“Don’t think I’ve forgotten that knife, Odelia,” Rune says suddenly, pulling me back to the present. His focus weighs on me like a cloak, but I try not to look at him.Try to force my muscles to relax, my jaw to stop clenching so hard I’m sure my teeth will crack.
“What knife?” Tavi asks. But the accusation is thrown more at her captain than at me.
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he gives a dramatic, affected sigh, like he’s a rich mainland lady putting on airs for court. “I can’t let you keep it.”
Thatmakes me face him. “You’d leave me defenseless on a monster-infested island?”
Again with that infuriating smirk. “One look at you and the monster will go running, I wouldn’t worry too much. Besides, ask Bear what he thinks Tavi would do if you tried to pull it on the wrong person.”
Otto perks up, like he’s just now joining the conversation. “Hm? Ask me what?”
Rune stops rowing and reaches a hand out, effectively stranding us in the water. “Hand it over, Odi. Or I’ll have to come over there and take it from you.”
It’s a habit to resist at this point, but he’s huge. Easily half the weight in this boat right now, and my stomach already churns at the thought of him disturbing our balance and flipping us in. So with an annoyed huff I tug up the hem of my trousers and pull the knife from where it hides, wrapped and tucked into my boot.
“My paring knife!” Bear says as I pass it to Rune, his brows pinched in a way that makes him look older. “You stole it from the galley?”
“I—” I hesitate, but there’s no reason. “Yes. Did you expect any better?” I shrug, lookingaway from the disappointment that’s loud and clear on his face. It’s just another reminder that they don’t know me. What I’m capable of. “Can we go now?” I say to Rune, trying to keep my voice neutral. Water laps hungrily at the edges of the boat. He still watches me too closely. Those in the boats behind us slow as they near, likely wondering what made us stop.
Rune picks up the oar on his side, and the cut of the flat through the water is the only sound as we move on.
Sweat beads on his brow. The muscles of his forearm flicker as he and Tavi push and pull in tandem until, finally, we scrape against the sandy shore. Before anyone else can move, Rune leaps over the side, soaking himself up to mid-thigh and pushing further aground. His light-coloured pants cling, almost transparent now. Yet another image to banish from my mind.
Bear leaps out to join him, tugging from the front, Tavi pulls the oars in and they clink as she lays them in the bottom of the vessel before she steps over too. I rise and, keeping his attention trained on the island, Rune reaches a hand out, again.
But I can’t take it.
Even though my legs feel like jelly and my stomach feels like it’s one more giant-man-sized row away from emptying itself, I can’t nurse the too-soft thing that’s growing in my chest. Every other part of me is a jagged edge. Sharp. Better to put it out of its misery.
I ignore his offer and step out, but the silt shifts, sucks my boot down to the ankle, and I wobble, reaching for him anyways.
He pulls back just as our hands brush, leaving me reaching into open air. There’s a moment of slow, unstoppable inertia, then I go down in a clumsy splash, soaking one leg in the water completely. Some of the crew that have landed laugh openly, but Rune just strides past, pulling his hair into a knot on his head, leaving me to sweep my hands in the water to remove the gummy, clay-like silt that clings to them. I deserved that one, but knowing it doesn’t stop the flame in my cheeks.
The embarrassment doesn’t last long. The moment my boots hit dry land, a weight lifts from my shoulders. The earthsings.
I feel it in every solid, unyielding step. The ground is soft at first, but I follow the others towards the tree line, relishing the way it shifts and solidifies, pulling my attention from my too-busy mind and firmly into my body, into the sensation of solid earth. This time, when my animal whispers, it’s not in fear. It’s anticipation. Memory. The wind whistling past my ears. The blur of green and brown and the trailing pinpricks of gentle pastels.
Soon,I whisper back.
The strip of beach is thin, crowded by gangly trees that link branches as if to ward strangers away.
“To me!” Rune shouts, drawing the group together. There’s plenty of us, including Tavi, Bear, Elio, Rune, and myself. Most of the rest are from the day crew, since the others needed to sleep. Luckily, the island itself is small and we can’t stay overnight, which means less supplies to carry. With any luck, it’ll only take an hour to get to the centre of the island.
“We walk in pairs!” Rune calls. “We should reach the stones within the hour. From there, we’ll reassess and decide what’s possible before sundown. Don’t get separated. If you do get separated, find and follow the shore until you see the ship. There’s no point getting lost in the trees a second time.” His expression is more serious than I’ve ever seen it, a small furrow in his brow betraying whatever worries he’s shielding from the crew. Both his weapons are strapped to his belt—a sword and a dagger, both made of that same bone. His sky-blue eyes skate over each face, hesitating on me a beat longer than necessary.
“Pair up,” he says, and before I can stop and watch the others ignore me, he beckons me over. “I don’t need you running off.”
I feign a look around. “Where would I go? I’m more concerned you might leave me here.”
He lifts a brow, a bit of his usual mischief shining through. “Don’t tempt me.” The crew lines up, and we lead, stepping into the dappled shadows. Leaves crunch under our steps. I want to memorise the sound. “Besides,” he continues, “on the rowboat I got the impression you’d suffer more if I took you back on the water.”
Was it so obvious? “I all but drowned a few days ago.” The way he glances over tells me he doesn’t believe my casual shrug.
“Couldn’t have been the first time right? In your line of work.”
“My line of work?” I almost laugh. “Don’t you mean being a filthy rat-infested, scum-eating pirate?”
“What is it with you and eating things?”
