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My body felt broken and useless. I dropped back into the water and screamed with rage. The sound ripped through my dry throat and I tasted blood. I waded to the other side, keeping my hand along the hull. It brushed against something coarse. A rope.It hung into the water, connected to the anchor. I couldn’t even remember dropping it.
I planted my feet on the anchor and pulled myself up the rope until one knee made it over the edge, then the other, and I collapsed onto the deck, gasping for breath.
I picked up the water barrel from the deck and took it into the cabin to Graham’s side. His body was still. Only his weak breathing kept me from a panic.
I reached over and brushed the hair off his forehead. “Graham, wake up.”
I propped his head up on my knees, putting the spout to his mouth.
He didn’t wake. The water ran down his face.
“Just drink it! You’re not allowed to die!”
He stirred, but his eyes wouldn’t open. I lifted the barrel and tried again.
And this time,this time, he swallowed.
He gulped it down. I kept it at his lips, trying to make him drink more, but he soon closed his mouth and fell back asleep. I’d get more water for him after I slept. He breathed more calmly now. I took one more drink and set the barrel down, then finally let myself lie down beside him, not even bothering to keep space between us like I’d always done.
I rested my head on his chest, if only to hear the glorious sound of his heart still beating. Touching him like this felt like trespassing into a forbidden place I shouldn’t even dream of going, but right now, nothing mattered except that he was alive. I longed to be closer to him, to feel him breathe and to keep him breathing. Not only could his body still give in to dehydration, but Cael was out there, and now I was one hundred percent certain I couldn’t trust him. I fell asleep with my ear to Graham’s heart and my arm draped across him protectively.
* * *
I awoketo a warm hand on my forehead. My eyes fluttered, squinting against the morning light. Though I’d probably only gotten a few hours of sleep, my body felt dramatically different—almost like my own again.
Graham leaned over me. “Time for some water.” He had a raspiness to his voice and the split in his lip was still visible.
He handed me the barrel and I sat up to drink, my memories of the night before haunting me, from the dehydration to the fact that I’d spent the night practically wrapped around Graham. I could only hope I’d moved farther away before he woke up and saw me like that. If not, I’d blame it on the delirium.
I finished off the last few drops of water and climbed out of the cabin after Graham. Now that it was daylight, I could get a real look at this island. Beyond the gray tide pools on the shore, it was lush and green, covered in hills and forests. Two hills taller than the rest stood near its center. Birds soared above the canopies of the trees and the scent of greenery made me want to close my eyes and breathe it in.
“Where’d you find another barrel, anyway?” he asked, looking at the one I held.
“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Uh, I found it washed up on the shore last night.”
“Wow,” said Graham. “It must be one of our lost barrels. How fortunate that it ended up in the same place we did.”
“Well, that’s how currents work,” I said, hoping to stave off any potential suspicion. “But it’s time to get some more water. And food. I’m starving.”
Graham eagerly reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver fish between his thumb and forefinger. “Oh, that reminds me, I caught a fish!”
I took it from his hand and laughed, but it came out more like a dry cough. “Did you intentionally catch the tiniest fish in the ocean?”
“Excuseme,” he said in the tone of a nobleman, “I thought you’d be impressed, considering that I caught it with my bare hands now that our net is gone.”
I smiled and glanced at the craggy beach. “It was washed up in a tide pool, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes, it was.” He sighed. “I must say, I’m glad you’re alive to mock me.”
I smiled. “And I’m glad you’re alive to be mocked.” I hadn’t forgotten the depths of my fear last night. I ducked my head and turned away, toward the island, in case my eyes revealed the emotion swimming beneath the surface. If he knew how I felt, we had a whole new set of problems.
We shared a minuscule portion of fish, then lifted the anchor and set sail, staying close to the shores. I didn’t dare leave the boat completely exposed while we fetched water. Since boats were forbidden among islanders, they were rare and extremely valuable–cowries, on the other hand, were abundant and worthless outside the wall. Boats were freedom.
I hoped I might also keep Cael from finding me and my boat again, but he’d proven himself to be far too good at stalking me.
The rocky beaches gave way to lush mangroves. We found a large enough opening in the tangled roots and branches and hid the boat among the trees. Then we picked up our barrels and left the mangrove for the shores of Gellor.
As we entered the lush forest, Graham’s eyes were full of wonder and his mouth gaped open in an astonished smile. “I’m on non-Cambrian ground,” he said. “This might as well be a new world.”
