Maeve had read this book so many times she could probably recite it all by heart from beginning to end, just like the other books in her current little library. Still, she flipped another page, her eyes avidly scanning for any information she might have missed or anything she might have overlooked or understood wrong. She hated feeling like this. She hated it when she was searching for something that was impossible to find.
Bathed by the faint golden glow of the candles on her desk, she was so absorbed in her reading that she barely even heard the soft knock on her door, although she instinctively knew who it was.
"Maeve?" Sinbad asked tentatively in a low, concerned voice on the other side, most likely noticing the candlelight shining beneath the rim of her door.
"Come in," Maeve called out, his presence in the middle of the night the most comforting thing she could have wished for at the moment.
The door gently creaked open as Sinbad quietly slipped inside her cabin. "What are you doing up at this hour?" he asked softly while carefully closing the door behind him.
As he walked over to her desk where she was sitting, Maeve lifted her eyes up and a lopsided smile curved her lips. "You look ridiculous."
Sinbad made a face and rolled his eyes at her recurring comment. "So you've told me, at least three dozen times since last week," he sighed, towering over her in the dim candlelight as he stood beside her.
"Well, it isn't less true today than it was last week," Maeve pointed out, lifting a knowing eyebrow at him.
She still couldn't get used to seeing him walk around all day in leather pants and in a tight shirt that highlighted the muscles in his arms. It made him look so different, so solid, so manly…
She had struck a deal with him that he could keep the shirt but had to lose the pants; all they needed now was to find a market place that sold proper alternatives to leather.
What really bothered her though was that she still wasn't sure whether the reason she disliked his new attire was because of how it seemed to attract even more swooning girls, or because of how it made her feel weak in the knees, too. She could tell Sinbad had also realized the subtle effect it had on her, catching her staring at him and blushing many times in the past week despite her best attempts to hide her flushing cheeks.
"I'll be out of those pants as soon as we find a harbor that sells decent clothes," he reminded her as he leaned over her shoulder to survey the book she was reading. "What are you doing?"
Elbows resting on the desk, Maeve buried her face in her hands and let out a small groan of exhaustion. "I'm trying to figure out…something I'm not even sure I understand."
Sinbad tilted his head. "Rumina?"
Maeve nodded and brushed her fingers on her forehead. She had already confided in him about the strange changes that were occurring in magic ever since their last encounter with Rumina, but she was still stuck at trying to figure out what it all meant.
"I know it sounds stupid," she began wearily, twisting around in the chair to meet his eyes in the flickering candlelight. "But that chill I got after we blew up her hideout was nothing natural. There was a shift in magic, a major one, and it didn't tip in our favor. Something is wrong. I know it."
"Well," Sinbad offered encouragingly as he looked down at her. "You said that Rumina couldn't have conjured up all those awful things on her own, that she probably had help from someone to launch her attacks, so maybe-"
"No, this is different." Maeve shook her head and closed the book in front of her. "I'm still convinced she got assistance from someone, someone who somehow magnified her powers or boosted them, I don't know, but the shift was after that, and it was something entirely different."
She didn't know how to explain it. It was an impression so hard to describe and qualify.
Pausing, she considered her next words carefully, unsure how to phrase her suspicions as a cold shiver ran down her spine, her voice lowering in the night as her eyes looked up to meet his. "Something evil has awakened. Something very dark and very powerful. It's out there, somewhere, and I can't shake the feeling that it's coming for us."
Sinbad held her gaze, already aware of her growing worries. Taking a deep breath as he leaned down to her eye level, he cupped the back of her neck gently with his hand, his palm warm and comforting on her skin as he spoke." If it is, and whatever it is, we'll face it together, like we always have," he assured her softly, his voice both gentle and firm in the calming silence of her cabin.
Maeve lost herself in his beautiful blue eyes for a moment, but despite the reassurance she found in them she couldn't shrug the dreadful feeling knotted in her chest.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Sensing she was about to waver, she averted her eyes and stood up to replace the book in her little library, the warmth of Sinbad's hand leaving her neck as she stepped away from him.
With her back to him, she carefully slid the book back on the shelf where it belonged, all the while feeling the strange visceral fear gnawing at her from the inside.
Something wasn't right but she was completely clueless about what was putting her so much on edge. It was like going blind right before engaging in a battle, a battle that you knew was coming yet couldn't tell when or where the enemy would strike. It was debilitating.
Aware that Sinbad's eyes were riveted on her, she inwardly debated whether she could let her composure slip, if only for a brief moment. She always forced herself to stay strong and tough in his presence, but tonight, right now, tired and weary from all her reading, she could feel all her shields crumbling down around her in the darkness and she didn't want to pick them up. Not only that, but it wouldn't be the first time she allowed herself to be vulnerable with him anyway, a comfort she was lately, dangerously growing used to.
But she didn't care.
When she turned around, losing herself again in Sinbad's handsome blue eyes so full of concern for her, she let all her iron masks fall at her feet one by one, exposing the raw fear that was eating her inside beneath everything else.
"I'm scared," she finally admitted almost in a whisper, looking straight into his eyes.
Time seemed to hold still when the words left her lips, the world narrowing down to the confines of her little cabin bathed in candlelight.
Holding her gaze unwaveringly, Sinbad stood facing her, a pained and sad look veiling his features and Maeve suddenly felt like she could no longer breathe, nor speak.
But she didn't need to say another word.
Slowly, he closed the small distance between them, a silent pull bringing him to her in the dim light.
When his arms locked around her, Maeve surrendered to his protective embrace, finding refuge and solace against him like a child after a nightmare.
She didn't know what she was so afraid of, or where the fear was coming from, but it was there. It had been haunting her ever since that cursed chill she had felt right after they had blown up Rumina's hideout, keeping her awake at night and plunging her into nightmares of all sorts.
Even now, as Sinbad held her securely against him, she couldn't shake the feeling off. Something was wrong, and it scared the wits out of her.
Closing her eyes, she tried to block the entire world away, to forget about everything but the warmth and safety of Sinbad's arms around her, the place that made her feel shielded from the entire world.
As he held her head close to his, his voice quietly rang in the heavy silence. "Everything is going to be alright, Maeve," he said softly. "No matter what-"
He was interrupted by the distant call of a sailor, Sayid by the sound of it, who shouted in the galley with a voice dripping with alarm. "Captain!"
Startled, Maeve flinched in Sinbad's arms.
"Captain!" Sayid called out again, his voice growing closer as his fist pounded on a distant door, most likely Sinbad's cabin.
Maeve met Sinbad's eyes in the candlelight and together, instincts kicking in and shattering their little bubble of intimacy, they quickly hurried out of her room.
When they rushed out the door, they came face to face with the other man who was trotting their way.
"What is it?" Sinbad asked the upset man, gripping his arm to steady him.
"A storm is heading our way, sir," Sayid warned them breathlessly, his entire body tensed and stiff and his clothes damp by a heavy drizzle. "It doesn't look good."
"Alright, batten down the hatches and reef the sails. I'll be right up," Sinbad assured him with a nod of confirmation, and the sailor immediately turned on his heels to rush back into the galley and out on deck to carry out his captain's orders.
It totally baffled Maeve that the man didn't even seem fazed by the fact that his captain had been in her cabin in the middle of the night, as if it was completely normal.
Closing the door of her room behind her, Maeve tilted her head towards the other cabins. "I'll go wake the others."
But Sinbad grabbed her arm and locked eyes with her, a strange little flame burning in his gaze as he seemed to want to speak but couldn't find the right words.
Maeve searched his eyes, unable to move as she longed for the embrace they had just shared and that had been way too short.
A loud explosion ripped the air as thunder rumbled in the night, and a sharp sense of urgency suddenly surged through her as the wind picked up outside and the hull of the ship creaked.
Sailors grew agitated on deck, calling out to each other as heavy rain began to drum down, but still Sinbad held her gaze, not making a single move to step away.
Maeve felt her heartbeat flare up, and when another roaring pop echoed in the sky, making the wood planks shake under their feet and the kettles clatter on the shelves in the galley, she swiftly locked her arms around his shoulders and pulled him tight against her.
She shut her eyes close, her chest constricting as Sinbad instantly wrapped his arms around her again, one hand pressed firmly between her shoulder blades.
The distant thunder softly rumbled away, like a remote call to reality, and a lump formed in Maeve's throat, choking her, but before she could lose it completely she detached herself from him and quickly pressed her lips on his cheek in a small kiss.
"Just in case the sky falls on our heads," she said softly, attempting a smile.
Sinbad opened his mouth to speak, his eyes heavy with emotion, but she slipped out of his embrace before he could say anything.
Locking eyes with him one last time, she squeezed his hand briefly then turned and walked away.
Then everything that happened next became a total blur.
As soon as she called Doubar, Rongar and Firouz out of bed, along with a few other slumbering sailors, everything turned into chaos up deck.
The storm was unleashing such savage fury on the ship Maeve thought the Wikken Hells would engulf them all. It was terrifying and unlike anything she had ever seen, as if the ocean and the sky were at war with each other in a giant fight to the death.
Lightning ripped through the night with murderous roars and angry waves crashed on every side repeatedly, making the ship dangerously rock from right to left as if it was being tossed around like a petty ragged doll. The forceful wind whistled against the loose sails and the rain hammered down on deck, making the wood planks so slippery that most sailors constantly tripped and slid to whatever side the ship was being swung to.
The downpour also made everything harder to see in the darkness of the night and since everything was wet—the lines, the railing, the shrouds, the masts, the tiller—everything was also much harder to grasp and hold on to, which at this point could mean life or death.
As thunder rumbled in the night, drenched to the bones with the rain drumming on her back like sharp nails, Maeve struggled to tie up a loose line to the main mast to secure the halyard as sailors heaved to reef the main sail. Water was falling into her eyes and her fingers were numb with the cold but thankfully, they were doing their job methodically, twisting and flipping the ropes to secure a solid knot.
When a wave crashed on the starboard side with massive force, followed by a waterfall pouring down on the ship, she barely had time to grip the mast with both hands to keep from flying across the deck. Another sailor wasn't as fortunate and a deafening roar of thunder masked his scream as he disappeared into the raging sea over the railing.
"Man overboard!"
Maeve heard the look-out yell over the deafening thunder. It was a miracle the sailor was still in his post up in the crow's nest to watch out for unexpected rocks or miraculous bits of lands.
When the ship became stable again, her fingers immediately went back to work and she heard Sinbad shouting orders over the rain, his voice music to her ears because as long as she could hear it in the thunderous rumblings of the storm, then it meant he was alright.
As another forceful wave hit the ship once again, a downpour splashed down on deck, blinding her and nearly sending her down on her knees. Wetter than a fish, she wiped droplets out of her eyes and finished securing the knot she was working on.
She then struggled to move through the rain to reach the tiller where Sinbad was, but after she climbed the few stairs leading to the quarterdeck she came face to face with Doubar, alone, the powerful man grunting with mighty efforts as he struggled to keep the ship as steady as possible to prevent it from capsizing.
"Where's Sinbad!" Maeve shouted over the chaos of the night, worry quickly spreading inside her chest.
His knuckles turning white as his big hands grasped the tiller in an iron grip, Doubar shouted back to her. "He's going up!"
Head whipping around as a sharp feeling of alarm flared in her veins, Maeve urgently surveyed the main deck to locate Sinbad.
As lighting flashed in the murderous sky, she saw him jump for the ratlines, the muscles in his arms straining as he held on for dear life as the ship dangerously rocked to the left.
The unexpected blow on the starboard side almost sent Maeve diving head first over the railing but Rongar's strong arm coiled around her waist and pulled her against him as he held on to the mizzen mast.
"Maeve!" Up in the shrouds he was climbing, Sinbad's voice suddenly echoed over the rain. "Get those lines!"
Maeve followed his arm to where he was pointing at the stays of the main mast and after one last glance to make sure he was steady in the ratlines, she nearly stumbled down the stairs to make her way back to the main deck. Her teeth were clattering when she reached the stays, the cold rain drumming deep into the core of her bones.
Her numb fingers curled around the lines but before she could attempt anything to secure them, another powerful wave rocked the starboard side. Her grip tightened on the rough wet cords as she struggled to stay onboard and not slip over the railing. The pull was so strong she thought the ropes would draw blood in the palm of her hands, but Maeve gritted her teeth and held on.
A flash of lightning ripped the sky again, followed by the boom of rumbling thunder.
Through the blinding rain falling into her eyes, Maeve saw with a pang of dread that one of the lines she was gripping for dear life was about to tear right above her head, and that promised nothing good both for her and for main mast if they ripped completely.
Her soaked clothes sticking to her like a second skin, Maeve shook hair out of her face and climbed on the railing to get better access to the weak spot in the ropes.
But then a new monstrous wave crashed against the ship, and she instantly knew how much trouble she was in.
"Sinbad!" she cried out his name in terror.
A splash of water blinded her as the lines she was holding in a death grip scratched her skin raw, her arms burning as she struggled to hold on.
She heard Sinbad scream her name in wild fear, but he was still up in the ratlines, too far to get to her.
As the lines slipped from her cold, numb fingers, Maeve screamed.
Thunder exploded in the night.
When she hit the water, it was like a thousand daggers of ice pierced every inch of her skin. The shock left her breathless and before she even knew what was happening, struggling to stay afloat as she coughed water out of her lungs, there was a sudden flash of white light igniting all around her in the raging waters, like a star exploding in the sky.
The last thing she saw before it blinded her was Sinbad climbing on the railing where she had been standing.
Then everything went as black as death.