I growled and sloshed back toward the table. Why couldn’t he have kept them on a nice obvious hook like everyone else? The water was starting to slide across the tabletop now, and I hoped the mechanism would work while submerged. Running both hands along beneath the table I shuffled along as fast as I could, pushing against the resistance of the water. Finally, on the third corner, I felt something out of place. Wiggling my fingers around, I felt it release, a small section of the table dropping down.
With a gasp, I squatted, submerging the rest of my body up to my neck in the water, as I felt around for a piece of metal. One of my fingertips hooked around a ring, and I triumphantly pulled out a small bunch of keys.
“I’ve got it!” I yelled, not sure if he could hear me from over here.
The boat lurched, and I slipped splashing into the water, before scrambling back to my feet. I was half swimming now, as I made it back to Julian’s cabin.
“Which key?” I shouted, even as I tried shoving a random one into the keyhole, now below the waterline. I tried a second one, but as I maneuvered it around the ring into position, the whole bunch fell from my hands.
“The round one,” called Julian.
I took a deep breath and plunged beneath the water. My grasping hands quested wildly until my fingers hit the ring. Shooting back to the surface, I sucked in a deep breath and examined the keys.
Taking a firm hold on the round one, I thrust it into the lock and turned. I could feel a bolt drawing reluctantly back, and then the door swung forward. The resistance of the water slowed its progress, but Julian immediately lunged out of the cabin. A trail of red followed him.
It took me a moment to find its source in the swirling water. “Your foot!”
“There’s no time for that. We need to get up those stairs.”
I couldn’t see the extent of his injury, but the water was high enough that he wouldn’t be putting weight on it, at least. Moving through the red trail that followed him made my stomach turn, but my terror and claustrophobia drove me forward as fast as I could go.
By the time we reached the stairs, the water had reached his armpits and my shoulders, and my breaths were coming hard and fast, more from fear than exertion. Julian lurched up the stairs, hopping on his good foot, and had nearly reached the top when he cried out and fell.
I surged behind him, bracing myself on both handrails to hold us both up. He groaned, “My foot,” and then his weight pulled away from me, and he was out on deck. He disappeared from view, and my world narrowed to getting up those stairs and across that deck as fast as I could go. So the reappearance of his hand, reaching down to assist me, took me by surprise.
I met Julian’s grim eyes as he hauled me up on deck beside him, my feet merely skimming the final steps. We both took a moment to breathe now that water no longer pulled at us. But a gurgle from the stairway made me look down to see only water where the hole had once been.
I looked around and found the deck deserted. Rushing to the railing that faced toward the beach, I located a number of heads bobbing in the water part way toward land. Several voices called mostly unintelligible words.
“Look! There!” called one voice clearly, and a distant figure pointed in my direction. Looking down, I saw the water rushing up to meet me as the boat continued to sink. Soon it would swamp the deck.
“We need to get swimming as well,” said Julian behind me. “I’m not exactly sure what will happen once she goes down completely, but I’d rather observe from a safe distance.”
I nodded my head and was about to ask after his injury when he scooped me off my feet. Without further comment, he flung me through the air away from the boat. I hit the water hard and sank before twisting and propelling myself back to the surface. I reemerged in time to see him dive from the deck.
Still spluttering and wiping moisture from my eyes, I trod water while I waited for Julian to reach me. He didn’t arrive. Looking back, I saw him bobbing next to the rapidly sinking boat, struggling to stay above water. I struck out toward him, glad for my light and mobile swimming costume.
When I reached him, I hesitated. “Don’t pull me under.”
He grimaced. “You need to be swimming away, not toward the boat.”
“I know. That’s what we’re doing.” I slipped under one of his arms and tried to take some of his weight. Instantly I began to sink. Dis-attaching myself, I frowned. “This isn’t going to work.”
He said nothing.
“Give me a minute.”
I swam off around the sinking vessel looking for any useful flotsam. Thankfully, I found a piece of wood floating nearby. It had obviously come from the boat, but I couldn’t tell what useful purpose it had once served. Draping myself across it, I rested for a second, relieved when it held my weight. Then I kicked back to Julian. Slipping off, I let him take my place.
“Kick with your good leg. I’ll tug you along.”
I grabbed the end of the piece of wood and struck off hard toward the shore. Slowly, inch by inch, we crept away from the boat. Within minutes I knew there was no way I could pull him all the way to shore. I paused for another rest, letting the wood hold me up as well.
A splashing caught my attention. Two swimmers powered through the water in our direction. I soon recognized Frederic and one of the crew members.
“Your Highness,” the man said as soon as they stopped. “You need to swim to the beach.”
“And I will,” snapped Frederic, more angry than I had ever heard him. “When everyone is safe. You assured me…”
“Yes, Your Highness,” said the man hurriedly. “I’ll assist—” He looked over at us, and his brows creased. “Sir?” He addressed the question at Julian.
I looked down into the water and both of their eyes followed me. The man swore when he saw the red trail that still followed us. “You leave this to me, miss. I’ll see him safe to shore.” He looked back at the crown prince. “Perhaps His Highness can help you to shore ahead of us?”
I had already heard enough to know his concern wasn’t for me, but I was so grateful to have someone else take responsibility for Julian, that I could have kissed him anyway. Nodding, I let go of the wood and floated for a moment before kicking away from them.
Frederic kept pace with me. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” I squeezed the word out between breaths.
“What happened, where were you?”
I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the beach, still a long way ahead of us. “I’ll explain…on…shore.”
He seemed to understand I couldn’t swim and talk and said nothing more. Without another person to weigh me down, we made steady progress, although my arms and legs soon ached. With each stroke they seemed to grow heavier in the water. If the ocean here hadn’t been so flat, I doubted I would have made it at all. I mentally kicked myself for not taking the time to scavenge for further wood.
For some reason, the closer we got to shore, the harder each stroke became until I felt as if we were making no progress at all. Looking up, I saw that Marcus and Delphine’s brother had already made it and were climbing dripping out onto the sand. Cassian had also nearly reached dry land, assisting a clearly protesting Celine. I could well imagine she would reject the idea that she needed help.
But the other girls, weighted down by their dresses, still struggled in the water. Like Celine, Shantelle had outstripped the others, assisted by the second crew member. And Delphine’s sister had somehow found a small piece of wood and was making extremely slow, but unlabored, progress toward the shore. Her sister, however, and Monique appeared weak, their forward progress almost entirely halted, and their heads sometimes slipping under the water.
My brows drew together in disgust as I looked again at the two young men already safe on the sand. I paused in my stroke. “They need our help,” I said to Frederic.
He nodded silently and immediately took off for Delphine. I was too exhausted even to groan as I made my own slow way toward Monique. I paused next
to her as I had beside her brother.
“I’m going to help you, but not if you try to drown me. Don’t pull me under.”
The sight of me seemed to have given her a tiny fresh burst of energy, fueled no doubt by her rage, but she reluctantly nodded. The silent action softened my heart a tiny bit. She must be full of fear to acquiesce so easily.
“I’ll swim in front, and you can hold onto my shoulders. Help as much as you can by kicking.”
I maneuvered into position, and she clasped her hands onto my shoulders, immediately propelling me under the water. But the moment my head submerged, the pressure lightened, and I pushed myself upward.
“I didn’t mean—” she panted out the words, stopping when I shook my head.
“I know.”
Neither of us spoke again as we crawled toward the shore. I could only be thankful she had already made it so far. I couldn’t have gone long in such a way. Cassian and the second crew member had deposited Celine and Shantelle in safety and were wading back in our direction when we paused our progress, and our questing feet found the sand. For a moment we both stood, letting the slight swell carry us up and back down, relishing in each connection of our feet with the bottom.
I was the first to move, but Monique wasn’t far behind. Frederic and Delphine had made better progress and were stumbling forward ahead of us. I could see Monique glaring daggers at Delphine’s back. Every now and then she would turn her anger-laden eyes sideways at me. I ignored her. I couldn’t even blame her for wanting to be saved by the crown prince rather than her worst enemy.
Frederic helped Delphine all the way onto the sand, out of reach of the lapping waves, before turning back to us. Monique’s expression immediately transformed, but he didn’t seem to see her. Walking over to me, he slipped an arm around my back, and I guiltily let him take some of my weight.
“So…tired.” I muttered. “Just…going to…have…a little…rest.” I dropped to my knees on the beautiful, wonderful, delightful, blessed sand and flopped on to my back.
Celine crawled over to lie beside me. “I told Cassian he should help Monique instead of me.”
“You’re his sister,” I said, when some of my breath had returned. “And he was coming back for her.”
Celine propped herself up slightly to survey the others. “I don’t think Monique appreciated being rescued by you of all people,” she whispered.
I smiled weakly. Looking sideways I saw several others sprawled on the sand, while the rest of the group stood and watched the sea. Forcing myself to stand, I followed their gazes. The beautiful, still blue of the ocean no longer held any trace of the catamaran. The only disturbance to the serenity of the water was the two crew members now both involved in pulling Julian toward land.
Monique stood with her hands on her hips, trying to hide both fear for her brother and her unladylike attempts to regain her breath. I had long ago learned to easily read her emotions—the result of years spent in a state of constant wariness around her—so they presented no challenge to me now. The other faces varied between numb exhaustion and deep concern. And, to my astonishment, Marcus’s face carried the gravest look of anxiety as his eyes tracked his cousin’s progress.
I narrowed my eyes. I had spent more time avoiding Marcus than observing him in my stay on Catalie, but I knew enough of his psyche to anticipate glee at Julian’s injury, not concern. Yet no hint of hope or pleasure showed in his countenance or posture.
Without discussion, Celine and I both drifted toward Frederic and Cassian. After a moment, I realized that without any stated intention, the three of us had formed a shield around Frederic. The thought had no sooner entered my mind than Cassian spoke in a lowered voice.
“Well, we have been waiting for trouble. It looks like it found us.”
No one replied because no one needed to. In the frenzied moments in the cabin as I tried to free Julian, there had been no room for anything but terror. But in the seemingly endless swim to shore, one thought had dominated. I didn’t need any expertise on catamarans to know that sinking had not been natural. Someone had just tried to murder Julian. And possibly the rest of us in the process.
Chapter 11
None of us moved or spoke as Julian was finally dragged to shore, Delphine’s brother and Marcus rushing forward to help once the swimmers were in close enough to walk. The pale noble, who hung limply between his crew, roused himself to push his cousin away. Frederic raised his eyebrows, but still none of us spoke.
Delphine’s brother helped one of the exhausted crew members lay Julian on the sand, out of reach of the water, while the other crew member pulled out a small knife and cut away the cloth from around his injured ankle. The wet material of the man’s shirt provided a bandage which was tightly wrapped around the jagged gash. Julian groaned once but otherwise lay on the sand, unresponsive. He had lost a lot of blood.
Monique and Shantelle kneeled on either side of him, although there was nothing they could do to help. The crew member who no longer had a shirt looked up and asked if anyone had located any water. Marcus started and announced he would find some, leading Delphine’s siblings across the sand.
Still the three of us grouped around the crown prince remained in place. The two crew glanced our way and then began to talk in voices too low to hear. Finally, one of them peeled away and approached us.
“Your Highness’s safety is our first priority.”
Frederic nodded once, his eyes cold. “That much you have demonstrated.” For some reason the man looked nervous at this response instead of pleased. He clearly knew he had displeased the prince in some way. “But can you say the same for the rest of the party?”
“Your Highness…” said the man uneasily before trailing off with a helpless shrug.
Cassian glanced across the sand at the others. “What happens now?”
The man shrugged. “We wait.”
“I would prefer to start back toward the viscount’s manor across land,” said Frederic. “We have no way of knowing how long it will take someone to come looking for us. If they even know where to look.”
The man instantly became animated, his distress obvious. “Your Highnesses must not attempt such a thing! The way is impassable! You might suffer any number of injuries far from assistance. Here we are safe. Here we know rescue will come.”
Frederic moved restlessly. “But are we safe here? Can you guarantee such a thing?”
“With my life,” said the man with an earnestness that made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want anyone laying down their life for me.
Frederic examined him for a protracted moment and then relaxed, nodding his head. “Very well, we will await rescue here.”
The man let out a deep breath and bowed several times before retreating back across the sand. I surveyed the small beach. How long were we likely to be here? I could have sworn no more than an hour had passed since lunch, and yet the sun already hung low in the sky.
A shout sounded from the edge of the green behind us, and the searchers returned, each carrying handfuls of water cupped in large green leaves. The liquid burdens were all carefully tipped into Julian’s mouth. When they started back toward the trees, most of the group followed them.
Frederic sighed. “We must drink.”
Cassian nodded once. “We should check on Julian first, though.”
We moved as a group toward the still prone injured man, but when we reached him the rest of us hung back as Frederic dropped to a knee beside him.
“Are you well?” he asked.
Julian opened his eyes and stirred as if attempting to sit up, but Frederic placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“I believe I will live, Your Highness.”
“What happened to you?” asked Cassian, behind Frederic’s shoulder.
Julian shrugged. “I had the misfortune of injuring my cursed ankle on a protruding nail. I went below deck to wrap it up at what turned out to be the worst possible moment.”
I frowned at him, w
aiting for him to say more, but he fell silent. His eyes, which had been focused on the princes, moved to me, and their message was clear. My frown deepened.
He had no more locked himself in that cabin than the catamaran had spontaneously sprung symmetrical leaks in both hulls causing it to sink rather than capsize. Someone had wanted it to sink, and that same person had wanted it to sink slowly enough to ensure their own escape. Why did he wish me to keep silent about it?
“I owe a debt of gratitude to Evie,” he said, and I was almost surprised to find he knew my name.
I chewed on my cheek. I had no great love for the viscount’s son, but he had aided me back there, just as I had aided him. He had even ordered me to swim for shore as he struggled to stay afloat. Perhaps I owed it to him to at least find out why he wished to keep the truth of the situation to himself.
“We will leave you to rest,” said Frederic, signaling to the rest of us to follow him. Together we followed the rest of the group toward the stream Marcus had found.
“What happened on deck?” I asked as we walked. “Why did none of the crew come searching for Julian?”
Cassian’s low voice was even. “It is exceedingly obvious that the viscount’s orders to Julian’s crew in the case of danger were to protect us at the expense of his own children.”
I frowned, but the idea didn’t particularly surprise me. As I had long ago discovered, the viscount was not a sentimental man. He would take his responsibility to the visiting royals seriously and expect his son to take care of himself.
Celine shook her head. “They basically threw the three of us into the water at the first hint of danger and commanded us to swim for shore. Frederic wasn’t too happy about it and would have climbed back on board if they hadn’t jumped in themselves to physically prevent him.”
“They would have ended up drowning me along with themselves if I hadn’t stopped resisting.” Frederic scowled. “Infamous for us all to abandon ship when some of our group were unaccounted for.” He glanced over at me.
The Princess Search: A Retelling of The Ugly Duckling (The Four Kingdoms Book 5) Page 9