PoraBora

Chapter Sixty-One

She didn't let the boy up any further. Feet in the water, arms busy holding his weight, he wouldn't be able to try anything. She hooked her peg leg into a cleat so that he wouldn't be able to pull her into the water.

"Talk," she said. "That's it."

The boy eyed the knife. His breathing was catching up to him, and he blew the water that dripped into his mouth. "Keasau. Don't kill. Escort. Please, 'o o'ola Keasau."

"Keasau?" Pe snorted. "Forget Keasau. Where's your shark? Where is Bora?"

The boy gulped. His eyes dropped, and he shifted on his arms.

She gave him a reminder with the knife.

"Your salting shark!" Pe spat. "Where?"

"Bora, don't kill," said the boy. "Save Keasau."

"Don't kill? Bora...." Pe grabbed her knife hand with the other, but it didn't help with the shaking. "Bora killed my parents! I swear, I'll kill you too. I don't care. I'll kill you, and make sure Keasau doesn't get a flipper outside that net. Do you understand? I'll kill Bora. I'll kill Pora!"

The boy faced the deck. Pe couldn't see his face, couldn't tell if he understood. She didn't care. She was shaking so much that she thought she was going to fall off the ship. She dropped to her knee. "Tell me," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Where is he? Or don't. He's trapped in here too. I'll get him, even if I...even if I have to use you for bait!"

"Bora shark," croaked Pora, looking up at her. "Bora try and live. Just like Pe. Just like Pora."

"That's what everybody keeps telling me," snapped Pe. "My parents tried to live! We tried to be happy, and keep to ourselves, and bother no one, but your shark ended all that! I don't care if he was hungry. I don't care if he was dying. How he felt doesn't change what he did, and he killed my family." She gestured violently to her peg leg and hated that she was shaking so much. "And he ate my salting leg!"

"Keasau kill," said Pora. "Kakapu'u Keasau su yimo'a. Yuppa, Umba, su kunuha."

"Yeah," growled Pe. "Keasau kill. I saw your island. So why aren't you trying to kill him now, huh? Why are you trying to save him?"

"Keasau live," said Pora. "Keasau scared. Kakuka'u. Mamalii Keasau apikikeha." He pointed at the fleets. "Kekela'a apelaha wa."

Another echo of cannons reminded Pe they weren't the only ship in the water. She looked from them to Pora. Nobody understood. Pora should have. He'd lost everything, just as she had. He had someone to blame. Bora live.

No, she thought. Bora die.

"Please," the boy repeated. "Escort me. Escort Keasau."

Pe grabbed him by the arm and pulled him on board, but she didn't put away the knife. "We need Keasau."

"Need Bora."

"And I need revenge," Pe snapped.

A familiar flapping of wings drew her attention to the bow, and Pe saw the sandpiper, Tota, land smoothly on the deck. It snuck its long beak into its feathers for a quick preen, and then looked up.

"You want me to help you?" Pe growled. "I regret helping you. I regret helping you and your bird. I regret everything since I saw you. I'm tired of it. And there's only one thing I can think of that I won't regret."

"Bora live."

"Bora--"

Pe saw Hui. She knew it was him because nobody else had a face like a jellyfish's brain. He was fighting, backed over the fin of a trimaran, facing three other warriors with his spear.