looked out over the churning ocean.

“I don’t understand,” she breathed, shaking her head, hands planted on her hips.

“Maybe it’s just nerves,” Mitch offered from behind her.

She sighed, looking up to the moon, and nodded.

“Maybe. I am worried about all of them fighting in Kembertus.”

I stood beside her and took her hand in mine, letting it hang in the space between us.

“They can take care of themselves, you know that,” I said softly and tried my best to convince her just as much as myself, considering I’d spent the last several hours since they’d left tied up in knots of worry. I couldn’t believe I’d actually been able to get some sleep.

Cora nodded, dropping her head down to look at our entangled hands, squeezing mine.

“You’re right, they’ll probably be back soon—”

She cut herself off, and I felt her hand fall limp in mine.

I looked down at her, saw her wide eyes on the water directly below us.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, following her gaze toward the soft slap of the water against the stone below us.

A green smudge of algae covered the foundation of the marina, and the top line of it was clearly marked and dried against the stone. It was the mark of the tides, and now, the water sloshed several feet below it.

“The water level,” she whispered, looking down at it.

I tilted my head. “The low tide?”

She shook her head slowly, and I heard Mitch come up behind us to look as well before he cursed.

“I swear to the Gods Cora, I was just about to go gather the readings before you came in.”

Cora whirled around and ran for her office, Mitch and I close on her heels. He was already moving past me and into her office, where I just stood in the doorway. They both were at the shelves behind her desk, fingers sliding over the spines of all the different ledgers, looking for something specific.

When she found the section she wanted, she pulled three of the large leather-bound books off the shelf and let them fall onto the desk.

“What is it?” I asked, worry growing in my gut as I moved to stand behind them as they both ripped open the books and thumbed through the pages.

“One week ago today at this time I have it marked as plus three feet,” she said to Mitch as his fingers moved over the lines of the ledger.

“Two weeks ago, I had plus two,” then he flipped a few pages. “And three weeks I had plus one.”

“Fuck,” Cora breathed, shuffling the pages of her ledger.

“What’s going on?” I asked, the worry seeping into my voice.

Cora shook her head, face still tilted down to the ledgers.

“Yesterday it was plus four feet. Shit!” she growled, slamming the book shut.

Mitch looked at her, worry furrowing his brows as he straightened with her. He was silent, looking to her diligently. The look of a soldier awaiting his Commander’s instruction.

But Cora looked to me, eyes wide with fright.

“The daily high tide levels have been increasing every day,” she said, walking past me, Mitch close behind, going in the direction of the area of the marina where I knew the tide tracker was.

“It’s lower today?” I asked, following behind them.

Cora nodded as she got to the tracker’s bay and wrenched the door open, the tear of the paper from the wall breaking up the rhythmic slosh of the water below.

She stepped out of the alcove and Mitch immediately went in, I knew to reset the contraption.

Cora held the paper up in front of her and cursed.

“It’s reading minus six,” she said, and Mitch opened the door of the bay, eyes wide.

“Gods,” he breathed. “Cora I swear I was coming to do it, if I’d seen that it was this low I would’ve come to get you.”

She looked up from the paper, finally pulling herself from her investigation, and turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I know, Mitch. I believe you. This isn’t your fault, it’s rapid tide recede.” His face fell into a look of relief before she turned to me, eyes grim.

“We need to go see Kovarrin.”

She instructed Mitch to stay and watch the marina. That if the water receded another level within the next half an hour, to call in the Navy using the stored fireworks.

We wasted no time in running to the manor, or pounding on Kovarrin and Rasa’s door to wake them.

Only a wide-eyed Kovarrin appeared.

“What is it?” he asked, already alert.

“The tidal levels have dropped drastically,” Cora rushed out. “They should be steadily rising to a peak high tide for this month, but instead of rising a level once a week like they should, they’ve dropped nearly ten levels in one night.”

Kovarrin swore, reaching for a robe in his room to tie over his pajamas, and we moved to the war room.

“Where’s Rasa?” I asked as we moved, and he turned to me.

“Evaline and Sage brought back children who were in danger in Kembertus, she took them into town to stay at the inn with Aurora and Jacqueline and so they could have more space.” He yanked open the door to the war room. “She’s staying with them to make sure they’re okay for the night.”

My worry heightened at the new information, but I forced myself to drop it as Cora turned to Kovarrin, placing her finger on the mapped table over the spot of Rominia where the marina sat.

“Ten levels in a day is too rapid, something is wrong.”

Kovarrin nodded, leaning over his hands that were planted on the table. “I’ll summon the Water Casters to the marina, have them look into it. It could be an incoming tidal wave.”

Cora nodded. “We need to initiate evacuation from the coast, and up into the mountain to be safe.”

Kovarrin pursed his lips. “Let’s wait to see what the Sorcerers say, the recede is still only a few feet, not miles. If it was a tidal wave, and it was close, it’d be worse. There’s no need to start a major panic.” He was already moving to the door, I’m sure to alert a guard to summon the Water Casters as he usually did in times of natural disaster.

“Something is wrong,” Cora said, still standing beside the table. Kovarrin turned. “I feel it. Something is wrong, and if it’s a tidal wave and we don’t act, many will die.”

He shook his head. “In all the time we’ve been here, there have only ever been a handful. And in each of them, the water receded far farther, and faster, than this.”

I stayed silent. Of course I sided with Cora, but this was her area of expertise, not mine. She could fight her own battles.

She was silent for a moment as they maintained eye contact, but then shook her head. “I’m calling in the Navy, and I’m moving the ships out into deep water.”

Kovarrin’s brows furrowed. “That’s going to cause a panic, and if it is a tidal wave, then taking the boats onto the water doesn’t make any sense Cora. You’re risking the destruction of our entire fleet and killing the mortals on board.”

She straightened from where she leaned over the table and crossed her arms.

“In my experience, the safest place for ships is out in deep water before a tidal wave, if we are able to get them out there before the wave comes in. If they’re bobbing and boxed into the marina, they will surely be destroyed, but out on the water, we can steer them over the wave.”

Kovarrin started to shake his head, hesitant, before she snapped.

“Who has spent nearly all of her life on the water, on ships? You made me the Commander of your Navy for a reason. You placed your trust in me, so exercise it now.”

He sighed heavily and turned. “Do whatever you want, Cora. I’ll meet you down by the marina with the Sorcerers.”

We ran straight for the marina, and Cora lit off the blue fireworks into the night sky and rang the bells.

The Sorcerers and Kovarrin arrived shortly after, but Cora didn’t stop her preparation or hesitate to send off orders to all her soldiers as they arrived, while the Sorcerers worked.

They held their hands out to the water, and brought the water up to meet their hands. After a few minutes, they turned to Kovarrin, shaking their heads.

“There’s no sign of a tidal wave,” the one in the middle said. “Usually the tide would recede much quicker, it would be further out than this. And there’s not enough tension in the water,” she said, referring to whatever magical sense they had over the element.

The man beside her nodded. “It’s likely a storm, far out in the water. It’s probably churning up some waves, and pulling the water level out slightly farther than it normally would be otherwise.”

Cora approached then, overhearing, arms crossed.

Kovarrin dismissed the Sorcerers after thanking them and turned to Cora with a relieved smile.

“See? It’ll be okay.”

She shook her head. “To be safe, I’m going to take the ships out anyway.”

His brows furrowed. “Cora, it’ll be a massive task to do in the middle of the night. Let your team rest.”

She shook her head. “Something is wrong, and maybe it’s not a tidal wave. But it’s something.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s a sign from the Gods, to get the ships ready to ferry the Army to Widow Maker Plains. I don’t know, but I’m going to listen.”

Kovarrin only gave her one long, dismissive, look.

“Do what you need to do, but we have scouts in place in Blush Bay. If there’s Vasi movement into port, they’ll send a raven.”

She nodded. It was all the approval she needed.

But I knew she would’ve done it whether or not Kovarrin gave his explicit approval. She was the Commander of the Navy, and while he was a point of authority over her, he still depended on her expertise.

Now was just a time when he disagreed with it.