“We should do as she wants,” I said, trying to ignore the quavering terror in my belly. Up there in the storm, in the open, amid those heaving seas . . .

“Are you sure, Sibeal?” Gull was getting to his feet. He winced as he straightened. The close confinement of the hold and the lack of opportunity to stretch our legs had taken their toll.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I said. There was a reason for everything Svala did; I was more and more convinced of that. Even the things that seemed wild and uncontrolled had their purpose. “Cathal, is it possible for us to be somewhere on deck but out of people’s way?”

“If you can keep Svala from wreaking havoc, I expect Gareth might agree to it.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Let me go up first, then. I’ll find you a spot.”

Up there, in the teeth of the wind, I could think of little but staying on my feet. I wedged myself against the rail, and Felix stood between me and the gale. As for Gull, the moment he came up on deck he changed from healer to sailor. There were tasks even his crippled hands could manage: stowing equipment quickly and neatly, lending his strength to jobs requiring the force of several men, keeping an eye on which crewman needed to rest, calling the next to take his place. I realized that if it had not been for my presence on Liadan, his voyage would have been quite different. I saw a purpose and pride in him that touched me even as I clung to the rail with one hand and to Felix with the other, praying wordlessly to Manannán to let us live.

Svala was restored to herself. She stood tall on the prow, heedless of the salt spray, the fearsome swell and the scourge of the wind. She was at one with the sea. Her golden hair flew wildly above her, tossed in all directions. Her bare feet were planted firmly. While I could not have taken a step on my own without falling, for the deck was tilting one way, then the other, she had no need to hold on. I watched her in awe. There was a freedom about her, and a power, that awoke a yearning in me, a longing for something I could not name. Now and again she turned to me, eyes alight, as if to share her excitement. Here we are! Isn’t it wonderful? I managed a grimace in return. Truth to tell, I was not able to face this with the fortitude I would have wished for. I was terrified.

Felix bent to say something—the only way he could make himself heard over the wind and the waves was to put his mouth close to my ear. “I’ll hold on to you, Sibeal. I won’t let you go, I promise.”