Page 11 of Dark Island: Rescue
"That's easy to say in a hypothesis," Sarah said, but her voice was gentle, not dismissive. "But in reality, faced with an actual choice? I don't know. The world outside is dangerous, Liliat. We've heard the stories from the servants who came from the outside. Wars, poverty, violence, uncertainty. Here, we know what to expect. We're protected."
"We're prisoners," Liliat countered.
"We're privileged prisoners," Beulah amended. "There's a difference."
"Is there, though?"
The conversation was veering into territory that made Tula's pulse race. This was exactly what Areana had warned her against—anything that might seem like discontent could draw attention.
She glanced at the goddess and saw her gliding toward their cluster, her movements creating barely a ripple. When she surfaced in their midst, water streaming from her pale hair, her blue eyes were sharp and assessing.
"What are you all whispering about?" Areana's voice was pleasant, conversational, but Tula heard the warning underneath.
Raviki answered before Tula could concoct a suitabledeflection. "Tula is entertaining us with hypothetical scenarios. Aliens landing on the harem grounds to rescue us and whatnot."
Areana's gaze fixed on Tula, and there was reproach in those ancient blue eyes. Or was it fear? Perhaps both?
"We should not engage in such nonsense." Areana's voice carried just enough edge to cut. "And Tula should stop reading so many books about aliens and other fantasies. There are better uses for our time and our minds."
It was a reprimand. Clear, unmistakable, and deserved.
Tula should have lowered her gaze, apologized, and changed the subject. That would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, she met Areana's eyes directly. "I was just curious about how the others would respond to the hypothetical scenario. It was a harmless thought experiment."
"Nothing is harmless when it plants seeds of discontent." Areana's voice dropped lower, audible only to those directly around her. "Fantasies of escape, of rescue, of being whisked away to adventure, serve no purpose except to make our reality feel more confining. We should focus on gratitude for what we have, not yearning for what we cannot possess."
The words were meant for all of them, but Tula knew they were directed at her specifically. A warning. A reminder to be careful, to think before she spoke, and to remember that the walls had ears and even innocent hypotheses could draw unwanted attention.
"You're right," Tula said, forcing contrition into hertone. "I should read more romance novels and less science fiction. Unless you deem romance dangerous as well?"
Areana didn't smile as Tula had expected. "Many romance novels paint ideal scenarios that lead to unrealistic expectations and cause more pain than pleasure. You need to keep in mind that neither men nor women are perfect, and what those fantasy novels paint as perfection would be unbearable in real life."
"I know that," Tula murmured. "I'm not naive."
Areana held her gaze for a moment longer, then nodded. "I know. You are a smart lady, Tula. But we all get carried away sometimes." She pushed away from the group, returning to her laps with the same graceful, relentless rhythm as before.
The conversation had been effectively killed. Sarah started talking about a romance she'd been reading and criticizing the enemies-to-lovers trope. Beulah and Raviki gradually drifted toward the shallow end, and Liliat gave Tula one last meaningful look before diving under the water.
Tamira moved closer. "You are playing with fire."
"I know, but I've learned something."
"What?"
"Most of them wouldn't choose to leave even if they could," she whispered. "They're too afraid, too comfortable, too convinced that the outside world is worse than this, and I can't blame them. Navuh has been pushing that narrative for millennia. Describing the outside world as a chaotic hell is a smart tactic to keep people from questioning their circumstances." Tula's hand finally drifted to her belly, hidden beneath thewater where no one could see. "But at least now I can feel less guilty about not rescuing all of them if they don't want to be rescued."
It occurred to her that the statement was hypocritical. Not too long ago, she was just like them. She had declined Carol's offer to get her off the island. How could she blame her sisters for doing exactly what she had done?
Tamira was quiet for a moment. "What about Liliat? She said she would go."
Tula shook her head. "I don't know if any of us can escape. It was just a hypothetical question."
Across the pool, Tony was laughing at something Elias had said, his face open and unguarded in a way it rarely was anymore. He caught her looking and waved, his smile broadening.
She waved back, maintaining the pretense, and wondered if he had any idea how hard this was for her.
Tula closed her eyes and let herself float, the water holding her weightless, and tried to remember what it felt like to trust that everything would work out.
It was a skill she'd once possessed. She hoped she could relearn it in time.
