by Jordan Rivet
They had no way of knowing whether this was the correct river or if they’d sailed in the right direction. They could only hope. They sailed into the open mouth. The Lucinda lurched as they crossed the invisible line between the sea and the river. They had arrived.
The river narrowed quickly, the muddy delta funneling them inland. They stuck to the center, unsure how shallow it would be closer to the banks. Bare mudflats surrounded them. Further ahead trees and bushes crept closer to the waterline.
Behind them the sea suddenly had boundaries. They were sailing away from the wide-open expanse that had been their home. Esther felt a brief flash of claustrophobia at the sight of the shores closing in on them, but she pushed it aside.
“Wait a second,” Cally said as the river narrowed in front of them. “Is that a ship?”
They came upon the spectral shape of a massive cargo vessel lying on its side. The carcass must have been nearly eight hundred feet long, and it blocked the river where the banks began to draw closer together. It was like someone had placed a giant floodgate directly across the river, leaving only a narrow gap on one side. Water swirled around the bow, white and rough. It was hard to tell with the shallow bank, but the gap seemed dangerously small.
“We’ll have to see how deep it is around that opening,” Esther said as they drew closer. “I’m not sure we can get through.” They were still several hundred feet away, but Esther thought they would just make it.
Then Simon shouted something from the lookout tower. Cally tugged on Esther’s sleeve.
“Uh . . . I think we have a problem.”
Another ship had emerged out of nowhere behind the Lucinda. It floated at the rear, cutting off their access to the sea. With the cargo ship on one side and the newcomer on the other, they were trapped.
Chapter 12—The River Guards
THE STRANGER SHIP WAS perhaps eighty feet long—smaller than the Lucinda—and it had been painted in a multitude of bright colors: yellow, red, purple. It had crept in behind them as the Lucinda approached the wreck blocking the river. It was some sort of fishing vessel, with a tall profile and multicolored flags flying from every corner. People swarmed across its decks, clad in a bright mishmash of colors. They were armed.
“Let’s get below,” Esther said. “We don’t know what they’ll do.”
“I don’t want to miss—”
“Off the deck, Cally.”
Esther waited to make sure her young charge went below. She studied the other ship. It gave no discernible signal, making no move to attack. The people aboard watched the Lucinda, guns raised and steady. Belatedly, Esther felt a wave of shock. Survivors. They had found survivors.
The river mouth was still very wide here. If they waited for the right moment, the Lucinda might be able to get around the other ship and make a run for the sea, but they’d have to leave the river behind.
Esther hurried back up to the pilothouse.
“What’ve we got?”
“They’re speaking Spanish,” Zoe said. She pulled the radio headset half off her ear. “I’m trying to tell them I don’t understand, but they keep talking at me. Wish we had Neal.”
“Can you call him on the satellite phone to translate?”
“Working on it.”
“They’re definitely armed,” Esther said. “I got a good look from the deck.”
“They don’t sound friendly,” Zoe said. Her hands flew across her communications console. “Ringing Neal now.”
“What do you think, David? Can we squeeze through?”
He had brought the Lucinda in a slow turn so they could get a better view of the stranger ship. The wrecked cargo ship and the narrow opening to the river waited at their backs.
“We can’t take any chances,” David said. “The river’s too narrow here.” He turned on the ship’s intercom. “All hands to weapons stations. We’re on high alert. Hold your fire unless provoked. Let’s move, people.” David kept his attention on the other ship, which was only a few hundred yards away now.
“We can’t get into a fight,” Esther said. “That’s not why we’re here.”
“They don’t know that.”
“Neal!” Zoe waved at Esther and David to be quiet. She spoke into the satellite phone. “Hey, Neal. No time to explain. I need you to translate some of what these guys are saying to me on the radio.” She held the mic for the satellite phone up to the speaker for the radio. A tinny tirade came from the speakers. The people on the radio were speaking fast, and Zoe was right: they did not sound friendly.
“What do you think, Neal?” Zoe said, pulling the mic away from the speaker for a moment. “Yeah, uh-huh, that’s what we gathered. Give me a second. I’ll patch you through.”
Zoe tapped some buttons on her console. “They’re telling us to go away and never come back. Neal’s gonna try talking to them.”
“Think they’ll attack?”
“Hopefully Neal will clear things up before it comes to that.”
Zoe kept the speakers close together, allowing Neal to communicate with the strangers from his perch far away on the Catalina.
Esther and David watched the other ship. It made no move to fire. The Lucinda’s crew would have reached their stations by now. Anyone who was off duty would be belowdecks. Esther wished her father were below instead of exposed up in the crow’s nest. He didn’t need to be involved in this fight, if a fight it would be.
The console buzzed with another call from Neal.
“Lucinda. Yeah. Okay. Understood.” Zoe put down the mic. “We got a problem. They want everyone out on deck with weapons laid down before they’ll negotiate anything.”
“Not a chance,” David said. “We can’t expose ourselves like that.”
Zoe talked to Neal, and then he relayed the message on the radio. They waited. The other ship was getting closer to them. More men came out on deck, leveling their weapons toward the Lucinda. It drew nearer still.
“If it comes to it, Lucinda can take that ship,” David said quietly. “Look at it. It’s built for fishing, not fighting.”
“We don’t need a fight,” Esther said. “You guys should make a break for the sea, and I’ll see if I can slip through to the river in the speedboat without them noticing.”
The other ship was edging in, trying to force them back against the wreck.
David shook his head. “I don’t want a fight either, but I’m not going to let these guys intimidate us.” He reached for the intercom again. “This is the captain. Fire a single warning shot.”
Esther held her breath.
A blast split the morning air. The shot landed in the river beside the trawler, sending a spray of water onto the deck. The trawler veered off abruptly. The men crouched low, weapons still pointed toward the Lucinda. They had stopped advancing.
“Wait!” Zoe said. “They’re changing their tune.” She listened to what was being said through the headset, still relaying the communication between Neal on the satellite call and the Spanish speakers on the radio.
Esther realized she was gripping David’s arm and released it.
“Okay, Neal says they’ll talk,” Zoe said. “They’re asking us not to fire. He says they’re scared. They haven’t seen another ship in ages. We need to bring one of them up here to get Neal’s translations for the negotiation. They’re working out the details.”
The trawler made a wide circle and pulled around closer than ever to the Lucinda. The brightly colored paint went all the way around the hull and covered most of the tall cockpit. The strangers watched the Lucinda warily from their positions crouched on the deck.
“Wish one of us spoke Spanish,” Esther said. “Neal should have come with us.”
“I took French in school,” David said. He was still tense and kept one hand on the intercom button. He’d order another strike without hesitation.
Neal called Zoe back again and filled them in on the plan. They would do an exchange. While two people from the trawler came aboard Lucinda, the
y had to send two of their crew across to the other ship.
“Send Simon,” David said immediately.
“What?” Esther whirled around to stare at him.
“He’s the oldest of us, and he has a calming presence,” David said. “Since we can’t communicate with them, we need to send someone who will keep his head.”
“No. I’ll go,” Esther said.
“Esther, do not argue with me on this.”
Esther folded her arms, scowling at David.
“I don’t want him to—”
“This isn’t a discussion. Send Simon and Cody. If that ship is afraid of us now, we need to show it we’re in control but not overly threatening. They’re the best ones for the job.”
David met her eyes, and the set in his jaw told her he wouldn’t change his mind.
Esther stalked out of the pilothouse to fetch her father. She hated sending him into further danger. She waved him down from the crow’s nest and sent Anita up to replace him, keeping an eye on the guns on the stranger ship. They found Cody in the inner corridor with Cally, Dax, and Raymond.
“We’re negotiating with that other ship,” Esther explained. “They’re guarding the river and want to talk. We’re supposed to send two people over there while we meet with some of their people here. Hawthorne wants you to go, Dad, because you’ll keep your head, and he wants Cody to go with you.”
“Why me?” Cody asked, looking surprised.
“No idea. Look, you don’t have to do this,” Esther said to her father.
“Nonsense,” said Simon. “I’m very curious about that ship. I’ll be fine, Esther. Let’s go, son.”
“Yes, sir,” Cody said. “Don’t worry, Esther. I’ll keep him safe.”
“You be safe too!” Cally said suddenly. Cody’s baby face blushed a furious red, and he followed Simon and Esther up the ladder.
Back on deck, Wade and Sarita waited for them on the promenade, guns at the ready. Wade flexed his biceps and nodded when Esther, Simon, and Cody arrived at the railing. Sarita’s teeth were clenched, her finger hovering near the trigger of her semiautomatic. Sweat trailed from beneath her blunt bangs.
The Lucinda and the trawler drifted closer together. The men on the other ship all had black hair and sun-darkened faces. They kept their guns raised too, watching the Lucinda with blank expressions.
When they were within reach, the sailors on the trawler extended a long plank of wood from their deck. Lucinda’s deck was taller, so the men would have to scramble across the two-foot-wide plank on hands and knees, exposing themselves to the other ship.
No one moved as Simon and Cody approached the plank, the mood tense among both crews. Two men from the other ship stepped forward too. They handed their guns to their compatriots—and waited.
The two crews stared at each other. The ships creaked, and water rushed between their hulls.
Still no one moved.
Suddenly, Simon waved.
“¡Buenos dias!” he said. “Nice weather we’re having.”
One of the men on the other ship laughed.
“¡Buenos dias!”
Simon grabbed the railing and stepped carefully onto the plank. He balanced on the wobbling board, wavering on his bad knee for a moment, then stood up straight, extending his arms like the wings of a bird. As lightly as if he were walking on the deck, he crossed the plank to the other ship. Someone reached out a hand to help him down, and as soon as he landed on the deck he gave an exaggerated bow. A few men on the other ship laughed.
The tension eased perceptibly. Simon shook hands with the men waiting on the other side before gesturing toward the plank. The first man didn’t try to imitate Simon’s tightrope walk, instead clambering on hands and knees over to the Lucinda.
Esther followed her father’s lead and shook the man’s hand as he alighted. He didn’t smile, but his handshake was warm and firm. He was a few inches taller than Esther, with wide brown eyes and a bushy black mustache. His face was wrinkled, and he looked older than most of his shipmates.
“Good morning,” he said. “I am Emilio. I speak little English.”
“I’m Esther. Welcome to the Lucinda.”
Emilio nodded and eyed Wade and Sarita and their weapons. His gaze was sharp and intelligent.
Cody made his way across to the trawler with less grace than Simon. At the last moment he stumbled, and one foot slipped off the plank. The men on the other ship reached out to pull him aboard. Cody’s face looked a little green, but he was okay. The other men slapped him on the back. Emilio’s companion then scrambled across to the Lucinda, and the trade was complete.
“He is Jorge,” Emilio said of his companion. “He speak no English.”
Jorge was taller and thinner than Emilio. He wore an orange bandana, pulled low above thick eyebrows. When Esther extended her hand, he took it briefly, barely making contact before dropping it again.
“Come with me,” Esther said. “Our friend on the radio speaks Spanish.”
“Good, good,” Emilio said.
Esther led the two men back toward the pilothouse. The crew gathered around, wary of the newcomers as they crossed the deck. She glanced back at the trawler. Simon and Cody were still on deck, Simon communicating in gestures and broken words with the people on board. Even with just a word or two of Spanish, he seemed to put the strangers at ease.
David met them at the door to the pilothouse. He shook hands with Emilio and Jorge and greeted them with a few simple words in Spanish. Esther got the impression he had asked Neal to teach him the phrases in the few minutes she had been out of the pilothouse. David seemed to grow taller as the strangers entered. He stood close to the shorter men so that they had to look up at him looming over them. He looked like someone in command, like someone people listened to.
Zoe handed over her headset, and Emilio began speaking in rapid Spanish to Neal on the other end of the line. He threw in English words occasionally. Esther hoped Neal’s language skills were advanced enough for this.
Jorge surveyed the pilothouse, his arms crossed over his polyester jacket. He carried no weapon, but Esther got the impression that he wouldn’t need one to do some damage. She met his hard eyes.
The pace of Emilio’s conversation picked up. Finally, he laughed and handed the radio back over to Zoe. She listened for a moment while Emilio spoke to Jorge in a low voice.
David caught Esther’s eye and adjusted his broken glasses. “We’re okay,” he mouthed.
“Here’s the deal,” Zoe said as she finished listening to Neal. “These guys don’t like the Lake Aguamilpa people, and they thought at first we were with them. They’re locals who survived the disaster, and they’re just trying to get on with their lives. The Aguamilpa folks have been creating trouble for them upriver. Neal told them we’re not Lake People, and we’re just looking for someone. As long as we leave them alone, they’re willing to guide us upriver in exchange for weapons they can use to defend themselves.”
“Does Neal trust them?” David asked.
“Enough. He thinks we should do it.”
“What do you think, Esther?” David said.
Esther studied Emilio. She wasn’t particularly good at reading people, but his face seemed guileless. Compared to the Harvesters and the men from the Calderon Group, he was practically friendly.
“I think we should go for it,” she said. “They can give us information about the Lake People. I want to know more about the trouble they caused.”
“I won’t hand over any weapons, though,” David said. “Let me talk to Neal about alternative payments. Esther, would you let the guys out there know that we’re coming to an agreement. I don’t want to leave your dad hanging.”
Esther left David to haggle and returned to the deck. On her way past the main hatch she spotted Cally and Dax ducking out of sight as soon as she appeared.
The scene by the railing had hardly changed since she left. Wade and Sarita waited by the plank, guns held low. On the other ship
Cody shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot, but Simon leaned against the railing, seemingly at ease.
“Hey Dad,” Esther called, “things are going well in there. I think we’ll be working with these guys to get the rest of the way up the river.”
“¡Muy bien!” Simon said, and the people around him laughed.
The men hadn’t put away their guns. They seemed to have plenty, and Esther couldn’t help but wonder whether they were really helping just so they could get weapons. But they relaxed a bit. The Lucindans had found their first friendly land-dwelling survivors after all.
Chapter 13—River Town
ESTHER SCANNED THE SHORES on either side of them while she waited for David and the strangers to emerge from the pilothouse. Low hills were visible now, some topped with new green life. Esther still hadn’t seen any people on land. The skies had begun to clear, though. The light flooding the land had a different quality than what they were used to at sea. Even the clouds looked more golden and muted than the ominous shapes they knew well.
Simon had moved to the bow of the trawler, invisible from where Esther stood. She felt nervous about him being on the other ship, but he had seemed comfortable enough with the strangers. She returned to the rail and studied the space between the cargo ship and the shallow bank. The gap leading into the river really didn’t look big enough for them. The Lucinda wouldn’t fit through it. They had to figure out some way to clear it or she’d be using that speedboat after all.
The trawler had drifted a bit. The path to the sea was clear now. The Lucinda could make a run for it, but they held steady. David must be working something out. The crew waited anxiously for further instructions.
Finally, David and Emilio emerged from the pilothouse and joined Esther on deck.
“There you are!” David said. He was smiling.
“How’d it go?” Esther asked.
“Swimmingly.”
“I don’t think we can clear the gap,” Esther said, gesturing toward the sunken cargo ship.