She knew she’d lost consciousness. She touched her head. Her fingers found a tender bump within her hair on the side of her head. Unconscious underwater, she should have drowned. “You saved me.”
“The turtles saved us, like you said they would,” Dax said. “Silverbacked turtles. Once I got us on one, they swam us to shore, to here. I thought Ree was on one as well.” He scanned the beach around them—driftwood, clumps of seaweed, a scattering of shells.
She’d missed all of that: the kraken throwing them out of thestorm, Dax saving them all from drowning by untying them, the turtles swimming them to the nearest shore…
“The turtles would have deposited him on land too.” She wasn’t certain of that even as she said it. She didn’t know if the turtles would recognize a ball of greenery as a being that needed saving. To them, he could have seemed like a bit of seaweed that didn’t need to be onshore.
Still shaky, she began to walk along the beach. “Ree? Ree, are you here? Ree, it’s Marin! It’s your captain! Answer me if you hear me! Ree!”
Beside her, Dax called to Ree as well. “Ree! Reeeee!”
The scarlet birds took up the cry. “Tu-reee! Tu-reeee! Ree-ree-ree-tu-ree!” Circling over the beach, one of them swooped low, just above the breaking waves. “Tu-reee!”
Marin tried to keep the what-ifs from creeping in: What if Ree didn’t make it? What if Perri had been struck by the magic-charged lightning? What ifSilverhad been destroyed? What if she’d failed to keep any of them safe? Ree, he’d trusted her. Perri—if he was hurt, it was only because he’d tried to help her.My fault. All of it.The guilt swarmed up into her throat. She halted and looked out to sea.
It was calm now, no trace of the storm. All the clouds were elongated wisps of white, and the blue sky was guileless and pure. The ocean surface undulated like it should, and the waves crashed in foamy white, then licked at the sand, shells, and pebbles before withdrawing. She knew magic storms were like that: roaring in and then erasing themselves without a trace.
Please don’t let Ree and Perri be erased with it.
She should have tied Ree to herself, kept a grip on him. She should have made Perri promise to stay beneath the waves, no matter what happened to the rest of them.
I’m their captain. It was on me to keep them safe.
She should have found a way around the storm, taken another route, or turned back when she first spotted the purpleclouds—never mind that magic storms were unpredictable and impossible to outrun. Her parents hadn’t managed it, and they’d been twice the sailors she was. They’d taught her everything she knew.
Thinking of them, Marin had a sudden stabbing thought. She reached for her pocket. The ruby was a hard lump, still there, not lost. Relief spread through her and then a wave of guilt that she’d feel any relief over a jewel when Ree and Perri were—
Dax gripped her arm. “Marin.” He pointed out toward the water.
Across the water, she saw the flash of pearly iridescent scales. Perri was swimming through the waves. She was sure it was him, wasn’t she? It could be another serpent with similar scales. She didn’t know for certain that— Beside her, Dax filled his lungs and then sang, clear and loud, the exact cadence of Perri’s greeting call.
Perri raised his head out of the water and trumpeted back.
Marin’s knees caved, and she thudded down into the sand.He’s alive. Oh, thank the sea, he’s alive!He was swimming snakelike through the water, in curved undulations, not his usual dolphin leaps. It wasn’t until he was much closer to shore that she saw why:
On top of his head rode a snarl of branches and leaves.
“Ree!” She jumped to her feet and waded into the surf. The breaking waves slapped into her knees, and her boots sank into the sand, slowing her, but she waded forward. “Perri! Ree! We’re here!” She waved her arms over her head, even though she knew it was unnecessary. Perri was already swimming straight for them. Her cheeks felt wet, and she knew it wasn’t from the sea spray. Next to her, Dax put his hand on her shoulder. She covered it with hers.
Side by side, hip-deep in the ocean, just beyond the breaking waves, they waited for the sea serpent and the shrub to swim closer to shore.
“Marin!” Ree cried. “Dax!”
As soon as he was close, he leaped off Perri toward them.
Dax lunged forward and caught him. Ree wrapped his branches around Dax’s neck in a hug, and Marin waded deeper to reach Perri. Chest-deep, she stopped and examined the sea serpent, searchingfor signs of magic poisoning—the vestiges of the unnatural lightning that would be skittering over his skin and visible in his eyes… Stretching her arms wide, she put her hands on either side of Perri’s massive face and looked deep into his glorious sea-blue eyes. She saw no lightning. He was safe.
Wordless, Marin cried.
The sea serpent gently licked her cheek with the tip of his massive pink tongue, and she began to laugh. Crying and laughing, Marin hugged Perri as best she could with her tiny human arms around his vast serpent head.
“Oh, my captain,” Ree said behind her. “I’m so sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Marin said. “You lived.” She turned to look at him. He was perched on Dax’s shoulder. His soil ball was nearly gone, and half his leaves were missing, but he was still undeniably alive. Her eyes met Dax’s, and she felt as if a thousand words passed between them. She asked Ree, “Are you injured?”
“I thought I was a sailor,” Ree said. “But I had to be rescued.”
She waded to shore, bringing Dax and Ree with her. On the beach, she lifted Ree off Dax’s shoulder and set him down. She examined him, looking for broken branches or… She didn’t know exactly what.Reassurance that he’s okay, that we’re all okay.“You can be a sailor and need rescuing. Dax saved me.”And kissed me. Or I kissed him. Both.
