The Sea Is Ours by Jaymee Goh Read Free Book Online Page B

must have seen her captain move toward the water, for she had one of the crew members waiting there, hand outstretched, the other holding fast upon a wire. Caliso swam toward him, her strokes slowing, her breathing becoming more difficult. Just a little more, she told herself, just a little…
    And the hand reached her arm, pulling, pulling. Then several hands, and finally, both women were out of the water and lying on the ground. Mixa removed her helmet, stumbled back to the edge of the rocks and retched. Caliso remained where she lay, taking deep breaths.
    Her vision blurred. When Esta’s helmet hovered over her, she saw not one, but two Estas side by side. She blinked several times to dispel the dizziness, but instead it resulted in a third head. She tried to move, to say anything. Nothing.
    Esta had said something to cause the crew to stir toward Caliso. Two men came quickly to the captain’s side. They lifted her body, strapped her with several wires, dragged her toward the rock wall. With her hanging in the middle, both men made their climb.
    She felt the pain in her arm, sharp and fast and hot. She also felt the draft, and knew that her magma suit had been punctured at some point. Yet she couldn’t remember when it had happened, or where. She slipped into unconsciousness, but not before she realized the cause of her debilitation.
    Poison.
    ~*~
    The Amihan felt peaceful, so much so that Caliso had not realized she was awake until she remembered the events that transpired before.
    She tried to sit up, but found that she was too weak to do so.
    â€œWhat…”
    She heard someone move beside her, felt the cool touch of a hand on her forehead. “Fever, but it will pass.”
    Dato.
    â€œWhat…” she repeated again.
    Her first mate helped her up to a sitting position, and she grimaced when he lifted a cup of warm ginger-water to her mouth. Once she finished drinking, he sat back down. He leaned forward, shaking his head. “Jellyfish. The stupid things got to your suit. You must have missed the holes on your magma suit from your last inspection.”
    â€œI…I don’t think that—” And then she remembered. The slip and fall, the way her hands flailed, scraping upon rock in the hope of getting hold of something, anything… “I slipped. Must have…torn my sleeve struggling.”
    â€œNasty slip, that,” Dato said, rubbing his nose and leaning back. “Esta and the Prinsesa told me the whole story. You got lucky. Esta recognized the symptoms right away. She’d seen people succumb to jellyfish stings quickly, but you must have had little enough dose that we managed to stop the poison from spreading.”
    â€œHow?” Caliso had had no poison expert on the ship. There had been no reason to keep one. Except now.
    He shrugged. “The Prinsesa asked the passengers for aid. One of them happened to be an expert.”
    â€œIn poison?”
    â€œIn jellyfish.”
    The two lapsed into silence. Dato shifted. “We’re hovering above the Hills now. Gogg’s seeing to the landing. You and Esta managed to siphon enough gases to stop the volcano from sinking the coast. Well, long enough for us to refuel, that is. Likely the rest of the land in that part will sink to give way to a rising volcano. But that doesn’t seem to matter now. The Prinsesa wants a word with you.”
    She inclined her head. “Not to deliver thanks, I hope?”
    â€œPerhaps that. Perhaps more.” Dato stood. “I better check on the engines, just to be sure.” He headed to the door, stopped mid-exit, turned around. “Cali?”
    She nodded, urging him to speak.
    â€œNo risk is worth more than your life. Never do that again.”
    Caliso watched him go, surprised at his words. Of all her crew members, she had not expected Dato to be the one to tell her to leave Mixa in the water. She sighed onto her pillow, her eyes roving the