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He squinted into the distance, not responding to my shouts, while his face filled with dread.
“Graham, get in!”
I dashed over and pushed him toward the door as the bow dropped again.
Just before I dove into the cabin, I saw what he’d seen through the heavy sheet of rain: another boat.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
I slammedthe cabin door as a wave enveloped the deck.
Graham’s mouth moved, but the sound was lost to the storm. Still, I knew what he was trying to say. Someone was following us. I didn’t know if it was Cael, the Enforcers, or maybe even my father, but either way, I wanted to stay far ahead of them.
We pressed our hands into the ceiling to brace our bodies against the violent waves. The boat rose and plummeted, rolling the cramped cabin, and us, in every possible direction. At first, I tried to keep a space between Graham and me, but the constantly angling deck made it impossible.
Thunder added its roar to the ear-splitting torrent and waves slammed incessantly against the hull. I thought I couldn’t be seasick, but this time I fought hard to keep nausea from overtaking me. One glance at Graham’s face proved he felt the same.
The storm roared for so long that I began to imagine ending up on the shores of a strange new land—if one really existed. We could lose our world completely.
I squeezed my eyes shut to fight the nausea and pushed my arms harder against the ceiling, grasping at whatever bit of control I could reach.
* * *
When the downpourquieted and the waves calmed, I peeled my eyes open and let my arms relax. My whole body ached.
Graham had his eyes squeezed shut and his face was sallow. He groaned and peered through one eye.
“I think it’s over,” I said.
He put a hand over his mouth and escaped the cabin in a rush.
I stayed where I was to let my churning stomach ease up. Stretching out on the mattress, I whimpered when my muscles and joints moved out of their cramped positions. When the deck became level, I crawled out. Through the clouds came the faint glow of the late afternoon sun.
Graham knelt at the edge of the deck, leaning over the water, which seemed closer than it should’ve been.
“Feeling better?” I asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t need to be so polite at a time like this. It’s okay to be honest.”
“All right, then. I’m terrible. How are you?”
My gaze landed on the deck. The hatch door had come loose from its hinges and was cracked down the middle. “You’ve got to be kidding. No!”
“What?” asked Graham, turning around.
I crouched and examined the damaged hatch. The hold was empty, except for one barrel and a pool of seawater. I dropped my head in my hands and groaned. “We’re dead.”
Graham knelt beside me. He reached into the water and picked up the barrel, then took a sip. “Still fresh.”
“Well, that’s something. But it will only delay the inevitable—unless we can get back to land within a day.”
“There’s something else,” he said. “Before the storm, I saw—”
“A boat,” I said. “I know.”
“Do you think they’re after us?”
