Aliénor's Song

A Grim Resolve

We scoured the ship for what felt like hours until we finally found a net and a few pieces of rope. Most of what had been left after we built our wall was too rotted to use. We then sat down and made loops from the ropes that would be slung over our shoulder and down across our torsos so that the net hung evenly between us.

"So where do we look first?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I know I landed here. So he has to be close by."

"Ok, why don't we follow the water?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well look around us. The water isnt still. Even down here, it moves. Look at the seaweed."

I looked at the seaweed I had picked for our breakfast that morning. She was right! In its serene dance on the ocean floor, it was mostly lazily drifting in one direction.

"I see it!"

"Right, now look at the sand. See how little bits of rock and dirt drift along the same way? The water is moving. We need to go that way."

What she was saying made sense, but now I was curious. Did we check the bottom of the ocean or the surface? Would Cayn be resting peacefully below the waves or would he be floating above them?

"Mairi. I'm sorry to bring this up, but did you see your mother after she passed? Was she buried?"

Mairi was surprised for a moment. "They buried her in a mass unmarked grave with the bodies of the other convicted witches. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I sank to the bottom, but would Cayn?"

"I heard the sailors tell a story about someone going over board. They said at first, he sank when he couldnt fight the waves any longer, but a few weeks later they were on another voyage to that same island and he was floating on top of the water. They said he had blown up like he had been pumped with a bellows."

I covered my mouth.

"I'm so sorry Aelie! I don't it mean to sound so cruel!"

"No. Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry I brought up your mother."

"Its okay, you needed the answer."

Mairi looked at me for a moment before turning her attention back toward the water.

“So he may not be on the bottom anymore.”

“Maybe not.”

“But if he was dead when he went into the water, he would have sunk first.”

I nodded.

“And the current could have carried him along the bottom before he started to rise.”

Mairi pointed toward the drifting seaweed.

“Then we follow it.”

I looked out into the darkness ahead of us.

Somewhere in that vast, endless ocean was my husband.

And we were going to find him.