by Jordan Rivet
Simon found work for the former Galaxians. After the initial transport of supplies was complete, he had them working on shield repairs and other miscellaneous projects. Their interactions with the Catalinans were still awkward, but Esther thought a few of them would like to stay. Byron had already told her how much better he thought the Catalina was for raising children.
Still, Esther knew many of the newcomers would not stay long. They were itching for adventures and new opportunities. The Catalina would dock with the Amsterdam Coalition in a few months, albeit carefully in case the Galaxy captains had allies there. Some of the Galaxians would likely move on then.
As Esther watched the people beneath her in the plaza, she didn’t know what she would do next. There was work for her here, but Zoe had invited her to come with them when they docked with the Amsterdam. Judith wouldn’t stop her now. But there were other things to consider.
David climbed the staircase toward her, his left arm in a sling. “Esther.” He nodded at her.
She kept her face straight, feeling an extra beat in her chest. “Hawthorne. How’s the work going?”
“It’s not bad. I think I understand every inch of that ship by now. I could take her anywhere.”
He’d taken unofficial ownership of the Lucinda and spent most of his time studying her capabilities. He sat beside Esther and watched the people milling about below. Cally and Dax had stopped shouting. A few people waited around in case it started up again.
“Where to first?” Esther asked.
David shrugged his right shoulder. “I don’t know. Not the Galaxy, obviously, but there’s always the Amsterdam.”
“Are you going to set off on your own?” Esther asked, trying to keep her voice casual. “We’ll be there in a few months anyway.”
“Not sure. I’ll probably stick around for a while. And it’s up to the crew, whoever the crew ends up being.”
Dirk crossed the plaza with his entourage of former oil workers. A handful of Catalina men walked among them. Esther had expected Dirk to take over the Lucinda, but he had eyes on a bigger prize. David was free to take the Lucinda and go.
After a few minutes, Esther said, “Are you happy you came?” She stole a glance at David’s face.
He smirked and nudged her with his good arm. “You couldn’t have done it without me.”
“That’s true,” Esther said. “I owe you one.”
“I know how you could make it up to me,” David said.
“How’s that?”
David’s voice was suddenly serious. “Come along. We need a good mechanic.”
“There are other mechanics. What about Dirk’s buddy? He’s good.”
“How about first mate then? Everyone would rather listen to your voice than mine. I’ve had enough of talking at people.”
“I don’t know about that,” Esther said. “Anyway, I still have a few projects to work through here.”
She took another sip of her water.
David adjusted his broken glasses with his right hand. “I’m not really asking you along because I need a mechanic. I’ve kind of thrown my lot in with you, Esther. I want to have you around.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Look, David, I’m not sure what to do. It’s been kind of a whirlwind.”
“Do you regret that night on the Mist?” he asked quietly.
“I just want to get my feet under me again, spend a little time deciding what to do,” Esther said.
The answer felt like a cop-out. She almost followed it with something more concrete, but she left it at that. For now.
David touched his glasses again. His response was brisk. “Fair enough. Well, listen. I’m going over to the island. You want to come along?”
“Sure.”
They met the speedboat as it was returning from gathering clams. They helped unload the day’s catch and then took their turn in the boat. A few people were out on the island already, sunning themselves or just walking slowly over the rocks as the waves broke around them. When the boat bumped into the rock, Esther scrambled over the side and upwards a few steps before she really had a chance to take it in.
She felt like she was still moving with the sea around her, making her feel queasy. The rocks beneath her boots were alien, both rough and smooth. She took a few steps and knelt down to touch the stone with both hands. It was real, solid, impervious to the motion of the wind and the waves. There were sparse patches of lichen growing on the rock. Esther dug her nails under a few gray-green wisps.
David came up beside her. “It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“The rocks?”
“The fact that we could all be moving back to land someday. Maybe even someday soon. Not sure what we’ll do without the sea.”
“We’ll never be without the sea,” Esther said. “And we don’t know anything about life on land anymore. Why can’t we just keep doing what we’re doing?”
She crumbled the lichen, wondering if it was edible. There were sprinkles of ashy sand in the cracks of the rocks.
“The ships will rust. The salvage we can pull from the sea is already scarce. We all have to go back someday.”
Esther ran her fingers along the rock and thought about his words. She didn’t know what living on the land again would mean for someone like her. The Catalina was all she knew. Still, as she twisted the sand between her fingers and felt her boots on solid ground, it was tempting to think of the possibilities. Solid ground. Trees. Flowers. Wide spaces that could be crossed without a boat. Land.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Rivet is an American author from Arizona. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband. Prone to seasickness, she likes to watch the ships pass in Victoria Harbour while standing on solid ground.
Esther's adventures continue in the second book in the Seabound Chronicles called Seaswept. Buy it now on Amazon!
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www.jordanrivet.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank everyone who helped me during the writing and publishing of this book. Your support and enthusiasm kept me going. I'm especially grateful to:
The NaNoWriMo folks and the Tuesday night regulars for keeping me company;
My two critique groups for their many excellent notes and for always being excited to get new pages;
Everyone who read the book in full from afar and sent detailed feedback and good vibes;
Michael, the very patient officer I once cornered on a cruise ship to ask all the nautical questions;
James at GoOnWrite.com for the kickass cover;
Marcus Trower for the meticulous edits and encouraging words;
My mom and siblings for believing in me and sharing their boundless enthusiasm for books;
My dad for his technical advice and for introducing me to his favorite authors;
And my husband for putting up with me when all I wanted to talk about was Seabound for weeks at a time.
Jordan Rivet
Hong Kong, 2014
CONTENTS
Dedication
1—The Riding Storm
2—Salvage
3—Neal’s Tower
4—The Atlantis Dining Hall
5—Desalination
6—The Survival Plan
7—The Runner
8—Orchid
9—The Plaza
10—Rumors
11—The Galaxy Flotilla
12—The Floating City
13—Galaxy Gardens
14—Judith
15—The Oil Tanker
16—Cabaret
17—In the Hold
18—The Sleeper Storm
19—The Galaxy Mist
20—Rendezvous
21—The Galaxy Crown
23—The Crew
24—Before
25—Hijacking
26—Pursuit
27—Aftermath
28—The Search
29—Reunion
30—Fresh Start
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
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