Chapter Eleven

~ Finding ~

The men who were tasked by Suho to check the surrounding waters were bored. All they did was stay on a boat for a whole day and glance around occasionally. They found no wooden planks like Suho said they might find. And there’s no body floating. Maybe all those hard council works did the member’s head in.

“We found nothing yesterday, what makes you think we’ll find something today?” one of the men grumbled.

“Let’s stay on the water until the night guards come.” His companion said.

Since it’s dangerous to be on water when it’s dark, a handful of guards take over their duty if ever something weird washes up on their shores at night. It’s their second day now, but they still haven’t seen anything or anyone.

“The guards won’t even know we left two hours early. Let’s just go home.” The first one suggested.

The second pursed his lip, considering the idea. “Well, if we won’t get punished for this.”

They both started to paddle their way back to the shores. But the calm water under them became unrest. The two held on to the boat as sudden waves rocked their boat, bringing them farther from Umidian land.

“What’s happening?” one shouted in panic.

“What gives you the idea that I know?” another answered.

Then they stopped. The waves brought them so far away that their home land was just a speck of brown in the distance. The two looked at each other, fear evident in their eyes.

“Do you think something is underwater?” the companion whispered.

“I don’t know,” was the first man’s quivering answer.

They both looked around, searching for the hypothetical something that might have brought them here in the middle of the water. It was still day so the water was clear. There’s no sign of anything, anything except —

“Look! Over there!” the first man pointed at the body he saw.

“It’s person.” His companion said, horrified. “Quick, paddle to to the body!”

They worked with their wooden paddles to reach it. Upon closing the distance to a few feet, the first man dived into the water to retrieve the body. He grabbed the person by the waist and swam to the boat. There, the companion helped to pull the body out of the ocean.

“It’s a girl.” The companion sputtered.

The first man wasted no time, checking if the said girl was alive. “She’s breathing, but her pulse is slow. She needs a healer. Let’s go!”

And they paddled back swiftly, adrenaline still fueling their body. The council member was