RVA: The Red Vixen at Sea, Part Nine

She ran as fast as she was able, her stomach churning. Halfway back to the point on the beach where Windskimmer had been anchored, she paused and vomited up her lunch, then lurched unsteadily in pursuit of Rolas.

Fortunately he’d also been slowed down. Evidentially his early display of fitness climbing the stairs had been a bit of a ruse, for up ahead she saw him pause, sway unsteadily, then drop to his knees. Then he pushed himself up and began a loping crawl toward his goal, finally rising unsteadily to stumble along the beach.

Melanie gritted her teeth, tasting bile in her mouth, and forced herself to run faster, arriving just in time as Rolas ran into the surf in pursuit of the sailboat. She grabbed his wrist, trying to draw him back as he continued to head into the waves, foam breaking over his knees.

“Are you out of your mind?!” she screamed at him as Rolas dragged her with him into the bone cold water.

“It’s heading towards the reef!” he shouted back, trying to twist out of her grip. “The coral will rip through the pontoons!”

“You can’t swim after it! If the tide drags you over the coral you’ll be ripped apart!”

( Have I mentioned Rolas has Issues? )