The monster was underwater, and Kestrel was suddenly inundated with the cold seawater. He opened his eyes, and saw the dark, murky, blood-tainted water of the sea contaminated with the remains of the monster all around him, making his eyes sting, but overhead was a dim glow, the direction that the sun, and air, and freedom lay in, and he stroked upwards towards the surface.
Kestrel took a deep draught of air, fresh, clean sea air that filled his lungs with blessed relief, then fell back beneath the surface momentarily. He rose again and wiped the water from his eyes. He felt exhausted. He saw the ship nearby, and shouted loudly, as loudly as he could, then lay on his back and floated to rest for a minute. He raised his head and saw a small launch being lowered down the side of the ship, and he gave a sigh of relief, then gave another shout for help to give his rescuers a direction to move towards.
He was spent. His body was limp and his mind was empty. He floated weakly on the surface of the water, waiting in a state of only half-consciousness until the dinghy pulled alongside and men’s strong arms grabbed him and pulled him onboard, and then he passed out.
The Inner Seas Kingdoms: 04 - A Foreign Heart Page 37
