Tabidaque

THIRTEEN

Hauntings of memories linger
Behind a thin veil of time
Still waters call them forth
To haunt their hosts once more.

The color in Sarofa's face drains, her jaw sets in determination, and before any of us can say a word, she's crouched on the edge of the ship, diving into the churning waves after Mehild. Chiqu cries out and rushes forward, but I grab her sleeve.

"Stop!" I shout. "She can do it herself! She did before!"

"I have to get you there alive!" Chiqu screams. "All of you! Juase was wrong, Luzile. Every single one of you needs to get there—I can't let them both be washed away."

"Listen to me, Chiqu," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "The sea is as calm as I've ever seen it right now. Sarofa can swim. They'll make it."

"I truly hope you're right," Chiqu mutters, not breaking her gaze from the rhythmic rolling water.

"What do you think that was?" I ask after a moment of unnerving silence. "The cloths in the air. The child's cries. The way Mehild turned...different, like her mind was somewhere else. What was it?"

Chiqu slowly shakes her head. "I don't know, Luzile," she says slowly, voice wavering as she speaks. "I don't know what it was." She sounds tired, her face is tense, and I can see dark circles under her eyes. I look at her hands and notice they're trembling, gripping the edge of the ship so firmly her knuckles pale.

I watch her carefully, watch the muscles in her face tighten. Her face sinks into her hands, fingernails clutching her cheeks as her breathing turns ragged. Her head shoots up and she vaults onto the edge of the ship. "I can't—"

Dread washes over me as I lunge toward her, clutching her shoulder and pulling her back onto the deck. They've got her too. Oh, Chiqu. They've gotten to you. She slams to the wood planks, and one of her hands slices across the side of my face as she fights to get free. "You don't understand, Luzile!" she screams, nearly hysterical. "I have to—they'll kill—"

I grip her shoulders and try to pin her down, but she knows how to fight, better than I do despite my seasons of practice. Her hand clamps over my throat and pushes hard, squeezing the breath from my lungs. I struggle to break away, just to breathe, but now her elbow is closing around my neck.

"Chiqu! Get off him!"

Juase is running toward us, and I grit my teeth as he pulls Chiqu away. He is the last person I would want to rescue me, but I can breathe. I massage my throat and look up at Chiqu. Revulsion twists in my stomach when I see her eyes. Rolled into her head, dark veins lacing across the white.

Juase holds her, limp and panting. We stare at each other, the question both of us are wondering left unspoken in the air. What was that?

Then I hear a splashing sound as the surface of the water breaks. I run to the edge of the ship and see Sarofa, gasping in air, Mehild's limp body clutched to her chest with one arm. "Help—me," she rasps, struggling to stay above the surface.

I glance around, notice the rope heaped on the ground nearby, and run to grab it. I throw one end over the edge, down to Sarofa, who grabs it and holds on, catching her breath. Then she ties a loop around her wrist, and I begin to pull her up.

She wraps her fingers around the rope and tries to hold on as the waves jostle her. I hear a faint popping sound from her shoulder, and she gasps, "Stop!" I pause as she winces in pain, but there's nothing she can do. If she tries to get a better grip, she'll drop Mehild. I wait as she considers her options. Then I see the flash of white emerge from the dark blue.