above and the deep water, not now. We serve as guides across the water. If the Devourer wishes to claim your ship, wewill take what he leaves. If not, we take what you give and build the trust between our kind. We gain by either path.”
“You said you didn’t want war between the surface and the water
now
. …”
Daine let the sentence hang, and there was a moment of silence. Thaask turned to face him fully, and the sunlight gleamed across his scales. “As he wills,” he said, drawing a claw across his teeth.
The sahuagin dove off the edge of the ship, returning to the sea to scout the waters ahead. There was a creature waiting for him there, a huge ray with fins that made Daine think of wings. This beast served as Thaask’s mount, sliding through the water with speed that hinted at supernatural origins; Thaask clung to the ray’s back and it darted forward, making it seem as if the
Kraken’s Wake
was standing still. Daine watched the shadowy shape disappear into the depths, and wondered what lay hidden in the deep waters.
The attack came without warning. One moment Daine was standing at the railing of the ship, an instant later, he was engulfed in cold shadows that drew the heat from the world. He was weightless, falling, and though he could see nothing, every instinct screamed that he could strike deadly ground at any moment.
Let me take you from this place
. The voice was calm, soothing … Tashana.
Don’t fight it. Take my hand and you can have refuge in your memories, safe from the death that awaits you here
.
Daine could feel her fingers just beyond his own, warm and welcoming. He clenched his fist. “None of this is real.”
Perhaps, but it is deadly all the same
.
The wind grew louder, and Daine felt that he was falling faster, though darkness was still the only thing he could see.
Surrender to me
. Tashana’s thoughts were cold fingers drifting across his skin.
Let us return to your past. It’s the only way you’ll ever know the truth of that night—the only way you’ll know if you were really to blame for the fate of your soldiers
.
Faces flashed across Daine’s mind. Jode. Donal. For a moment he heard Krazhal cursing just behind him. Marshalling histhoughts, he forced the images away. “I know all I need. Now get out of my mind.”
Are you certain that’s what you want? Do you know what you left behind?
Impact. Not earth or stone, but water, even colder than the chilling wind. Daine’s limbs were still frozen, and salt water flowed into his nose as the weight of his armor pulled him down.
It seems I pushed too hard when I seized your mind
, Tashana said.
You’ve fallen from the railing. You don’t have much time. Do you really want to spend it choking in the cold? Wouldn’t you prefer to die in the company of friends?
“I’m not dying!” Daine snarled. Then it struck him. He could feel the water flowing into his lungs, the paralysis gripping his body—yet he could still speak, still hear his own voice. “This isn’t real!” he hissed.
Though Daine couldn’t move his arms, he could
imagine
moving them. As his body slipped deeper and deeper beneath the sea, Daine pretended to reach down to his belt. One hand gripped the hilt of his sword. The other slipped into his belt pouch—and even as his belongings drifted out into the water, he wrapped his hand around the shard of green crystal.
Strength flowed into him, fire moving up through his hands and burning away the cold. A blazing green light consumed the darkness and Daine heard a keening howl as Tashana faded from his mind.
He opened his eyes.
His clothes were dry, and the air was as warm as it ever got on the
Kraken’s Wake
. Light came from the everburning lantern on the wall. He was lying on his bunk, and Lei and Lakashtai were staring down at him.
“Daine?” Lei said quietly.
His left hand ached, and he realized he was clutching the crystal shard Lakashtai had given him so long ago—squeezing it so tightly
“You said you didn’t want war between the surface and the water
now
. …”
Daine let the sentence hang, and there was a moment of silence. Thaask turned to face him fully, and the sunlight gleamed across his scales. “As he wills,” he said, drawing a claw across his teeth.
The sahuagin dove off the edge of the ship, returning to the sea to scout the waters ahead. There was a creature waiting for him there, a huge ray with fins that made Daine think of wings. This beast served as Thaask’s mount, sliding through the water with speed that hinted at supernatural origins; Thaask clung to the ray’s back and it darted forward, making it seem as if the
Kraken’s Wake
was standing still. Daine watched the shadowy shape disappear into the depths, and wondered what lay hidden in the deep waters.
The attack came without warning. One moment Daine was standing at the railing of the ship, an instant later, he was engulfed in cold shadows that drew the heat from the world. He was weightless, falling, and though he could see nothing, every instinct screamed that he could strike deadly ground at any moment.
Let me take you from this place
. The voice was calm, soothing … Tashana.
Don’t fight it. Take my hand and you can have refuge in your memories, safe from the death that awaits you here
.
Daine could feel her fingers just beyond his own, warm and welcoming. He clenched his fist. “None of this is real.”
Perhaps, but it is deadly all the same
.
The wind grew louder, and Daine felt that he was falling faster, though darkness was still the only thing he could see.
Surrender to me
. Tashana’s thoughts were cold fingers drifting across his skin.
Let us return to your past. It’s the only way you’ll ever know the truth of that night—the only way you’ll know if you were really to blame for the fate of your soldiers
.
Faces flashed across Daine’s mind. Jode. Donal. For a moment he heard Krazhal cursing just behind him. Marshalling histhoughts, he forced the images away. “I know all I need. Now get out of my mind.”
Are you certain that’s what you want? Do you know what you left behind?
Impact. Not earth or stone, but water, even colder than the chilling wind. Daine’s limbs were still frozen, and salt water flowed into his nose as the weight of his armor pulled him down.
It seems I pushed too hard when I seized your mind
, Tashana said.
You’ve fallen from the railing. You don’t have much time. Do you really want to spend it choking in the cold? Wouldn’t you prefer to die in the company of friends?
“I’m not dying!” Daine snarled. Then it struck him. He could feel the water flowing into his lungs, the paralysis gripping his body—yet he could still speak, still hear his own voice. “This isn’t real!” he hissed.
Though Daine couldn’t move his arms, he could
imagine
moving them. As his body slipped deeper and deeper beneath the sea, Daine pretended to reach down to his belt. One hand gripped the hilt of his sword. The other slipped into his belt pouch—and even as his belongings drifted out into the water, he wrapped his hand around the shard of green crystal.
Strength flowed into him, fire moving up through his hands and burning away the cold. A blazing green light consumed the darkness and Daine heard a keening howl as Tashana faded from his mind.
He opened his eyes.
His clothes were dry, and the air was as warm as it ever got on the
Kraken’s Wake
. Light came from the everburning lantern on the wall. He was lying on his bunk, and Lei and Lakashtai were staring down at him.
“Daine?” Lei said quietly.
His left hand ached, and he realized he was clutching the crystal shard Lakashtai had given him so long ago—squeezing it so tightly
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