“Alright,” he says. “I’ll come with you.”
I feel relieved for a moment at the idea of not doing this alone, but I shake my head just as quickly.
“You know you can’t.”
“You can’t swim. I’ll make sure you don’t…” Roiven starts.
“They need you,” I interrupt. “At Aveinor. You were strong enough to beat me back then, and I was the Empire’s best knight. If I can’t get him to talk to me, you’d be stuck out in the ocean away from everyone.”
Roiven squints out at the horizon, then looks down at me again. I can feel he’s uncomfortable.
“You’ll stay on the shore, then?”
“I think I have to go to him somehow.”
“But you can’t… Cai, this is madness.” Worry pulses out from him.
“He never let me drown before. I think I have to trust him if I’m going to ask him to help. Don’t you want me to try?”
“Of course I do,” Roiven says hoarsely. “But you have to understand why that would scare me. The hotspring was one thing. The ocean can take even good swimmers. Idobelieve in you, Cai, but why can’t I help?”
“Because your help is needed elsewhere.”
“Just…” Roiven drags a hand over his face. “Wait here, alright? And eat that.”
He strides away, shrugging his coat off his shoulders as he goes. I sigh and take a bite. Is he stripping so he can swim after me? I know I have no business being in the water by myself. But what if I fail anyways, and Roiven is separated from everyone, in the middle of the ocean because I couldn’t reach my familiar? True, Sava could come get him if the reapers haven’t killed us yet, but thenshewon’t be there to help Aveinor either. Whatever slim odds their mission already has will be ruined entirely because I couldn’t do this on my own.
I finish the food quickly.
Roiven scales up Torain’s blue dragon, not Sava. I frown and turn back to the water, close my eyes, and reach with my mind.
“Please, won’t you just talk to me?” I call. “I didn’t know, alright? I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.” For an ancient being, I’m surprised the kraken cares at all whether I hate him.
The water laps over my toes, but I feel nothing. I draw a ragged breath as my chest goes tight. All Roiven’s hopes are wasted on me.
A minute later I see motion from the corner of my eyes. I turn to see Roiven jogging back with a strange object tucked under one arm. It’s the same black color as the jacket he was wearing, but it’s shaped more like a long, plush pillow.
“Here,” the witch says, and hands it to me. There’s a strap on one side. I blink and reach out to grab it. It’s lightweight, like there’s nothing inside it despite the inflated shape, and it feels like the same cloth he was wearing.
“Whatisthis?”
“Torain crafted it from my coat. I used my power to trap air inside. It will stay like this unless you puncture it.”
“What?”
“It’ll float,” Roiven says. The witch’s jaw is tight. “So if you’re determined to go without me, it can keep your head above water. And if you’re trying to get somewhere, kick, alright? Point the way you want to go, and get your legs behind you. Hold your head up on that device. Don’t thrash. Like this,” he holds up a hand, middle and pointer finger sticking out, and demonstrates with his fingers how I should move my legs.
“Swimming lessons,” I joke dryly as my heart thuds in my chest.
“Very poor ones,” Roiven mutters. There’s a storm behind his eyes, in his tense shoulders and the cut of his jaw. He doesn’t like any of this. “Are yousureI can’t come with you?”
“You know you’re needed elsewhere,” I tell him, my mouth dry.
I wish Roivencouldcome. I know he would in a heartbeat if I asked him to. He doesn’t want to turn and walk away. But he needs to reach Aveinor as quickly as he can. And I think, anyways, that I need to reach my familiar alone.
“If you need me, call me,” he urges. “No matter what. Alright? Don’t hesitate. Sava and I will come as fast as we can.”
He really shouldn’t promise that, but I nod, because I don’t think he’ll leave if I don’t. Roiven nods back sharply, jaw tight, and turns.
