CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
The journey across to the island had been long but essentially peaceful. The one back made Sebastian’s arms burn with the effort of rowing, his stomach knot with the lack of fresh water, and his whole body tense with the terror that enemy ships might come hunting for their small boats at any moment. That was before he even began to consider the pain of the hastily bandaged wound in his side, or the cut on his cheek.
He didn’t know why no enemies had come for them. Perhaps it was because they assumed that the small boats would be ripped apart by the waves in the course of the crossing. Perhaps it was because their commanders had better things to do than chase a retreating force. That was a worrying thought in itself, because it made Sebastian wonder what those better th
