Her leap is tremendous. Her falcon’s wing bone can’t make her fly, but it definitely makes a jump impressive.
She shrieks in the thrill of the moment and brings her arms together, one hand over the other, to break the water. Her body aligns, her toes point, and she plunges in headfirst.
Her dive barely creates a splash. I creep closer to the edge of the cliff and squint, wishing for Ailesse’s vision. Won’t she come up for a breath? Maybe she means to strike the shark first. That would be the smartest way to catch it off guard.
I wait for her to emerge, and my heart thrums faster. I count each beat. Eight, nine . . . thirteen, fourteen . . . twenty-one, twenty-two . . . forty-seven . . .
Ailesse has two grace bones, the ibex and the falcon. Neither can help her hold her breath for long.
Sixty-three.
I crouch and lean over the edge. “Ailesse?” I shout.
The water stirs. Nothing surfaces.
Seventy-five.
My racing pulse can’t be keeping correct time. She hasn’t been down there this long. Maybe thirty seconds. Possibly forty.
Eighty-six.
“Ailesse!”
Ninety-two.
I watch for the blue water to turn bloodred. But whose blood will it be?
One hundred.
I curse all the gods’ names and throw myself off the cliff.
In my panic, I jump feetfirst. I quickly straighten my body and pull my flailing arms to my sides—almost. They still slap the water. I gasp with pain and release a spray of bubbles—air I need. I clamp my mouth shut and glance around me. The water is clear, but the salt stings my eyes; my salamander was a freshwater creature. I twist in a circle, searching for my friend. I hear a faint sound of struggle.
Several feet beneath me, Ailesse and the shark are locked in combat.
Her spear is in the shark’s mouth. The beast doesn’t appear injured and bites on the shaft Ailesse is holding. Ailesse is thrown about like a reed in the wind, refusing to let go.
I scream her name and lose more breath. I’m forced to swim to the surface and gulp in air before I swim back down again.
I charge forward with no plan in mind, only viciousness in my veins and desperate fear in my heart. Ailesse can’t die. My best friend can’t die.
The tiger shark’s face is ferocious. Serrated teeth. Lidless eyes. An oversized snout that makes her look even hungrier. How did Ailesse think she could defeat her? Why did I allow her to jump?
Her spear snaps in two between the shark’s jaws. The bone knife sinks. Ailesse is left with a three-foot pole. She jabs the shark’s mandible and narrowly dodges a vicious bite.
The shark doesn’t notice me. I reach for my dagger, but the blade is caught in my bloated sheath. Weaponless, I use all the force I can muster and kick the shark in her side. Her tail whips, but nothing more. I grab her gills and try to tear them. I can’t. At least I’ve disturbed her. She bites once at me—barely missing my arm—and darts away behind a coral reef.
Ailesse floats nearby, her energy spent. The broken spear slips through her fingers. Go! I mouth, and point to the surface. She needs air.
She struggles to kick. I grab her arm and kick for her. Her eyes close just before we break the surface. She coughs up a mouthful of water, and I hit her back, pounding out the rest.
“Sabine . . .” She gasps and blinks salty drops from her lashes. “I almost had her. But she’s so strong. I wasn’t prepared for how strong.” Ailesse looks below. I don’t need her keen vision to see what she does—the shark circling and drawing closer. She’s playing with us. She knows she can kill us any moment she wishes.
I kick madly toward the shore. “Come on, Ailesse. We have to go.” I drag her behind me. “We’ll find a better kill another day.”
She coughs again. “What’s better than a shark?”
“How about a bear? We’ll travel north like we did last year.” I’m rambling, trying to urge her to swim. She’s still dead weight in my arms, and the shark’s circle is tightening.
“My mother killed a bear,” she says, like it’s the most ordinary animal in Galle, even though Odiva’s bear was a rare albino.
“We’ll think of something else, then. But for now I need your help.” My breaths fall heavier. “I can’t swim for you the whole way.”
I feel Ailesse’s muscles gather strength. She starts paddling, but then