The Blue Woman and the High Wood

Book Two in the Nyla Series

Adam Cole

Chapter Two

(C) 2013, 2016 Adam Cole

Published by Nuncici Press, an imprint of Adam Cole Works LLC

The ship had cleared the harbor in fine weather.  Now under a stiff breeze it began to rock in earnest on the open sea.  “I don’t like this,” Nyla said, bracing herself against the wall of the forecastle.  They had all gathered in Nyla and Chere’s quarters to stay out of the way of the sailors.

“You’ll get used to it,” said Vival.

“Nah ah,” said Nyla, shaking her head.  “I can’t get used to this.  I miss the ground.”

“They’re called sea legs,” he started to say.

“Oh, is that what they’re called?” she asked in a loud voice, rolling her eyes.

“Nyla.” Chere put a hand on the girl’s arm.  Chere’s touch steadied her, both inside and out.  She glared at Vival for a second, then looked away.  “It looks like the weather is turning bad pretty quick.”

What had been a fairly pleasant afternoon now was quickly turning stormy.  A considerable number of drops were falling, imprinting large circles on the face of the churning waves.

“We should stay below…” Vival said, just as Nyla raced out the cabin door.  Vival and Chere exchanged glances.  She often did this sort of thing, running towards trouble, even when it scared her.  “Nyla!” Vival called after her.

Having Vival yelling like that made it worse.  Nyla hated feeling like someone was looking out for her.  She was proud of being able to take care of herself.  She had been doing that in the Kingdom under the Mountain for as long as she could remember, while everyone else had been doped up by the spell of the Overreacher.  

And when it had come time to escape, she took pride in the fact that she had rescued Vival as much as he had rescued her.  Vival had been a prisoner when she had discovered him, and she had found a way to free him.  In the end, she had been the one to end the threat to their lives, not him.

But there was no escaping the fact that she was still a child, maybe twelve.  She didn’t exactly know how old, but she wasn’t about to tell her friends that.  She also couldn’t deny that she did things that she knew were crazy and stupid, like running out on the deck of a ship during a storm.

In the minute it had taken her to get out there, the rain had gotten worse.  The shoreline, though not far away, was nevertheless obscured in the pouring rain.  And the wind, which had been pleasant when they left, was pushing hard on her now.

The gusts were shoving her right off the main deck, which was already tilted at an alarming angle.  The boards, slippery with the fresh rain, offered her no traction.  She slid along towards the railing and saw the huge swell rise up just beyond it.

At that point the ship heaved and she was pulled the other way.  She grabbed for the rail and missed.  With a thud, her body struck something.

She screamed as hands clutched at her.  Looking up, she saw it was one of the ship’s crew, looking down at her in alarm.  “What are you doing out here?” he cried.  “You’ll be swept out to sea for sure!”

“Sailor!” called a stern voice across the rain.  “Climb the mainmast and secure that sail!”

Nyla’s rescuer gave her a piteous look and let her go.  “Best get belowdecks!”  With a leap, he clambered up the slippery mast and was gone from sight. 

The ship had already begun to pitch to the other side again.  Nyla saw the railing coming towards her.  Holding her arms wide, she grasped at it as her stomach collided.

The impact took her breath away, and her footing too.  She had come at such a rush towards the railing of the deck that her momentum caused her to pitch over.

More about The Blue Woman and the High Wood

Now that Veer Isle was secure, it was time for the hero Vival to take Nyla to see the Sand Witch.  Accompanied by Chere/Sherluck and Tom the Incredibly Helpful Sword, Nyla and Vival board a ship bound for Zen.  

But trouble begins as soon as the ship leaves the harbor.  A terrible storm comes up.  The sailors want to throw Nyla from the ship.  And rising out of the ocean is the mysterious Blue Woman. 

Adam Cole is an author and music educator in Atlanta, GA.  He has written numerous books and stories for children, as well as a number of adult and non-fiction titles including Motherless Child and Seven Ways the World Can End.  

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