The Red Drifter of the Sea (Pirates of the Isles #3) - Celeste Barclay Page 0,64

she’s alive, you’d better pray we find her before Dermot,” Keith stated.

“Well I know it,” Kyle sighed as Keith climbed up to his ship before Kyle returned to his.

Nineteen

Moira’s head pounded as she came awake, once again finding herself in the cave. She was still safely on the ledge above the water level, but the quiet of earlier was gone. Waves crashed beyond the entrance to the cave, and she realized that she’d entered during low tide, but for whatever reason, the cave didn’t fill. She struggled past the blazing pain between her ears as she struggled to hear what woke her. She’d thought she heard a voice calling her name. But when no sound but the crashing surf reached her, she resigned herself to thinking she must have been dreaming.

With the fog lifted, Moira made out light in the distance. The sunshine filtering through the archway at the other end of the cave illuminated the space enough for Moira to gain a clearer sense of where she was. She looked up and discovered hundreds of bats hanging above her heard. Her stomach clenched as she thought about how fortunate she’d been that none bit her. She squinted to see how far the ledge ran along the wall she laid beside. It would only keep her out of the water for a few feet. As she considered what she should do next, a gust of cool air and a gush of water poured in across from her. Several bats screeched and took flight, but rather than move toward the entrance where Moira swam in, they moved toward where the air and water just passed.

Moira waited for another surge of air and water, but none came. She wondered if it was a previous one that woke her and not voices. Dreading it, she slipped back into the water and kicked across the narrow channel. With her hands outstretched once again, she propelled herself with her legs while her hands prepared to encounter more rocks. Rather than being pushed into the cave wall, Moira bobbed in the water as a crosscurrent pushed her away from the second entrance. Fighting against the tide, she found a narrow archway. She raised her hand over her head, able to touch the top of the entrance.

If the tide is in right now, then I should wait for it to go out. Maybe then the opening will be wider. I might be able to pass through it to whatever opening is on the other side. Or I might get stuck and die in a watery grave. But I could do that if I try to leave the way I came in. At least this way must lead to the other side of the jetty, the side where there’s a beach I can swim to. A beach Kyle’s ship could see. A beach that has a path up the cliffs.

But that’s the same cove where the O’Malleys attacked. They could still be there. I have no idea what came of that fight. What if Dermot defeated Kyle, and that’s why he was alive and searching for me? Or did he flee from Kyle before Kyle could run him through? I couldn’t see what lay beyond the jetty because of the fog. Maybe the better choice is not to go to the beach.

Moira moved back to the ledge and hauled herself out of the water. She sat shivering, thinking it was almost warmer in the water than the damp air.

I sit here until the tide changes. Then I swim to the entrance that I came through and see what lies beyond. If there’s no possibility of escape that way, then I give this narrow tunnel a try.

Moira huddled against the cold as her teeth chattered. She feared she would die of hypothermia before she had the chance to swim free of the cave that was both her sanctuary and her cage. As the sunlight faded, Moira knew she had little choice but to at least look out to where she’d swum earlier. If she waited too long, she wouldn’t be able to see well enough to make a choice. Drawing in a fortifying breath, she walked along the ledge as far as she could go before she jumped back into the water. She decided it was more merciful than prolonging the agony by easing in. The swim was easier moving toward the open water since she knew there were no obstacles ahead of her. The current became rougher as