Res eyed her sidelong, then leapt from the ship, disappearing over the edge. He soared upward a moment later, circling back around to Kiva. But rather than land, he simply opened his beak atop her and doused her in water.
I swallowed a laugh, but a low chortle burst from Jenara.
“Saints! Stupid chicken.” Kiva shook the water from her arms and stomped over to where she’d left a cup of water, only to find Aroch there lapping it up. She threw up her hands. “He’s in league with the bird!”
Res let out a cackling noise much like a laugh and circled back to land before Jenara. She patted him gently on the neck. “I’m ready whenever you two are.”
We waited while Jenara retrieved two buckets, one filled with seawater, the other empty, and set them before Res.
“This is one of the most basic water crow training exercises,” she explained. “The goal is to move the water from one place to another.”
A painful familiarity flared at Jenara’s instruction, pulling free memories of my lessons with Estrel. She should have been the one helping me train, the one at my side. I’d thought it more than once while working on Res’s storm magic with Caylus, but I felt it even more keenly now, standing next to another rider clothed in flying leathers.
I turned the feelings aside and looked to Res. “All you.”
He squared up, lifting his head. Then he gave a low, whimpering caw and flopped pitifully to the deck, his wings spread limp as if unable to hold them up for need of food.
“Impressive,” Jenara mused.
I groaned. “Caylus isn’t here to give in to your begging.” I winced at the own truth of my words. This was usually the part where I griped at Res and Caylus bribed him with scones and cookies. But he hadn’t come out for breakfast, and I worried he wasn’t eating.
Res croaked softly.
“He isn’t coming,” I replied just as quietly.
Res eyed me, plucking at the cord as if to ferret out the lie before slowly clambering back to his feet. He hopped to the bucket full of water, leaning close to inspect it, then tapped it once with his beak, making it ripple.
“Focus on the size of the water,” Jenara told him. “Imagine its weight and substance. Think of it as a single entity.”
Res lowered his head, focusing on the water. Energy surged along our bond. I hovered over his shoulder, holding my breath.
The water beveled, rising up the sides. I nearly squealed in delight. Then whatever control Res had over it evaporated, and it sloshed back into place.
“You did it!” I exclaimed.
He cawed triumphantly, lifting his head.
“Sort of,” Kiva muttered from the shade of the quarterdeck. She’d commandeered a new glass of water, and Aroch now sat on one of her broad shoulders, a fate to which she seemed resigned.
Jenara chuckled. “It wasn’t bad for a first try. Let’s keep going.”
We spent most of the afternoon on the task, trying again and again until Res finally managed to move the bulk of the water from one bucket to the other. Then we switched to moving different-sized globs of it, which proved far more difficult. By the time the sun had begun to set, Res was exhausted, hungry, and looked about ready to heft the water bucket over the side of the ship.
“That’s enough for today,” Jenara said, scratching Res’s neck. He leaned into it, nearly knocking her over. “It’s a shame you can’t stay longer.”
I nodded. “We have a few days to spare, but it’s probably best we don’t linger where Razel can easily find us.”
“Well, in that case, take this.” She handed me a folded paper from her pocket. I opened it to reveal a detailed training routine for Res to follow. She flipped the paper over in my hands, pointing to a corner where she’d written a list of towns and names, some of which I recognized. They were all retired riders.
“Friends of mine live in these towns. They’re all on your way to Trendell, and they each rode a different kind of crow in their day. Stop by if you can and see if they can help you with Res.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” I said, tucking the paper safely into my pocket.
She smiled warmly. “It’s you we should be thanking. It’s no easy task you have ahead of you. Take care of yourself. Both of you.” She clapped me on the shoulder again, then enveloped me in another hug, saying in a low voice, “And make Razel pay for what she’s done.”
“I will.”
* * *
