"Why did you think jumping would be a grand idea?" Dru shouted, wrapping his arms around himself as his head bobbed above the water.
Thame tilted his head in the direction the boat went.
Both brothers looked on as the boat crashed into the dark cliffs of Jurot and splintered into thousands of pieces as the waves continued battering against the boat.
"Thank you, brother," Dru said sheepishly.
"Anytime. Now come on, we've got quite a way to swim," Thame replied.
Five: Wading Through
“When I grow up, I want to be just like you, Momma.”
“Spoken like a child, my beauty. Never strive to be someone else, but better than the rest. Faster, stronger, more cunning, and far more deadly than any potential adversary.”
"We will stay afloat here, for now, brother," Thame said hoarsely.
Dru nodded his head feebly, exhaustion settling over him like a lead weight. His throat was dry and felt rubbed raw from the amount of saltwater he had ingested. With each passing second, it felt as though his eyes were filled with sand, and he longed to shut them and fall into the numb oblivion that was beckoning. Shivers wracked his body, causing the water around him to ripple continuously. His sodden clothes were weighing heavily upon him, threatening to pull him beneath the briny sea as soon as his consciousness slipped away.
Doing their best to stay alert, the brothers kept one wary eye on the sea, their bodies tense as they mistook bobbing birds for flashing fins. Their gazes scanned the cliffs of Jurot, searching for the secret cove that would offer them salvation from the treacherous sea. Hours passed by, the sun climbing higher in the sky until its rays were beaming brightly above them, burning their numb flesh.
Dru found himself dozing off, his head lolling to the side before his eyes snapped open. With wide eyes, he resumed his search as booted toes brushed up against something solid.
"Thame?" Dru called out tensely.
Thame, who looked as exhausted as Dru felt, turned his head slowly towards his brother. The look in Thame's dark eyes was one of regret and sorrow; gone was the thrill of adventure and mischievousness.
"It will be alright, brother," Thame croaked out.
"I know," Dru said back, his voice scratchy and unrecognizable. "The cove is just ahead to the north, but I am afraid I will not be going with you, my brother."
"Why in the seven hells will you not be going?" Thame demanded hoarsely.
Dru nearly laughed in the face of his brother's gruffness, but alas, he found nothing amusing about his current situation.
"There is a creature, solid and massive, just beneath me," Dru said, giving his brother a look that said he understood and accepted his fate.
"There is hope yet, brother. If it has not attacked you, it may have no intention of doing so," Thame said reasonably.
"I will attempt to make it to the cove with you, Thame. If the beast does attack me, you must leave me and carry on with our father's mission. Swear it to me," Dru said, his throat feeling rawer than before.
The air was heavy with unspoken emotion between the brothers before Thame spoke.
"I swear it to you, Druas, that I will leave you to your death by the fiending fish that thirst for blood and flesh of royals who've just shipwrecked, if the occasion arises," Thame said dryly.
Mildly annoyed, Dru glared at his brother, feeling wounded by how quickly Thame agreed to leave him to his fate should a beast attack.
"Will there ever come a moment in your life, brother, where you do not feel the need to mock me?" Dru croaked harshly.
Thame flashed a tired smile, his lips pale and chapped.
"I imagine there will be, but not today, when you mistake a sandbar for a ravenous beast and start making deathbed proclamations," Thame said.
It took Dru several seconds before he realized that the water was now around Thame's waist. Thame was standing steadily on his own two feet, whilst Dru's knees were nearly in his stomach in an attempt to keep his toes away from the non-existent beast. Huffing out an incredulous breath, disappointed in himself by his cowardice, Dru stood up straight, his cheeks flaming with shame, and avoided his brother's eyes.
Thame stepped forward and patted Dru on his back and then wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Together, they walked along the sandbar towards the small triangle of bright white sand that sat as a stark contrast against the towering black cliffs on either side. They moved with sluggish steps, their feet shuffling along the seafloor, stirring up sand and fish no bigger than frogspawn .
"The tide has gone out," Thame said when they reached the end of the sandbar.
The sandbar dipped dramatically back down to the seafloor, but they were now so close to the shore that the only obstacle in their way was avoiding getting knocked over by the cresting waves. Dru stepped down at the same time as Thame, the water now back to their shoulders. They moved quickly, alternating between floating and swimming as their renewed energy waned quickly. Wave after wave slammed into Dru's back, pushing him beneath the icy surface of the sea, but each time he would resurface gasping for air, determined to make it to the cove. Pulled under by a rather forceful wave, Dru spiraled beneath the water, his body being propelled toward the shore, as though the sea was spitting him from its depths.
Abruptly, Dru found himself on his hands and knees, his fingers digging into the hot white sand, the sun beating waves of heat on his back. Trusting Thame to find his way to the shore, Dru laid upon the warm shore, blissfully relieved as the tingling numbness left his limbs little by little. Closing his eyes against the brightness of the day, Dru slipped into the dark abyss that called to him, falling asleep before Thame washed ashore, coughing and sputtering as he expelled the seawater from his lungs.
Hours later, as the sun began its descent , casting pink hues in the sky, Dru was awakened by a sudden chill. His eyes opened sleepily, confusion blurring his thoughts as he glanced around, noticing Thame laying face down in the sand. There was an icy breeze coming off the sea, and the coolness caused his skin to sting as it brushed gently along his sunburnt flesh. Water splashed over Dru's feet, sending a chill up his spine as the image of him plunging into the sea flashed in his mind.
"Hades' flaming balls," Dru breathed in horror as another wave splashed onto the shore, soaking his booted feet.
Jumping to his feet, Dru raced on shaking legs to Thame, who, despite being drenched as well, was still fast asleep.
"Brother, wake up," Dru said urgently, shaking Thame's unconscious frame.
Thame did not so much as twitch, sending Dru into a full-blown panic. With no other choices as the tide rose higher, Dru backhanded his brother across his right cheek and swiftly brought his open palm back, slapping Thame on the left side. Thame's eyes snapped open, and in a blink, he had Dru beneath him, his arm raised and poised to strike in retaliation as his other hand wrapped tightly around his brother's throat.
"You better have a good fucking reason for that, brother," Thame growled above him, his teeth bared in a snarl.
"The tide," Dru gasped out as Thame's hand tightened around his neck.
Without releasing his brother, Thame turned his head and saw that Dru spoke the truth. The tide would soon cover the small beach, and there would be nothing left separating the waves and cliffs.