b-boat.”
I blinked up at the two of them, waiting for a laugh or a slap on the back to jar me out of this nightmare. I waited for them to tell me I’d imagined the whole thing.
Sean Gunn simply gave a nod. “Yeah.” He looked over at Gran. “It was the Glaukos. Two of them. The First Ones don’t want your girl here to go.”
Gran nodded. “Guess they made it clear enough.”
I could only stare at the two of them for a few slack-jawed seconds. “You mean you
know
about this?” I finally snapped. “About what’s out there?” I pointed a shaky finger toward the water and then snatched it back under the blanket again. “The monsters?”
“Glaukos,” replied Gran. “They serve the First Ones.”
“Ow!” I winced and pulled away from Sean, who’d tilted my head and was exploring the lump on my temple with gentle fingers.
“I couldn’t see much down there, but I was afraid the Glauk’s tail might have gotten her,” he muttered, moving my head this way and that. I felt like a melon being inspected for ripeness. “No,” he said after a moment’s probing. “None of the spikes broke the skin.” He gave my hair an encouraging tousle. “That’s good.”
I cradled my head against one hand to peer up at him. “Why? Would that hurt more?”
“No,” he said calmly. “But you’d probably be dead intwelve hours. Either from the flesh-eating infection they usually carry or the convulsions.”
“Oh,” I said weakly. When I managed to get past the image of my gangrenous head falling off during a seizure, I asked, “Why did they attack your boat?”
Gran looked to the water with a worried frown. “The Glaukos only do what they’re ordered to do.”
“There was a First One down there. He obviously told them to stop the boat,” said Sean. “I’ll bet it surprised them when you fell out.”
“Gee, I hope I didn’t scare them too much,” I muttered, automatically reaching to adjust my glasses. They were gone. “Just great,” I muttered.
No
wonder
everything looked so fuzzy. Now what was I going to do? I didn’t have another pair with me, and I was practically blind without them.
I wasn’t too nearsighted to see Sean grinning at me, though. He was probably thinking
See? I told you to sit down
. It was nice of him not to say it. I’d put both of us at risk with my idiotic plunge off the side of the boat.
I pulled the blanket tighter. “That was really brave of you. You could have been hurt. Thank you.”
“No problem,” said Sean, wrapping the towel Gran handed him around his neck.
“Who
was
he?” I asked. “The one down there who—” I broke off, not sure of how to put it.
French-kissed me back to life?
“He was one of them. A First One. He’s called Jax.” Sean’s smile faded and he looked uncomfortable. Despite my chilled state, I felt hot color creep into my cheeks. I wondered how much Sean had seen of the rescue operation.
“Trespass Island belongs to the First Ones,” said Gran. “I tried to tell you before, but it didn’t seem like it would matter if you weren’t going to be staying here. The folks who live here … well, we’re sort of tenants, I guess.”
“First Ones?” I repeated. “Are they some kind of monsters too?”
“Demigods of the sea,” said Sean.
“Demigods?” I was starting to sound like a not-very-bright parrot, but I just couldn’t help it.
“Of the sea,” Sean added, apparently trying to be helpful. “Those’re the only ones that seem to have survived to the present day. Only ones we’ve got
here
, anyway.”
It was like some bizarre dream. But the throbbing pain in my head, the texture of the woolen blanket on my skin, those felt real enough.
Other things had felt very real too: I remembered the consuming feel of the angel’s mouth, the tantalizing feel of the water, of him enclosing me in strong arms like iron bands. If Sean hadn’t pulled me away, what would have happened? Would he have taken me all the way down?
I blinked up at the two of them, waiting for a laugh or a slap on the back to jar me out of this nightmare. I waited for them to tell me I’d imagined the whole thing.
Sean Gunn simply gave a nod. “Yeah.” He looked over at Gran. “It was the Glaukos. Two of them. The First Ones don’t want your girl here to go.”
Gran nodded. “Guess they made it clear enough.”
I could only stare at the two of them for a few slack-jawed seconds. “You mean you
know
about this?” I finally snapped. “About what’s out there?” I pointed a shaky finger toward the water and then snatched it back under the blanket again. “The monsters?”
“Glaukos,” replied Gran. “They serve the First Ones.”
“Ow!” I winced and pulled away from Sean, who’d tilted my head and was exploring the lump on my temple with gentle fingers.
“I couldn’t see much down there, but I was afraid the Glauk’s tail might have gotten her,” he muttered, moving my head this way and that. I felt like a melon being inspected for ripeness. “No,” he said after a moment’s probing. “None of the spikes broke the skin.” He gave my hair an encouraging tousle. “That’s good.”
I cradled my head against one hand to peer up at him. “Why? Would that hurt more?”
“No,” he said calmly. “But you’d probably be dead intwelve hours. Either from the flesh-eating infection they usually carry or the convulsions.”
“Oh,” I said weakly. When I managed to get past the image of my gangrenous head falling off during a seizure, I asked, “Why did they attack your boat?”
Gran looked to the water with a worried frown. “The Glaukos only do what they’re ordered to do.”
“There was a First One down there. He obviously told them to stop the boat,” said Sean. “I’ll bet it surprised them when you fell out.”
“Gee, I hope I didn’t scare them too much,” I muttered, automatically reaching to adjust my glasses. They were gone. “Just great,” I muttered.
No
wonder
everything looked so fuzzy. Now what was I going to do? I didn’t have another pair with me, and I was practically blind without them.
I wasn’t too nearsighted to see Sean grinning at me, though. He was probably thinking
See? I told you to sit down
. It was nice of him not to say it. I’d put both of us at risk with my idiotic plunge off the side of the boat.
I pulled the blanket tighter. “That was really brave of you. You could have been hurt. Thank you.”
“No problem,” said Sean, wrapping the towel Gran handed him around his neck.
“Who
was
he?” I asked. “The one down there who—” I broke off, not sure of how to put it.
French-kissed me back to life?
“He was one of them. A First One. He’s called Jax.” Sean’s smile faded and he looked uncomfortable. Despite my chilled state, I felt hot color creep into my cheeks. I wondered how much Sean had seen of the rescue operation.
“Trespass Island belongs to the First Ones,” said Gran. “I tried to tell you before, but it didn’t seem like it would matter if you weren’t going to be staying here. The folks who live here … well, we’re sort of tenants, I guess.”
“First Ones?” I repeated. “Are they some kind of monsters too?”
“Demigods of the sea,” said Sean.
“Demigods?” I was starting to sound like a not-very-bright parrot, but I just couldn’t help it.
“Of the sea,” Sean added, apparently trying to be helpful. “Those’re the only ones that seem to have survived to the present day. Only ones we’ve got
here
, anyway.”
It was like some bizarre dream. But the throbbing pain in my head, the texture of the woolen blanket on my skin, those felt real enough.
Other things had felt very real too: I remembered the consuming feel of the angel’s mouth, the tantalizing feel of the water, of him enclosing me in strong arms like iron bands. If Sean hadn’t pulled me away, what would have happened? Would he have taken me all the way down?
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