Free The Awakened: Book One by Jason Tesar

panicked strokes.  As Adair closed in on the men, he risked a look behind, but the light was gone from the western sky and nothing could be seen.  Even their sinking boat was only a slightly darker blot on the water.
    Shouting voices came across the water from the direction of the enemy ships and Adair’s heart dropped.  He had hoped they would be satisfied with sinking his ship, but it sounded as though he and his men were being pursued.
    “Ahh!” one of his men grunted.
    We’ve reached the coral.   “Try to stay on the surface as much as possible.  The water is shallow, but we should still be able to get over it if we’re careful.”  Adair tried his best to sound confident for the men, but he was out of his realm of experience.  He really wasn’t sure how close the coral grew to the surface, but it sounded good, and at this moment, keeping the men from despair was important.
    Adair flipped over on his back and began to swim with a backstroke, keeping his body on the surface.  Then he noticed an orange light hovering over the water behind them.  A lantern!   The flickering glow illuminated what appeared to be six men rowing and several others standing.  Whatever hope Adair had of escaping these men, it had just ended.  The rowboat was much too fast for panicked swimmers.   We’re not going to make it.
    “We’ve got to split up,” he called to the others.  No one acknowledged him.  He repeated his words a little louder, but all they could hear was their own splashing.  Adair decided not to risk yelling any louder to the men and veered to the left, taking his own advice instead.  He quickly lost sight and sound of the other men, but the orange light continued to move forward.  Adair adjusted his own course even more to stay out of the light, turning directly to the north.
    “Stop where you are!”  The words came across the water to him and for a brief second, he thought he had been sighted.  Then he heard shouts, followed by complete silence.
    I’ve just lost my crew!
    He quickened his pace and continued to swim north.  The minutes passed slowly and Adair began to grow tired.  After fighting fatigue for as long as he could, he slowed to an easier pace.  The glow of the lantern had disappeared.  He wasn’t sure how long he had been swimming, but he knew that he couldn’t keep this up forever.  Gradually, the sky lightened and he turned to see the moon rising over the eastern horizon.  As it climbed higher in the sky, the concealing darkness vanished.
    The orange light of the lantern reappeared a moment later.  It was only fifty yards away and it looked like they had already spotted him.  The rowboat moved swiftly, coming alongside of Adair as he floated in the water.  The men standing in the center of the boat were holding bows, stretched taut with arrows ready.
    “Climb aboard,” came a raspy voice.
    Adair knew it was pointless to resist, though his mind still raced to find a way to escape.  Against his instincts and years of training, he swam over to the boat and grabbed the extended hand of one of the rowers.
    “That’s it, nice and easy,” the man with the lantern spoke again.
    The rower pulled and Adair slid into the boat, rolling over the side and slumping onto his back with exhaustion.  The bottom of the boat had a musty smell like it hadn’t touched fresh air in a long time.
    The man with the lantern stepped forward and held the lamp over Adair’s limp body.  “I already know from your late friends that you are the Captain.”
    Captain?  Adair was relieved that his men hadn’t told the whole truth.  Although the position of Captain evidently gave him some measure of safety, being a Colonel and the Governor of Bastul was something that should stay hidden.
    “Yes, that is true,” he replied, sitting up and wiping the saltwater from his eyes.  “What do you…”
    Out of the corner of his eye, Adair caught a sudden movement.  He didn’t even have time to