In which the boat is rocked...
Lok sighed watching the conversations flying around him, they'd been drifting on the open sea for over an hour without a destination all in the name of 'lying low'. If anything he was bored. Bored stiff. He looked up to the sky and sighed again; dark clouds had completely taken over the previous blue and they threatened to burst at anytime. "Hey guys. I'm going to the cabin; looks like rain." He cut into the conversation getting to his feet and moving towards the small building. The other Seekers turned their faces upwards in time to catch the first drops of rain before the heavens opened with a crash of thunder. Exiel swore loudly bolting past Lok to get to the mast.
"Alice. Anchor. Now!" He yelled as forked lightening split the sky. Alice scrambled to the side of the boat, throwing the lever that sent the heavy anchor spiralling into the water. She saw Exiel still struggling with the metal mast as she stumbled back towards the group.
"Ex. Leave the mast. It'll be fine!" She yelled over the storm, hair and clothes already sticking to her like a second skin.
"No it won't." Her friend argued, resorting to brute strength to try and pull the metal beam down. The storm chose that moment to strike at the mast, using it as a lightning rod causing the man to be thrown overboard and destroying the boat entirely.
//
The Seekers regrouped in the water with Alice trying to hold the unconscious Exiel afloat. Dante drifted gracefully nearer, taking hold of the man's unoccupied arm to take some of his weight from the dipping woman.
Sophie gripped Lok's arm as he thrashed around, trying to reach his satchel, which was underwater, attempting to break away from its owner. "Cherit! Where are you?" He yelled. Sophie held him still, forcing him to look at her.
"He's fine. Dante sent him to search for any islands remember?" The boy nodded realisation dawning in his panicked cobalt eyes as he relaxed slightly in his friend's grip. "We need to get to land." Sophie called to the others as Zhalia swam over to the main group, cutting her way though the stormy waves with apparent ease.
"Well done Princess." She muttered stopping beside the Casterwill before taking hold of her hand and Alice's arm. "Bodybind." Zhalia's hand glowed pale green briefly.
"What was that?" Dante frowned trying to release Exiel to go to Zhalia but he found that he couldn't.
"We won't be able to separate from each other for a least an hour." The blue-haired Seeker explained softly as her amber eyes flickered closed.
"D. We can't keep this up!" Alice yelled, sputtering when salty water flooded her mouth as she tried to keep Zhalia's head above the sea. Lok floated out a little way from Sophie, catching hold of plank of wood that had once been part of the deck of their boat.
"Here. Grab on!" Not needing to be told twice the entire group drifted to the piece of wood, holding on as the waves rocked them into the dark.
//
I was furious. Somehow the villagers had seen me for what I am and then they'd had the audacity to cast me out. They would pay for their brief show of courage. I would make sure of it. Flames would ravage their pitiful village, scorch their hides and boil them alive.
I watched the storm on the horizon, lightning lashing the waves and in the waves beating the rocks below my vantage point. Nature's show of violence had satisfied me for the moment, my revenge could wait.
I don't know how long I'd been watching the storm; hours can seem like seconds to one such as I but the next thing I saw were the dark figures of six people wash up on shore. They were alive, I could tell; there was an almost tangible aura of power around them, even in their unconscious state. I needed to know more.
I reached out and touched their minds with my own. I learned that they were Seekers and that each of them had an inordinate amount of power at their disposal, but one would be all I'd need for my revenge.
But which one? My last had been male so I must break that pattern to shake the villagers from my tails so that left the women.
The blue-haired female was too well protected; a mere glance at the eldest male's mind told me that, the brown haired girl too was under his protection and the blonde boy would notice any changes in her behaviour too soon for her to be of any use to me. I chose the last. The spike-haired female.
I touched her mind gently, not wishing to disturb her too much as I sifted through her thoughts, learning her life, her behaviour and memories. No one would notice if this one would act a little stranger than usual and I felt a brief thrill when I discovered her eyes were a dull green; it meant that there would be no change when I took over.
I smiled in satisfaction as I forced my soul into her body; she would be perfect. My patience had been rewarded and my revenge would soon be complete.
...and a creepy character plots revenge