The biting wind sapped his strength. He'd given his woollen tunic to Alison. The thought of a fire and dry clothes was appealing. A long time passed and he grew colder. For the moment, there was nothing to do except wait and bail out the water that was slopping over the sides.
The top of the island was a hand's breadth above the horizon when the tide turned. Now it was two. The gap had halved. He checked the two women. Both were sleeping. Alison was as radiant as ever but Miralda looked close to death. He adjusted their clothing and did his best to stay warm.
The sun was now at midday. He measured it with his fingers, placing one upon the other. It was something he'd learnt from the Duideth. For the priests it was an act of worship, something they did in the darkest days of winter when the Lord Sun was in the deepest point of His Divine Journey. Fury wasn't interested in that. His only concern was to bring Alison and their unborn child to safety.
He had questioned the boatmen of Galboreth. They were faithful to the Great Mother. They knew the Lord Sun was an imposter. The Big Poof's only worth was to tell the time of day. Fury had a device they'd given him. It was a board with holes and pegs. You put in pegs to say where the foul hand of Lord Sun would strike. Like the boatmen, Fury wasn't interested in the play of cosmic forces. His mind was on navigation.
To get it right you had to tell the time of day. That would tell you where north was. The closer you got, the better you could steer. And you had to know the tides. They were controlled by Lady Moon. If you knew them you could sail the estuary.
He checked and rechecked his position.
Everything was on course. The island loomed ahead. Dark cliffs with waves breaking against them. The important thing was to find a safe place to land. The boatmen had spoken about a bay on the southern side. Fury shielded his eyes and searched for it.
There would be no second chance. The current was too strong to turn back. He scanned the cliffs, looking for a break in the walls of black granite. Waves crashed against the coracles. Spray blew in his face. His heart sank and he had almost abandoned hope when he heard the barking of seals.
Miralda heard them too. 'There, young brother.' She pointed to the towering cliffs. 'Our friends, the seals, are guiding us to safety.'