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Thunder ru the rail toward hiht He squeezes back

I say, "I hope that I ah? "able to tell you someday"

He sweeps his thumb across ated to tellYou’re , and I findspears the horizon as I say, "I need to tell Mara what’s happening"

I feel his watchful eyes on uard

Chapter 24

NIGHT coht the ship’s lanterns and quietly go about the tasks of tying down cargo and checking and rechecking the rigging I marvel at their brave acceptance They continue to avoidthem at work for a bit, I can’t help it: I have to seek them out Accompanied by Hector, I pat each one on the shoulder, ask his name, tell him "Thank you" Up close, it’s easier to see the fear in their weathered faces But they still e to duck their heads and mutter a few clumsy "Your Majesty"s

There can be no doubt that we face a hurricane Already the lanterns swing violently as we dip and plunge through the sea White water gushes over the prow at irregular intervals, soaking everything We’ve shortened the sails to take less wind, and several crew, ready to cut the sails coive way

I stand with Felix and Hector near the ship’s wheel, for we are sure to go off course No ship can sail directly into a stor directly into the waves whenever possible to avoid being capsized My Godstone and I will be the ship’s coht direction as we do our best to make corrections Hector holds thickly coiled rope in his hands, ready to tie me down if the waves threaten to wash us overboard

I have trouble keeping ht, the waves are a huge black darkness tipped in foaunwale, but always, at the last h and my stomach drops as we slip down the other side

Felix tells me it’s too early to be afraid, that they’ve survived harsher weather than this "We are barely at the edge of the storrin that holds more mania than huray beard and a e is halfway to the first h the wind

"Soe," Hector yells back The wind has whipped his hair into a wild, curly ets high enough, we’ll have to use buckets too If it goes past the third reat stinging sheets

The deck is slick and chilled I cling to a bit of rail stretching across middeck that seehter than daylight a split second before thunder crashes around us

God, please show us the way and keep us safe

A s the sensation, stronger than ever, of tugging at my navel

Hector bends close "You just prayed, didn’t you?"

I look up at hies" He wears a slight sainst the planes of his sea-soaked face

The ship rolls sideways, flinging ainst the railing with the other "Maybe having you on deck is not such a good idea," he says in et worse"

"I have to help navigate!"

"There will come a point when it doesn’t matter anymore, e just have to survive"

I stare up at hi of the way our bodies are pressed together What if I don’t survive? It would surprise no one if I died young, like most of the bearers before me

Or worse, what if he doesn’t survive? I lost Humberto before I could tell hiain

"Hector, I need to tell you--"

"Oh, no, you don’t," he says, putting a finger toto live Both of us It’s faith, right?"

Lightning streaks the sky behind hiht I need to prepare to live, not to die

Maybe I’ve been preparing to die for too long--ever since that day in the desert when I decided it would be better to die in service to God than to live uselessly And ht

But I’--to prove to myself that I won’t, to feel some kind of power over my predestined future Hector’s face is very close It would be so easy to wrap my arms around his neck, force his lips to mine, and kiss him until we are both breathless

I want le ill-timed kiss No, I want more from life I clench my fists, and my nails bite into my palms as I think, My supposed destiny can drown itself in the deepest part of the sea Along with everyone else’s plans for ht back!" I yell, and dash across the deck to Captain Felix’s quarters

I bang open the doors, and Mara looks up, startled She’s huddled on the floor at the foot of the bed, knees to chest, and her cheeks are streaked with tears "Elisa?" she says waveringly

I shed water everywhere as I grab my pack and drop down beside her The ship rolls while I reach inside for the ned figurine that holds the lady’s shroud

"What are you doing?" she asks

"Preparing to live" I put rabs my wrist "Wait" She reaches for her satchel and retrieves a rin "Ready?"

In answer, I pull the stopper and upend a few seeds into my palm She does the sa They’re bitter and hard and taste faintly of leain, and I almost choke on the seeds The captain’s chair slides across the planking and tips over at our feet Mara whiht back, er, but I revel in the luxury of stealing these precious ing

I rise to h the floor sways beneath me, I feel steadier than I have in a while "Stay here I won’t risk you getting washed overboard"