The creatures surged to the rear of the ship, slamming into Corwyn and Gwen and knocking them to the deck. Corwyn thought she’d be trampled; she curled into herself, arms over her head, to wait it out. Things tripped over her, kicked her in passing. She heard the near-constant crashing splash of bodies hitting the water and found herself reciting “Ride of the Hawk in the Netherworld,” the longest poem she knew, under her breath while she waited for the tumult to subside. She hadn’t had to do that in years, not since before Mrs. Simcote had taken her and Gwen under her wing. But there it was, waiting for her when she needed it.
Finally, eventually, there was silence. Corwyn unwound herself with care for the new bruises and aches, along with the returning ache of her right leg, and stood up. The passengers and crew were doing the same. The deck was empty otherwise. The ocean looked deserted, though in the dark it couldn’t be seen very well. Gwen’s lip was split and bleeding, one eye blackened, and Corwyn couldn’t tell if her nose was broken or if the shadows were only making it look that way. Still, there she was.
“There’ll be other jobs,” Gwen said, as if they hadn’t been interrupted by a stampede.
“Clean ones like this?” Corwyn asked, matching her tone.
Gwen snorted. “This one didn’t work out so clean. Or did you miss all the gore I’m covered in?”
“You know what I mean.”
Gwen was quiet for a while. Then, “Probably there will be. But who cares if there ain’t, Wyn? We’ll find something to do if we don’t like what we’re given.”
Corwyn didn’t respond, just reached out and pulled her sister close. The Captain shouted for the crew to take their stations. The Teachouts hung onto each other, careful to avoid their wounds, and made their way to the rail as the Leucosia re-started its journey toward what they called their home.
Copyright © 2013 Laura E. Price
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Laura E. Price was born in Florida, went to school in Indiana and Louisiana, and was drawn back to Florida where she lives with her husband and son. Her stories have appeared in Cicada, On Spec, and Strange Horizons.
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COVER ART
“Marching Off,” by Maciej Wojtala
Maciej Wojtala is a Polish concept artist who works in the video games industry. For the last seven years, he has been working at People Can Fly, the studio responsible for Bulletstorm and Gears of War : Judgment. He creates environment concept art, prop designs, illustrations, and graphic design elements. View more of his artwork at www.wojtala.com.
Beneath Ceaseless Skies
ISSN: 1946-1076
Published by Firkin Press,
a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Literary Organization
Copyright © 2013 Firkin Press
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