“Hey, look!” Malao replied. “You're turning green! You must be a tree snake. They're almost always green!” He rocked the boat harder.
“STOP IT!” Seh shouted.
Malao stopped. “So sorry,” he said, still giggling. Malao tugged at the drawstring on his orange pants and leaned over the side of the boat.
Fu snickered. “You do look pretty funny, Seh. Kind of pale and green and—”
The boat suddenly tilted heavily to one side. Malao was leaning too far. Without thinking, Seh shifted his weight to the other side to compensate for Malao's mistake. Unfortunately, so did Fu.
The last thing Seh saw as the boat flipped over was Malao somersaulting through the air, laughing hysterically.
Seh hit the water face-first. The force of the flipping boat drove him deep into the murky lake. Long strands of drifting seaweed tangled around his arms, legs, and neck. The snake beneath his robe wriggled up his back but came to a dead end when it reached Seh's collar. It slithered over to Seh's shoulder and clamped nervously around his upper arm, squeezing a major pressure point. Seh felt his arm begin to grow numb.
Seh opened his eyes. They filled with burning, muddy water. He slammed his eyes shut and felt bits of sand and grit grind against his eyeballs.
Seh had no idea which way was up. Blind beneath the water, he picked a direction and started swimming toward it with his one good arm.
Something—someone—grabbed Seh's waist and began to pull him in a different direction.
Seh twisted and turned and thrashed, but it was no use. He felt himself being dragged powerfully through the water. In a last act of defiance, Seh formed a snake-fang fist and raked it across the hands of his attacker.
Seh's attacker released him and shrieked. Seh heard it loud and clear as his head and shoulders exploded out of the water. He opened his eyes and sucked down huge gulps of cool morning air. The snake loosened its grip and managed to poke its head out of the front of Seh's collar.
Seh spun himself around as he began to tread water and saw a girl's head bobbing directly in front of him.
Seh blinked several times. Though she had very short hair, Seh was certain it was a girl. A teenager. It had been her hands on his waist.
Seh realized the girl might very well have just saved his life. She had turned him around and dragged him to the surface. Seh stared at her tiny black eyes, flat face, and smooth, dark skin. She looked just like an eel.
The water exploded behind Seh and he turned to see Fu surface with someone attached to his back.
“Get off me!” Fu roared.
The person on Fu's back released him and kicked away. Seh did a double take. It was a teenage boy with short black hair and a smooth, flat face with dark skin. Like an eel.
The boy dove out of sight.
Seh looked back at the girl and his eyes widened. The boy and girl looked almost identical!
The boy surfaced next to the girl. They smiled at Seh in unison, then disappeared beneath the murky water together.
“Over here!” the boatman called out. He was clinging to the overturned boat. Malao was off to one side, floating happily on his back. Fu was plowing through the water, heading straight for Malao with a scowl on his face.
Seh swam to the boat.
“Who were those two?” Seh asked the boatman as he gripped the side of the upside-down boat.
“Escorts,” the boatman replied.
“Were they following us the whole time?” Seh asked. “Underwater?”
The boatman nodded.
“How?”
“They can hold their breath an unnaturally long time,” the boatman said. “And when they do need to breathe, they use a small, hollow reed. They can stay underwater for hours.”
“They can actually see in this water?” Seh asked.
“I'm not sure,” the boatman replied. “But I know they can hear really well. Sound travels far underwater.”
“That's why you banged three times on the side of the boat,” Seh said.
The boatman nodded.
“Did one of them signal back by pretending to roll like a fish?”
The boatman grinned. “You are very observant.”
Malao squealed, and Seh looked up. Fu had ahold of Malao by the collar and was dunking him repeatedly. Malao erupted with laughter, which seemed to make Fu all the more frustrated.
Seh looked at the boatman. “That girl is a very strong swimmer,” Seh said.
“You should see her fight,” the boatman said. “Especially in the water. She and her brother are unbeatable together. They fight as one. They might be twins.”
Seh glanced over at Fu dunking Malao. “I'm glad they're on our side. I thought she was trying to drown me.”
“She could easily have done it,” the boatman said. “Lucky for you, things aren't always as they appear at first glance. Especially around here.”