wrath of the Sea Queen (265 page)

"
I
a
m merely stating a fact.  You did raise a shield when Rika first threatened you.  You
reacted
instinctively
and
raised it around yourself, your family, and your friends.  It may have been an unwitting act, but
it came from you.  That wa
s the first real construction you learned to perform with your gift, and you reverted to it when you needed a solution.  Your fear and anger fed this shield all week
.  It is part of the reason why your hea
lth
has been
continually taxed
."

"
So y
ou
are saying this is my fault.  Since the storm could not g
o through
my barrier, it went around and caused more destruction
elsewhere
.  Why
,
then, is it moving toward this area now?
"  C
a
eli tr
ied
to understand.  She
believed that
Michael was
telling her the truth
, but was not fully convinced
of her
own
action
s
.

"
It moves now because you dropped your shield and called the storm to you.
"

"
I did not consciously do that. 
If I
a
m doing something wrong, please
,
tell me how to correct it.
"

C
a
eli did
n
o
t know how to sort through details of an action she did
n
o
t intend to perform.  If her current emotions were fueling
the storm
, then how could she set it right?  There was no way that she could
completely
stop th
is
storm.  It was too large and too powerful for her to handle.  Besides, there was
much
more to this storm than rain and tides.  The winds, more than anything, were causing the majority of the damage and provided additional vigor to the tides rolling toward shore.  C
a
eli was powerless to do anything about the wind.

"
You have to address this storm.  You
must
fi
nd a way
.  There is nothing more I can tell you except that, if you do
nothing
, everyone on this island will be lost.
"

CHAPTER
62

Maku and Vin stood inside the lighthouse watching the storm from a window about fifteen feet off the ground. 
T
he rain continued to fall
.  W
aves crashed against the shore and strong winds fed off the increasing density of the rain clouds.  Something fed this storm, causing it to grow and move inland.

"In all my life, I
ha
ve never seen a storm behave like this," Maku commented
before he walked off to check on the festival setting below. 

Vin was left alone with his thoughts, and those naturally turned to C
a
eli.  If this storm hit tonight, not only wouldn't he have the chance to bring her out to dinner, but he
might
be forced to spend the night here at the lighthouse.  She and Salma would be alone at the hotel.  That thought did
n
o
t set well, so Vin decided to
attempt
a
change
in
the developing situation.

He
subtly reached out with his gift to connect with the storm. 
The winds were incredibly violent
at its core
.  They made the strong winds he encountered on the trip down seem like pleasant breezes
when
compared to the
se
rampaging gales.  Vin wanted to help, not
only
for C
a
eli, but also for his friends who lived here. 
If he could spare them even a small portion of the damage this storm
was certain to
cause, he
would
take the chance. 
Vin put forth a good effort
, but
the results were minimal
on the overall scale
.  T
he rain continued to fall and the
waves crashed against
the shore. 
The wind and water fed
on
each other. 

Vin
leaned against the cool wall of the lighthouse to catch his breath.  Using his gift against such a monster storm
took a
major
toll on his ability
. 

"You ok, Lad?"  Ben walked up and put a
supportive
hand on Vin's shoulder.

"Yes, thanks.  I was trying to do something to
diminish
the effect of the storm winds, but I was not
very
successful," Vin replied.

"Well, it was worth a try.  I think we
wi
ll be safe enough here, though I am worried about Salma and C
a
eli at the hotel.  Do you think they
wi
ll be
all right
?"

"I think so, as long as they stay away from the windows and the water doesn't
reach the second story
…"

Vin broke off his response as he heard C
a
eli's silent inquiry
asking if he had returned
.  He explained where he was and what they were doing. 
Vin
was pleasantly
surprise
d when
C
a
eli
to
ld him that she changed her mind about
go
ing
out to dinner.  Unfortunately, that was
no longer
looking promising. 

After
Michael's voice
interrupted t
heir conversation
,
any notion
Vin
had about maintaining their original
plans
for the evening went out the window
. 
Michael's
words implied that C
a
eli was responsible for this storm,
though
she
clearly
doubted
the possibility
.  By the
time
Michael
reached the end of his
explanation,
Vin
could tell that
C
a
eli
realized
the truth
.  Michael
's words were
clear and insistent.  His voice carried an air of authority that left no room for debate
.  Vin
listened carefully
and
waited until Michael finished his
conversation
with C
a
eli
and departed
before speaking to her again.

"
C
a
eli?
"

"
I know.  You don't
want me to do anything rash.
I
t doesn't matter
.  I
cannot
possibly
tame this storm.  It's too much for me.
"

"
I understand
your frustration
.  I just tried to manipulate the wind, but didn't have much luck.
"

"
Michael said that i
f I don't do something, everyone will die
; e
veryone. 
He leaves me
with
no less of a burden than Rika did. 
Vin, I can't let th
is
happen
.  I have to do something
,
" C
a
eli responded
dejectedly
.

She made up her mind that she would try. 
Either she would try and possibly die or she would die
help
lessly along with everyone else.  After a week of events beyond her control, C
a
eli decided
it was time to regain that control, especially if this turned out to be her final
decision. 
Unfortunately, s
he simply had n
o idea how to begin or what
it would take to make a difference.

"
Michael suggested that there was a solution
, but I don't see it.  I'm
not that familiar with the way your gift works, so I cannot
advise you
.  Maybe Ben can help.
"  Vin reached out and placed his hand on Ben's
arm
to allow him to join their conversation.  Vin quickly caught him up on the details and asked for his opinion.