Island of Shipwrecks Read Free

taking on water fast. Sky suggested we try a glass spell to cover the hole.” She paused for breath. “I think it might work, but I don’t know how to cast that one.”
    Alex looked at Sam. “Can you do it?”
    Samheed nodded. “I’ll go. You figure out what to do from here.”
    A moment later, Carina Holiday approached. “Alex,” she said urgently. Her pixie hair was wild, sticking up in all directions. “Sean’s not doing very well.”
    Alex’s face lit up with concern. “Where is he?”
    â€œStill tied to the ropes. Follow me.”
    Alex hurried after Carina. When they reached Sean, whose leg had been badly broken by a giant eel on the living-crab island called Karkinos, they knelt at his side. Lani’s younger brother, Henry Haluki, was there already, measuring a small amount of liquid from a vial and pouring it carefully into Sean’s mouth. Sean’s face twisted in pain. Sweat dotted his upper lip and forehead.
    â€œWhat happened?” Alex said.
    â€œBumpy ride,” Sean said between short gasps of pain.
    Carina reached for Sean’s hand, and he gripped it tightly. “It’s his leg, obviously,” she said. “He’s having almost as much pain now as when he broke it.”
    Alex pressed his lips together. “What do we do?” he asked Henry.
    Henry held the bottle of medicine to the light, frowned, and put it into his pocket. He moved to examine the makeshift splint the Unwanteds had made for Sean’s leg. “Every move this ship makes,” Henry said with grave authority, “feels like a knife stabbing his leg. We have to set it again.”
    â€œNo,” Sean whispered. His eyelids fluttered, but the medicine was beginning to work. “Hurts . . . so much . . .” He closed his eyes.
    Henry looked at Alex. “And then we have to get him home.”
    Alex nodded. “As soon as we can figure out how to do that, we’ll be on our way.”
    â€œNo,” Carina said. “He needs to go right away.”
    Alex frowned. “Look, I know he’s in pain, but there’s no way to turn this ship into a speedboat. We have a leak, Captain Ahab is in pieces, and Ms. Octavia is—”
    â€œAlex,” Henry interrupted. “You don’t understand. We’re almost out of medicine.”
    Alex sat back. “What? How could that be? I thought you brought a lot.”
    â€œWe had plenty for a trip to rescue Sky’s mother,” Henry said, sounding a little defensive. “But then we kept going, and we used two whole bottles on Lhasa before Kitten brought her back to life. And Sean’s been taking it regularly for days. Even after all of that, we would have been fine, except we lost the medical bag when we went over the waterfall. So all I have left is what was in my pocket.” Henry, who was quite young for having such excellent healing abilities, blinked hard, as if he were trying not to cry. “I should have hung on to the bag better.”
    Carina patted his shoulder. “You did just fine.”
    â€œYes, and you saved one bottle, which Sean desperately needed,” Alex reassured him. “I understand—I’m not blaming you for anything. I was just surprised.” He sucked in a breath and blew it out, thinking hard about how to handle things. “How long do we have?”
    â€œI’ve got a few drops left in this bottle,” said Henry. “Notenough for a full dose when this wears off, but it’ll help him get through the rest of today.”
    â€œOh boy,” Alex muttered. He doubted there was a way they could get home in several days, much less by nightfall.
    â€œAnd we need to set his leg now, while he won’t feel it as much.”
    Alex blew out a heavy, frustrated breath. Setting Sean’s leg had been bad enough the first time. He looked around and saw a slightly bedraggled Ms. Octavia