The other members of the crew were up in a flash, rolling out of their beds and running for the upper deck in a heartbeat. Tobi, who had left his bed in an instant as well, hastily stepped to the side to let them pass, then glanced back at Samuel. The young mage was frozen in the moment, caught between hesitation and wonder that Arcana had predicted this so quickly. Less than five minutes after he’d woken up, in fact.

“Shall we see what we can do to help?” The apprentice asked. “I’m sure they could use a hand.”

Shaking back his hesitation, Samuel rolled out of his cot as well. His movement was considerably less graceful, and, as the ship lurched suddenly at landing, his feet slipped out from under him. He caught his fall on one knee with his and out to support him, then he was up again and running after Tobi as the youth bolted up the stairs.

The crewmate’s call of alarm was a little premature, as the storm was not quite on them at that moment. But it was clearly visible, a dark and looming wall of clouds on the horizon, and it was quickly growing larger. Powerful winds were already there, driven at them by the storm, and they were what was causing the ship to lurch uncontrollably.

“Get those sails down!” The Captain was coming out of his quarters, his face pale as he saw the storm. “Now! Cut them if you have to!”

Tobi was quicker than any of the crew, swarming up the mast to where the rope held the mast up. He tensed and pause suddenly when another gust tilted the sheep several feet to the side, almost smacked back down by the large sail as it flapped in the wind. Then he was moving again, and, having no knife, simpy reached up and undid the knot holding the rigging in place.

The sail came down like a giant grey cloud, and the crew under it darted to the sides to avoid it. Samuel stayed where he was, and, with his sharpened reflexes, caught a corner of it as it hit the deck. He quickly gathered it into a large bundle, helped by the crew, then they dragged it below decks where it couldn’t be blown away. Samuel came back up just in time to see Tobi release the second and final sail.

Then the first of the giant waves hit the ship, slamming into them with brutal force. The shock of the impact jerked the ship sideways, hard enough to break Tobi’s grip. The apprentice tumbled down the mast, unable to grab a handhold. Samuel hurriedly conjured a powerful wind of his own to cushion Tobi’s fall.

“Thank you!” Tobi shouted once he was back on his feet. “What do we do now, Captain?”

“Rowers and relief in the trench!” The Captain bellowed. “Everyone else below decks, or be blown away!”

The crew scurried to follow his order, rushing to their designated spots without argument or hesitation. Samuel and Tobi, of course, stayed where they were. Samuel had an idea now of what he could to help and hurriedly pulled Tobi to the side, drawing him close so he could shout over the wind.

“Stay near the Captain!” he called loudly. “If he gets knocked down, I feel we’ll sink!”

Tobi nodded, and, balancing somehow on the heaving ship, darted up the small set of stairs that separated the Captain from the rest of the deck. He made it just in time, grabbing hold of the railing just as another wave rocked the ship. Samuel made no attempt to balance or steady himself against it, as he knew it was hopeless. Caught in the open in the middle of the deck, he dropped to his stomach, feeling himself slide several feet.

“What are you doing boy?” He just barely heard the Captain shout. “Get below decks!”

Samuel ignored him, closing his eyes for a moment to focus his mana. He was vaguely aware of a dense wind forming around him, independent from the storm. The wind grew in intensity, and he felt himself lift off the deck just as another wave slammed into it. He got a faceful of saltwater as he shot up, and was knocked sideways for a moment, but recovered quickly.

Now he had a decent vantage point over the rocking craft, staying above it but keeping up in speed. He could see the rowers in their benches frantically sliding the oars in place, ready to start hauling the ship away from the gale. Sure that they were safe from being knocked overboard, Samuel turned his attention to the fast-approaching storm.

In his mind, he was remembering the vision of himself that Arcana had given him, of using his mana and knowledge of natural magic to forcefully turn the energy of natural things in the direction he wanted. He seeded his mana as far into the air as he could, finding and grabbing hold of the natural mana there. The storm fought him for every inch, but nearly a year of learning how to work the mana itself instead of spells had prepared him well. It was only a minute or two before he had about a hundred feed in every direction covered by his mana.

Satisfied that he was prepared, Samuel let himself drop back to the deck, landing as gently as he could on the uncertain footing. He felt another surge of natural energy come just as his feet touched the deck, and he repelled it. A moderate amount of his mana was burned away with the effort, but he saw the wind suddenly reflected back, and the ship enjoyed a moment of peace. Then he turned the other direction and blocked a powerful wave from slamming into them.

The rowers, finding themselves in suddenly calmer waters, went to work on the oars, turning the ship away from the worst of the storm. The craft cut a diagonal line, moving alongside and away from the roiling storm, looking to skirt around it. Samuel wasn’t sure that was the wisest move, as the storm looked to be several miles wide, but he didn’t comment, trusting the Captain knew what he was doing.

He quickly realized that fighting off both wind and waves was a waste of his mana. He was tiring too quickly and had burned through nearly a quarter of his reserves before an hour had passed. Doing some quick thinking, he looked from the sea to the mast, where the sails had previously flown. They were of course below decks for safekeeping now, which meant that the wind, unable to batter the massive cloth, couldn’t do much damage to the ship.

“Captain!” He shouted, grunting with effort as he pushed back another large wave. “Is it safe to ignore the wind?”

The Captain, who had noticed Samuel’s efforts, not to mention the relative safety it had bought his crew, waved briefly in answer. He had no idea how Samuel was doing it, but he wasn’t about to stop him. Samuel returned his attention to the storm just in time to avoid being knocked over by a surge of powerful wind. Tobi was there in a flash, standing back to back with Samuel, using his body to support the mage and keep him upright.

“I told you to watch the Captain!” Samuel bellowed, unable to comprehend why his apprentice would leave someone alone in such a horrific storm. The impacts on the ship may have been lessened by his own efforts, but if one slipped past him, the Captain, as the only other person on the ship untethered, was likely to be blown overboard.

“He’s safe!” Tobi shouted back, shifting his body to account for another wave and stop Samuel from falling over. “He’s tied to the wheel!”

Samuel could see at once that he was right, and decided to drop the issue. Tobi’s presence, not to mention his excellent sense of balance, was helping him in any event, and he was grateful for that. Using mana to brace his legs against the impacts was another large drain on his mana, and with his apprentice to support him, he could afford to focus that mana instead on the storm.

“Just mind my mana!” Samuel shouted. “Don’t cast anything, or you’ll disrupt the field!”

They pushed on through the tossing sea, gradually making progress through the storm. It passed over them, much faster than the craft, but the Captain kept the ship turned away from the point of impact. The waves, as tall as buildings, were stopped from crashing over the ship by Samuel’s magic, but they still rose and fell dozens of feet at once as they crested each peak, and fell down into the trench below.

It was nearly six hours before Samuel saw the first sign of improvement. Nearly drained of mana himself, he finally noticed the clouds overhead beginning to thin. The waves calmed down as well, reducing to about a foot in height, easily managed by the ship’s crew. Both the main rowing crew and the relief, who had worked nonstop through the night, slumped in the benches the second they drew their oars in, falling asleep then and there.

The Captain, eyes red and beard rimmed with salt, untied himself from the wheel and staggered down to the deck towards Samuela and Tobi. Samuel himself had used nearly all of his mana and had sat down on the deck, fighting his own spinning head, and pushing back the waves of exhaustion that threatened to overcome him.

“I don’t know how you managed that,” the Captain said with a hoarse voice. “But it’s thanks to you we got through that so quickly.”

Samuel had no energy to reply, unable to even lift a hand to wave in reply to the man’s words. He let himself flop down full length on the hard wooden planks of the deck, his chest heaving, and his entire body trembling. Without his warm mana surrounding him, he felt unbearably cold and tried to curl up for warmth. Tobi crouched down next to him, his eyes alight with concern.

“I’ll remember to learn how to do that in the future,” the apprentice said quietly. “But for now, take this, and let’s get you back to your cot.”

Samuel felt the neck of a waterskin being held to his mouth and drank greedily, suddenly aware of how thirsty he was. He swallowed too much in his haste, and coughed violently, expelling water as his lungs tried to clear themselves. Tobi took the water away, then placed his hands on Samuel’s shoulder. Samuel felt a surge of warmth enter his body, slightly reinvigorating him, and knew that Tobi had shared some of his own mana with him.

Then the strong arms were lifting him to his feet, and, with one arm propped over his shoulder, Tobi began to half drag, half carry him below decks. The Captain, though exhausted himself, hurried to his other side to help him. With both of their efforts, they carried the nearly unconscious mage back to his cot. The crew who had sheltered the storm in their quarters were out now, dragging the large mast with them. They had noticed Samuel beat back the storm with sheer determination, and they muttered quietly amongst themselves in amazement as Samuel was brought past them.

Tobi lifted him into his cot, and Samuel finally allowed the waves of tiredness to overcome him. His eyelids closed with the force of a slamming door, and he was instantly asleep. For the first time in what felt like a week, he slept without dreaming.