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    Running From the Storm
    Running From the Storm
    Running From the Storm
    Ebook220 pages3 hours

    Running From the Storm

    By Meyari McFarland

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    About this ebook

    Political plots? Check. Injured shoulder? Yes, check. Still. An infatuated enemy directly opposing her? Oh yes, another check.

    Raelin's shore leave while the Tourmaline Dreams was refitted and refurbished was the worst one yet.

    Constant pain and exhaustion dragged at her as she tried to protect the Dana, figure out Sinead's actions and, hardest of all...

    ...Save the Delbhana Clan from themselves.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMDR Publishing
    Release dateMar 16, 2017
    ISBN9781370609406
    Running From the Storm
    Author

    Meyari McFarland

    Meyari McFarland has been telling stories since she was a small child. Her stories range from SF and Fantasy adventures to Romances but they always feature strong characters who do what they think is right no matter what gets in their way. Her series range from Space Opera Romance in the Drath series to Epic Fantasy in the Mages of Tindiere world. Other series include Matriarchies of Muirin, the Clockwork Rift Steampunk mysteries, and the Tales of Unification urban fantasy stories, plus many more. You can find all of her work on MDR Publishing's website at www.MDR-Publishing.com.

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      Book preview

      Running From the Storm - Meyari McFarland

      1. Storm Front

      Raelin shifted, blankets warm and heavy over her. Muzzy, she smiled, rubbing her cheek against the pillow. Such a nice thing, warm and comfy. Heavy and safe and cinnamon drifting on the air .

      Cinnamon.

      Raelin frowned, kicking her leg and then grumbling when it didn't shift under her properly. Bed. This was her bunk. Not her hammock on the Tourmaline Seas. She rolled over entirely, pulling her pillow around her head because no, no waking up. Not yet.

      Pain screamed through her the instant she put weight on her shoulder.

      Raelin jerked upright, clutching her shoulder.

      Damn it.

      One of these days she'd be able to roll over and not wake right up but today was obviously not that day. Sweat beaded her shoulder as Raelin panted through gritted teeth. Fifty-three days wasn't enough. She slowly eased back down into bed, covers pooled around her waist even though the sweat on her chest and throat felt like ice.

      Delbhana Fallon had a lot to answer for. Grown woman, twice Raelin's size, throwing a fifteen-year-old girl into a coral wall to deliberately maim her? With the intent to kill her? Yeah, she had a lot that Raelin would like to punish her for. The scars on Raelin's face still hurt but they were healing well enough that she could eat and sleep and touch her cheek without flinching.

      The hip still hurt. Raelin had been torn open from shoulder to hip, her entire right side cut to ribbons by the coral blocks. Which had then gotten infected after a secondary injury during the freak hurricane and taken longer than it should to heal.

      Especially her shoulder. Sure, the hip bothered Raelin when she walked or worked, made her limp a little, but it was healing and pretty soon she'd be back to normal there. The stupid shoulder was a much different proposition.

      I wonder if I'll ever regain full usage of my arm? Raelin whispered, staring at the ceiling of her bunk. The whitewashed boards blurred a little as tears welled up in her eyes.

      The scars were worst on her shoulder. She'd hit the coral wall shoulder first, then cheek, arm and hip. Raelin didn't really need the sling anymore but that didn't mean that she could put on a shirt easily. Or raise her right arm over shoulder height. Even getting to shoulder height hurt like stepping into the Morrigan's Hells.

      And taking pain medication was not something Raelin was willing to do. That stuff was far too addictive, especially the poppy milk Doctor Bernice had offered her. Raelin knew what that did to you and she was not going to risk getting dragged down by that particular lure. She'd sink right to the bottom and never make her way back up. Even if Father did get a little pinched around the mouth when she obviously flinched in pain and Caddie looked heartbroken when he saw her face.

      They'd survive.

      So would she.

      At least Annie was safely away from the city. Off on the Azure Shell to sail around the world to Yaffa, Amadi and Chinwendu for a year or so. By the time she made her way back to Aingeal City the plot would have long since been dealt with and the volcano at the entrance to Aingeal Bay would have either crested the waves or have subsided into simmering silence once more.

      Still don't know how the Delbhana could blame Anwyn for that volcano, Raelin muttered as she sat up and carefully clambered down out of her bunk. Hard to do with one good arm but Raelin had gotten better at things like that on board the Tourmaline Seas.

      She shucked off her sleep pants and pulled on real pants. The socks were a bother. Tugging at them made Raelin's shoulder scream at her. And putting on her shirt made her break out in a cold sweat again. She sat on Anwyn's empty bunk, panting, as she buttoned the shirt one handed.

      Oh, you are up, Andros said from the doorway. He frowned at her with adorable seven-year-old intensity. Shoulder hurts?

      Yeah, I rolled over onto it, Raelin said. Woke me right up, let me tell you.

      He grinned at her causal tone, coming over to smack her hands away and redo the buttons. Because of course she'd gotten them off. Once it was done he looked at Raelin's hair and shook his head sadly. Lips twitching with amusement, the little scamp. Raelin sighed dramatically and gestured towards her hair with her good hand, begging him to fix it just like he always did when she was in port.

      Let me get my brush and some hair oil! Andros exclaimed, dashing out of the girls' bunk room with a delighted laugh.

      Gavin, her oldest brother, looked and then laughed outright so her hair must be extra curly and unmanageable today. Definitely let him help today, Rae. You're a mess.

      Slept well up until that last roll over, Raelin said. What's for breakfast?

      Cinnamon buns and poached seal eggs, Gavin said. Father managed to get a small clutch of summer eggs. They're little but quite rich.

      Sounds good, Raelin said.

      Getting her hair to stop being ridiculously curly, the sort of curl that radiated out from your head in tiny ringlets the size of a pencil, took Andros a good fifteen minutes. When Raelin ran her good hand over her hair it felt wavy, not full of kinks, so he'd obviously done a good job.

      Feels much better, Andros, Raelin said. Thanks.

      You look better, Andros said. Come have breakfast. It's good!

      He ran off again, leaving Raelin to follow at her own pace. Which was slow this morning. The ache in her shoulder seemed to have woken the ache in her hip again. Or maybe that was just because she'd slept in the same position all night instead of moving around a lot like she normally did.

      The big dining table in the great room was only half full. With Aravel and Anwyn gone on voyages, that left Gavin who looked to have already eaten and gone down to work in the warehouse, Gwen, who seemed to have decided not to have breakfast this morning, Raelin, Caddie, Andros and Treva. Caddie was tiny for his thirteen years so he took up almost no space despite the mass of petticoats belling out his kilt. Andros was still running around taking care of everyone. And Treva was sitting in her high chair, mashing her poached egg in to happy oblivion like the enthusiastic four-year-old she was.

      Morning, Rae, Father said as he passed her a plate with a poached egg and a lovely cinnamon bun covered with a sugar glaze. Eat. Your mother wants to talk to you once you're decent.

      Don't tell me the storm clouds have already hit, Raelin sighed.

      Saying outright that there was yet another Delbhana plot against the family would upset Caddie and Andros so no. Storms were frequent enough that both Caddie and Andros ignored her comment.

      Mmm-hmm, Father murmured. He kissed her forehead and pushed her towards the table. Eat. Get your shoes on. Your mother's down with Uncle Jarmon. Don't dawdle.

      Raelin at quickly. The bun was good, nothing special, and filling. The egg was rich but Father'd cooked it just right so the white was delicate and the yolk was perfectly runny. She soaked up the yolk with bits of her bun and then washed up before hurrying, as much as she dared, downstairs.

      Fastest way to get to Great-Uncle Jarmon's office was down the ship's ladder crammed between the upper warehouse and the records office but Raelin didn't trust her right arm to hold her going down it, or her hip this morning, so she went by the big formal staircase in the front of the Clan house.

      It was farther, officially, but Raelin didn't care. The steps were less steep and they were carpeted so she wouldn't hurt herself as much if her leg and arm gave way unexpectedly. Of course, that meant dealing with the gaudiness. That much gold leaf in one place was always going to be tacky but it impressed the Delbhana so they had to do it.

      Rae! Gwen called as Raelin slowly made her way down the stairs. Didn't expect them to send you.

      Raelin frowned. Gwen looked entirely too relieved to see her but hey, she was dealing with Delbhana Siobhan, the worst and most obnoxious of the Delbhana women their age. Gwen's age, seventeen. Who'd only gotten worse since getting engaged to Prince Toryn. Poor man.

      I expected to have Dana Anwyn delivered for her crimes, Siobhan snapped.

      What crimes? Raelin asked as if she had no clue. Really. Stupidest plot yet. "Besides, Anwyn's not in the country. She's off on the Azure Shell, headed to Chinwendu. Back in a year or so, baring disasters at sea."

      Both Gwen and Siobhan stared at her. Gwen's eyes were only a little wide but Siobhan gaped outright. Her guards, all big burly women dressed in the crimson and gold of the Delbhana Guard, relaxed a little as if they were hugely relieved that they weren't going to be called upon to go into battle.

      They would have if Anwyn was there. Even though Anwyn was only thirteen, she was the worst brawler of the whole family. Annie would have gladly done battle with every single one of them just for the chance to climb Siobhan's six-foot frame to punch her in the face.

      You're not serious! Siobhan exclaimed. We would have heard.

      Nah, we learned ages ago not to tell anyone when Anwyn was going places, Raelin said with a dismissive wave of her good hand. You Delbhana start plotting and it's annoying. Annie gets all wrapped up in the rigging and we have to calm her down. Just not worth the fuss. We don't even tell her until it's time to pack.

      Could have told me, Gwen grumbled. She crossed her arms over her chest only to go bright red when Raelin wagged a finger at her.

      You're almost as bad as Annie, Raelin said. Nothing doing. Why do you think you never get warning of trips out? You make a bigger fuss and get Caddie upset. No one wants Caddie upset.

      The guards had their lips pressed together, shoulders shaking, while Siobhan was frowning at her. At least the humor of the situation got through to other people, if not Siobhan. Raelin turned to her and shrugged. Flinched and rubbed her shoulder. Damn it. Stupid shoulder.

      She is actually gone, Siobhan said but her frown made it into a question even if her tone didn't.

      Yes, Raelin said. Mother got her onto the ship first hour of the morning today. I slept. No reason to get up and listen to her complain. So. Sorry. Can't give you Annie. You could punch Gwen, I suppose. But then I'd have to punch you and frankly my shoulder hurts today so no, no punching.

      The offer to let Siobhan punch Gwen finally got through to Siobhan who snorted a laugh. Gwen huffed and glared at Raelin but she didn't say anything. Thank the Tripartite Goddesses for that. At least Gwen wasn't letting her temper get the better of her.

      We still have many questions about that volcano and why your ship was the only one to encounter it, Siobhan said, stiff and formal despite the amusement in her eyes as she watched Gwen glower at Raelin.

      I can probably answer that, Raelin said. "Beyond the obvious 'we're Dana and we push things way too close to shore to cut time to port'. There a hearing on it? If it's not today I can gather some data, do some sketches, present some findings. Mistress Chie's starting work on the Drifting Cloud now. I went by when I came in yesterday to check on her and it's a mess. Another of our ships with holes in the hull. Really, we need to go more than a decade with ships taking holes. This time it's a bare six years and we're paying to rebuild another ship."

      And that, finally, put Siobhan's mood out of the angry and accusatory and into the triumphantly superior. Good. She was easier to deal with when she'd decided that she was better than everyone around her. Much easier to manipulate.

      There will be hearings, Siobhan said, smirking at Raelin and then curling her lip at Gwen. You will receive a summons.

      She swept out, her guards on her heels. One of the guards graced Raelin with a worried look but the rest just followed. Gwen waited until the door shut before rounding on Raelin with a horrified look on her face.

      What did you just do? Gwen demanded.

      Took it out of the realm of arrests and put it into the realm of big formal hearings that don't accomplish anything besides wasting time, Raelin said. She grinned when Gwen opened her mouth to say something only to stop and blink rapidly at Raelin. She came here to arrest someone. She left feeling smug and superior about getting us to talk at hearings. How many hearings has Mother been to? What have those hearings accomplished?

      Gwen sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. Nothing besides wasting Delbhana money and a little of our time. Damn it, Rae. You're going to have to take the helm on this, you know. And you're not doing well. Don't try and lie to me. I can tell you're hurting.

      She gestured towards Raelin's face, her shoulder, worry in her eyes. Raelin shook her head, patted Gwen's shoulder. Yes, it hurt. But it was new. She'd be all right as her shoulder continued to heal.

      That's my line to haul, Gwen, Raelin said. Don't fuss over it. I'll heal up. I'm not heading out for at least a month, maybe a month and a half. Great-Uncle Jarmon said so when he told me to get Annie ready for her trip. That's forty to sixty days just of talking, listening to the Delbhana rant and healing. Better me than you. My temper can handle it. Yours can't. I'll be fine.

      I hope so, Gwen said. She bit her lip. I think you're underestimating that this is all about but I hope you're right.

      2. First Drops

      Mother was, in fact, in Great-Uncle Jarmon's office. Standing and swaying with little Erlina fussing in her arms. More yelling than fussing. For a three day old baby, Erlina had some very strong longs and a very strong opinion of where she should be .

      Didn't wear an old tar-stained shirt today? Raelin asked Mother.

      Didn't work, Mother said before thrusting Erlina towards Raelin. Take her. Walk around with her. Come back. I have to finish this and we can't think for her yells. And do come back. There's things you need to… do.

      Raelin pressed Erlina against her good shoulder, held her there with her good arm and patted her little bottom with her right hand. Hurt a bit to reach that high. Erlina was tiny, even for a Dana baby. But Raelin could handle it.

      Especially when Erlina huffed and then fell asleep, exhausted, against Raelin's shoulder.

      Don't ask me, Raelin said. Maybe she likes the smell of the hair oil Andros used on my today. Father said you wanted to talk to me. Oh, and Siobhan was here. I agreed to go talk at some hearings she's setting up on the volcano and why we found it instead of someone else.

      Because our ships cut closer to shore than anyone else? Great-Uncle Jarmon said with a facetious little snort.

      That's my thought, Raelin said. But I'm grounded anyway so I might as well go. I can keep my temper.

      Mother nodded at that. So did Great-Uncle Jarmon. They waved her out of the office in unison so Raelin slowly strolled out to the dock where the Tourmaline Seas was being stripped of her sails. Erlina started snoring just about the time Raelin reached the gangplank, responding to the sway of Raelin's walk and the smell of the sea, maybe. Or just tired out by all the crying.

      Probably tired out.

      Your newest sister? Captain Vevina asked once Raelin made her way up onto the poop deck.

      Mm-hmm, Raelin said. She's one of the fussy ones that wants to be held all the time. And apparently she's got sea water in her veins because she's quietest out here. Pitches a fit about being inside the Clan House.

      The Delbhana have been by six times this morning looking for Anwyn, Captain Vevina murmured, her voice quiet enough that it wouldn't carry over the sound of the crew working on the sails.

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