Instead she sensed someone diving into the water. Oriana kicked back down toward the depths, but her pursuer kept after her. She drew her dagger again, but before she could turn about, a large hand clamped down on her hand. She had no leverage to jerk away, and it took only a second before the man attached to that hand managed to pry the blade loose from her fingers. It spun away down through the water, quickly obscured. The tang of blood floated in the water; the dagger had cut her hand when hed wrestled it away. The man wrapped an arm about her chest and dragged her back up toward the surface.
When she broke the surface again, a second man dug his hands into her sodden dress while the man in the water pushed her up and over the edge of the boat. She tumbled into the bilge.
For a second Oriana huddled there, hands balled into fists, trying to catch her breath. Her head throbbed and her hand did as well. Blood leaked from the palm of her right hand, but she didnt dare look. If she opened her hand to check the wound, her captors would surely see the webbing. Who were these men out on the water in the dark?
The boat rocked as the man whod pursued her into the river climbed back aboard. She had to face them eventually. Oriana took a deep breath and struggled to right herself between the planks of the rowboat. A moment later she was seated on a bench, wet skirts tangled about her legs, facing an older gentleman. Her pursuer settled behind her. The man before her was sixty or so, still handsome, with gray hair and a stern, square jaw. She recognized his face but couldnt place it. Where had she seen him before?
Are you well, miss? The older man had a blanket in his hands. Oriana flinched back as he leaned forward. He persisted, wrapping the blanket about her shoulders.
Oriana began to shiver. Her garments and shoes were soaked through. She lifted one hand to push her hair from her face, remembering to fold her fingers to hide the webbing. Where shed banged her forehead against the side of the boat, it was already tender.
Had they seen her hands? When theyd pulled her into the boat, had she had her fingers spread? She buried them in the blanket. Perhaps theyd been so busy they hadnt noticed. Please, gods, let that be the case.
The man repeated his question. He sounded kindly. He sounded concerned.
He thinks hes rescuing me. Oriana nearly laughed at the thought. She cleared her throat instead. Her breath still came shallow, and too fast. Yes, she mumbled. Im . . . well enough.
Thats good, he said. We were worried when we saw you in the water.
Her hands balled into fists again under the cover of the blanket. She needed to think faster, smarter. Why was this man out on the river? The Special Police patrolled the waters of the Douro every night, and she thought they had extra patrols over The City Under the Sea , but this little rowboat wasnt one of theirs. Had these men slipped past their patrols? The moon hadn't risen yet, and the only light came from a shuttered lantern set on a hook at the fore of the little boat, so it was possible they might not have been seen. The boat began to move, the large man behind her handling the oars, smelling of river water and musk.
The gentleman laid a gloved hand on her sodden knee. Now, miss. How did you get out here?
Oriana tried to gather her wits. She shook her head jerkily.
I had a vision, he said then, that there would be a girl in the water. I came here straightaway to see you safe, miss.
Vision? With a sinking in her stomach, Oriana suddenly placed his face. The man before her was Paolo Silva, one of Prince Fabricios favored seers. She had seen the man before, although at a distance, at more than one of the balls shed gone to with Isabel. She hadnt wanted to attract his attention then, and she didnt want
it now. Her lips trembled. The shivering was worse now, and not just from the cold.
This man was close to the prince who so hated her people. If Silva knew what she was, he would surely turn her in. She could try to dive back into the water, but she wasnt sure she could get into the river before the oarsman grabbed her. Her twisted skirts and the blanket would make that easy for him. And attempting escape would confirm that she had something to hide. She swallowed hard. There was still a chance they hadnt realized her true nature.
Oriana tried to keep her voice from shaking. Thank you, sir, she managed.
Good, Silva said. Youve found your voice. Now, do you recall how you got out here, miss? Im amazed you managed to keep your head above water.
Her head hadnt been above water. If she told this man shed been trapped in the houses below, he would know for certain she wasnt human.
I was dumped off one of the bridges, I think, she lied quickly. I was drugged, but I remember falling. She sounded pathetic enough to lend it plausibility.
The small lamp swayed with the motion of the boat, casting Silvas features in light, then shadow. How terrible! Shall I take you to a hospital, then, miss? Or the police station?