Tiyana was about to give up and let the sea take her when she saw something dark on the water nearby.
“Tiyana,” a faint voice called.
“I’m here,” she tried to yell, but it came out as a hoarse groan from all the yelling she’d already done. She tried swimming, but her limbs felt like rubber and wouldn’t move the way she wanted them. But she could splash. She just hoped he’d hear it.
She was exhausted and didn’t know how much longer she could keep it up. She floated on her back hoping she would stay afloat long enough for Jace to find her.
“Tiyana.” His voice was getting closer.
She kicked her legs again, hoping he’d hear the splash. Her exhaustion was winning out though. The motion of her legs caused her head to sink below the water. Her brain didn’t seem to comprehend the fact that she was under water and she continued to breathe. She surfaced just in time. Her lungs burned as she expelled the water in a series of coughing fits.
If he hadn’t heard her yet, he wasn’t going to, she decided. She leaned back floating on the water one more, but this time she didn’t fight it when her eyes drooped. If she was going to die, she’d rather not be conscious.
When she opened her eyes again, she still felt like she was floating on the water, but she was dry. It was too dark to see at first, but she knew she couldn’t be dead. Her chest hurt too badly when she breathed. She pushed the blanket off her and got to her hands and knees. Her muscles protested the movement, but she forced them to cooperate. The floor wasn’t solid, so it took a lot of effort to balance herself. She nearly fell face first.
A zipping sound was followed by bright light pouring into the dark space. She squinted.
“You’re finally awake,” Jace said.
“You found me,” Tiyana said, her voice sounding more like a croaking frog. She hugged Jace, tears coming to her eyes. “I thought I was going to die.”
“It’s okay. You’re safe.” He seemed uncomfortable with her attention, so she released him.
“Thanks for coming back for me.” She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light.
“I wasn’t about to leave you, but I’ll admit I was getting bit concerned that you might have drowned.”
“So, what now? Where are we?”
“I’m not sure exactly where we are. I took a compass from the captain’s drawer before we left, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” he said, handing her the compass. “I think we’ll be better off traveling by night, so we can use the stars to guide us and resting during the day.”
“What about food?”
“I stole some rations, but we’ll have to be careful with them. Normally, they’d last us a week, but I’m not sure how soon we’ll get to land. We’ve got this too,” he held out something that looked like an oversized thermos. “It purifies seawater, so we’ll at least have something to drink.”
Tiyana had a look at the compass then gave it a shake. The needle just kept changing direction randomly. She turned it over in her hand. The bottom was covered with distinctive markings that seemed familiar somehow. “What’s this?”
“I’m not sure.”
Tiyana traced the markings and nearly dropped the compass when it popped open. There was a folded piece of paper inside. She opened it.
Jace scooted closer. “What does it say?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen this language before.” She handed to him. “You?”
“I’ve seen it, but I can’t read it. I know who can though.”
“Who? The Dikosa people on Huln Island. We should go there.”
Tiyana shook her head. “Jace, I just want to go home. I’ve had enough adventure to last me a lifetime.”
“Huln Island was the closest island from our last known location. If we go there, you might be able to get a shuttle to Dokuka. We wouldn’t make it in this thing anyway. It would take several weeks. We’d starve.”
Tiyana sighed, her shoulders drooping. She was beginning to believe she’d never get home. Something about the markings on the compass made her stomach twist in knots. She couldn’t place where she’d seen it though. “Okay, but as soon as we get there, I’m getting a shuttle home.”
Jace nodded in agreement, then pulled out the water purifier and filled it with some of the sea water. “We should have something to eat, then get some rest.”
“Won’t we just drift? We’ll end up lost.”
“Nah, this thing has a magnetic anchor. I’ve got it engaged now. I wanted to wait ‘til you were awake to figure out which way to go.”
After the water was filtered, he took out one of the rations. He poured powder from one of the sachets into two bowls and added some water. It made a porridge of some sort.
“It doesn’t taste great, but it’s got all the nutrients you’d need.”
He was right about the taste. Tiyana nearly spit it out but forced it down her throat. It was all they had, so they’d have to make the best of it. She tried to imagine it was her mother’s Tishi Porridge, but it didn’t work. The taste was too foul to fool her brain with her imagination.
Although there wasn’t much in the bowl, she felt as though she’d eaten a full meal. Jace rinsed the bowls and then they climbed into the shelter. It was snug with the two of them inside, but Jace wedged himself to one side, giving her plenty of space.
Tiyana couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, the markings on the compass danced in her mind. Where had she seen them before? Eventually, she drifted off to sleep trying to figure it out.
When she woke, she crawled out of the shelter. Jace had set up the foldaway mast and sail that had been hidden away in one of the raft’s compartments. He was lying down looking up at the stars.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Okay, I guess. Are we headed to Huln Island?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure how far we are, but we can’t be more than one or two weeks out.”
“Which is it? One or two weeks?”
He shrugged. “Either way, I’d be guessing.”
“So, it could be three weeks?”
He shrugged again. Tiyana groaned.
“Don’t worry about it. We can’t be that far.”
She would have to take his word for it and hope he was right. She didn’t know much about sailing. In fact, she’d never been out on the ocean before. When she traveled to help Riya, it was the first time she had left Dokuka.
“Why do you keep staring at that thing?” Jace said.
Tiyana set the compass down. She didn’t even realize she was holding it again. “I don’t know. The markings on it seem so familiar, but I don’t know why. It’s driving me crazy.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
I nodded. I just hoped I wouldn’t figure it out too late.
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