CHAPTER 38

The gully widened enough for them to avoid walking through the ice-cold stream. Thanks to their knee-high boots, their feet were relatively dry, but that wasn’t enough to keep out the cold. The ground ahead was filled with pebbles and sand, and their walking became easier. After several minutes, the gully curved and they came upon a low-slung overhang of rock, which formed a shallow cave.

They crawled underneath the overhang and collapsed onto a floor of sand, which was remarkably dry. Marin sidled up to Line and placed her hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up,” she said. “How do you feel?”

Line groaned and closed his eyes.

“Kana, I can’t see a thing,” said Marin. “I need you to look at Line’s arm.”

Kana maneuvered closer to Line. “I can see enough.”

“And?”

“It doesn’t look good,” said Kana. He exhaled heavily.

“How bad?”

“The arm is totally swollen, it’s covered with blisters, and there’s a lot of yellow pus,” said Kana.

Marin was acutely aware of the sinking feeling in her stomach. “Do you think it’s gangrene?” If Line is that sick, how can we possibly get off the island?

“I don’t know,” said Kana. “But we need to use all the lekar we have left. He should eat some, too. It’ll help.” Very gingerly, Kana slathered the ointment on Line’s wound. Line winced. “Sit up,” said Kana softly. “You’ve got to eat some.” After some coaxing, Line sat up and swallowed the last of the lekar—about a teaspoonful.

Line lay back down, then raised his head. “Both of you should know,” he said weakly. “If it comes time, I’ll use the knife myself.”

It took Marin a few seconds to register what he meant. Then she sucked in a sharp breath. “You’ll be fine. Eating the lekar is going to help.”

“Just saying . . . I’ll do it myself,” Line repeated. He closed his eyes. Marin and Kana watched his face soften as he fell asleep.

Marin rubbed her tired eyes. It was too much to comprehend. She turned to Kana. “How long will it take to work?”

“It should work right away, now that he’s eaten it,” said Kana. “But I scraped the container clean. There’s nothing left.”

“Will he need more?”

Kana looked away from his sister. He didn’t want to give her false assurances, but he didn’t want her panicking, either. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “Every person reacts differently. It healed my wound quickly—that’s why I had so much left.” He touched the scar on his face. There was just enough light for Marin to see him doing it.

“Can we find more?” asked Marin. Her voice sounded very far away.

“Doubtful,” said Kana. “Line and I looked all the time, and we hardly found any. Let’s just let him sleep for a few hours. That might be enough.”

Marin shivered. It was very cold. Her mind felt slow and numb. She tried to settle in, but she couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Eventually, she crept over to her brother’s side.

“I can’t even see you,” she said, drawing closer.

“Careful,” said Kana suddenly, jerking his leg away from his sister.

“Ow!” cried Marin. “Something just scraped me.”

Kana froze. “Are you all right?” he asked, trying to keep his tone concerned but not alarmed. “What was it?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But it’s gone now.” Marin leaned back against the wall of the cave and focused on her breathing.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Kana asked. He could hear her fidgeting in the darkness.

“I’m okay,” said Marin.

Judging by his breathing, Line was in a deep sleep. Kana was genuinely worried for him. The jealousy he’d felt seemed so stupid now. So trivial. Line was very sick.

“Kana?” said Marin.

“Yes?”

“You know, Kana—I didn’t want to leave this island,” she said. “And now . . . now I’d give anything to be on the boats.” She paused. “Until I was in the citadel—in that stairwell, in the total darkness—I didn’t really get how hard it was for you, not being able to see.”

Kana dug his hands into the dry, cool sand. It felt soothing. “How could you?”

She lifted her head from the wall. “Were you dreading going to the desert?”

“A bit,” he admitted.

“Because you’d be blind again? It won’t be as bad as Bliss’s years of noontime sun.”

“I know,” said Kana. “But I guess it wasn’t just about being blind. There’s something about this island . . . It just feels right. And I can’t imagine the Desert Lands feeling that way.”

Marin thought about this. “I get it,” she replied. For a moment, she recalled climbing the cliffs with Line, when they discovered the hag. It felt like ages ago. “Really, I do get it.”

No you don’t, thought Kana. And when do I tell you? Kana stared at his feet. He could feel the pressure of his talons against the inside of his boots. It was growing more painful. Perhaps, if the forest was dark enough, he’d be able to take the boots off without anyone noticing.

“I can’t get comfortable,” said Marin. She was still fidgeting, wrapping her oilskin tightly around herself and then loosening it again. “My heart is just racing . . .”

“Marin?”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember when we were little—Dad would make me feed those sheep in the back pasture?”

“Yes,” said Marin. She hadn’t thought about it in a long time.

“I hated feeding those sheep,” said Kana. “It was before I got my glasses, and I used to beg Father to—”

“Let me go with you,” finished Marin.

“That’s right,” said Kana. “But he made me go by myself—to toughen me up, I guess.” He paused before continuing. “It was awful. I couldn’t see anything and I was terrified of getting turned around and wandering into the woods by accident. I remember I hid under your bed once, and you found me. Remember that?”

“I do,” Marin replied softly.

“Do you remember what you told me?”

“Of course,” she said, recalling his trembling shoulders and the way he’d gripped her hand so tight.

“Marin, it’s just like that now, only I’m the one who can see. I’ll be the lookout—for you and for Line.”

Just then, Line groaned and shifted in his sleep.

Kana cursed under his breath. It’s inevitable. Line will need more lekar.

“Marin, do you still have the knife—the one from the mayor’s house?”

Marin sat up straight so fast that she nicked her head on a rock that jutted out from the cave wall. “Yes. Kana—you’re not going to . . .”

“No,” said Kana. “At least, not yet. Let him sleep.”