Chapter 7
Ul stretched his arm. It had been eleven days since he’d lost his hand. The pain was now a dull ache, but the sensation of his branches rubbing on his bed sheets remained even though they no longer existed.
Memorials had been held for the dead, and everyone was waiting to see if anyone would come down from the metal boxes.
His guards reported every second day when the shift changed.
Everyone who had been seen in the boxes appeared to be human, though their hair wasn’t blond.
The guards claimed that someone had waved at them and that they appeared to be busy all day, working on their boxes.
Did that mean they were trying to leave?
Is that why they weren’t interested in greeting the king?
It was still rude to arrive and ignore his outreach.
The other pressing issue was the water. He’d sampled it and, like the other krakke, agreed that it was different in taste and texture.
As much as he wanted to swim, the healer claimed it was too soon and that his arm wasn’t fully healed.
Others had swum, exploring their surroundings and their reports were disturbing.
They claimed the seabed had changed and was unrecognizable, that the creatures in the water were different, and that they’d seen the wreckage of unfamiliar ships.
None of which made sense if the boxes arrived on his island.
There was an even more chilling thought: that his island was no longer where it should be. But that was an idea so dark, he wasn’t brave enough to share it with anyone. He didn’t want to cause a panic.
No, for the moment, it was enough to deal with the boxes, the deaths, the strangeness in the water, and all the requests for help from the various districts as they sent almost daily reports.
Ifer burst into the room. “Sire, a runner. Five people descended from the boxes. Your guards are bringing two of them to the castle.”
“What do they want?” Everyone wanted something at the moment. He wanted a few moments of peace and a swim.
“I do not know, sire. Apparently, they cannot speak our language, and the runner said they kept pointing to their drinking flask. The guards assumed they were thirsty as two of them went straight to the river.”
Ul pressed his lips together. He couldn’t leave them to die in their boxes, and if they had no water, they probably had no food, and hungry people were desperate people.
“Send a cart with grain and vegetables, and pay a farmer to slaughter one cow. We will learn their language and find out why they are here.” Or why we are there.
“We aren’t sure how many are up there.”
“We do not. However, we are supplying food in good faith. And I want guards to remain in the area to observe and count…have any other kinds been spotted?”
“The runner said all five are human.”
“That is all?”
Ifer inclined his head.
Hungry humans in boxes. But they weren’t humans from here; they were from the other world. A place Ul had only ever heard about in travelers’ tales. “Perhaps they were swept off course like your ancestors?”
“I do not think their structure is used for travel.”
Neither did he, but islands didn’t travel either. “What do you think happened, Ifer? Speak freely because I am developing my own theories, and I am hoping there are better ones.”
Ifer was silent for several heartbeats. His gaze lingered on the bookcase instead of looking at Ul.
“There is a lot of talk about what happened. Most of it from the krakke, who retrieved what cargo remained, and none of it good. The water is colder, the ocean floor is different, and the ships that had been docked… Some of them are now embedded in the rocks. How does that happen?”
“Without magic, I do not know.”
“People are worried. The fishers returned with no catch and tales of the tides being wrong.”
“I have heard.” Ul went to tap the papers on his desk with his branches only to remember too late that there was nothing there to tap with.
“The weather is also colder. I should not need a heavy cloak this early in the season. I am putting together an announcement. When I am done, you will copy it for the districts.”
“Of course, sire. And the box humans on their way?”
Ul closed his eyes. The humans were technically guests. However, they did not know the rules of Felloi or speak the language. Nor were they criminals awaiting trial. “I want them to be housed securely but made comfortable.”
Ifer frowned. “Perhaps a tower suite, as it is easily guarded, yet provides suitable accommodation for guests of unknown standing. We do not want them reporting back that we housed them in a half-flooded cell.”
That was another thing on his list. The cells flooded with the tides, and so did the rock pools, meaning they were no longer safe for hatchlings.
The public cave where the eggs were laid was unusable, though his hand was found during the attempted cleanup and egg retrieval.
It had been burned in an odd kind of ceremony to farewell the dead eggs and his own body part, yet at the same time, it felt right, as if a king should share the loss with his people.
“The tower will be fine. It’s not as though those chambers haven’t been used to house guests before.” Though it had been decades since someone had lived there.
“I will have it prepared. If you intend to keep working, shall I have the kitchen send up some soup or a liquor and sweet?”
Ul stared at the papers. His arm throbbed, and his heart ached. He didn’t want to do more. “I will heed the healer’s warning and rest. Can you have her prepare a draft, so I do not wake every time I turn over?”
Ifer relaxed, his shoulders drooping as if he’d been resisting the urge to tell him to rest. “I will. This will all be here tomorrow.”
Ul sighed. He’d hoped that if he pushed, it would go away and things might go back to how they’d been, but that was a lie, so he could avoid the truth. Perhaps it was time he listened and rested.
A broken king couldn’t heal his kingdom.