Miro took a set of oars and the sound of splashing and wood grinding against wood broke the morning stillness. The sun shone on their faces, and even though they were rowing against the current, Miro was glad to be moving.
As soon as they began to navigate the channel between the headland and the reef, Miro realised the foolishness of his plan.
He could now see sharp rocks poking their tops through the water on the far side of the promontory, an expanse of hazard Miro knew would be perilous to navigate. He'd intended to travel in that direction but he now realised it would be impossible. There would be no way to tell where safety lay.
Facing backwards to row meant they couldn't see where they were going, and as they exited the channel Miro stopped rowing momentarily so he could turn around and look ahead. Wavelets formed little crests where two currents collided, and Miro now saw the misty mountain on the second island as their path took them past the reef and into open water.
The longboat rose and fell on waves that grew larger the further out they went. The current picked up, and now it was taking them away from both islands, out to sea.
"What is it?" Amber said, stopping when she noticed Miro had ceased rowing. "Shouldn't we be turning?"
"Scratch it," Miro cursed. "The current's too powerful to row against, and it's taking us out to sea."
"What do we do?"
Already the longboat was hundreds of paces from the channel.
"We're going to have to head for the second island. If we row with the current at a slight angle, we might make it. Row harder with your left than your right. Come on."
Miro pulled at his oars, feeling his back strain and wood rub against his palms. He and Amber both had their backs to their destination, making it hard to check their progress, but he could now see the retreating island Toro Marossa had named Valetta in full.
He quickly turned his head. They were speeding through the water, desperately fighting the current as they tried to head for the island and its tall mountain.
Miro saw a beach, and could make out the structures of the second island's abandoned settlement.
"We're going to make it!" he cried. "Keep going!"
Amber groaned and pulled at her oars, while Miro's muscles felt as if they were on fire.
Miro turned again. The mountain loomed down; the turquoise lagoon beckoned.
There were some breakers ahead.
"Dear Skylord," Miro whispered. He thrust his oar into the water to turn them, but it was too late.
The longboat ran onto the reef.
Immediately water surged through a widening gap between the planks of the hull. The collision threw Miro from his bench and nearly tossed Amber out of the boat.
A wave hit the side of the longboat, pouring over the sides in a torrent.
"Amber!"
"I'm fine!"
"Ditch everything!" Miro shouted. "We're going to have to swim to shore, but we have to be careful of the reef. When the next big wave comes, jump out, and try to ride with it over the coral."
"Here it comes!" Amber yelled.
At the last instant, Miro grabbed the cutlass, wrapping it in the woollen sailor's vest and holding it close.
"Ready. Go!"
Miro leapt into the water and felt the swell pick him up. Behind him, he heard a splintering sound as the longboat broke into pieces. His bare feet touched coral, and he felt pain as something sliced his foot.
Then he was over, with a second wave carrying him into the stillness of the lagoon.
Miro looked frantically for Amber. He saw her clinging to an oar with her hair over her face. She pushed at the water with her free arm, bringing herself closer to him.
Miro's foot stung where he'd hit the coral and he struggled with the bundled sword. "Are you hurt?" he asked Amber.
"Not a scratch. What about you?"
"Cut my foot."
Miro tucked the bundled sword under his arm and brought up his foot, trying to look at it through the water. He saw a thin gash where the skin had parted. Blood welled up, instantly diffused in the water.
There was a dark shape down below. A sinuous creature, swimming in lazy circles, a deadly form made for power in the water. Its length was greater than that of the longboat.
Amber saw Miro's expression, and her face turned white. "What is it?"
"Amber," Miro said quietly, as if somehow noise would make it charge. "Let go of that oar, and swim to shore, as quickly as you can."
Amber moaned with fear and, letting go of the oar, she began to kick with her legs, swimming in an over-arm stroke. Miro's heart sounded loud in his ears, while he was suddenly terribly aware of his legs, the part of him deepest in the water. He looked ahead at the distant shore; it now seemed infinitely far away.
He realised there was no use watching the shark. If it decided to attack, it would attack. Yet he couldn't fight the sensation that even now it was coming for his legs; he could almost feel the jaws closing around his calf.
Miro shifted the bundle to his left hand and began to swim using his right arm and kicking legs. He was a strong swimmer and had spent his childhood in the water, but the waterlogged vest wrapped around the sword slowed him down.