18
WE SCRAMBLED into the boat. It was one of the channel ferries. It had a flat bottom and wobbled a lot even when we got in one by one, with Reida holding the vessel steady. Lilona found it scary, and Federza told her to sit on the row of seats closest to the engine. It was noisy, he said, but less wet and bumpy. He insisted on sitting at the front. He had a gun, he said, so he could help protect us. He sat at the front bench, looking very dapper.
I struggled not to laugh. Did he realise that she was off the dating market courtesy of her captain?
“All in?” Thayu flipped a lever that reversed the airflow through the engine. It blew a waft of hot and humid air over our heads that made our hair fly. The boat reversed out of the tunnel at a good speed.
She cut the engine again to slow dow
