Water & Storm Country

And around he is, refusing to leave theMayhem, as if he’s determined to watch me even closer than Hobbs. Istand by his side, observing the first of the landing boats as theypaddle toward shore. Once on land, they’ll move inland, fillingbarrels with fresh drinking water, picking berries and nuts,hunting for animals which will later be ski

“Is there any truth to what Hobb’s said?” myfather asks suddenly, just when I think he’s forgotten I’m evenhere.

“No,” I say, shocked at how easily I lie tohim. Perhaps because it’s not a lie—or at least not a full one. I’mnot in love with a bilge rat, like he suggested. I’m simplyfriendly with one, interested in one. Aware of one, you might say.And she’s not a bilge rat—not to me. She’s Jade, a Heater from firecountry. A person.

“Good,” he says. “I know he doesn’t like you,has never liked you. I think your success has madehim…uncomfortable.”

To that I say nothing, just watch as one ofthe small boats angles away from the others, further down theshore.

“You know, it won’t be long before you’llneed to take a wife,” Father says.

I glance at him, but his eyes are fixed onthe boat I’ve just noticed, the one apart from the others. The twomen onboard have leapt out into the shallows and are dragging thevessel onto the beach.

“A wife?” I say, unable to hide the surprisein my question.

“I won’t be around forever,” he says. “You’llneed at least one heir.”

My face burns so red I’m thankful he doesn’tlook at me.

The boatmen begin scouring the sand, pickingup clumps of dried seaweed, stuffing them into bags. My eyes widenand for a moment I forget all about my father’s talk of taking awife and producing an heir.

…men leave with the big bags of driedseaweed and then come back with a new lot of children.

“Father, why do they collect so much driedseaweed?” I ask, motioning u

The admiral’s eyes are fierce, but thensoften in an instant. “For tea, of course.” A logical answer,but…

“But why so much? Surely there aren’t enoughsailors in all the Deep Blue to require the amounts those men aregathering.”

His eyebrows lift ever so slightly. “Why areyou suddenly so interested in tea leaves?” he asks. “Who have youbeen talking to?”

Although he keeps his voice level, I cansense a shift in his tone. Something dark lurks just behind hisseemingly i

“No one,” I say, answering the secondquestion first. “It just seems unproductive. Wasting two good menwho could be out gathering necessary supplies when a child couldscrounge up a few tea leaves to last us months.”

I’m glad when Father breaks into a smile,releasing the tension. “My boy, the lieutenant,” he says, clappingme on the back. “Always worried about improving performance. Let meput your mind at ease, Son. We’ve got more than enough men huntingand gathering, and the stores have never run dry. Now back to thatbride of yours.”

“What bride?” I say sharply.

“Exactly. You’re a man now, more than oldenough to marry and carry on the Jones’ family name.”

“But I’m still…” I don’t want to sound like achild, but…

“So young?” my father says. “Yes, you are,and I’m not suggesting you have to marry at age fourteen. Butcertainly by sixteen. It’s something you should be thinking aboutnow.”

My mind spins. I’ve barely even spoken to anygirls on the ship, and none for an extended period of time, Jadebeing the longest. And surely she doesn’t count, because…well,because my father can never know of her.

“But I don’t—”

“I know, I know, Son”—he lowers his voice, asif telling me a secret—“the Soaker women aren’t much to look at,and they’ve got far too much strength in their backs and minds. ButI’m not suggesting you take one of them at all.”

“Then who?” I ask, getting more confused bythe second.

“Have I ever told you about the foreigners?”he asks.

The men have filled the bags of seaweed andare loading them into the boat, two in each hand, four total.

“You mean the Stormers?” I say.

The admiral leans on the rail. “There’s them,but obviously I don’t mean them. There are others, too.”

Like the Heaters, I think, but I staysilent.

“You’re not surprised?” he says, piercing mewith a sudden stare.

“Uh, no, I mean, yes…I mean, I guess not. Ialways assumed there were others out there somewhere.” I didn’t, atleast not before Jade.

“Hmm,” Father muses. “I suppose you would.Have you heard of ice country?”

Jade only mentioned fire country, but she didsay something about “Icers.” Something about them being involved inthe trade of the Heater children and the bags of seaweed. Why isFather talking about them now?

“No,” I say.

“It’s a country that’s high up in themountains, where it’s always cold. They have many beautifulwhite-ski

“What are you talking about?” I blurt outbefore I can stop myself.

Father frowns. “Mind your tone, Son. I knowthis is a lot to take in, but I’m still your commander and father.If you must know, I’ve arranged everything. A perfectly suitablebride will be brought from ice country. The ice country King, hisname is Goff, wrote a long letter telling me her name is Jolie andthat she’s very pretty and moldable.” The way he says thelast word makes me think of the clay that the men sometimes dig upin storm country for the children on the ships to play with.

“Jolie,” I say, trying out the name. It’spretty, but… “Why would she marry me?” I ask, still notunderstanding where this is all coming from.

Father shakes his head. “Son, she’s a girl,it doesn’t matter what she wants, only that she will. Your mother…”He trails off, as if he’s thought better of what he was about tosay.

“What about her?” I say, sharpness creepingback into my tone.

“Nothing,” Father says. “She was just a hardwoman to live with sometimes.”

How dare he? How dare he speak of her likethat? My fists clench and my teeth lock and I know I’m dangerouslyclose to doing something stupid, but…

My mother was an angel.

And I couldn’t save her.

“There’s something you should know about herdeath,” he says, and that’s when the rains start falling from thedark clouds I didn’t even notice moving in overhead.

~~~

Our conversation ends at the worst possiblemoment, because Father’s off and making sure the men on all theships are placed to capture the rainwater, which will save the menonshore a lot of effort of finding drinking water in creeks andstreams.

And I’m left as alone and muddled as thepuddles forming in depressions on the decks. I just let the waterdampen my hair, stream down my face, soak through my clothes.Because my world’s been turned upside down. A bride from icecountry? Something my father has to tell me about my mother’sdeath? When did the sky become the ocean and the ocean the sky?When did the sands from storm country pour onto our decks and thesaltwater and fishes become the beach? When did I become sostupid?

And then she’s there, watching me, clingingto the mast, as drenched as I am. She motions to The Mermaid’sDaughter and I turn to look. The solitary boat is being hauledaboard, along with its contents: the bags of dried seaweed.

I nod and turn away from her, because I feela presence nearby. Hobbs is behind me, looking at her, and then atme. “I’m all over you,” he says.