Free Guardian's Challenge by Bronwyn Green Page A

water that rushed in. The man howled and yanked his hand away from her.
    Kicking as hard as she could, she propelled herself away from him, breaking the surface of the water and taking in huge gulps of air. Her lungs still burned and her head throbbed. Black spots floated before her eyes as she did her best to tread water and keep her head above the waterline. Her heart slammed into her ribs doing nothing to alleviate the ache in her chest. Slowly, she spun in a circle, trying to get her bearings. Rocks to her right, the floundering ship behind her and nothing but open sea to her left and in front of her.
    “Asher! Joseph!” she choked out, her voice weak and thin.
    Lightning continued to brighten the sky, but the wind whipped water into her face obscuring her vision and the thunder stifled her cries.
    She heard voices, but all of them sounded far away and none were the ones she’d hoped would answer. She called again. But the only thing she heard was thunder and the sound of wood creaking and snapping under the pressure of the sea.
    Heavy waves surrounded her, growing rougher by the minute. Forcing her limbs to move, she set out in the direction that the captain had pointed out earlier. She had no idea if she had the strength to swim a league or even half a league, but she had to try. She knew Asher wouldn’t give up, and she refused to, not when he was still out there. She’d know if something had happened to him. She was sure of it. She continued calling his name as she swam, hoping against hope that he’d answer.
    She had no idea how long she struggled against the current—how long the salty waves parched her lips and stung her eyes, but the dawn seemed to lighten the sky. Though it was hard to tell through the clinging mist. Sometime during the night, the storm had given way to a heavy fog that sat thickly above the surface of the sea. Her muscles burned from the constant movement, and she couldn’t tell if she was any closer to shore.
    Something heavy and cold bumped against her back, nudging her forward. She turned to look, managing to choke on a sea water-tinged scream. The bloated body of the sailor who had nearly drown her stared sightlessly into the dripping sky. Summoning a burst of energy she would have sworn she didn’t possess, she kicked hard, trying to put as much distance between her and the corpse as possible.
    As she swam, the water seemed to grow lighter. If the water was getting lighter, she had to be getting closer to shore. For the first time since losing sight of Asher last night, her chest felt a little less tight as if tiny green leaves of hope were beginning to unfurl within her. Her leaden arms cut through the water, muscles screaming.
    As she fought her way forward, she thought she heard her name. Stopping, she treaded water, hoping to hear it again. Though his throat sounded raw, she recognized Asher’s voice. And Joseph’s.
    Relief exploded through her body, warming her slightly as she pushed a response past her shivering lips. She changed direction, swimming toward the sound of their voices as they continued to call her.
    A faint glow on the horizon shimmered through the mist, growing larger and brighter as the morning sun burned away the fog. She pushed on, relief turning to euphoria as the tips of her toes scraped the sandy bottom of the seabed. Water up to her neck, she rested for a moment, standing flatfooted as she peered around her, searching for Asher and Joseph.
    Several figures, shadowed by the light of the rising sun, moved in the distance, but two ran along the shoreline racing toward her. The hysteria she’d managed to control through the entire ordeal bubbled to the surface within her, and she pushed off, swimming toward the two men as fast as she could, desperate to throw herself into the solid safety of their arms.
    As she reached the shallow water, her dress clung to her, hampering her movements as she tried to stand. Her legs were as wobbly as a toddling babe and