Later...
The bunk jumped upward and came down violently, which meant no sleep for anyone. Buffy mumbled something so low that it might as well have been a growl. She snarled at Serena as they both tried to untangle the blanket and get up.
Serena bounced once more and unintentionally rolled off the bed. "Ow"
The door crashed open, and Dad stood there, his hair dripping and his face grim. She and Buffy froze, waiting for what certainly must be bad news.
"Good, you are up. A bad storm, probably not natural. Your mother needs help, Serena. Buffy --"
"I go with Serena," she answered and leaped from the bunk to Serena's shoulder.
Serena tried very hard not to wince as the claws dug in. She almost complained before she realized how serious Buffy had been. It was sweet. And a bit painful.
Dad had looked back out the window and at the two again.
"Fine. Stay with her, but both of you be careful. Fly if you have to, but there is --" A bright flash illuminated the room, followed by the rumbling argument of the gods. "There is lightning. Be careful."
And then he left without even closing the door. The outer hall ran with rain, and they heard him scramble up the short stairs and out into the storm. That door was not closed, either.
Serena watched in shock. She wasn't used to taking orders from Vane, who was practically a stranger.
"Mom needs our help," Buffy shouted over the sudden howling storm. Then she grumbled. "The idea of spending the New Year's festivities at court doesn't sound like so much fun now."
"I know," Serena agreed.
Being on a ship may have been boring, but being on one in a nasty storm -- wasn't boring. It was much worse. Serena grabbed Buffy so tightly that the cat squeaked but did not complain.
"There is a lot of magic in this," Serena said before taking the last steps onto the deck. "No wonder Mom is having so much trouble with it!"
Buffy mumbled something but didn't repeat it loud enough to be heard as they stepped out into the storm's fury.
And it suddenly got worse. Much worse, and focused on the two of them --
"Back behind a wall!" Mom shouted and shoved them both back toward the stairs.
Serena lost her footing and would have fallen down the steps if Mom hadn't been so fast with a spell to break the fall. Buffy just held on tighter and gasped with a muted meow.
Mom followed and shoved the door closed against the wind and water. Everyone else was up on the deck, and Serena found it scary being down here without any of the crew. Fresh seawater had coated everything, making it challenging to keep to her feet as the ship lurched from one side to the other. She and Buffy both went down.
Two tiny fish flopped around on the steps, looking increasingly panicked as the water retreated. Mom grabbed them both and held them before her face, staring into their eyes.
"Yes, you are fish," she decided, got the door open, and tossed them out into the deluge.
Then Mom followed Serena and Buffy down the steps, her fingers moving as she spread magic in her wake. She looked both drenched and enraged. Serena scrambled to her feet, and Buffy tried to burrow under her arm, almost putting her off balance again.
"What is going on?" Serena asked, her voice hardly louder than the storm. "This isn't natural!"
"Someone doesn't want us at the castle. That spell is specifically hunting the three of us out."
"Me?" Buffy said, her head lifting and her ears back. "Why me?"
"Because you and Serena are a team."
Despite the situation, Serena smiled. This was the first time her mother had admitted it. Buffy even let a little burp of a purr out.
"Don't let it go to your heads. You have, however, done excellent work together. I suspect someone in the palace doesn't want you two showing them up."
"That's crazy," Serena replied. She noticed the storm had lessened, though. "If that person can toss out storm spells like this, I can't be any threat at all!"
"It isn't just about magic," Mom answered with a distracted glance at the door where something thumped. "You belong to a volatile age group from court --"
"Others my age?" Serena asked, startled by the idea.
"I haven't met all of them," Mom said. She tried to keep her voice neutral, but Serena could tell she didn't think much of the others. "My best guess is that they won't be happy to see you, Serena. They are a very closed group."
"You can use the word snobs," Serena offered. "I won't be shocked."
Her mother laughed, which was rare at Serena's jokes. But then the wind pounded the little ship and sent waves crashing over the deck and spilling through the cracks around the door. Buffy made an unexpected sound of fear, so Serena held her close. Mom even petted her, but she looked worried.
"We all sense magic in the storm," Mom said with a shake of her head. "More than just aiming it at us. I almost think there might be a fight over who controls it."
"That might help," Buffy said, though her voice was muffled in Serena's blouse. "Let them fight it out."
"Good plan, but I think we're caught in the middle," Mom said. "Maybe. Everything is too diffuse to tell."
Something hit the door.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump!
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