Well That Storm Came Out Of Nowhere....

The boat rocked under my feet as the salt-laced wind lashed against my face. I felt my fingers grip the thick rope tighter, forearms burning with the weight of the net we were hauling up.

The sun hadn't even reached its full height yet but my arms were already trembling from effort. I leaned back with the others, shoulder to shoulder with men hardened by decades of sea spray and storms. And still, I matched their strength. Actually… I might've pulled harder than a few of them.

Not that I'd ever brag...

"Verdamona! Put your back into it, girl!" One of the men called with a hoarse laugh, salt-and-pepper beard twitching as he grinned. "That net's got the weight of the entire sea today!"

"She's pulling more than you, Barro!" Another teased.

"I'm not even trying," I muttered with a smirk, adjusting my footing.

I tightened my grip and heaved. The ropes snapped taut and with a final grunt from the crew, the net broke the surface with a splash, spilling over with hundreds of silver-scaled fish. The deck hissed with sea water and the flapping of fins, and a collective roar of celebration erupted from the men.

"We struck gold again!"

"By the gods! Girl, you've got the talent of the sea!"

"You're a lucky charm, you are."

"She brought in another full haul. Told you the fish would be there, didn't she?"

I stepped back, brushing wet hair from my cheek and looking down at the haul, my chest rising and falling with steady breaths.

"I didn't tell you. I sensed it," I said, wiping my hands on my dress. "There's a difference."

"Bah, you could sniff 'em out through a hurricane," Barro chuckled, clapping me hard on the back. "How'd you do it again?"

"I don't know. I just… feel them. Below us. When we're close, it's like the boat hums."

And it was true. It has been happening for a few months now. Six months passed since the Oracle left and almost every time I stepped onto the sea, I could feel vibrations in the depths. I didn't even need to open my eyes. I'd just sit, breathe, meditate… and feel. Ever since the Oracle left, I hadn't let up on my training. If anything, I pushed it harder. I ran earlier, lifted more and meditated longer. But fishing? This was new.

And I loved it.

I didn't come out here to play village girl or help for praise. I came to test myself physically and mentally. The sea was unpredictable. The tides threw you around, the boat rocked with every gust, the sun scorched your skin, and storms loomed without warning. Pulling fish was work and that was exactly why I needed it.

And because I meditated on the boat, I wasn't slacking. The ocean was noise incarnate. Waves, creaks and cries of birds filled the silence but it forced me to anchor my thoughts and focus deeper. If I could find silence here, I could find it anywhere.

"We should go where she says every time," another man said, wiping sweat from his brow.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you had your old man's gut sense," one of the older guys muttered.

I smiled faintly but didn't say anything. I didn't go with my dad. He was fishing on a boat nearby with my brother, which was fine because I needed space. I mean… I love him, but the man acts like I'll dissolve if someone looks at me wrong. Took me days to convince him to let me fish without him breathing down my neck. I'd even gone to my mom to help sweet-talk him. And she had to pull out the "she's strong enough now" speech. Ugh.

But now, watching our deck overflow with fish, hearing the laughter, the slaps on my shoulder, I felt it. I wasn't just accepted here anymore. I was valued. And it felt good.

"Pull that one to the back, Mona!"

"On it!"

I darted across the slick deck. I gripped the rope, dug in my heels, and pulled. The net was soaked, sagging heavy with struggling fish, but I yanked it up with a firm twist and lashed it to the side rail. One of the men blinked at me.

"You're seriously strong, you know that?"

I smiled, panting slightly. "I know."

"Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late."

The rest of the day moved in rhythm. Drop the nets, meditate, feel the sea, pull when it's time. My muscles ached, but in that way that made me feel alive. I didn't read on the boat. It was too risky. Water, salt, wind, and ink didn't mix. Lilith's books would probably end up soaked or floating off to some sea god. So I saved it for the nights, where I curled up in bed, exhausted but satisfied, and read in the quiet.

Out here, it was just me and the world. And I liked who I was when I was working like this.

I was sitting at the bow, eyes closed, meditating while the others laughed over our overflowing crates of fish. The sun was still warm on my skin, but… something was off. The pressure shifted. The air grew tight. The boat, previously rocking gently, gave one awkward lurch, barely noticeable to anyone else, but I felt it.

Something below had changed. My eyes opened.

"…We need to head back."

The men paused, all heads turning toward me.

"What's up, girl?" Barro called from behind the rudder. "Sea talking to you again?"

I didn't even blink. "Storm's coming."

A few of them chuckled like it was just another strange Verdamona thing, but I stood up and walked straight toward the mast.

"I'm serious. I can feel it. We have minutes, not hours. Pull the sail, now."

That changed their tone real fast.

Barro stood upright, scanning the skies, and cursed low under his breath.

"She's right. Look to the east."

We all turned.

A wall of dark grey loomed on the horizon, swallowing the blue sky. Thick clouds spun in unnatural spirals and even from a distance, I could see the wild hunger in the stormfront. Lightning danced inside its belly like a beast waking up, and the wind shifted direction so sharply it howled.

"Pull the nets in, now! Fast as you can!" Barro barked.

Within minutes, chaos kicked in.

Ropes flew, sails flapped like frantic wings and men scrambled to secure everything. We moved with desperate coordination, hands knotting ropes, unhooking anchors and bracing the crates of fish with ropes and boards. My body surged with adrenaline but my mind stayed oddly calm. I moved fast, yanking a loose sail down, tightening a rope, securing the crates of fish one by one.

We weren't fast enough. The first wave hit like a hammer.

It slammed into the side of the boat with the force of a falling mountain, drenching us instantly and knocking three of us off balance. I caught myself on the railing, my shoulder screaming from the jolt, but I held fast.

The second wave didn't wait.

It crashed down right over us, soaking the deck, throwing one of the crates loose. I dove forward, slamming my body against it, using my weight to keep it from slipping off the edge. The wood scraped my arms raw, but I didn't care. We needed every fish. We needed balance.

The wind tore at our clothes, stung our eyes and drowned out our shouts. Lightning cracked, blinding white against the blackening sky, followed by the thunder that rattled our bones. The mast groaned like it would snap any second.

I looked up and saw death.

A wave slammed over the bow, and Barro was nearly swept off the side. I grabbed his hand before he could go under, my muscles straining as I hauled him back. I realized just how strong I was.

"You're insane, girl!" He gasped, coughing saltwater. "You should've let me go!"

I just held tighter.

"Shut up and hold on!"

Another crack of thunder emerged, this time right above us. The boat pitched at a terrifying angle, teetering like a toy in a god's bathtub. One of the older men fell backward and slammed into the rail. Blood smeared down the wood, and he didn't move.

"No!" I crawled to him, shielding him from another wave. His chest was still rising—barely—but he was out cold.

I looked around, and for a moment… we were tiny, just specks in the middle of the vast, angry sea. Water everywhere, the sky black and flashing, wind that could lift you off your feet, and fear in every breath.

I realized in that moment: this was real power. This was nature, wild and untamed, deciding whether or not we lived.

Someone's voice was heard from afar. It was another boat heading straight for us.

"KEEP THE BOAT CENTERED! DO NOT TURN! RIDE THE WAVES!"

Only one person had that voice.

"DAD!"