The ocean had not calmed by nightfall, and we gathered on the beach for rest. Sweat-soaked bodies piled beside each other. Although the breeze that skirted off the sea worked to cool our damp skin. When the next day arrived, Nikolas had us board the single but massive ship, where two hundred men would dwell for perhaps the next few months.
I fled for the railing and anchored myself against the wood. I held my stomach, sorely anticipating the sickness that would come. Then Leon found me when he boarded and offered me mint leaves that had been ground into a fine powder. It would soothe my stomach, he said. Despite his youth, he seemed knowledgeable about illnesses, like a doctor would be. And which methods to cure them. I marveled and thanked him.
