The Docks

The Docks

Zelnard needed no further encouragement to escape the slow market day.

He darted toward the docks, his excitement building as the smell of saltwater grew stronger and the sound of waves rolled against the curved stone harbour. The docks were always alive with movement: ships arriving and departing, sails snapping in the wind, dockworkers shouting orders, ropes creaking, cargo swinging, and gull-like ganets crying overhead as though they owned the sky.

As he reached the edge of the docks, Zelnard noticed a large ship from Sylvan Watch approaching the harbour. It was an impressive vessel, with towering masts, bright rigging, and intricate carvings curling along its sides like vines frozen in wood.

Dockworkers hurried to bring it in, catching ropes and preparing to moor the ship against the curved stone wall of Crystal Quay.

The ship's hull creaked as it nudged toward the dock.

Then a rogue wave slammed into its side.

The vessel lurched hard against the stone quay with a jarring thud.

A young man on deck lost his balance.

Zelnard watched in horror as the deckhand pitched over the low bulwark and fell into the narrow gap between the ship's massive wooden hull and the unforgiving stone dock.

For one dreadful instant, everything seemed to move too slowly.

The heavy merchantman was never truly still. The harbour tide and shifting ballast kept it nudging rhythmically against the quay. As the young man fell, his leg became trapped between ship and stone.

The hull swung back.

A sickening thud struck the air.

The man's scream tore across the dock, only to be swallowed by the renewed groan of the ship as it began drifting back toward him again.

There was no time for thought.

Instinct, training, and urgency seized Zelnard all at once. He shoved his fear aside, grabbed the crystal from his pocket, and felt raw power coil inside his chest.

His focus snapped to the dark, churning harbour water surrounding the trapped man. Water was not merely something around him. It was an extension of his will, a living force waiting to be guided.

With a soundless roar of concentration, Zelnard commanded it to rise.

A sudden, violent surge erupted in the narrow channel between ship and dock.

It was not a splash.

It was a contained, pressurized wave, an immense watery shoulder that rammed the ship's side with staggering force.

The massive wooden hull groaned in protest, but the pressure drove it away from the stone wall just enough to create a narrow, precious gap.

The crushing pressure on the deckhand's leg vanished.

Released from the terrible vice, the young man slipped down into the cold harbour water with a faint splash.

Zelnard held the ship away for one heartbeat longer, making certain it would not immediately swing back.

Then he shifted his focus.

His eyes fixed on the churning surface where the man had disappeared.

Zelnard raised both hands.

The water bulged upward.

A rounded swell lifted from the harbour like a clear, trembling bowl, carrying the flailing deckhand within it. With careful effort, Zelnard guided the suspended water toward the dock and set it down upon the stone.

The magic released.

Water spilled across the dock, and the rescued man collapsed safely onto the stones, coughing and gasping but alive.

For a breath, the docks went silent.

Then the crowd erupted.

Cheers and applause burst from every side.

"Did you see that?" one dockworker exclaimed. "He's just a boy, and he did that!"

"Must be one of those Zouken lads," another said, nodding approvingly. "They're teaching them well at that monastery."

An older fisherman rubbed his chin, clearly impressed.

"That boy's got talent, mark my words."

Zelnard barely heard them.

His heart was still pounding as he ran forward to the young man, who looked no more than twenty. The deckhand winced as he shifted his injured leg, but his expression softened when he looked up at Zelnard.

"Thank you, lad," the man said, his deep voice calm despite the pain. "You've got a strong gift there."

Thy Quests
Zelnard acted before anyone told him what to do. What does this moment reveal about his character, his training, and his connection to water magic? Use evidence from the chapter to explain your answer.