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Perhaps he should wait for the rescue crew.
Another rush of water dissolved that option. They needed to move, now, or the sea would swallow them. He pinched the pilot’s thumb. The slight twitch, paired with a quiet grunt, loosened the tight knot in Roy’s gut. Thank Void.
The second rescue pod finally released its second passenger, revealing a girl—way too small for such an adventure—with blue pigtails draped over the shoulder padding of her tiny jumpsuit. She called out, “C-Cally?”
“Cally’s asleep,” the boy murmured. “It’s okay. We’re fine. But we need to leave the ship.”
“B-but, Cally…”
“Our friend will help him, okay?” The boy lifted her up. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her tiny face buried in his shoulder.
“My boat’s attached. Climb the bridge. There’s a friend of mine on board,” Roy said. “Neri. A mermaid. Leave the girl with her and come back to help me.”
The boy’s chest heaved. His head moved—perhaps it was a nod, suffocated by the shock.
As he moved toward the hatch, golden sunlight landed on his face. Roy caught a glimpse of pale skin, riddled with red bumps.
Okay, pilot. Wake up. Those kids need you.
He lifted the limp body, the pilot’s head falling onto his shoulder.
“Easy,” Roy murmured to himself. His whole body jolted when a side panel gave in with a loud snap. A gush of seawater burst in, spraying mist over Roy’s face. The steel wailed; the vessel tilted. Roy stumbled, the additional weight in his arms threatening his balance.
His heart hammered against his ribs. “We need to get out,” he told the unconscious pilot. “Sorry if this hurts.”
Water slapped against his thighs, slowing him down. He tripped on a sturdy piece of metal—maybe a cable guard—and stubbed his toe. Cussing, Roy finally reached the spaceship’s exit.
The blue-haired boy rushed down the ladder, perfectly balanced and fearless. Roy clenched his jaw and took a cautious step up.
“Catch him under the armpits.”
The boy nodded, his long, bony fingers gripping the purple fabric. The pilot’s head lolled and dipped back.
“Good. Pull him up.”
The spaceship behind them gurgled, bubbles rising from the damaged side. With the pilot safely sprawled on the deck of his boat, Roy let out a disbelieving chuckle.
We made it.
A loud snap reverberated through the ladder. Roy’s slick palms slid on the damp wood. He caught himself at the last moment. His knees trembled as his feet found purchase on a slippery step.
The spaceship was disappearing beneath the water. The boy gripped the rails, his purple eyes wide. “Hey, grab my hand!”
Roy glanced into the waters below. That spaceship was now ballast, pulling them all to the depths of the sea. It had to sink. He couldn’t risk climbing to the deck—his boat could tip over. With a silent curse, he kicked off the hook on the left side.
Dark waves swallowed the spaceship, bubbles escaping from its crevices as the cold water drove out the last pockets of air. The ladder trembled, tension travelling through the wood to Roy’s palms.
Roy’s heart raced. He swung his body to the right and stomped on the last piece of metal tethering his boat to the wreck. Strong fingers clamped around his wrists—the boy clawed at Roy’s jacket and pulled him aboard.
As Roy tumbled back onto the deck, he paid little attention to the splinter buried deep in his thumb, or to the scratch on his forehead stinging from a mixture of salty mist and his own sweat. With his vision narrowed into a tunnel, he navigated toward the cabin and slapped the emergency switch, sending a localisation beacon toward the darkened sky.
Chapter
Two
The med-floater circled above Roy’s boat. Its searchlights illuminated the deck, focusing on the unconscious pilot. Roy squinted, a shiver rattling his bones. Soaked clothes clung to his body, draining his last reserves of warmth. He flexed his jaw, forcing his teeth to stop clattering, and glanced into the cabin.
Neri sat on his couch, surely leaving glitter all over the cushions. In her arms, the blue-haired girl wept, words clawing out of her mouth in barely recognisable hiccups.
