Meleng huddled up in the padded armchair, trying not entirely successfully to pull his legs up onto the seat. Ultimately, he decided to let them be and instead tried to reposition the thick blanket so it hung down far enough to reach the floor and cover his feet. It worked only a little better.

Despite the blanket and the dry clothes he now wore, he was still cold. There was a slight draught in the room, presumably getting through gaps between the large windows and the hull of the ship. Gen should really do something about that.

He was in Captain Gen’s cabin, back on the Lustrous Rose. Feviona had brought him back here as soon as he was in dry clothes and somewhat warmer. Gen had then immediately ushered him here and put him in bed.

“Still cold, lad? Here, let me get you something.” Gen strode over to the liquor cabinet and took out a bottle. He poured two small glasses of the transparent brown liquid and held one out for Meleng.

“What is it?” Meleng asked, tentatively reaching a hand out for it.

“Whisky. A local distillation. I’m not very familiar with local whiskies, but this is supposed to be one of the best. Considering the price I paid for it, it better be.” Gen raised his glass to his face and inhaled deeply a couple times. “Hmm, has promise.” He held out the glass in a toast. “To the local hero I hear they’re already calling Elemental Killer.” Then he took a sip of his whisky.

Meleng grimaced at the name—he didn’t like being called a killer—but Gen apparently thought he was grimacing at the drink.

“Yes, it’s not the best. I suppose it’s decent as far as Arnorin rye whiskies go, but it’s no Dangorin malt. Not even a Corunglainese.” Gen sighed contentedly. “Now, those Dangorins can make a good whisky. Unfortunately, I’m fresh out. But as I said, it’ll warm you up, so go on, drink up.” Gen took another sip.

Meleng brought the glass up to his lips and looked at it for a moment. Was he supposed to sniff it first like Gen had? Did it matter? To be on the safe side, he took a sniff. It was… Well, it smelled a lot like alcohol, which wasn’t very descriptive. It didn’t smell like wine or ale, which were pretty much the only alcohols he knew anything about, but he couldn’t really describe it otherwise.

He glanced up at Gen, who raised his glass and nodded encouragingly.

Then he took a sip, and his mouth burned. He didn’t quite gasp, but he must have grimaced, as Gen laughed. “I...uh…” He coughed. “I don’t think it’s for me.”

“I would advise you to never drink with some people I know. They would be very offended right now.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Gen chuckled and took another sip of his drink, sighing contentedly again. “You have to admit, though, it warms you up.”

With a groan, Meleng nodded. It had made him feel warmer—burning would do that, he supposed—though the chill was returning now. He raised the glass to his mouth again, staring down at the contents. There wasn’t a lot there. It should only take a few more sips. Three or four if he made them big sips. He braced himself and took a slightly larger sip. It burned more.

Gen raised his glass. “That’s the spirit.” After another sip, he dragged a chair over in front of Meleng and sat, slouching over slightly. “Tell me, lad, how are you doing?”

“Well, I think I’m okay. Still a bit cold, but the...uh...the drink is helping.”

“No, no, no. I don’t mean the brush with death and swim in freezing water. I’m talking more generally. We haven’t had a chance to talk recently. How are you doing?”

“Fine, I guess. I’ve started lessons with Feviona, and it was a pretty good start. Except for the fire creature, I mean.”

Gen nodded, but was frowning. “I didn’t ask what you’re doing. I asked how. But I suppose fine is a start.”

“There’s not much to add,” Meleng said. Truth was, there was probably a lot to add, but he had difficulty talking about those things with Sinitïa or Akna, never mind anyone else. He raised his glass to his mouth again in an effort to hide any looks of discomfort on his face. “How about you?”

With raised eyebrows, Gen took another sip. “Me? Fine as well. Though if I were to be more specific, I’d call it a tenuous fine.” He motioned at the room around them. “You may have noticed a number of new things in here.”

Meleng lowered the glass and looked around. He hadn’t really, though now that he thought about it, the bed did look new—bigger and fancier. He had never spent a lot of time in the captain’s cabin before—after all, it was the captain’s cabin, not his own—and he had never paid a lot of attention to its contents.

“Or perhaps you haven’t,” Gen said. “Doesn’t matter. In the past week, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some of the money your girlfriend paid me to cart you to Isyaria and back. It more than covered my losses on the trip and has left me with a very tidy profit. More money than I’ve had in quite some time, in fact. So I get to spend some of it on upgrading the ship, and even some on myself. It’s a nice feeling, and I’m enjoying it a lot. However, Princess Felitïa has asked me to remain in Quorge on permanent retainer. She’s offering a very handsome payment, too. I’d be a fool to turn that much money down.”

Meleng took another sip—bigger again—and coughed at the intensity of the burn. “So...uh...what’s...what’s the problem?”

Gen stretched in the seat and sighed. “As I understand it, her Highness is undergoing some sort of training that is likely going to take months, perhaps longer. That means she’s not going anywhere anytime soon. I suppose to a non-sailor, the idea of getting paid to sit around and wait might be appealing. However, to someone like me… We’ve been in Quorge for almost two weeks now. That’s nothing. I’ve had longer layovers. As I said, I’m enjoying myself, and upgrades to the ship will take a little while. But after a couple months, half a year, worse, I’ll be itching to at sea again. I know myself. I’ll resent taking the employment.” He jumped to his feet and started pacing.

“You don’t have to,” Meleng said. “Felitïa won’t force you. I think the main reason she’s offered is because Sinitïa, Jorvan, and I have spoken highly of you and she has these images in her head. They’re sort of…”

“Yes, I know. She’s explained a little about it. Very strange. I’m not sure what to think about it, but I know there are strange things going on. Which is part of why I’m considering taking her offer anyway. Today’s events show there are still things afoot. I get the feeling if I turn her down and try to leave, events will conspire to bring us back together anyway. Do you believe in fate, lad?”

Meleng shrugged. “I’m not really sure. Felitïa really doesn’t like the idea of it, but we’ve encountered a lot of things recently to suggest—”

“Mm, yes. Personally, I don’t believe in it. Never have. A life at sea will teach you that anything can change at any moment. The sea can snatch you away from your so-called fate in the blink of an eye.”

“But weren’t you just saying you think—?”

“But that said, I think there are forces in the world that try to make things happen the way they want. The Pundritta for example. We’re all at the mercy of forces greater than ourselves, whether that be nature or humanity. Or Isyar..ity? Whatever. You just have to decide whether to hide away or resist and risk everything.”

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” Meleng said.

Gen paused in his pacing and looked over at Meleng with a smile. “Oh, just thinking aloud, lad. Trying to come to a decision. Or rather, I’ve come to a decision and am now trying to find a way to talk myself out of it.”

“You really don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. No one will think any less of you.”

With a shrug, Gen drank the last bit of liquid in his glass. “I know. Miana says I should turn the offer down. They know me well too, and they know themself. They’ll be as stir-crazy as me; they just won’t show it as much.” He chuckled.

“Then go. I wouldn’t want to cross your first mate.” Meleng tried to grin as if he was joking, but there was just too much truth in that.

Gen laughed anyway. He returned to his chair and slouched down in it. “You’re right. Crossing Miana can be a risky endeavour. But Miana doesn’t want to leave. They want me to take the offer.”

“But you said…”

Gen leaned forward, almost conspiratorially. “Miana knows me, and I know them. I know when they say the opposite of what they mean.”

“So you’re staying then?”

Gen’s face contorted in thought for a moment, but then he nodded. “I’m staying.”

“So, when you asked me how I was doing, you really just wanted to tell me how you were struggling to make this decision.”

Gen threw his head back and laughed. “I swear it wasn’t conscious, but I suppose subconsciously, I was hoping for that. Still, I was honestly interested in knowing how you were doing. There is one other thing keeping me and Miana from leaving you know. Well, two I suppose.”

“What’s that?”

“You and your girlfriend. We’ve become quite attached to you both. And your Isyar family too, but the two of you in particular. We don’t want to stray too far.”

Meleng smiled. “I...um...thanks.” Not sure what else to say, he took another sip of the burning drink. There was maybe one sip left. He could get through this.

Gen leaned forward and patted Meleng on the arm. “Don’t tell Miana I told you that. They won’t admit it, and they’ll make my life a living hell.”

Gen laughed, and Meleng laughed with him.

There was a rap at the door.

Gen stood and turned to face the door. “Enter.”

The door opened and Sinitïa stepped into the room. Upon seeing Meleng, she rushed right over to him. “Melly!” She threw herself over him, awkwardly straddling his lap, her heavy skirts tangling about their legs. “I came as fast as I could, but they won’t let me go anywhere without an escort. I tried to sneak out, but Anita guessed and caught me. She said I had to take Akna with me at the very least, and she was right. Akna deserves to see you too. She’s waiting on deck. She said I should see you first. Are you okay? I was so worried.”

Meleng smiled. “I’m great.” He so loved the warmth of her when she was pressed close to him like this. On this occasion, it also removed the last of the chill still affecting him. So much more effective than the whisky. And he loved it when her face filled the entirety of his vision like it did now, her pale blue eyes staring into his. He could stare back at her forever.

At a cough from Gen, they broke eye contact, and Sinitïa jumped to her feet with a squeal.

“I’m sorry, Etiënne. I should have said hi, but I was just thinking of Melly, and I didn’t think about anything else. I kind of didn’t really notice you, and…”

Gen waved his hand. “Not to worry, my dear. I remember young love.”

Sinitïa blushed and tried to straighten out the folds of her skirts. She looked radiant, but then, she always did. Her hair was tied up in a layered bun that tapered to almost a point and adorned with flowers that shouldn’t be in bloom this time of year.

After a moment of awkward silence, Gen cleared his throat. “I was just telling Meleng here about my decision to accept your sister’s offer for permanent retainer.”

“That’s amazing!” Sinitïa threw her arms around Gen and hugged him tight. In a calmer, quieter voice, she said, “I don’t actually know what that is, but it sounds nice.”

Gen chuckled. After they parted from the hug, he said, “It means the Lustrous Rose will be at your sister’s beck and call. We will be here to transport her or anyone else she chooses wherever she wants.”

“That’s amazing!” Sinitïa threw her arms around Gen and hugged him again.

“I should leave you and the lad alone,” Gen said after they parted again. He strode over to the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. No, I take that back. There are several things I would do that I would prefer you did not.” He glanced back at them with a smile, then strode out the door, closing it behind him.

Meleng unwrapped himself from the blanket and stood up as Sinitïa turned to face him again.

“Was he making another sex joke?” she asked.

Meleng shrugged. “Probably.”

“They’re never going to stop, are they?”

Meleng shook his head as he put his arms around her. “Nope.”

She sighed as she leaned in close to him and her cheek brushed his. “I’m so glad you’re okay. “

They stood there hugging in quiet for a while, Meleng enjoying the warmth of her breath and the scent of her perfume. Then he kissed her, revelling in that little thrill he got every time they did this.

“I was really scared,” he said.

She looked at him with concerned eyes and ran a hand through his hair. “It must have been really scary. I heard it was ten feet tall and made of fire.”

He leaned his head on her chest. “No, not the creature. When I fell in the water. It was so cold and for a moment, I couldn’t tell what was up and what was down. I...I panicked. I just panicked. I was so scared I was going to die.”

She held him tighter and pressed her lips against his forehead.

“Before you got here, Gen asked me how I was doing, and I couldn’t tell him. All I could say was fine. I was doing fine. But I’m not.” He closed his eyes and let the tears drip down. He hoped they didn’t ruin her gown.

She squeezed him tighter. “You don’t need to tell him. You’ve got me.”

“I know. I love you, Sini. Please don’t die.”

“I love you, too.”

They stood there a little while longer. Eventually, Meleng pulled back a little and wiped his nose and eyes. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I think I got phlegm on your gown.”

She looked down and snickered. Then she pulled a handkerchief from a pocket and wiped the mark. “It’s nothing to worry about. You should probably go see Akna. She was worried about you too.”

He nodded, and went to wipe his face with his sleeve again, but she held out her handkerchief, and he used that instead. “Hey, you didn’t use her honorific.”

Sinitïa beamed. “She said that since we’re both really close to you, we should be like sisters to each other. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah, it is.” It really was. He was glad Akna wasn’t bothered by how his relationship with Sinitïa had developed. Since he had previously turned Akna down, he had been worried she might be upset or jealous. Luckily, it had been a needless worry.

Sinitïa reached out and took his hand, but instead of holding it, she took the handkerchief back and used it to dab his face. “You got some of my make-up on you when we kissed.” With a snicker, she took his hand again, this time holding onto it. “Shall we go?”

He nodded and they headed out on deck.

Akna was standing on the port side looking out over the busy docks. As he approached, she spoke without turning. “This ship is a lot bigger than the one we took to Scovese. Bigger even than the one Felitïa and I sailed up the Tirin in.” She looked back at him. “How are you doing?”

That question again. “Okay. I’ve been better, but, you know…”

She smiled, turned fully around, and spread her arms. They hugged.

“I hear the creature was twenty feet tall and would have destroyed every ship in the harbour if you hadn’t blown up part of the quay and dropped it in the water.”

Meleng groaned. “It wasn’t twenty feet tall. It was normal size. I don’t know. Six feet maybe. Not even as tall as that guy.” He pointed at a particularly tall man moving amongst the crowd on the pier close to the next ship over. Pale and bald, the man stood head and shoulders above even the tallest people around him.

Akna turned to look. “What guy?”

He pointed again. “Over there. Oh.” The man was gone. “There was a really tall guy over there by that ship. He must have gone behind it.”

“Not so tall, he sticks above it, huh?” Akna laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not so naïve anymore that I believed it was actually twenty feet tall.”

He leaned against the rail beside her. “How are you doing?”

“Better every day. It’s nice to be able to sleep again. I’m less exhausted. My senses are alert again. I noticed you approach, you might have noticed?”

“I did.”

She turned to face him while leaning sideways against the rail. “I also notice your eyes are red from crying. You sure you’re okay?”

He grimaced. “Oh. I hoped they would have cleared by now. I...uh…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”

“It’s just...it’s weird, you know? I faced the creature without a problem. I’ve faced a lot of things without much problem, but when I fell in the water, I just…”

She smiled at him. “I get it. Believe me, I do.”

Sinitïa came up beside him and put an arm around him. “You two should talk to each other.”

“We are talking to each other,” Meleng said. “We talk all the time. I mean, it’s been a couple of days, but…”

“I don’t think that’s what she means,” Akna said.

“That’s right,” Sinitïa said. “You both had someone playing around with your head. You should talk about it.” She squeezed Meleng. “Akna can probably understand better than me.”

“I talk to Anita all the time,” Akna said, “and she’s great. She’s supportive, but I know she doesn’t really understand. She hasn’t been through it. Felitïa would probably understand, but she’s not that available right now, and even when she is, she’s not that open about things anyway. I could use someone else to talk to.”

Meleng looked at each of them in turn. “You two planned this before you got here, didn’t you?”

As she always did whenever she was embarrassed, Akna looked away. “We needed something to talk about on the way here, and she practically begged me to talk to you. Which she didn’t really need to do, but…”

“You did?” Meleng said.

“Because she can help you!” Sinitïa said. “And you can help her. I’m sure of it.”

He leaned his head on her shoulder. “You’re probably right. We’ll talk.”

Sinitïa beamed. “I’ll leave you alone then.”

“You mean, right now?” Meleng said.

“Why not?”

Meleng looked at Akna, who shrugged. “Okay,” she said.

With a soft squeal, Sinitïa kissed him on the forehead and turned away.

“Where are you going?” Akna asked. “You need me to escort you back to the palace, remember?”

“I know,” Sinitïa said. “I’m just going to go talk to Etiënne and Miana. Come find me when you’re finished.” Then she practically skipped across the deck.

Akna sighed. “I think she thinks one conversation will cure us.”

“Cure us of what?”

“Our trauma. You can’t really cure that. She means well, though, and it probably will help us, even if only a little. So tell me a little of what happened in Isyaria.”

“I have to start?”

She smiled. “You already know a little more about what happened to me than I do about what happened to you, so yes. You start.”

Meleng hesitated a moment, but then nodded. She and Sinitïa were probably right. He had felt pretty comfortable just having Sinitïa to listen to him, but she was limited in how much advice she could offer. Maybe this was a good idea. Maybe this would help him stop double-checking the reality of everything. “Okay. Can we go somewhere private though?”

“Wherever you want.”

“We’ll go to our cabin. I mean the one Jorvan, Feviona, Sinitïa, and I used.”

Akna took his hand and squeezed it. “You got it. Lead on.”

Hand in hand, they headed below deck, where Meleng proceeded to open up.