In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens (best business books of all time txt) 📗

detachment had made Tal unaware of the wound until then, but it stung now, a throb of pain to equal the pressure building behind his eyes and in his chest.

Even if he weren’t bleeding, he was significantly weakened from the injuries from the fight on the beach and the ill treatment by the crew. He couldn’t fight his way upward to air, and he couldn’t swim away from the currents leading him down to the ocean’s depths. This was his death, marked only by a splash.

Looking up, Tal barely made out the shadow of ships above him, the hulls rocking violently. Good. Something positive would come of his death. Maybe his captors would soon follow at the hands of Shay and Garrett. A smaller shadow dove toward the sea, an image of madly flapping wings, but Tal was too far down to be certain.

Tal’s struggles slowly gave way to feeble twitches—his limbs too sluggish and uncoordinated to break free of the shackles. His magic danced away from him, elusive with his ebbing consciousness. His vision darkened, black spots growing in front of his eyes.

Death, he discovered, was simple, not the terrifying and daunting fate that had loomed over him during his time on the ship. It was easy to give in, to let his eyes slide half closed, to let his body drift in the rhythm of the sea. His pain dulled—the scorch from his chest and shoulder became distant, as if it weren’t happening to him at all. But he still felt regret over the thought of never seeing his family again, of never seeing Athlen again.…

His imagination must have taken pity on him in his last moments, because a vision of Athlen suddenly appeared before him, staring at Tal with his wide sunlight eyes, his pretty red mouth open. But the feeling of Athlen’s webbed hands holding Tal’s face was shockingly real, soft, and gentle.

Tal’s first kiss was rough and frantic, Athlen’s mouth bruising against his own, a tight seal on Tal’s lips. A burst of oxygen followed, filling his lungs like sails. Tal surged back to awareness. Athlen broke away, gaze roving over Tal’s body, then he hooked one strong arm around Tal’s torso. With a flick of his tail and an undulation of his body, Athlen pulled Tal through the water at a dolphin’s pace. Even Garrett’s ship couldn’t move as fast in the condition of the seas, but the rolls and froth didn’t hinder Athlen as he powered Tal through the water.

Tal didn’t have much time to appreciate Athlen’s mobility and speed before they broke the surface.

Tal gasped, sucking in heaving gulps of air as Athlen held him close. His arms ached from their odd position, and his wounds burned from the salt water. But he was alive.

He was alive!

“Athlen.” The name punched out of him as his head lolled on Athlen’s collarbone, foam splashing his chin.

Athlen gave him a tense smile. Water beaded along his bare shoulders, his own copper hair wet and dark and matted around his ears and forehead. They floated above the waterline, Athlen’s arms snug around Tal’s body as Tal leaned heavily on Athlen’s chest.

“Are you all right?”

“You saved me.”

He shook his head. “Not yet.”

Athlen’s gaze was far away and Tal followed it. Stunned at the distance they’d covered, Tal could barely discern the ships on the horizon, the only indication of any disturbance being the thick columns of smoke.

“My family,” Tal said.

Athlen nodded. “I’ll get you back to them. But not yet. It’s too dangerous to swim near ships, especially ones ramming each other.”

“I trust you.” Tal coughed, then grimaced at the wet sound, water dribbling from the side of his mouth.

Athlen’s brow creased in concern. “We need to get to shore.”

Tal stared at the hard line of the underside of Athlen’s clenched jaw. “How did you find me?”

“Followed your brother’s ships.” Athlen swallowed. “We’ll talk more when we’re not in the middle of the Morreline Sea with a storm brewing. We need to get you to the beach.” He looked over his shoulder. “Even merpeople tire.”

“There’s a storm coming?” Tal glanced at the clear sky. The sun had fully risen, casting rays that hurt Tal’s head and sparkled on the frothing water.

“Yes, and—oh! That will help.”

Tal craned his neck. A jolly boat floated nearby, loosed from one of the ships. Athlen sliced through the water, carrying Tal with ease.

“Can you grab the…” Athlen trailed off. “Your hands are bound and you’re bleeding.”

“Yes.”

“What did they do to you?”

Tal laughed. He ached down to his marrow. Every piece of his body that he could feel hurt. He didn’t know how to answer that question.

“Can you use your magic to break free of the shackles?” Athlen asked, his shoulder bumping against the side of the boat. “Like you did for me?”

Tal considered it, but he was weak all over, and his fingers were numb. His eyelids grew heavy with each passing moment. His thoughts slugged through his brain. He was cold and hot all at once. He’d almost drowned. His chest hurt, and he couldn’t feel much below his knees.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to try right now.”

“Okay.” Athlen had one arm wrapped around the side of the boat and the other around Tal, and he looked between the two with a furrow in his brow. “Take a deep breath.”

“What?”

“Trust me.”

Tal sucked in a breath and Athlen released him. He sank like a stone for the second time that morning. Panic choked him for a gut-wrenching second, but then he was back in Athlen’s arms and propelled upward.

He fell into the bottom of the small vessel with a yelp. His face scratched on the wood and his body twitched, and he’d never been happier to be back on a boat in his life.

Athlen’s head popped over the edge. “All right?”

Tal rolled to his side to ease the pressure on his wrists and hands. “Sure,” he said, voice a rasp.

“Fantastic. There’s a rope here. I’m going to pull