The Dragon (Creasan #2)

Fendrel watched Thea’s team work the ship and felt a twinge of jealousy. No wonder his brother had been unable to beat her; she had every skill set she needed at her disposal. He envied that she had a team at all. The list of people Fendrel trusted included Brom and Rowan, and he couldn’t very well have brought the arthritic man along. Yet Thea was surrounded by her people.

Fendrel couldn’t help but stare at her as she looked out at the sea. She didn’t smile, her shoulders didn’t lower, her brows stayed furrowed. She was not some portrait of relaxed beauty; she was the image of a warrior, the definition of it. Again, Fendrel felt that jealousy pinch within him. But also the need to watch her longer.

Straightening his shirt, he approached her.

She didn’t turn to him or acknowledge his presence in any way. She just gazed at the ocean. They could no longer see Creasan, nor could they see any other piece of land. They were engulfed by the sea entirely, and there was nothing else to see but the striking deep blue of the water.

Fendrel rested his forearms on the banister beside her. He opened his mouth to begin, but she beat him to it.

“What do you want, Highness?” It didn’t come out as a snap or a bark. She just sounded tired.

The prince’s nostrils flared. He couldn’t even best her at starting a conversation. “I wanted to…apologize,” he ground out. His feelings of envy were doing little to help him say what he wanted to say.

“For what?”

Was she being sarcastic or did she actually need him to say it? “For what I said in Aestus’ cave. About your father. And goading you into a duel. It was immature and uncalled for, and I am sorry.”

“Wow, Highness. How very regal of you. You will make a fine king.”

Fendrel had no idea how to respond to that. His lips parted, prepared to speak, but nothing came out.

Thea turned to him finally, a smug smirk on her face. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? The apology? You want to make sure I don’t screw up your plans.”

How did she manage to see right through him when even he sometimes struggled to see through the murky waters of his mind?

He shook his head firmly. “No. I simply wanted to apol—“

“See, but that’s the thing,” she said, facing him fully, leaning her side against the banister and crossing her arms. “You don’t want to apologize. No one ever wants to apologize, least of all you. Least of all if it’s to me. So why don’t you just come out and say it?”

“Damn it, woman, can’t you ever make anything easy?” he burst, rubbing his forehead.

She smirked again. “Not really what I do, Highness.”

“Fine,” he said, copying her pose and facing her head-on. “Yes, I wanted to make sure you still had no interest in killing Malum and taking Aestus’ blessing for yourself. I had actually hoped we could be friends—“

“It is very difficult to be your friend, High—“

His fury rose as she interrupted him for the umpteenth time and he blurted, “I almost died for you.”

Thea blinked. Her mouth snapped shut and the arrogance faded from her face.

In the sudden silence, Fendrel felt a heaviness settle between them. A tension, different from the one that had been before, though he couldn’t name it. He felt the jealousy and the anger seep out of him as he spoke. “You asked me why I did it. Do you remember that? You couldn’t understand why I would sacrifice my life for yours. And my answer to you now is that I believed in your mission. I believed in you so wholeheartedly that when I saw that dagger come flying, there was no other option. You had to be protected because only you could save us.” As the words poured out of him, he realized they were true. Somewhere along the way, he had come to believe in Thea Wyvern. To have as much faith in her as Aestus—perhaps even more so. The thought was a slightly frightening one. “All I am asking you to do,” he continued, “is to treat me the same. Trust in me, believe in what I am doing.”

Thea stared at him. Her eyes were at once open and calculating. Fendrel wondered how she was able to do that, to look so honest yet so devious. It made for an intrusive and probing stare that wasn’t altogether unpleasant.

“You’re right,” she said finally.

He blinked in surprise. He’d expected more argument, more snark.

“You’ve proven yourself a trusted soldier and leader many times. It is only right that I treat you with the same respect you have shown me.” She nodded. “I have no interest in the crown. I will help you defeat Malum and I will tell Aestus myself that it was you who slayed him.”

He studied her face, but it was like trying to peer through a steel shield. He only saw that which she allowed him to see. And what he saw then was earnestness and truth. He prayed that was her genuine feeling, though she had given no indication to the contrary. Fendrel held out his hand. “Thank you.”

Thea glanced down at his hand, her brows furrowing with amusement. But she clasped it anyway and shook it. A truce.

Ana watched Thea carefully as Fendrel walked away. Of course, the queen knew what her brother-in-law had wanted; it was the same reason he’d come to her rooms that other day. He was covering all his bases. But it was Thea that Ana was concerned with, if she had fallen for his charming words.

Those who knew Thea would have encouraged Ana to take her alliance as a pact, but Ana had experienced too much betrayal in her lifetime to truly trust anyone. And the way the prince and rebel leader had leaned into each other as they spoke told Ana a different story than the one she would have been urged to believe.

The queen knew how allegiance could shift based on personal feelings. And while the words that came out of Fendrel and Thea’s mouths tended to be laced with venom, their bodies seemed to be magnets to each other. As they had spoken, they had drawn closer together, and Ana wondered if they’d even noticed.

Now, Thea turned her gaze back to the ocean, and Ana stared at her hard. Thea gave nothing away. She didn’t grin conspiratorially, didn’t chuckle, didn’t even roll her eyes. Just looked stoically ahead.

“Is something the matter, Your Majesty?”

Ana turned to find Maerwynn standing beside her. Their introduction had been brief, as it had been with Thea’s entire crew, but Ana had bookmarked Maerwynn in her mind. This was the great warrior Thea Wyvern’s mother. With her tightly braided hair and assured posture, it was easy to see the resemblance. The queen could picture a sword at Maerwynn’s side and blood spattered on her face.

Ana smiled. “Not at all.”

Maerwynn nodded. Then her eyes strayed to where Thea was standing. “She told me of your conversation.”

Ana’s brows rose.

She noticed the look. “Surprised?”

“A bit,” she admitted. “But I’m glad she did. It is important that those she trusts—“

“Sure,” Maerwynn agreed, giving an exaggerated nod, “make certain everyone is in on the scheme.”

“I wouldn’t call it—“

“I want you to listen to me,” she said, stepping closer and lowering her voice. Her brown eyes seared into Ana’s and the queen felt her stomach drop. “That young woman over there is the single most important thing in the world to me. She is all I have. And I want you to know that I was against your little plan. Because it puts my daughter in danger. But this is what she wanted, and I trust her. So here we are.”

Ana would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a bit of fear in the face of this fierce woman. She swallowed and responded, “I am grateful.”

“Frankly, I don’t understand how she could have agreed to help you because whenever I look at you,” Maerwynn said, her lips curling in disgust, “I see the person who murdered my son.”

That shocked the queen. She had never been faced with the sins of her husband before. No one had ever paid her enough mind to do so. “I am sorry, I didn’t know—“

“Of course you didn’t. But I’m willing to look past it. For her. But if anything happens to her,” Maerwynn took another step, getting impossibly closer and Ana trembled at the fire in her eyes, “I will gut you like a boar. Am I understood?”

Ana licked her lips nervously and dared to say, “I am a mother too, Maerwynn. And my son was murdered by my husband. You do not need to threaten me so severely. I understand.”

Maerwynn didn’t react right away. But when she did, she said, “I am sorry to hear that.” And she looked genuinely remorseful. That was quickly covered up by the mean warrior expression again as she continued, “All the same, I will have no problem killing a queen. Something to keep in mind.” Her shoulder brushed roughly against Ana’s as she moved past her, heading back for the wheel.

Ana’s pulse pounded in her ear and her breath came out in shaky puffs. She smoothed her hands down her wool shirt, but they were also shaking.

Rationally, Ana knew she hadn’t been in any real danger. Maerwynn would never have been able to hurt her or…worse, especially not with her daughter standing a few feet away. Still, that burning rage mixed with deep sorrow was enough to inspire true fear.

“Her bark is worse than her bite.”

Ana blinked and looked at the brute standing beside her whom she had come to know was named Merek. He took a bite of his apple and grinned, letting a bit of juice drip down his chin. “Unless you mess with Thea. Then her bite is much, much worse.”

The queen’s nose twitched in disgust and she began walking away. “Noted.”

“I guess you don’t remember me,” he called after her. “Maybe if I looked unconscious, that would help.”

She jutted her chin out and kept walking as him and Carac chuckled at her back.

She had wanted to be there when Malum was slayed, that was true, and she had wanted to be positive it wasn’t Fendrel who did so. But she hadn’t been prepared for the intense hatred she would experience once on board.

She descended the stairs to the lower decks, where their rooms were. Her bags rested in front of a door. She picked them up and opened the door.

Her room was nothing more than a closet. A twin-sized bed to her right with springs and frame that already creaked without any weight added to them. A nearly threadbare blanket was thrown over it. A single desk to her left with some paper, quill, and ink. And a little porthole to look through. That was it.

Ana sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

When Peronell first climbed into the crow’s nest, he’d been more than satisfied with the job he’d been given. Sit around all day and watch amazing views? A much nicer pace than the avalanche of violence and fear he’d had to deal with thus far. And the nest itself was rather large too. He could walk around easily or even sit, as long as his legs were crossed.

He had a bird’s eye view of everyone on the ship and beyond. He could see where Carac and Merek laughed together, where Thea sat sharpening her sword, where Brom and Fendrel chatted, where Isolde looked out at the water, where Maerwynn and Janshai studied the map. Ana had gone below deck sometime ago and hadn’t come back yet. Which was just fine with Peronell. He didn’t care much for the queen, regardless of her husband’s death. They’d all lost people, thanks to her and her husband, so if she had to suffer the loss of him, that seemed like justice to Perry.

As the sun began to set, Peronell enjoyed his position less and less. His feet began to ache from standing, and then his legs ached from being crossed. His back throbbed in the awkward positions he adopted to get comfortable. When the sun had fully descended beneath the horizon, Peronell decided he’d been given the worst position on the ship. Everyone else had someone to talk to, they could walk around, go below deck if needed. But he was contorted like a circus performer and slowly dying of boredom.

Peronell blew out a sigh that felt like it came from the depths of his soul. He tried to relax against the pole that rose through the middle of the nest, but the unforgiving wood might as well have been a wall of needles for all the good it did him.

He glanced down at the deck where lanterns had been lit. He wondered if someone was planning to switch shifts with him at any point. After all, he was getting hungry, and he could see plates and forks being passed around. If it was supper time, then Peronell definitely wanted—

Wait, what was that? Peronell’s eyes shot back to the ocean. It was very difficult to make anything out now; the deep blue of the water reflected the deep blue of the sky and they seemed to blend together into one bowl of blue. But he thought he’d seen something out there, something that definitely wasn’t blue.

There it was again! This time, he’d seen it. A lightning bolt. A storm was coming. But he strained his eyes harder and thought he saw something in the water. A reflection of the lightning? No, it was…

His eyes flew wide and he muttered, “Shit.”

Isolde took the plate from Janshai and passed it to Carac on her other side. She didn’t even have to say anything for him to know she held a plate in front of him; he simply knew and passed it further down the line. It still amazed her that he could be so in-tune with the world around him without even seeing it.

Carac passed the plate to Thea whose eyes were fixed on the crow’s nest. “I’ll let Perry know we’re eating,” she said, passing the plate to Brom and heading to the far end of the ship.

Brom passed the plate to Fendrel and then Merek, and Isolde’s gaze stalled on him. As Merek’s eyes began to shift back in her direction, she jerked her gaze away and internally cursed herself. She was not some little schoolgirl incapable of handling her emotions. She should be able to function regardless of where Merek was. She’d been doing it for the past six years, since she joined The Source. She shouldn’t be having any problems now.

She thought she felt his eyes on her, and an instant blush spread over her cheeks. She cursed herself again. Damn it, keep it together, Isolde.

Thea shouted up to the crow’s nest, “Perry! Supper!”

Janshai leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s just…you squeeze any harder, and that plate’s going to snap.”

Isolde looked down to see she was gripping the plate so hard, her knuckles turned white. With conscious effort, she relaxed her fingers.

Janshai lowered his voice further. “You’re allowed to speak to the man. You know that, right?” She turned to him and he smiled. “Speaking is not an act of infidelity by anyone’s standards.”

Her lips turned up in amusement, but she answered, “He doesn’t want me to.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Distance. He wants distance. He wants me distant from him.”

“Isolde, we should just tell—“

Thea shouted again, “Perry? Can you hear me?”

Carac turned in her direction. “Why isn’t he answering?”

“I don’t know. Per—“

“I’m here,” came his faint reply. “I just…”

Isolde stood and drew closer to Thea, craning her head as far back as she could to see Perry in the sky. He peered over the edge of the nest and shouted, “A storm!”

“Shit,” was Thea’s immediate response.

Isolde felt her stomach drop. The legends of the sorts of horrors sailors experienced before a storm on the Leitham Sea claimed them and their ship were known far throughout the kingdom.

Maerwynn jumped to action. “Janshai, Merek, to the ropes. Guard, up here with me—“

“Wait,” Carac said, stumbling as the waves began to slosh more forcefully, “he’s still talking.”

With a frown, Isolde turned back to the nest. “What did you say?” she yelled.

“There’s something in the water.” He turned his eyes from the group to the sea. They were wide with disbelief and fear. “I think…I think…It looks like a snake!”

“A snake?” Fendrel repeated dubiously.

“A really, really, really big snake.” Perry pointed. “It’s in the waves!”

As one, the group turned to the ocean.

Far off in the distance, Isolde could just barely make out a discrepancy in the color of the water. Two points of lighter blue that shone like torches beneath the surface. And they seemed to be getting nearer.

Beside her, Janshai breathed, “Leitham Serpent.”

“What?”

But he didn’t answer her, turning to Maerwynn and repeating his realization in a shout. “It’s the Leitham Serpent!”

Maerwynn’s eyes bulged. The whole group waited for her reaction, to know whether they should panic or prepare. She tilted her head up and shouted to Perry, “Get down from there! Get down now!”

As he began to climb down, Thea turned to Maerwynn. “How do we kill it?”

“We can’t.”

Fendrel scoffed, already brandishing his sword. “Of course we can.”

“No, Highness, we can’t,” Maerwynn snapped. “The Leitham Serpent’s scales are stronger than a thousand shields and its fangs are sharper than any human sword. It cannot be killed.”

Isolde’s eyes were fixed on the two points of light in the ocean. “It’s getting closer,” she warned.

Janshai followed her line of vision. “The Leitham Serpent follows the storm. When the storm passes, so will the serpent.”

Perry landed heavily on the deck and Merek immediately tossed him a sword. Perry nodded in thanks.

“Fine,” Thea said, unsheathing her sword and grabbing her crossbow from the floor. “Then we don’t kill it. We survive it.” Fendrel nodded his agreement and stepped up beside her. “Janshai and Merek will handle the ropes and keep us steady. Brom and Maerwynn to the wheel. The rest of us will do our best to hold it off.”

Everyone ran to their positions. Isolde picked up her sword and twirled it. Her shoulder still wasn’t entirely healed from the wolves’ attack and their climbing had slowed its recovery even more, but she took comfort in only the slight pinch it gave now.

As rain started to pour down, Thea slid her sword into the scabbard at her back and cocked an arrow into her crossbow. “Someone needs to tell the queen. Make sure she stays down there.”

Carac nodded. “I can do that.” And he was off.

The group turned to face the ocean as the two points of light — which now clearly appeared to be eyes — drew even closer.

“Any last minute warnings we should know?” Thea asked Janshai and Maerwynn.

“Fangs got venom,” Janshai responded.

Thea smirked humorlessly. “Of course they do.”

And then the storm reached them.

Thea waited until the last possible moment to loose her arrow. Ignorantly, she hoped the serpent would pass right by them. That the storm was push it under their ship and they wouldn’t have to fight a beast that couldn’t be killed. But, of course, that wasn’t the case.

The serpent’s eyes flashed in the water as a wave crashed over it. Thea blinked the rain out of her eyes, but when she looked again, the snake was gone. “Where is it?” she asked no one in particular.

Then right beside her, the serpent raised its head out of the water. Though she had tried to prepare herself for anything, she couldn’t help the way her jaw went slack at the sheer enormity of it. Aestus was large in both height and length, but there was something much more terrifying about the Leitham Serpent.

It rose up beside her, its eyes beaming with a nocturnal light. It stretched into the sky, going higher and higher, until Thea had to crane her neck to see its face. Its scales were the same deep blue of the ocean, but its underside was a dehydrated gray. Water poured off of it, splashing onto the deck and dousing all of their lanterns, plunging them into darkness. It opened its mouth, giving a fearsome view of its fangs which dripped with venom. Its purple tongue wagged in their direction, and the serpent hissed so loudly, it was as if it had roared.

Three breaths, she heard Lief caution, and the memory of his voice brought comfort to her. In…out…

And on the third breath, she shot her arrow straight at the serpent’s eye.

It shrieked and swung its head, and Thea saw her arrow go flying into the tumultuous waters. It hadn’t pierced anything, just mildly annoyed it.

Carac returned and didn’t even pause to take in the terror that stoked within all his friends. He climbed up one of the poles, leapt to a sail, and then jumped onto a wayward rope. Using his momentum, he swung in the serpent’s direction and let his dagger fly.

The blade stuck in between the serpent’s nostrils. It screamed for a second before shaking its head and dislodging the dagger. Then its tail came up and whacked Carac so hard, he flew through the air and slammed down hard on the wooden deck.

Peronell shouted, “Carac!”

“I’m okay!” he croaked back, coughing slightly.

Fendrel and Isolde attacked simultaneously, hacking at where the serpent’s tail lingered on the ship’s banister. But their blades just pinged off of it. It was as Maerwynn had said, impenetrable.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as more rain poured down. The deck floor became slippery and Thea had to hang onto the banister to keep from falling over.

Brom and Maerwynn gritted their teeth as they gripped the steering wheel, doing their best to keep them on course. But the waves were crashing so hard, it took every muscle they had to stop the wheel from spiraling.

Janshai and Merek’s palms were rubbed raw from hanging onto the ropes. Tears of pain sprung to Janshai’s eyes and Merek felt his face turning red with exertion.

The serpent opened its mouth and was about to bring its jaws down on Isolde. She was too busy trying to beat at its tail to notice. But Thea saw it and she screamed through the din of the storm, “Izzy!”

She glanced up at the last second and dove out of the way.

The serpent’s teeth chomped down on the floor. The wood splintered, and it brought its head back up with a hiss of fury. Its fangs left two gaping holes in the wood.

Carac struggled back to his feet, yanking two more daggers out of his waistband. He barreled toward the serpent, his face twisted as he let out a loud battle-cry. But the serpent didn’t even give him a chance; it swiped its head and knocked Carac, Isolde, and Fendrel to the ground.

Peronell raised his sword and sprinted at the beast. He jumped on top of its head, and the snake immediately reared back. Then Peronell plunged his sword into the head.

The serpent cried out as the blade just barely nicked the skin. And then it dove back under the surface, taking Peronell with him.

“Perry!” Thea screamed.

Carac was up in an instant and sprinting toward the edge of the ship. Before he could dive overboard, Fendrel grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him away. “Are you mad?” he shouted.

“We can’t just—“

The serpent’s tail came back up and Peronell was just barely holding on. His mouth opened as he screamed something to the ship, but between the crashing of the waves and roaring of the storm, it was impossible to hear him.

“What is he saying?” Isolde demanded, pushing her sopping hair out of her face. “Carac, can you hear?”

He shook his head.

Then the serpent went under again.

Thea stared hard at where he’d been, brows furrowed and mind swirling with possibilities as she tried to decipher the word he had mouthed.

Fendrel stood beside her, doing the same. But he came to the answer first. His eyes brightened as he turned to Thea. “The mouth.”

She blinked in confusion only once and then she understood. She cocked another arrow and aimed her crossbow in the general area the snake had been, waiting for it to resurface.

It popped up again on the other side of the ship. It whipped its tail and sent Peronell flying up in the sky. Isolde watched him sail higher and higher, getting tossed about by the wind.

The serpent hissed again, baring its fangs, and lashed out. Merek had ropes wrapped all the way up his arms as he did his best to hold on, and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut in concentration. He didn’t have time to react.

But Isolde did. “Merek!” she screamed and dove for him.

His eyes popped open just as Isolde crashed into him. The snake’s mouth missed them but one of its fangs just barely scratched Isolde’s arm.

Peronell came plummeting back to the earth, splashing into the angry sea. There was no one to stop Carac from jumping in this time, and he didn’t even hesitate to plunge into the ocean.

Thea and Fendrel ran across the deck to where Isolde and Merek stood. Merek’s feet slipped on the wood, but he did his best to hang on to the ropes. His eyes locked on Izzy as she stumbled unsteadily to her feet. “Are you all right?”

“Fine!” she answered.

Fendrel twirled his sword with his gaze on the serpent. “Ready?” he asked Thea and she nodded wordlessly.

As the serpent hissed again, Fendrel sprang forward, his body stretching as he became airborne. He was aiming to grab the serpent’s tongue, but the beast was ready for him and its mouth gaped open before he could get a grip. Fendrel landed inside the snake’s mouth, and as it moved to close down on him, Fendrel impaled his sword into the roof of its mouth, propping it open. The serpent’s hiss was deafening and made Fendrel’s ears ring, but its mouth stayed resolutely open, the prince’s sword trembling under the weight of it.

Fendrel turned back to the ship and shouted, “Now!” Then he leapt out of the mouth.

Thea didn’t hesitate; she pulled down on the trigger and her arrow cut through the air and shot straight down the serpent’s throat.

Fendrel’s sword snapped as the serpent’s mouth clamped shut. But its shining eyes went wide and it stilled momentarily. Then it twitched hard, and Thea could see a dent in the back of its throat where her arrow had stuck. The serpent gagged and thrashed, sending the already violent waves even higher.

Brom and Maerwynn lost their grip on the wheel and fell sideways as the ship rocked.

Janshai hung on tightly to his rope, even as the ship nearly turned on its head and he swung over the open ocean. He clenched his jaw and used every muscle he had to swing back onto the deck.

Thea refused to budge as she watched the serpent twitch back and forth, trying to hack up her arrow. Then it fell into the water, sending one last enormous wave over the crew. It crashed hard on top of them, knocking them all to the ground.

She rested her cheek against the soaking deck for only a moment before she pushed herself back to standing. She was already grasping for another arrow, but when she looked up, the rain had stopped.

She turned to see the snake swimming away, taking the storm with it. The sea still rocked their boat, but already the sky was beginning to clear. They’d survived.

Merek nudged Isolde with his shoulder, still doing his best to hold onto the ropes. “Thank you.”

Isolde mumbled something unintelligible, sounding like a mix between a cough and a gag.

“What—“

And then she collapsed.

Merek dropped the ropes immediately and fell to his knees at her side. “Isolde! Isolde, can you hear me?” He shook her but there was no response.

From behind the wheel, Brom shouted, “Where are Perry and Carac?”

Thea and Fendrel exchanged a look. She didn’t even have to say the words; he was already nodding.

Fendrel knelt beside Merek and Isolde. He saw the tear in her sleeve and the slowly blackening scratch on her bicep. He shouted, “She’s been bit!”

As Maerwynn, Brom, and Janshai ran to them, Thea dropped her arrow to the floor, tightened her scabbard, and ran to the edge of the ship. She only allowed herself a second of panic before she climbed onto the banister and dove into the water.

Carac held perfectly still beneath the surface of the water, straining his ears for any signs of Peronell.

Everything sounded muted. The waves crashing filtered to him like it was happening on the other side of a wall. He could barely make out the movement of fish, the rapid paddling of fins, the slithering of the serpent as it fled…

There! The slow drifting of a sinking body.

Carac made a beeline for it, clawing at the water. A pressure built up in his ears but he did his best to ignore it as he swam deeper and deeper.

His hand brushed fabric, and he twisted his fingers around it and pulled on Peronell’s shirt. There was only a slight give. Carac pulled harder, but Perry was stuck on something. Carac’s lungs had started to burn and he steeled himself to search for the infernal thing holding him in place.

He dragged his hands up Perry’s arms to his hands but there was nothing. Then he felt his way down and stopped when he felt the coarse leaves of a plant wrapped around Perry’s left leg.

Carac did his best to pull him free, but the strength was slowly leaving him. He had to get air. His chest was on fire, pulsing with each untaken breath. His heart thundered in his ears.

But he couldn’t leave Perry like this.

Then Carac felt a hand on his shoulder. A mouth came close to his ear and a voice warbled, “Thea.”

Relief flooded him. Thea held a sword in her hand and she cut through the roots with some effort. Then they each grabbed one of Peronell’s arms and swam to the surface. Panic had started to beat in Carac’s chest as his hearing went in and out of focus and a dizziness spun his head.

Then they broke the surface of the water, both of them drawing enormous gasps. The waves splashed over them, dunking and raising them again and again. Carac did his best not to let his concern for the silent Perry in his arms take over as they beat their arms in the direction of the ship.

Carac’s fingers brushed the slick wood of the hull.

“Here,” Thea said, and then he felt the fibers of a rope.

He wrapped it around Peronell’s torso and then shouted up, “Pull!”

As Perry was hoisted, two more ropes were thrown down, and Thea and Carac climbed back onto the ship.

They collapsed against the floor in exhausted heaps, taking deep breaths. But Carac was quickly on all fours, crawling to the only silent body onboard. Carac demanded as his hands rested on Perry’s unmoving chest. “He’s not breathing!”

It was Merek’s somber voice that answered him. “Neither is Izzy.”