I nod, then put my hand in his and dive into the water. We’re immediately caught in the current he created, but instead of spinning us around, it drags us out into the Passage. I kick my legs and reach with my arms as we’re carried closer and closer to the ship.
The groaning of metal and wood punctuates the stormy night, and I kick harder when I hear yelling. An awful crack splits the air, followed by a large wave that rushes toward us.
It pushes us back several yards, but the current finds us again quickly. My formal gown drags in the water around me, and my body shakes from the cold as we’re pulled farther out to sea. Another bolt of lightning cuts through the darkness, and rain pelts us as we swim.
When we finally get close enough to see the ship in detail, Wolfe slows the current, and we tread water.
“Do you know how many people are on board?” he asks, breathing heavy.
I shake my head. “Landon and his parents for sure. Probably a captain, maybe some staff?”
Wolfe works beside me, his magic rising around us. This time, it stretches to the heavens, and I’m amazed when his palm lights up with a silver-blue glow.
“Is that moonlight?” I ask, completely amazed.
“It will help us see underwater.”
A scream pulls my eyes from the moonlight, and I recognize the voice immediately as Landon’s. He’s in the water now, thrashing around with all the debris of his broken ship. His scream is swallowed by the Passage as he’s pulled under.
“I’m going,” I yell, forcing myself underwater and begging my eyes to adjust. Wolfe follows, stretching his moonlight into the depths, turning the black water a soft shade of gray. The current swirls in front of us, violently stirring the sea.
I see a body drifting down to the ocean floor, completely still. I tap Wolfe on the arm and point, letting some air out of my lungs in order to sink deeper and deeper. The water is cold and sharp against my skin, but even in the midst of the chaos, the quiet here is comforting.
Wolfe’s moonlight illuminates the body, and I panic when I realize it isn’t Landon. I get closer, but I don’t recognize the man. Maybe the captain. I wrap my arms around his waist and kick upward, Wolfe’s light going off in another direction. We surface, and I see a boat from the Witchery rushing toward us, taking advantage of Wolfe’s current. It stops a safe distance away, and I flip onto my back and swim with the body, kicking as hard as I can.
When I finally reach the boat, it’s my father’s arms that reach over and pull the body inside.
“Tana, are you hurt?” he asks, and the words take me a moment to process.
“No,” I say.
“Get in the boat. It’s not safe,” he says, reaching for me.
“I’ll be okay. Wolfe is here; he’s helping.”
My dad realizes what I’m saying, that it’s Wolfe’s magic that is enabling me to help. Wolfe’s magic that is saving Landon and his family. He tenses, but he doesn’t argue.
“Okay. There’s nothing we can do until that current moves on. Help as much as you can, and we’ll be here, standing by.” He’s soaking wet, the rain unrelenting, the inside of the boat drenched, but they’re safe where they are.
Dad reaches over and rests his hand against the side of the boat. I quickly squeeze it, then dive beneath the surface and search for Wolfe. His light is coming toward me, and I rush to meet him. He’s carrying another person, Landon’s mother, but she’s moving, kicking her legs along with Wolfe.
Watching him, carrying the light of the moon and riding a current he created, I see just how powerful high magic is. If there’s a manor full of witches who can do what Wolfe is doing now—if this is the baseline of what they’re capable of—I can only imagine what they could do with more magic.
An idea forms in my mind, fuzzy at first but growing in clarity.
“What’s wrong?” Wolfe shouts at me, and I realize I’ve been treading water, staring at the sea.
“I know how to fix the currents,” I say, stunned. Then the trance is broken; Landon is still missing. “Get her to the boat,” I yell.
Wolfe transfers his light to me, and I’m amazed when it doesn’t go out, doesn’t even flicker. I feel my magic rush to meet it, sustaining it in my hand and guiding my path as I dive deeper into the Passage. A shadow moves above me, and I look up to see a person swimming away from the wreckage.
I quickly surface to see Landon’s father swimming toward my parents’ boat.
“Can you make it on your own?” I call after him.