Read Online Slaves of Elysium by W. S. Antony - Free Book Online Page A

inhabitant. Then, as their steps brought them warily closer, she gave a shriek of relief and broke into a run.
    It was Rebecca!
    Rebecca, however, did not seem to take any notice of her calls. Jeni saw she was still wearing her lifejacket and was moving with a loose, shambling step, head down, lolling on her shoulders.
    Jeni caught hold of her employer as they met, feeling her knees giving way. ‘All right, miss, I’ve got you.’
    Rebecca mumbled something incoherent, turning her head sightlessly towards Jeni. Her face was red from the sun, her lips cracked and eyes crusted tight.
    Jeni stripped off Rebecca’s lifejacket and laid her down in the shade. No time to take her back to the stream. She needed fluid immediately. Searching through the undergrowth she found a suitable stone and cracked another fallen coconut across it. Supporting Rebecca’s head she managed to get some of the milk between her lips. Rebecca spluttered at first, and then took it down greedily. With the hem of her T-shirt Jeni wiped Rebecca’s eyes clean as best she could.
    After a few minutes Rebecca recovered her senses enough to blink at her and ask thickly, ‘Jeni... is that you?’
    â€˜Yes, miss.’
    â€˜Mark?’
    â€˜I don’t know, miss. I haven’t seen anything of him or Mr Ash since we were washed off the boat.’
    â€˜Where are we?’
    â€˜I don’t know that either.’
    â€˜Must have... water.’
    â€˜I know where some is, miss. But I’ve nothing to carry it in. We’ll have to walk there.’
    With Rebecca leaning on her shoulder, Jeni headed back to the stream. It took twice as long as the outward journey and by the time they reached it she was almost as exhausted as her employer. But the cool fresh water rapidly revived them both. Evidently Rebecca had sustained no serious injury and was suffering nothing worse than sunburn, dehydration and shock. As she watched Rebecca gratefully washing the salt from her tangled hair, Jeni considered what they should do next. Like it or not, she knew she would have to make all the practical decisions.
    When Rebecca was restored to something approaching her usual self once more, Jeni said, ‘I’m going into the forest to see if I can find something else to eat, miss. Its early afternoon by the sun and I don’t think we can go anywhere else today. We should make the best camp we can here. And start a fire if possible.’
    Rebecca frowned. ‘Why don’t you find somebody to help us?’
    â€˜I would if I could, miss, but so far I haven’t seen anybody to ask.’
    â€˜But there must be somebody,’ Rebecca said flatly.
    Jeni could find no answer to that baseless assumption. Rebecca still could not accept that the world might not always shape itself to suit her needs. People were always there to help her – as Jeni was doing even now.
    â€˜It depends where we are and how far it is to the nearest town or village, miss,’ Jeni pointed out as gently as possible.
    â€˜Well go on, then. Do what you have to. But don’t be long.’
    It was too much to expect Rebecca to offer to help, of course, so leaving her resting in the cool shade, Jeni set off. She followed the course of the stream to ensure she did not get lost. The air got closer under the trees away from the sea breeze, but it was not humid enough to be oppressive. The general feeling was of a semi-tropical island and she wondered again where it was.
    She found food with surprising ease. Several bushes carried berries she did not recognise and thought it best not to try, but in a small clearing were half a dozen wild banana trees with fruits in various stages of ripeness, and with a long stick she managed to pull down a whole bunch from one of them.
    Close by she came across a clump of what were unmistakably tomato vines, growing from unusually stout main stalks standing higher than her head. She added a stem of a dozen