[i]”I’ve got it, I’ve got it!”

There are children on the ship, now. Their feathers are still coming in, pushing out of soft downy hair, and they are gangly and loud and full of energy, racing up and down the refurbished decks, playing games, and they love the Imperial Princess. So she can’t say no, sometimes, when they ask her to play.

This game is similar to discus, but there are teams, and the disc soars and spins and flutters on strange wings, and the fledglings madly scamper and shove and laugh as they try to pass it up and down one of the grand halls.

Then Amer shoves Malethi down and out of the way of the disc, and Malethi lands badly, and Amer’s war-whoop is drowned out by the rising noise coming out of Malethi, hurt and confusedly indignant and in need of help.

Dany races over, and the fledglings part for her as Malethi stumbles up, holding their head and wailing, and Dany says something nonsense like, hey, are you all right? And she doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t know how she can help. Maybe she needs to be the Shepherdess and make Malethi better??

But then, a click of the tongue that quiets everyone. One of the Alcedi matriarchs has risen from where she sits with her sisters by one of the fountains. She pats her knees, and Malethi stumble-runs over to her, wrapping their arms around the matriarch, who strokes their head and begins to say…[/i]

[hr]

Redana wraps her arms around Bella and pulls her in, tight. Her old friend struggles, but incoherently, like a crab that’s been hurt and doesn’t understand you’re taking it to safety. Redana doesn’t let go. She can’t let go. And when she pulls one hand back to fumble with her gag, Bella doesn’t wrench herself free. (The packing drops wetly onto her thighs.)

She squeezes. She is here. She doesn’t, can’t know about the way that the smell of her skin is smothering the blood, diluting the poison on Bella’s tongue. She is here, and she is strong, and when Bella slumps and lets her weight fall on Redana, it’s nothing to hold her up. She can do it. It’s okay. She’s here.

One hand drifts to Bella’s side, presses against her ribs, by her heart. “Do you hear that?” Redana’s breath is a sigh. Gentle. Soft. Like wings. “It’s the sea inside you. The waves are rolling in and out. In. Breathe with it. The waves are coming in. Out. The waves are washing out. When they come, they’re crested with the prows. In. When they go, they’re taking all we left. Out. It never, never stops. In. Listen, and you’ll hear it. Out. We all are part of the sea. In. And the sea is a part of us. Out. You’re alive and you’re here. In. And I’m alive, and I’m here. Out.”

Bella’s heartbeat is… slower. Steadier. Dany licks her lips, suddenly dry. “You did a good job,” she says. “You didn’t— you wouldn’t have. You wouldn’t have, Bella. You’re not a monster.” Then, ridiculous, tumbling out: “And if you are a monster, you’re our monster, and I was a monster, too, and I didn’t hurt Mynx. You won’t hurt her. And we’re going to find her, and get her to stop, and then…”

She swallows. Her voice cracks, just a little bit. Be a good girl, Dany. Be strong for Bella. “And then you can take them home,” she says, like Hercules holding up the sky. Her grip on Bella tightens. “You and Mynx and Beautiful and everyone. I’m not going to make you come with me. I promise. And you can take care of Mynx, and you can be with B-Beautiful, and I’ll get across, and when I get to Gaia I’ll ask Hades… I was going to ask him to make Mom let everyone go, but that’s stupid, isn’t it?”

Her hand drifts down to Bella’s, wraps around her fingers, squeezes. “I’m going to ask him to set everyone free. The Alcedi and the Kaeri and every single Assassin and everyone back home. So that you don’t have to go Rampant and the servitors won’t want to serve and so that we can all see the stars together, and I’ll come back, I promise, I [i]promise.[/i]”

She rests her head against Bella and tries not to cry and fails, because her cheeks are wet. “Not even Lethe could make me forget you,” she swears.