Below deck, Ushanti wobbled to her feet. The storm had died down since earlier and the ship seemed stable enough for her to move as well. The problem was that her legs didn't seem to get the message at all.
She struggled to stand upright let alone walk. Ushanti couldn't help but be slightly annoyed. She hadn't been able to go out and help during the storm and now that the storm had died down she was unable to walk straight.
"Like hell I'm gonna stay lying down" she forced her way to the cabin door.
She pulled the hatch and stepped into the corridor. Tentatively, she walked towards the upper levels of the ship. She used the walls to support herself and with every step she took her balance returned to her.
By the time she reached the metallic steps to the upper deck, she could walk straight on her own just fine.
Seeing the light peek through the door upfront brought a smile to her face. The storm really was over. It had been a terrifying ride. Every time she felt the vessel shudder or tilt upwards had filled her with the dread. The thought that the ship would become overwhelmed and sink for good was frightening.
But now, Ushanti stepped onto the wet deck and looked at the clear skies above her. The sun had never looked so beautiful. She spotted Shay and Phay sitting in the distance, their backs leaning onto the metal box.
They were wet and their clothes were completely soaked.
They looked especially tired too. Ushanti clenched her fists. She really wished she could have been of better help.
She took several breaths and approached the railing. She looked out and that was when she noticed the dark clouds in the distance.
"I thought the storm was over?" she muttered.
"Not quite young Ushari" Captain Ramirez said as he joined her where she stood.
Ushanti gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"
"We merely managed to reach the eye of the storm" the captain said.
"Eye of the storm?"
"Aye. Its the safest place for a ship to be. We can wait out the storm here without having to experience the worst of it"
"Captain! We got a drifter!" one of the crew members shouted from the other side.
Captain Ramirez' bushy brows furrowed. He turned towards the one who spoke. It was the young lad who had spoken before they left the port. His shirt and pants were soaked through same as the rest. In fact it was only Ushanti and the captain who were relatively dry on deck.
"What in the world are you talking about kid?" the captain asked.
The young lad pointed over the rail, towards the water.
Ushanti's gaze followed the finger. At first she couldn't see what the young sailor was talking about but something soon caught her eye.
She had to lean over the railing and squint her eyes before she saw it clearly. There in the water something was swimming towards the ship or rather someone. Her eyes widened and before she could even think. She leapt over the railing and dove into the water.
For a moment she was pulled under. The water felt cool on her skin and the clothes she wore clung to her body. It was salty so for the briefest of moments her eyes stung. Still this wasn't her first time swimming. So as soon as she oriented herself, she swam for the surface. Her head broke through the water with a gasp. She took deep breaths and peddled with her arms. As she swam away from the ship, she heard the captain giving out several orders.
With the waters this calm, it didn't take much effort to reach the drifter.
It turned out it was a boy. His skin was pale and cold, his hair stuck to his temples and his eyes were closed. He was unconscious but luckily his head had managed to stay above the water. Chances of him getting water in his lungs were low.
Still though.
'What was this boy doing in the ocean and where did he come from?' Ushanti wondered as she pulled him close. The boy felt cold but he was still breathing.
Holding onto the boy, she swam back to the ship. There, a rope ladder had been dropped from above. The captain had already climbed down and was waiting for her while leaning onto the hull.
"Bring 'im here girlie" he urged.
Ushanti complied. The captain lifted the boy easily over his shoulder. It was only then that she noticed how stark naked the boy was. Embarrassed she looked away but the bruises that covered the boy's body made her curious.
Several moments later she was back on deck. She covered her body with a towel. She leaned onto the metal box at the stern, Shay and Phay standing next to her. They too had covered themselves with towels.
Still, her gaze occasionally drifted to the hatch that led to the lower deck in the distance.
"Still thinking about the boy?" Shay nudged her with an elbow.
"I was just curious is all" Ushanti replied.
"That so?" Shay said, her voice soft. "Still though how could you just jump into the water like that?"
"Hey don't take it out on me. I thought I was the only one fit to go and get him" Ushanti shrugged.
"Still you have to be careful. You are the future of our people"
Ushanti looked down. "How can you still say that when I can't even control my Aether?"
Shay placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get there. It just takes-"
"Time and practice. I got that already" she shrugged off Shay's hand and rushed to the lower deck.
Shay looked at her go and sighed. Sometimes she wondered, why did their princess have to endure such a burden. Her people expected more from her because she was the princess but it never got easier.
Not when all her peers had surpassed her like that.
She turned to the ocean and let out another sigh.