Riptide
Nautilus Legends #5 by Emma Shelford
Teaser
Nautilus Legends #5 by Emma Shelford
Teaser
Something thumped against the hull of the Clicker. Zeb froze, his heart thundering in his chest.
“What was that?” Corrie whispered.
The boat climbed the next roller, then rose further than the waves. Zeb gripped the wheel with white knuckles, and Corrie gasped.
The Clicker dropped suddenly, and a huge sheet of frothy water sprayed out from its landing. Zeb glanced into the water. Had they hit a whale?
Something long slithered darkly below the surface. A flash of pale, round things flickered in the water. Zeb’s stomach shriveled into a tiny ball of fear.
“Corrie,” he said hoarsely, then he said louder, “Corrie, hold on. I’m turning the boat around.”
“Why?” She peered through the windshield. “What was that? A rogue wave, maybe? I’ve read about those. They can totally blindside a boat. It’s when two waves from slightly different angles come together and join forces. The resonance—”
“Just hold on,” Zeb cut through her words. He yanked the wheel around to turn the boat in a tight arc, trying to time it just right so they rode the waves instead of being toppled by them. There was one nasty moment when the deck tilted ominously underfoot, but the Clicker pulled through until they faced the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Corrie stared at him. “We need to get to the Seamount. We’re so close.”
“No.” Zeb glanced around the ocean, but nothing stirred. The lack of movement didn’t ease his fears. “We’re there.”
With a gut-clenching lurch, the back end of the boat rose. Corrie screamed as the bow dipped into the next wave. A black mass under the surface, darker than the surrounding depths, wriggled unnervingly on one side.
Zeb wrenched at the wheel, but the propeller was out of the water. He braced his feet against the front of the wheelhouse and desperately wracked his brain for ideas on what to do. Nothing came to him.
“We’re going under!” Corrie screamed.
The front deck of the boat was underwater now, and the windshield stared into frothing waves. Zeb grabbed Corrie’s waist, ready to haul her out of the wheelhouse should the worst happen. No matter what happened, he wouldn’t let her go.
With a tortured groan of metal, the boat rocked backward. Water sluiced off the bow as it rose above the waves. Zeb hauled Corrie closer to him so he could keep hold of both her and the wheel. The boat settled into place with a splash and a shudder. The propeller finally caught the water again. They surged forward.
Zeb’s throat was dry, and his forehead beaded with sweat. He pushed the Clicker as hard as it would go, and the old girl valiantly roared under his command. Corrie spluttered beside him like an engine trying to catch.
Finally, she caught. “What the hell was that?” she squeaked. “Did we hit something? It was too crazy for that, though. A whole pod of whales? But then where are the spouts of their breathing? We would have seen at least a few. But how could they have lifted the boat up so high? Did we injure one? That was insane. Maybe if you give this area a wide berth we can approach the Seamount from a different angle.”
“I’m pretty sure that was the Seamount.” Zeb glanced to each side of the boat, his heart still hammering from their close call. Would they be chased? Were they still in danger? “That wasn’t a whale. That was a warning.”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw—” Zeb swallowed. He didn’t want to frighten Corrie, but they were in this together. She needed to know, and she had handled worse. She was the toughest person he knew. “Suction cups. On a long, dark arm. Longer than the boat.”
“What was that?” Corrie whispered.
The boat climbed the next roller, then rose further than the waves. Zeb gripped the wheel with white knuckles, and Corrie gasped.
The Clicker dropped suddenly, and a huge sheet of frothy water sprayed out from its landing. Zeb glanced into the water. Had they hit a whale?
Something long slithered darkly below the surface. A flash of pale, round things flickered in the water. Zeb’s stomach shriveled into a tiny ball of fear.
“Corrie,” he said hoarsely, then he said louder, “Corrie, hold on. I’m turning the boat around.”
“Why?” She peered through the windshield. “What was that? A rogue wave, maybe? I’ve read about those. They can totally blindside a boat. It’s when two waves from slightly different angles come together and join forces. The resonance—”
“Just hold on,” Zeb cut through her words. He yanked the wheel around to turn the boat in a tight arc, trying to time it just right so they rode the waves instead of being toppled by them. There was one nasty moment when the deck tilted ominously underfoot, but the Clicker pulled through until they faced the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Corrie stared at him. “We need to get to the Seamount. We’re so close.”
“No.” Zeb glanced around the ocean, but nothing stirred. The lack of movement didn’t ease his fears. “We’re there.”
With a gut-clenching lurch, the back end of the boat rose. Corrie screamed as the bow dipped into the next wave. A black mass under the surface, darker than the surrounding depths, wriggled unnervingly on one side.
Zeb wrenched at the wheel, but the propeller was out of the water. He braced his feet against the front of the wheelhouse and desperately wracked his brain for ideas on what to do. Nothing came to him.
“We’re going under!” Corrie screamed.
The front deck of the boat was underwater now, and the windshield stared into frothing waves. Zeb grabbed Corrie’s waist, ready to haul her out of the wheelhouse should the worst happen. No matter what happened, he wouldn’t let her go.
With a tortured groan of metal, the boat rocked backward. Water sluiced off the bow as it rose above the waves. Zeb hauled Corrie closer to him so he could keep hold of both her and the wheel. The boat settled into place with a splash and a shudder. The propeller finally caught the water again. They surged forward.
Zeb’s throat was dry, and his forehead beaded with sweat. He pushed the Clicker as hard as it would go, and the old girl valiantly roared under his command. Corrie spluttered beside him like an engine trying to catch.
Finally, she caught. “What the hell was that?” she squeaked. “Did we hit something? It was too crazy for that, though. A whole pod of whales? But then where are the spouts of their breathing? We would have seen at least a few. But how could they have lifted the boat up so high? Did we injure one? That was insane. Maybe if you give this area a wide berth we can approach the Seamount from a different angle.”
“I’m pretty sure that was the Seamount.” Zeb glanced to each side of the boat, his heart still hammering from their close call. Would they be chased? Were they still in danger? “That wasn’t a whale. That was a warning.”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw—” Zeb swallowed. He didn’t want to frighten Corrie, but they were in this together. She needed to know, and she had handled worse. She was the toughest person he knew. “Suction cups. On a long, dark arm. Longer than the boat.”
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