Secrets of the Sea

Chapter 24

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Earlier, I thought I would die of drowning. Or starvation. Or dehydration. But now?

            Now I know I am going to die of boredom.

            There was nothing in sight. All the boats – there were three of them – were filled with silent, hopeless men and women. There was enough room for eight rows to sit four people, and the cabin boys sat five to a row in order to get everybody on one. No man was left behind.

Despite the burning sun I kept my cloak on, with the hood covering my face. Believe it or not, it helped a little with the heat. There was no wind to fill the small sails, and the rowers would have to switch turns with each other every hour. I felt terrible for them, with sweat glistening on their red skin, while I just sat in the back of the boat with Liana and Peter. Half of the occupants of each boat were to row during the day, and the other half during the night. That way each half could get half the day to relax and save their strength. I dozed on Peter’s shoulder until then.

            When darkness finally fell, I was ready to do something physical. Sitting down in one spot was extremely tiresome. Few words had been spoken. When I took my spot at a paddle, Peter came and sat next to me.

            “I’ll be your partner. We’ll switch off in an hour,” he said. “But, if you need, we can switch earlier.”

            Not going to happen, I thought. But, after 30 minutes my back was aching and my hands burning. I stayed silent. I can do this, I told myself.

            But Peter saw otherwise and I reluctantly switched spots with him. Is it just me or is the boat moving forward faster now?

            “How are your hands?” he asked.

            I pulled them from underneath the flaps of the cloak and examined them in the pale moonlight.

            “They’re blistering,” I noted, not really caring.

            “There’s something in one of the cloak’s pockets that’ll help that,” he told me. “You’ll know what it is.”

            After searching several pockets which revealed some extra dried food, a flask full of water which I took a sip from and shared with Peter, I found a small jar of the same substance the he had given me earlier, and that Char had used, too, for Nat’aniel’s back.

            Char.

            Nat’aniel.

            Oh, how I miss them.

            I looked at Peter. He probably missed his crew and Dane, too. But he hid his pain.

            “Do you miss Dane a lot?” I asked softly after a while. The sailors, roused by the coolness of the night, had started to converse softly.

            “Yes, I miss him very much. He was – is – like a brother to me.”

            We were silent for a while.

            “And you? Do you miss Nat’aniel and Mr. Burr?”

            I nodded.

            More silence.

            “And what about me? Did you miss me?”