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must have Karassa’s blessing; She is bidding us farewell!”
    Kelina looked down at the jellyfish, that sacred symbol of Karassa, and shrugged. “I say they’re headed to the island for their mistress’ festival. See, they’re all drifting shorewards.”
    Kelina could have been right. Now that Phaedra looked, the jelly she had spotted was truly only one among many, all drifting in toward the island with the tide. But she still wanted to believe that the Goddess had blessed her journey.
    The fellow with the crossbow shared her relief, anyway. Once the dock had fallen out of sight, his posture relaxed and his expression grew less tense.
    The ragged girl had the opposite reaction. Now that the fishing boat was on the open water, the girl doubled over her bundle, shuddering and mumbling to herself. Poor girl, thought Phaedra. By the looks of her she had never had a decent meal in her life, let alone a bath. That bundle of hers probably held all of her worldly possessions. At least so Phaedra thought, until she noticed it moving.
    As if in reaction to the boat’s motion, the bundle had begun to wriggle agitatedly. Great Gods, what did the girl have in there? She had not been mumbling to herself, Phaedra realized now: she had been whispering to whoever was under that blanket, trying to calm him or her down! Phaedra looked around, afraid to say anything but desperate to see if others had noticed what she had. Hunter was still gazing out to sea, but Criton had definitely noticed. He eyed the bundle curiously, saying nothing. The fellow with the crossbow hadn’t seen it yet, but then whatever was hidden under the blanket lurched against his leg, and he cried out in surprise.
    At the noise, the thing under the blanket finally freed itself with a bark and a growl that startled even Hunter out of his reverie. The ragged girl tried to pull the blanket back over the animal, but it was too late: her dog was free. Oh Gods no, not a dog! A wolf!
    Kelina screamed, and the boy with the crossbow fell against her in his attempt to get away from the beast. The wolf looked at them and snarled. Hunter came around the mast, trying to draw his sword, but his arm collided with the mast and stopped in mid-gesture. The wolf leapt at him and the two fell against the side of the little boat, with Criton clinging desperately to his box to avoid falling overboard as the boat listed from side to side.
    The boy with the crossbow tried to rise to his feet to load his weapon, but the boat’s movement threw him back down into Kelina. With a cry and a splash, the old woman tumbled backward into the water. Phaedra screamed and reached for her hand, but now the boat listed the other way, lifting her away from her nursemaid even as Kelina began to sputter and sink. Gods, she could not swim!
    By the time the boat rebalanced, Kelina was well out of reach. Phaedra cried and shrieked for the fisherman to turn them around, but he must have been too distracted by the wolf to hear her. The wind grew stronger, stinging Phaedra’s eyes and pulling the boat swiftly away. Soon Kelina had disappeared entirely from view.
    Phaedra collapsed against the side of the boat, sobbing. One moment Kelina had been sitting beside her, and the next moment she was gone. How could it be so simple, so easy to lose someone? Kelina had been everything to her: her wet nurse, her teacher, her constant companion. And she wouldn’t even have been on this godsforsaken boat if it hadn’t been for Phaedra.
    What would she say to her parents? No, she knew they wouldn’t blame her. She wasn’t even sure how much they would care, and that only made the grief grow heavier within her. Kelina’s sons had left to make their fortunes back before Phaedra even knew how to speak – Phaedra was the only person in the world who would miss her.
    If Phaedra did not make it safely to Atuna, nobody would care that Kelina hadn’t made it either. She