Dolphin Knight

Chapter 4

4For a long time, as Bey rowed over the rolling surface of the sea, Raka lay paralyzed on the floor of the boat with her eyes jammed shut. Every time the boat pitched up on a wave and dropped back down, her stomach twisted violently. Every time she thought about where she was and how far she must be from land and safety, her mind went blank with terror, and her heart fluttered like a panicked bird in her chest.

"There's Oom," Bey told her after a while. "He's swimming out in front of us. Come take a look."

Raka shook her head and stayed curled up against the food-packed nets. She was so scared, she couldn't bear to open her eyes, let alone crawl to the prow for a look at Bey's hammerhead shark-brother. She just wanted to stay where she was until she reached dry land again.

Eventually, though, she had to move.

When the boat lifted up on the biggest swell yet and plunged back down on the other side of it, Raka was overcome with nausea. Her stomach wrenched, and she knew that she was going to be sick.

In spite of her paralyzing fear, Raka had the presence of mind to push herself up and lean her head over the side of the boat. She made it just in time and threw up into the ocean, vomiting until her stomach hurt.

As soon as she was done, she slumped back onto the floor, breathing heavily. The pain in her stomach was so bad, she could hardly stand it...but after a few minutes, the pain died down.

And as the pain faded, Raka found that she actually felt a little better than before she had gotten sick.

Bey, who had stopped rowing when she threw up over the side, looked back at her with concern. "Are you all right?" he said.

Raka shrugged weakly. "I've been better," she said.

Bey pulled in the oar and laid it down, then picked up a grayfish-skin bag full of fresh water from the floor beside him. "Have a drink," he said, extending the bag toward her. "It will help."

The bag sloshed as Raka took it from him. She pulled the rubber stopper out of the spout, placed the spout against her lips, and tipped the bag up just enough to draw out a trickle of water. The water was warm, but it moistened her mouth and throat, which had become dry as dust.

Remembering that their fresh water supplies were limited, Raka was careful not to drink more than a little bit. "Thank you," she said, replacing the stopper and handing the grayfish-skin bag back to Bey. "That did help."

Bey smiled. "You should be proud of yourself," he said. "You were so scared, but now you're doing fine."

"I don't feel fine," said Raka.

"You're stronger than you think," said Bey, reaching for the oar. "Of course, I knew that all along."

Raka didn't answer, but she watched him for a long time as he rowed the boat onward into the moonlit night.