Despite being basically worshiped by this tribe of people, I felt as though I was just as captive as Ikem. They kept close watch on me and I could never do anything without being trailed by a handful of islanders.
The trails of mud they had smeared on my face were dry and cracked, but I didn't dare wipe it off, for fear of offending them.
Ikem was growing antsy. The ship was supposed to be coming for him tonight, and he was still bound and lead around on a leash. That anxiousness was wearing off on me as well. I had no idea where Jay was. I could only hope he wasn't...
I shook that thought away. He was fine, probably hiding out in the bushes somewhere, or back on the beach eating the same fruit they had given me.
One of the tribesmen brought me a coconut half filled with a foggy liquid that I quickly realized was coconut milk. In truth, I didn't even really like coconut, but after having an empty stomach for a few days and surviving off of ship rations for a month or so before that, I wasn't about to turn down an offer for something with actual flavor.
I brought the half to my lips and gulped down the liquid inside. It had a sweet taste as it hit my tongue, and once it was empty, I started to scrape off chunks of the white coconut meat from the shell.
The man stood, probably waiting for some sign of approval, and once I gave him a smile, he grinned and walked away.
"What is plan?" Ikem asked from beside me.
"When is the ship supposed to be here?"
"In harbor from high sky to dusk. If no Ikem, they leave."
I looked up. It was still morning. The sun was about halfway between the horizon and the highest point in the sky. We still had a little bit of time before we could do anything.
I cleared my throat as I voiced my thoughts, "I am a Woman of the Sea. Women of the Sea need to be in water every now and then, or they will dry out. If you could get them to let us near the beach, I can get you untied and we can make a run for the ship."
And hopefully we'd pick up Jay along the way.
I cast my gaze towards the treeline, hoping to God that Jay was hiding somewhere within them so that he might pick up on my escape plan and follow us. If not, I didn't know if I could leave him behind.
"And now?" Ikem asked.
"For now, we wait."
-----+------+-----
Once the sun had started sinking towards the western horizon, I turned to Ikem.
"How much faith do you have in your shipmates?"
He met my eyes, a look of worry across his face. After setting his jaw, he looked away and nodded.
"They'll be in harbor."
I went to run my fingers through my matted hair, but stopped when I remembered the crown of bones, sticks, and leaves they'd woven into it. Instead I sighed, dropping my hands into my lap.
"Then we should leave soon," I said, glancing into the trees again. "Tell them I need to swim. If they try to make you stay behind, tell them I want my translator with me."
He nodded and turned to the nearest guard. The conversation was slow and a bit slurred. The guard kept asking questions which Ikem tried his best to come up with answers to. He was struggling though, that much I could tell.
Ikem shook his head. "He don't understand me. Don't know to translate that."
"Then I'll show them."
I closed my eyes and focused on that tingling sensation that came with shifting. Before I knew it, the babbling had gotten louder and more excited and I could feel the harsh rays of the sun beating down upon my lavender scales. I flicked my tail and told Ikem to say "Sea." A few of them looked out into the trees in the direction we had likely come. Then I told Ikem to say "Water" and "Woman of the Sea." He did. I could see they were starting to understand, and when I slapped my tail against the dirt, they started to move.
I turned my tail back into legs and started walking purposefully in the direction they had looked. I found a trail and began to follow it. Ikem was close behind me, his wrists most likely raw from trying to twist them free.
Unfortunately, we were being followed by a small posse of islanders. I turned and pretended to address them, when in reality I was shouting out for someone else.
"Jay! If you're in these woods, follow us to the beach! We're getting off this island!"
The islanders looked confused, so I told Ikem to tell them to get me some food. That worked to lessen the numbers, but a few stubborn tribesmen still stood in place. I decided to keep walking. I'd figure out how to get rid of them later.
I almost felt relieved when I could hear the gentle shush of waves upon the sand up ahead. I fought the urge to run to those waves, because I still needed to figure out how we were going to find Jay.
"Ikem?" I asked quietly. He responded with a grunt of acknowledgement. "Can you run with your hands bound?"
"It is my hands, not my feet."
"Good," I said. "Then wait for my signal."
As soon as I could see through the trees, I began scanning the ocean for a waiting ship. When I couldn't see one, I turned to Ikem.
"Where is the harbor?"
"South side island."
South. We were on the east side judging by the lowering sun at our backs. I nodded.
"Okay. When I say, run to the right."
"Okay."
Once we were out of the treeline, I shouted, "Now."
Ikem and I burst into a full fledged sprint, to which the four or so tribesmen started to shout and chase us. I didn't look back. I couldn't for fear of falling down.
"Jay!" I shouted, hoping he could hear me. "You better be around here somewhere or we're leaving you behind!"
I could hear my heart pounding inside of my ears, and the air inside my lungs burned with every step I took. Not for the first time on this journey, I seriously regretted not being in shape. I started to get a cramp just under my rib, but ignored it as best as I could. I had to keep going.
Thankfully, this wasn't a very big island, and in only a couple of minutes, we were starting to round the southern side.
"Ship!" I shouted breathlessly as my legs started to pump a little faster. Ikem followed my gaze and let out a hopeful laugh. Unfortunately, while he was distracted, his foot got caught in an uneven dip of sand and he tripped. He couldn't even catch himself because of his bound wrists.
I skidded to a halt and ran back to him, doing my best to haul him to his feet. I couldn't leave him behind either. "Come on, Ikem!"
They were upon us in seconds, pointing their spears and shouting. I stood in front of Ikem, who had made it to his knees.
"Stand down!" I shouted, even though I knew they couldn't understand me. Between the two of us, we didn't even have one weapon, so I was counting on any degree of loyalty they had left for the woman they were worshiping.
"You betray them by run away," Ikem wheezed. "They don't like betray."
I glanced at the spears pointed towards my chest. I couldn't take down four men at once. Hell, I couldn't even untie Ikem at this point.
That's when I heard it. The gurgling. My eyes snapped up just in time to see one of the tribesmen fall limp to the ground. Behind him stood none other than Jay, a splash of red crossing his face. In one hand, he held a dagger, and the other held his sword.
Before I could even register what was happening, the dagger fell into the sand at my feet. Jay cried out and lunged at the other three with nothing but his sword.
"Untie," Ikem said breathlessly as he stared at the knife.
I scooped it up almost immediately, moving behind him to cut the ropes that bound him. As soon as he was free, he stood and tried to make a run for the ship. I caught his pant leg before he could get to far. He fell to the ground again with an angry grunt. He looked back at me and scowled.
"We can't leave him," I gave him a hard look.
Ikem glanced up at Jay before clenching his jaw. "Fine."
I pulled the man to his feet and clenched a fistful of the shirt near his shoulder. I dragged him forward, and as soon as I was within range, I reached out and grabbed a fistful of Jay's. I wrenched him backwards with all my might, and the three of us plunged into bone chilling water.
I held my breath as I kicked against the sand, trying to get us into deeper water before I shifted. Once I had enough room, I let my tail take shape and pushed us hard into the open ocean.
I swam us all the way to the ship, making sure the boys had enough air along the way, and only let go of them when we were close enough to hoist ourselves up the rope ladder.
I let out a shaky breath. We had escaped. All of us.