Snared: Voyage on the Eversteel Sea by Adam Jay Epstein

Author:Adam Jay Epstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Imprint

11

NIGHT WATCHING

“There you are,” Odette called to Wily, who was following Kestrel back to the campfire. “You left us here with all the hard work while you were off picking flowers.”

“Something like that,” Wily said. He certainly didn’t want to tell Odette what had actually happened. It had been hard enough convincing her to use Kestrel’s assistance. He could only imagine what she would think if she learned how his father had nearly gotten Wily eaten.

Moshul and Odette sat on the soft sand splitting the trunks of the rubber trees into long, flat slices. The moss golem peeled them apart with ease, like pulling the stringy bits out of a piece of cooked celery. Odette was arranging them flat on the sand to bake them in the sun. Wily’s father stopped before the stretch of wood slices laid out on the ground.

“They need to be even,” he said. “And much thinner. We will need them to be pliable enough to bend. Keep them in the shade.”

“Since you know how to do it right and we clearly don’t, why don’t you do it yourself?” Odette suggested petulantly.

“I’m afraid this will make that tough,” Kestrel retorted, lifting his hands. “Golem, we need to soak these planks in salt water. Follow me. Hurry up!”

As Moshul dragged a dozen boards down to the sea, Wily sat next to Odette to help her finish peeling the bark off a wood slice.

“No wonder he built an army of mechanical people,” Wily said. “Regular folk would never tolerate being treated like mindless workers.”

“He’s worse than just bossy,” Odette said. “I fear for our own safety.”

“You don’t need to convince me.”

Over the next six hours, Wily didn’t let his father out of his sight, even if he was being watched by someone else. When Kestrel went to the stream in the jungle for a drink of water, Wily was thirsty too. When his father needed more shale to sand the insides of the planks, Wily volunteered to go with him. Kestrel always put on a good face, claiming he was happy for the help or company, but as he turned away, Wily often thought he noticed a sneer or an eye roll of exasperation from his father. Wily’s caution ensured that there was never a moment when his father had a chance to sabotage Wily’s friends’ safety.

By midnight, the small sailboat was three-quarters finished. Kestrel had bossed everyone around as if he still were the Infernal King, telling them how to properly use the sealing wax and where to apply it for maximum effect. He instructed Pryvyd and Righteous on how to weave a small sail out of palm leaves. Wily had examined the sail upon completion. He concluded that although it was not as agile and impressive as one made from cloth, it would at least help the ship to travel slowly across the sea. Wily’s eyes were getting tired as the night continued, but he fought sleep with every droop of his lids. It was hard

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