Insects crawled beneath Kai's skin.His legs caught in the frozen mud, a familiar paralysis; he clenched his jaw, anxious breath lodged in his throat, and worked to move his fingers, his toes, anything.
Nothing can hurt you.You're safe.It was as close to praying as anything Kai had done in fifteen years, but the thing was, it wasn't true.The insects burrowed deeper, silkworms quickening in his gut, his lungs, the marrow of his bones.They gnawed.
"Don't fight it, son," Saros called as the Leviathos cracked apart around them all.Icy tendrils of open sea clung to the old man, pulling him down, down.
Thousands of tiny teeth, consuming, replacing; he was a whalefall, a bloated corpse turned fuel.Nails dug into his arm and Kai screamed, the sound swallowed by the swarm of moths fluttering forth from his throat – and behind him, as always, Ione rose out of Llyr’s grave, small and white and faceless.
“Filth.”Her hair floated around her empty face.She too was drowning.“I wholeheartedly disapprove."
Even though she hated him – and gods, did he feel it – Kai reached for her, desperate for something to hold onto, to drag down with him.Ivory strands of hair like spider’s silk wrapped around his outstretched fingers.
The world rushed, brightened.He choked back another scream, letting air flood his lungs, banish the swarm.Kai blinked himself awake and jerked back, startled to find River's face across from his.
“Swords,” he croaked.Wiping his eyes – thank the gods, they weren’t wet – Kai scanned his surroundings, his body curled and sore from how he’d been laying on the old sofa.The common room in the acolytes’ building gaped around him, bookshelves, a cold fireplace, furniture draped in blankets and cushions in violent primary patchwork.
They were alone.Kai must have made some sort of noise to draw River out.
Kai pushed himself up, the sofa groaning beneath him.A book slid off his lap and thumped onto the floorboards, making him flinch.River knelt before the sofa in off-day attire, soft linen sleeves rolled up to his elbows.He watched Kai with preternatural patience, quiet and unmoving, waiting, staring, made Kai wonder if this was real, if he really was awake.
He counted his fingers, checked the time, made double sure by leaning forward, studying River for any distortions, any glimmers of falsehood.There, a splodge of white on River’s cheek.He touched his fingertips to it and jerked back, frightened to find him warm, alive.He licked the powder from his thumb and frowned, not recognising it.
“For gods’ sakes, Kai.”River rubbed his forehead, parental disappointment.“It’s flour.”
“Flowers?”
“Flour.For bread.”He sighed and said, slowly, like Kai might bite him, “I think you need to see a healer.”
The watery midmorning light chilled him.Kai craned his neck over the back of the sofa, searching.If he focused he could make out the faint outlines of people, ghosts, watching him.Judging.
“A healer,” Kai echoed, rousing himself.He summoned a frail laugh.“What for?I’m only tired.”His cup of Saros’s Finest sat half-empty on the side table, cold.Kai finished it in one gulp, felt the insects quieting within him, blissful slumber.
He registered he was up and walking only after bashing his shoulder into the doorjamb on the way out.He could sense River staring after him, torn between following and returning to his bread or flowers or whatever he was doing.
Kai wished he would follow, talk to him, distract him.He wished he would leave him alone.
Oseidos felt darker with his brothers loitering around the place.Of course the weather didn’t help, overcast and gloomy as it had been the past few days.Kai shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his head down as he walked the noisy halls of the acolytes’ building, nodding at whoever demanded greeting, ignoring most.Outside the windows, the Leviathos’s huge form loomed like the shadow of a reaper.
Saros adored Etan and Nalu, naturally.Kai’s brothers had undertaken small tasks in the past, had proven themselves efficient in delivering cargo or handling problems; now, as Saros’s newest pets, they met with the Archpriest often, discussed this person or that who could be convinced to donate to Saros’s war effort, amendments and additions to Hilo’s repairs in Caelos, rumours about Soliz Shrine and Castor Almenara.Kai couldn’t stomach attending their little meetings.
They had to be good, lie low, until the right moment.That left Oseidos lousy with Leviathos crewmen careening around the island like drunken ants, enjoying their shore leave and unnerving the locals.
Kai skulked into the refectory, intending to boil an egg or something.A meal fit for kings.Ha!He’d normally hang around River until whatever he was making was finished – it was shocking how much food one could earn from washing a couple of dishes; splashing water on things was Kai’s fucking specialty – but after storming out of the common room, he could hardly somersault back in and ask to be fed.A gaggle of sailors laughed and shouted and pounded on a table at the far end of the room, raising his hackles and making him clench his jaw.
Soon.Soon, they would be gone.
He’d just made it to the cupboards and located the basket of eggs when a voice nearly startled him into dropping it.Ione stood on the other side of the counter, her arms crossed like a reproachful mother.Behind her, Disciples A, B and C milled about.
“Warden,” Ione called him again, mulish.She waited until Kai abandoned his lunch and moved closer.She pointed blatantly behind her at the sailors.“Ask them to leave.”
As though in response, a glass broke and the sailors all laughed and jeered.Ione’s eye twitched.
Kai laughed mirthlessly.“You make them leave, Princess.”
“They’re your people.”
“They’re not my anything.”He could feel their eyes on him, sense the subtle nudges and nods.There’s Warden Almighty, too good for us now, little shit.“My people,” Kai muttered, “will be much better.”
As though it made any difference to Kai, Ami gestured weakly at a small round table nearby, upon which sat a tea set.“We’re trying to have tea.The priests said theLeviathosiaren’t even supposed to be in here, but – ”
