“I can walk.”
He gave her a quelling stare. “You will be needing your strength soon enough.”
As he carried her, she remained silent. Arguing would yield naught and possibly gain them notice from the knights searching the ship. And she was tired. Every muscle in her body ached. Once they’d reached the small boat, she would welcome the opportunity to rest.
“Take care as you climb down,” the sailor cautioned as they reached his side.
Colyne set her on her feet.
“The boat is secured below,” he continued. “Be careful as you board. If it breaks free, the strong current will pull it away.” He pointed to a stand of trees crowding the shore where branches, thick with leaves, canopied to scrape the water’s surface. “Row beneath them and secure the craft there. We will retrieve it after dark.”
Relieved by the sailor’s thoughtfulness, Marie’s spirits rose. “My thanks.”
Impatient footsteps clattered above, this time closer to the entry that would lead them to the storage hold.
“Hurry on with you now,” the sailor urged. “From the sound of it, the captain is nae going to be able to keep them from coming below much longer.”
Colyne moved to the exit. “I shall go first. Climb down after me, but stay close.”
She nodded.
Once he’d disappeared over the side, the sailor helped Marie onto the rope ladder. Her arms trembled as she clung to the tightly bound hemp, the full extent of how weak she’d grown during her illness becoming unnervingly clear.
“Marie?”
The worry in Colyne’s voice had her forcing herself to take a step down. “I am coming.” Her arms trembled as she started her descent. After several steps, she made the mistake of looking down.
Far below, waves bumped against the side of the ship.
Nausea clenched in her gut. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the rope, her brow slick with sweat. She could do this.
She had to.
“What is wrong?” Colyne called up.
“I am fine.” She wasn’t, but she wouldn’t tell him that. She opened her eyes, focused on the hewn wood of the hull, then started down. Rope scraped her hands as she caught the lower rung. Waves continued to slap the scarred hull, and the cries of the seagulls overhead echoed as if to mock her.
As she started to lower her foot, her vision began to blur. She clenched the rough twine, held tight.
“Marie?”
“I . . .” Her stomach rolled. She was going to be sick.
“Hold on!” The ladder twisted as Colyne climbed to the rung below her. He wrapped his arm around the small of her waist. “We are going back.”
She wanted to argue, but with nausea rising in her throat, all she could do was nod.
The hatch above slammed shut.
Colyne’s muttered curse matched Marie’s thoughts exactly. “Let me go,” she said, frustrated when her voice wavered. “I can make it down.”
“You are trembling,” he countered, sounding far from convinced.
Her delay placed them in greater danger. “I needed a brief rest. I am fine now.”
The ladder shifted as he moved.
A bead of sweat slid down her face as she struggled to follow. Her vision again blurred and her foot missed the lower rung. By sheer will, she focused long enough to snag the rope with her slipper.
