Tideline

Chapter Twenty-Five

The ship was in trouble.

I stayed in my room while it rocked and shuddered around me. Something was wrong, but the Humans sent to my room to watch, or guard me, could tell me nothing. They stared blankly at my hand signs and spoke slowly and loudly as if I were an idiot.

"Everything will be fine," one man said. "We just have to wait here till it's over."

Frustrated I waited on my bed until the ship stopped moving. Even then I wasn't allowed to leave right away. I had to wait, my dāl bursting with colors while the two Humans stared at me like I was the oddest thing they had ever seen. I had seen that look before and I hated it.

At least Caspian never looked at me like that.

Finally, Caspian entered the room and sent the other Humans away. I wanted to embrace him, to touch him as we had touched inside the room filled with the ocean, but he seemed distracted. His hair was disheveled and grime coated his face, he looked completely and so utterly weary that I immediately gestured at him to sit next to me.

Caspian flopped down on the bed next to me and fell back, his eyes closed and face tense. I waited while he lay there, then hesitantly reached out to touch his hand. His fingers curled around mine and held them tight for a brief moment before he let go and sat back up again.

*Áuliiel,* "I'm sorry." He said. "I think I fucked up."

*What happened.*

"We were attacked, by Rahky." His fingers trembled slightly as he signed the words for me.

I understood most of his words, an attack explained the jerking, violent motions of the ship. But 'Rahky?' I signed a question, but he seemed to be looking straight through me. I looked at him, his uniform was torn in places and there were bloodstains all over it. Cautiously I touched the blood, the red stain was dry but I could feel it seeping into my skin anyway. When I looked up Caspian's eyes were focused on me once more, though the shadow in his gaze was darker than ever, so thick and heavy I could almost feel it. Like a dark cloud settling across my body and pouring into my lungs until I couldn't breathe.

It was hard to breathe when he looked at me.

"It's not mine," he said quietly. "I wasn't injured...others weren't so lucky."

A soft, sad tone overlaid his words, almost a song but not quite. *People got hurt.* I signed.

"People died, my people. And maybe your people too. I think that the Rahky may now know about the illusion cloaking your world." *Lloalllii.*

I was trying to follow his meaning, but he was using words I didn't understand yet. I signed my confusion and he sighed, shaking his head. "I know we're both trying." *Áuliiel.*

*Caspian. Who attack ship?*

"Rahky." He signed the new word slowly.

*Rahky. Who Rahky?*

"That's right, you probably know them by a different name..." Caspian's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he sat up straight. "I am such an idiot, of course you wouldn't know that name. Follow me."

Caspian led me to sickbay which was full of people and utter chaos. He spoke with the doctor quietly and I heard the word 'body', one I understood. People were rushing all around me, and the beds and floor were filled with injured men and women. I could hear them moaning with pain and seen the bright red blood staining their skin and I wished I had my voice so I could ease a little of the pain. Or at least be able to soothe the fear that I could see filling their eyes.

Someone started screaming when Caspian came back to me, his eyes grim, and led me to a separate room that was quiet and only filled with a couple of people. The beds were full here too, but the bodies on the beds did not move. He led me to one bed and pulled back the sheet covering the body. This body was tall, taller than any Human or any of my people, and covered in a strange black armor.