When at last he was finished, he opened his eyes and opened his hand, and looked down at the kitten. Kitten didn’t move.
“Kitten?” Alex said, his heart pounding.
Kitten remained still, her face serene, her eyes closed.
“Oh no,” Alex breathed. What had he done wrong? What was going on?
And then Kitten jumped to her feet, shouting at the top of her tiny voice, “Mewmewha!”
Alex gasped. And then he felt like throwing Kitten at a tree. “Ugh!” he said. “You statues need to stop! Don’t ever do that to me again.” He clutched his heart. “That trick is officially no longer funny.”
“Mewmewha!” Kitten said, laughing.
The crowd around Alex exploded in relief, with Kitten chattering over and over again, “Mewmewmew!”
Alex raised his hand over the joyous noise. “Now somebody please explain to me what just happened.”
Just then somebody grabbed Alex’s arm. He turned, surprised at the strong grip. It was Carina, her face awash in fear. “Alex,” she said. “Where’s Sean?”
A Setback
Alex looked at all the faces. Sean wasn’t there. “Hey!” he shouted over the noise. “Has anybody seen Sean?” Simber and Florence turned sharply to look at him. Samheed and Lani craned their necks to see what was happening.
“Sean!” Carina yelled. She gripped Alex’s arm tighter. “Oh, Alex, where is he? I haven’t seen him since the eel pulled him out of the water, and then everything happened and I didn’t notice he wasn’t here—”
“I didn’t see where he went once the eel landed on the island,” Simber said. “Did you, Florrrence?”
“No, I was getting steamrolled with you.”
The two looked at each other, as if speaking without making a sound.
“I’ll organize on the ground,” said Florence.
“I’ll searrrch from overrrhead.”
“I’ll help,” Talon said.
Simber and Talon rose from the ground together and then split up, flying in separate directions over the island. It was easier for Simber in the dark, because he at least had his sense of smell and could see quite well without much light. The rest of the Artiméans, along with Lhasa—who was feeling fine again—and Bock, began searching the island on foot.
It took an hour before a shout rang out. “He’s here!” Samheed yelled, not far away from Alex, Carina, and Sky. “Tail side of the island!” Word spread from one group to the next, and everyone headed in that direction.
Carina broke into a run when she saw Samheed waving people over to the location where Sean lay. Alex stayed right behind her. When they got there, they knelt down on the ground next to the lump.
Sean’s face and body were covered in sweat. Sand stuck to his skin. Lying on his side, he breathed in jagged bursts, every now and then a moan escaping his lips. His eyes were open, but glassy. He was covered in scratches.
Carina pushed his hair off his forehead. “Sean,” she said softly.
He attempted a smile, and then winced. “Hey,” he managed to say. “Thought you’d never come.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said. Hurriedly she began checking him over. “What hurts?”
“Leg,” he said. “It’s pretty bad.”
More help arrived. Alex cleared out of the way, making room for Ms. Octavia and Henry to see what they could do for Sean. Henry looked inside his kit.
“Don’t give me . . . ,” Sean wheezed, “that crud . . . you gave Alex . . . that one time . . . when he puked all night.” His breath was shallow, yet he grinned as he tried to manage the pain.
Carina smiled. “You know firsthand that we’ve improved a lot since then. None of us wants to see you puke.” She reached out and took his hand in hers, and with her other hand she smoothed his hair back again, gazing down at him. “Hang on, darling,” she said with a wry grin. “Florence is going to help set your leg. This is going to hurt. So just look into my eyes.”
“Did you just . . . call me . . . AAH!” There was a sickly snapping sound as Sean cried out in pain and gripped Carina’s hand.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Carina said. “I would never call you that.” She kept the smile plastered on her face, but her distress over Sean’s pain was evident. She looked away and found Alex watching her, his hand to his chest. She put her hand over her mouth and stifled a sob, then sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. After another breath, the stoic smile returned and Carina turned back to Sean, locking eyes with him and keeping him focused as the others worked on his leg.
When they had finished stabilizing him and the medication Henry had given him for the pain began working, Simber stepped in, ready to carry Sean to the ship, where he could rest.
“Wait, Simber,” Talon said. “Do you think he would be more comfortable on the island? He can take my bed. Please, it’s the least we can do.”
“Yes,” Lhasa said, her happy demeanor subdued. “Karkinos is a bit more stable than your ship—and Talon’s bed will be more comfortable than the ship’s deck, won’t it?”
Sean’s eyes were closed now. Carina looked at Ms. Octavia and Henry. “I think that’s a good idea,” Carina said.
They nodded.
“May I?” Talon asked Simber, pointing to Sean.
“Of courrrse. Lead the way.”