His lungs were flooded with water.

No matter how hard he tried to breathe, the air was blocked off by the congestion on his chest. The pressure between his ribs was agony and they clenched. Water bubbled out of his mouth and dribbled through his nostrils. His back arched as fingers dug into the shifting earth. He couldn't see anything. His ears were blocked. Pain pierced into his bones.

He coughed again, more water spurting out like a spring. He felt his eyeballs twisting in their sockets as the lack of oxygen rippled through his brain. His chest squeezed more and most of the water chugged out.

His body rolled onto his stomach as he coughed the last of the water from his lungs. He greedily sucked in as much air as possible. Then he collapsed onto his back once more.

Colsen lay there, arms spread out in the sand, gaping at the big blue sky before him. He relished the crisp, salty air whisked into his lungs. His body felt heavy, his limbs like sandbags. While his heart steadied its beat, his mind was blank.

He turned his head to the left and saw a white-haired woman washed up on the small shore. His eyes widened and Colsen hastily stumbled to his feet. His black hair was plastered to his face, sending rivulets of water streaming down his cheeks.

The man stumbled, hands reaching out for anything to prop him up. The world swerved, turning upside down, and suddenly he was on the ground. He felt like he had been tossed into a whirlpool that refused to let him go.

As he sat up, he noticed a brown-haired man to his right, just an arm's length away. He lay on his side, half his face buried in the sand. Colsen blinked at Rollen, then turned back to Avira. Then he rose, swaying on his feet before striding drunkenly to the unconscious woman.

He collapsed on his knees beside her and placed his finger to her neck, fighting nausea rising in his throat. Her chest rose and fell so softly that it was almost indiscernible.

Avira's face was cold to the touch, and he quickly withdrew his hand. A bubble of panic popped into his mind. Without a second thought, he dove into her mind.

Avira. Avira, wake up!

♦

All she knew was the darkness.

Avira felt lost in her own mind, taken aback at the sudden unfamiliarity she felt within herself. Her head felt full of contents she had never understood.

Then the curtains of darkness parted, dissolving in mist as a new environment took over.

She saw stones rising above her, caging her in. A room. When she looked down, she saw that she was withing two dark concentric circles, with queer symbols painted on the ground in red.

She looked up and saw the King of Norlay watching her, a blade in hand. Horror punched her so hard when she realized it was the runed dagger the High Maester once used on her.

King Brannon swiftly slit his wrist, splaying tiny drops of blood on his long, golden waterfall of hair. His violet eyes never faltered, staring at her as he flicked his cut arm at her, dousing her in his blood. She wanted to flinch, but her body didn't respond.

Then he said one word, and white light burst from the circles, trapping her in a jail of light. Cold swept into her before a fiery heat swept over her, then the icy chill hit her once more. The light dissipated as shadows seemed to awaken all around her.

Just as they came down on her, she heard: Avira.

Everything stopped. The room faded. The King disappeared.

Avira, wake up!

♦

Colsen sighed as Avira's emerald eyes shot open, sagging with relief and exhaustion. He swiped his hand over his black mane, controlling his breathing. Her gaze slid past him. "Is..." Her voice was scratchy and dry.

Avira let out a flurry of dry coughs, propping herself on her right elbow as she covered her mouth. She glanced at her palm but she didn't hide it away fast enough for him to not notice the stains of red on it. "Is that Rollen?" she managed.

He turned to the man lying on the sand and he scrambled to Rollen's side. Colsen's palm was on his chest, but he felt nothing. Heart racing, he turned back, where Avira was delicately sitting erect. "Avira," Colsen panted. "I need your help."

She stared at him, then the body before shuffling her way on the sand. Her movements were sluggish and her eyes were drawn behind dark bags beneath them. Nevertheless, she tried to hide it and put both her hands on Rollen's chest. Colsen tethered a connection to Rollen's mind.

First, he felt nothing but calm peace. Then low drumming pounded in his ears, slow but growing steadier. The beat grew louder and louder, and he finally realized that Avira was expanding and relaxing his heart, pumping blood through his veins.

Water spurted out of Rollen's mouth as he coughed and choked. Colsen let go of the connection as soon as he felt Rollen awaken. The man's body spasmed and jerked as it emptied all the seawater lodged in his lungs. When he finally stopped, he took gasping breathes, eyes wide open. Seaweed clutched onto his brown hair, which was matted on his face. Avira collapsed on the sand, drained.

Colsen also settled himself wearily on the beach, taking his time to breathe evenly. He looked about them and saw a line of trees starting some ten meters behind them, the thick, green foliage dark against the bright blue sky and light sand.

He heard Rollen groan as he sat up, clutching his head. It was pure luck that the man was still alive. If it weren't for Avira...

Colsen froze, eyes drawn to the girl lying still a few ways to his left. Only her rising chest assured him that she was breathing. But how were they still alive? His memory only told him that the ship had sunk. He could recall a woman's scaly face before his own while they were submerged, but after that, he had no idea what had happened. Had they simply washed up on the shore? And if so, where was the rest of the crew?

Something else nagged at him. How had Avira actually saved Rollen? She had thrown away her pendant. She couldn't access her magic. Or could she? The numerous unanswered questions made his head pound. He was about to lie back down when he heard Avira's shallow breathing, her tiny whimpers. He moved slowly—damn his muscles hurt!—until he approached her. By then, she had sat erect, eyes wide. 

"Are you okay?" he asked. 

She remained silent, eyes glued to the lapping waves. Colsen had noticed her fear of the ocean as soon as they boarded the ship. Perhaps they should move into the jungle so that—

Avira got up and walked towards the shoreline. Colsen watched her in confusion. Had she seen something? Someone? A survivor perhaps? He stood as well and studied the clear blue water. He sent out a mental probe, waiting for a lost mind to brush his senses. When he felt nothing, he glanced at Avira- who was wadding into the sea.

He immediately perked to attention. "Avira?" he called. She showed no sign of having heard him, pushing against the waves licking her legs. Maybe the wind had carried his voice away. "Avira!" 

She began to swim.

Colsen was running in the water before he knew what he was doing. 

"What's going on?" he heard Rollen ask, bewilderedly at the pair.

Colsen hissed as he dove into the cold water. "Get Avira! Something's wrong," he yelled.

The steady splashing beside him alerted him that Rollen had joined the fray. He quickly surpassed Colsen, swimming smoothly until he reached Avira, who swam clumsily. How Rollen managed to swim that fast after drowning was beyond him. Colsen's own muscles were screaming at the exertion. Now the seabed was below them all, having swum far from the shore. 

He was close enough to hear Rollen bellow, "What the hell are you doing?" Avira hissed at him and raised her hand to scratch Rollen's face. The man stopped the hand midway and wrapped his other arm around his waist. Then Avira grabbed his head and pushed him under the water.

Colsen quickly grabbed her while trying to keep his balance. A wave rose and splashed against them, pushing them back towards the shore. Avira spluttered. Rollen emerged, coughing up water and several curses. "What the fuck is wrong with her?"

"I don't—" Something brushed against his senses. Probing the waters, he felt someone swimming towards them. Someone vicious and hungry. "A sheraki!" He adjusted his hold on the writhing girl and began paddling to the beach. 

At the mention of the creature, Avira perked up and growled. She struggled against Colsen's hold, kicking and fighting to go deeper into the sea. He choked on a mouthful of saltwater. "Rollen, help me!"

Now they had both her arms locked in their grips, holding her while she faced seaward, and they went for the shore. But the sheraki was moving faster. Colsen could feel her getting closer and he knew they had little more than ten seconds before she reached them. Avira struggled all the way, getting more violent the closer they came to the beach. She screamed and growled and nearly bit Colsen's ear. Soon he could feel the shifting sand beneath his toes. Together, they wadded out of the water, just as the sheraki arrived.

They clambered onto the beach and threw Avira to the ground. Her eyes were wide, red splotches on her eyeballs. Her skin was deathly pale and she breathed through her mouth in shallow gasps. Immediately they let go of her, she scrambled towards the sea. 

Rollen pounced on her and they rolled on the ground, sending sprays of sand into the air. He pinned her arms above her head with one hand and straddled her. She kept kicking his back with her knees and Colsen held them down. She writhed and thrashed underneath them. They barely noticed the sheraki until she jumped on Colsen.

He was shoved to the ground. He quickly grabbed a washed-up log and held it out with both hands as the sheraki dove down to bite him. She took a mouthful of wood. Colsen dove into her mind. Rage. Hunger. Desperation. Murderous intent. He went past the surface emotions and slipped to her consciousness. Before he could knock her unconscious, her teeth broke through the branch and headed for his throat. 

A kick sent her across from them. Rollen returned his attention to the deranged girl as the sheraki shook her head. Stringy strips of green hair covered her face. Colsen's hand wrapped around a rock and waited till the sheraki pounced on him again before he struck her head. The heavy thud was followed by a thump when the creature fell to the ground, unconscious. 

Colsen panted, his hands shaking. The rock fell from his grasp. Quickly, he scrambled to Rollen and took the knife strapped in his belt. He slid over to the body and plunged the knife into her chest. 

The sheraki opened its black eyes and shrieked in surprise and rage before blood bubbled from the wound. Colsen stepped back and watched as she writhed and buckled in the sand, her screams filling the air. Soon, she became still. 

Avira's shriek rose above anything else on the island. She buckled and shoved at Rollen, body writhing in pain and anger. He tried to pin her back down but she clawed at him, raking over his right eye. The rage in her green eyes was potent and vicious enough to scare anyone away.

Colsen hit her head with the log. She collapsed, as silent as the island itself.

Rollen rolled off her and lay on the sand. "Spirits above," he muttered. "Just can't catch a break, can I?"

Hellooo. It's me again. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please don't forget to vote :) Comments are well-appreciated❤