Dolphin Knight

1Raka Sharksblood was afraid of the water. This wasn't the best thing for a girl who lived on an island. This wasn't helpful for a princess whose people's lives revolved around the sea. But Raka couldn't help herself. She couldn't stand to be near the water. The very sight of even a mild low tide lapping at the beach filled her with fear. The sound of crashing waves on a stormy night was enough to paralyze her with terror. She had been this way for as long as she could remember, much to the consternation of her father, King Ikaz. While Raka's mother, Queen Perza, had made only limited efforts to get Raka to deal with her fear, single-minded Ikaz had driven her to fight it. But nothing that Ikaz or anyone else did ever made any difference. As a little girl, whenever anyone had dragged her to the water's edge, Raka had screamed and fought her way free and run away from the ocean. The few times when she had been taken out in a boat, she had thrown such violent tantrums that the oarsmen had quickly rowed her ashore for fear that she would overturn the boat. Once, when she had been no older than four or five, Ikaz had put her in a carrying pouch on his back and waded into the surf, hoping to help her get used to the water while she was safely strapped to his shoulders. That time had been the worst of all. Raka had kicked and hit him until her feet and hands were sore; even through the dense, dark jumble of his tattoos, the black-and-blue marks from Raka's blows could be seen on his back and shoulders and sides and chest for days. Nothing, it seemed, could cure Raka's fear of the sea. As she had grown older, her father had stopped trying to drag her or carry her or trick her into entering the water, though he had never stopped trying to talk her into it. For the most part, Raka had been able to stay far from the shore, keeping to the village and the dry, grassy fields that carpeted the interior of the island. But things were changing for her now. She couldn't avoid the ocean for much longer. All because she would turn fifteen years old in two weeks. That was why she now sat atop a hill overlooking the beach and stared out at the sparkling blue water through her windblown red hair, chewing her fingernails and trembling. The ocean was there, all around her, as it always had been, but it seemed to be closing in around her now. She felt as if the island were shrinking, pushing her closer and closer to the vast, unknown gulf into which she was destined to fall. And no one else on the island felt the same way. In this place where the people spent most of their time in the sea, hunting and farming and fighting and playing in the sea, Raka was absolutely alone in her fear. It was bad enough that she looked different from everyone else, that she was the only person on the island who had red hair instead of black. That in itself set her apart...but her fear of the water made her feel like a complete outsider. She was a princess, so no one would say it to her face, but Raka knew that they must think of her as a freak. No one understood. But one person, at least, tried to understand. His name was Bey Stormchaser, and he was one year older than she. He was her best friend...her only friend. He sat beside her on the hill; just the fact that he was there made her feel a little better. "So what are you going to do on your Rebirth Day?" said Bey, mending a torn section of his fishing net as he spoke. "Still thinking about pretending to be sick?" "I won't have to pretend," said Raka, nibbling on a thumbnail. "I feel sick right now just thinking about it." Bey nodded and continued weaving strands of kelp fiber into the gap in his net. "They should just let you skip the whole thing," he said. "After all, you're the king's daughter. You should be able to do what you want." "I wish," said Raka. "Father says that's all the more reason why I have to do it. I have to prove I'm a leader, which I already told him I don't even want to be a leader." "Huh," said Bey. "So if he wants you to prove you're a leader, why don't you kick out the king and change the rules so you don't have to swim on your Rebirth Day?" That got a smile out of Raka, which wasn't easy these days. She had been so caught up in worrying about her Rebirth Day, she had not laughed for weeks. It was like a terrible storm was heading straight for her, and she couldn't possibly get out of its way. In two weeks, when she turned fifteen, she would have to attempt the Rebirth Day rite whether she liked it or not. Following tradition, Raka would dive or be dropped from a canoe in deep waters. From that point, one of two things would happen: she would make her way back to the island, triumphantly riding on the back of a shark who would be her steed and partner from that day on; or she would drown. Only by undergoing this rite--and surviving--would she be considered an adult among the Sharkites. For other fifteen-year-olds, Rebirth Day wasn't the nightmare that it seemed to Raka. Without exception, the other children on the island swam and talked to sharks from an early age. Some kids, when it came time for their Rebirth Days, already had shark partners picked out and had secretly made arrangements to meet and return with them. But how was Raka supposed to do any of this when she couldn't even bear to go near the ocean, let alone swim and shark-speak? And how could she survive the deep water when she lacked a crucial ability that all other Sharkites possessed? She couldn't breathe underwater. Sharkites were born with gill slits--three on each side of the throat--and were able to breathe water as easily as air from the moment of birth. No Sharkite in memory had been born without gills...except Raka. She had never been able to breathe underwater, though she had only tried a few times, and then not by choice. This, of course, intensified her fear of the sea...though she had always had a feeling that it wasn't the only reason for her fear. Her father was convinced that she did have gills, but they weren't yet working the way that they should. He believed that if Raka were placed in a situation in which she had to breathe water or die, the gills would come to life. All Raka needed was a shock to the system, he said, and she would be breathing seawater and swimming like a fish. Raka didn't share this opinion. "I wonder what it will feel like when I die," she said softly, staring at the glittering sea. "I wonder if it will hurt." "Maybe you won't die," said Bey. "Maybe you'll finally get your gills like your father says." "I won't," said Raka. She touched the sides of her throat with trembling fingers. "If they were there but just hadn't opened yet, I'd at least feel them." Bey stopped mending the net and let it fall in his lap. Turning to Raka, he drew her hand from her throat and held it. "I won't let you die," he said. "I'll follow you. If you're in trouble, I'll help you." Raka looked at him, then looked away. "You're not allowed," she said. "If we came back together, they'd just make me do it again by myself." "Not if we don't come back," said Bey, squeezing her hand. "Not if we run away." Raka shook her head. "And go where?" "Another island," said Bey. "One where they don't have Rebirth Days." Raka smiled, but only a little. "Sounds perfect," she said. "Too bad the sharks and warriors would bring us back before we could get there." Bey didn't seem to have a response to that. He sat for a moment, holding Raka's hand, as the waves crashed and hissed on the sand. "I'm not giving up on you," he told her. "I wish other people felt that way," said Raka as a big wave threw itself down on the beach.