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Archkerri. Deyv and Vana swam after Sloosh and, on catching up with him, clung with one hand to the straps securing the cube on his back.
Behind them the Yawtl yelled and screamed his frustration and despair. But in a short while he had joined them. Though he needed his breath for swimming, he could not stop complaining. After a while, the water slopped into his open mouth and he shut up.
Deyv felt helpless and close to panic. He could imagine open jaws with sharp swordlike teeth shooting up toward his legs. Or the giant mouth of a fish which could gulp them all down without strain. After a while he came to believe that they would drown first. The current was too strong; they were making slow progress; they'd tire out long before they reached the beach.
Those behind Sloosh were doing worse. The gap between them and the Archkerri was slowly widening.
In their van was Feersh. Jowanarr was close by, occasionally calling out when her mother swam off the straight path to their goal. Kiyt and Jeydee were about twenty feet behind Jowanarr, and the slaves were strung out in a crooked V behind them.
Deyv had just turned his head to look toward the shore when he heard screaming. He looked back again.
Two slaves, a man, Treeshgaquim, and a woman, Shig, were calling for help. Suddenly, the man went under as if something had seized his legs and yanked him down. Deyv hoped that it had been exhaustion, not predators, that had made him disappear so swiftly. He didn't think, however, that that was likely. Shig had resumed swimming, thiough she was evidently tired. Deyv tried to swim faster but failed. He'd reached his limits. Sensibly, he slowed down to save his strength. Anyway, no matter how fast he went, his speed would be a crawl to whatever was slicing through the water behind him— if anything was.
Gasping, Vana said, "That sail-beast is heading toward us now."
Sloosh looked behind him. "Deyv, untie the cube. And pull the rod."
"I was just about to do that!"
Within a minute, the ship of the ancients floated on the water. Deyv opened the door and hauled himself through it. He took the weapons from Sloosh, who hung on to the lintel so that the Yawtl and Vana could crawl over his back. The two animals followed them. Then Hoozisst and Deyv grabbed the
Archkerri's hands and helped him aboard. Deyv pulled in the loudly panting Shig and shut the door quickly, since about an inch of water had already poured in. Somebody turned the lights on.
If this water was a lake, they would, theoretically, be blown to shore. If it was the ocean, they would sail along over it until they starved to death.
Sloosh, his wet leaves shining in the light, said, "Open the door, please, Deyv. We should be almost to
Feersh now."
"So?" .
"We need her. When we get to The Wasteland, we can use her knowledge."
"Maybe you can," Deyv said. "Vana and I won't be there." He walked away.
The plant-man opened the door and looked out. He buzzed something which Deyv didn't hear clearly because he was in the next room. But he heard the Yawtl say, "Not her children, too!"
Deyv went to the doorway, where Sloosh was pulling the witch in by her hand. Her sons and daughter were hanging on to the edge of the doorway. Water was slopping in with every down-roll of the vessel.
Three slaves, a man and two women, were swimming tiredly toward them.
"Hoozisst is right," Deyv said. "They're just a burden."
"But she says she'll let herself die if we don't save them, too."
Deyv didn't think Feersh meant it. She just wanted to make sure that she had allies when the time came to double-cross Sloosh. When she asked that her slaves also be rescued, he was sure of it. In their case, however, she was making a mistake. Their loyalty couldn't be counted on. They'd shown that when they had beaten up the witch's children.
But what did he care? He wasn't going with them.
Hoozisst made some trouble then. Not about Feersh but about the treasures he'd been forced to leave on the tharakorm. Some had been swept off by the waves, but others were still sitting on the deck. A few more waves, and they'd be gone, too.
Sloosh said they could try to get them if they came close enough. The door couldn't be left open long, though, because he didn't want the vessel to take on too much water. When he estimated that they were near the tharakorm, he reopened it. After a quick look, he closed it.
"By the time you swam to the tharakorm," he said to the Yawtl, "we'd be too far past you for you to get back. Of course, if you want to take the chance ... Even so, you could bring back only one item."
Hoozisst leaned out past the doorway, hanging on to it with one hand. He pulled himself back in and shut the door. Then he went up to Feersh and slammed his fist into her stomach. She fell doubled-up, clutching her belly and groaning. Jowanarr went to help her mother. Her sons looked shocked but at the same time pleased.
There was nothing to do but wait the ride out. They had only their cupped hands to bail out the water on the floor. If they opened the door to do this, more water would come in than they got out. They sat around in groups, Deyv and his group, Feersh and her family, and the slaves. When the voyagers felt sleepy, they slept. There was nothing to eat, but they didn't go thirsty.
When they had to urinate or defecate, they went upon the upper deck to a room. Only one could go at a time so that his or her weight would be compensated for by that of the others on the lower deck. The stench wasn't too bad at first. Later, it became very strong. Then they would open the door briefly and let some fresh air in. The time came when they decided not to do that except when the odor was unendurable. However, since they had nothing to eat, they ceased to have bowel movements. Three sleep-times passed, though that was about all that did. They went through a long storm, during which many would have thrown up if they'd had anything in their stomachs.
Then the wind died, and they were riding long gentle swells. At this time the Yawtl voiced what was in the minds of more than himself. But they agreed that they should stick it out a little longer. The slaves were all for this, since, if anyone was eaten, they would be the first.
Some time after this, the vessel stopped with a crash that threw those standing to the deck. The craft hit the obstacle again, much more gently, then began turning. Presently, it was bumping its length against something and rising and falling.
Deyv tried to open the door. At first, it refused to move. When Sloosh ordered everybody except Deyv to the other side so that the craft would roll upward on Deyv's side, the door opened. Deyv looked out just in time to see the hull of a sea beast rolling toward him. He slammed the door shut before the creature struck it.
Timing the swells, he opened the door again when it would be the farthest away from the hard hull. A
moment later, he went to the room on the opposite side.
"We're bumping against the side of a dead sail-beast."