Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Tanden was ready to thank every god and goddess he had ever learned about when the storm abated, and they were still afloat. But even though the wind and rain had passed, the sky was still terribly dark and cloudy. With no stars to guide him, Tanden was completely lost.

It didn't matter, anyway, as he wasn't the one steering the long rowboat. Very early on in their escape, an argument with Kuiavadox that neither of them could understand had led to the younger man taking over the steering. And Tanden, simply because he was stronger than Jale, had climbed up the length of the boat to take her place.

His arms and shoulders ached, but Tanden kept paddling. Kuiavadox could have been taking them back to his city, but Tanden doubted it. As far as he could tell, they were in the middle of the lake with nothing but the dark surrounding them. There were no landmarks. The only thing they could try to do was find land.

Jale was curled up in the boat behind him. Once in a while, when he thought to, Tanden glanced over his shoulder and tried to make out her shape in the darkness. He suspected the drugged smoke was still affecting her. It was certainly still affecting him. He had lost count of how many times he had seen things moving in the dark, or heard noises. After the fourth or fifth time, he realized they weren't pursuers and just his imagination. Knowing that didn't make it any easier to ignore them.

When he felt the front of the boat bump into something, he almost thought he had imagined it, too. But then he realized that his paddle was scraping something under the surface of the water. Cautiously, Tanden leaned forward and dropped his hand over the side of the boat.

"Sand," he said. He couldn't be imagining that.

Kuiavadox spoke, but Tanden ignored him when Jale groaned and muttered, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Tanden felt another handful of the damp sand, squeezing it between his fingers. It was definitely real. Still moving carefully, he hooked one leg over the edge. To keep his weight evenly balanced in the boat, he rested a hand on either side and leaned onto them as he stood.

The water was barely ankle deep. Tanden stepped fully out of the boat. He took a step forward, felt the sand shift behind his bare feet.

"Are you going to let them float away?"

Tanden flinched. The voice had come from in front of him, and it was Teltish. He almost stammered out a reply when he realized it was Soren's voice.

"Fucking smoke," he growled.

"What?" Jale again, behind him.

Tanden shook his head. "Nothing, sorry." He hadn't moved very far, and backed up to find the boat again. He nearly stumbled over it, but quickly righted himself and tugged the boat higher on the beach. "We can rest here." He reached out towards her shape and found her hand, then helped her step from the boat.

Jale stepped onto the sand then tensed, her hand tightening in his. "What was that?"

"The smoke. The..." They hadn't spoken a word while paddling, and he was having trouble remembering. "Taos root."

"Taos?" Kuiavadox echoed.

Jale's fingers relaxed. "Right... right. We'll rest and then feel better. What about him?"

What about him? Tanden wasn't sure where the sword or knife were. Without a risk of drowning, could they really trust Kuiavadox? No. With a sigh, Tanden felt for the rope near the front of the boat and untied it. "Kuiavadox?" He waded into the water, following the length of the boat.

Just in front of him there was a fumbling splash. Tanden lunged forward, grabbing Kuiavadox as he tried to get away. It wasn't easy in the dark. The young man landed a few blows and almost slipped away before Tanden managed to yank his arms behind his back. Tanden forced him to his knees in the shallow water and deftly tied his hands together, then pulled him up and walked him back to the beach.