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I stand, anticipation fluttering in my belly. For once, I’m not being told where Sigurd’s world ends for me. I’m learning how to step into it. It’s my choice. I’m not afraid of the abyss, or of Sigurd’s strength, and by God, I’m going to prove it.

15

Trust

Sigurd

Solveig’s question is still with me when I return to the lower airlock. I cycle into the dry chamber, wait for the seawater to drain, then shift once the pressure wards settle. By the time I pull on the waterproof suit from the changing alcove, I’ve stopped pretending I can spend another day avoiding Valerie.

I’m fastening the last cuff when the inner door opens. Ysra comes through first, followed by a figure encased in black rubber, metal joints, and a broad glass visor.

My hands stop.

I recognize the old pressure armor at once. Ysra wore it for years before her body finished adapting to the deep, and now Valerie is standing inside it.

“Valerie, what are you doing in that suit?” I cross the chamber and stop in front of her. The reinforced chest piece leaves me nowhere useful to put my hands, so I settle for examining the seals instead.

Her face is clear behind the visor, and she looks entirely too pleased with my reaction. “Ysra spent the morning teaching me how everything works. We checked the seals twice. I’d like to see what’s outside these walls instead of hearing why I shouldn’t.”

The pressure ward is steady, the temperature seal is holding, and the breathing enchantment shows no fluctuation. I crouch to check one of the boots anyway, running two fingers around the reinforced edge before I straighten.

“The suit will protect you from the pressure, but it won’t make you steady on the seabed. You’ve never moved under this much water before.”

“I know.” Valerie shifts carefully inside the armor. “That’s why I asked Ysra to teach me instead of walking outside alone.”

Ysra leans one shoulder against the wall beside us. “She followed every instruction I gave her, and the suit is working properly. I wouldn’t have brought her down here otherwise.”

There’s nothing I can object to without proving my mother right all over again. I look at Valerie through the visor and finally understand that the suit is not the only reason she came down here.

“You’ve been trying to find me.”

“You keep disappearing whenever I get close enough for us to have an actual conversation.” She pauses, adjusting one weighted boot before meeting my gaze again. “I got tired of waiting for you to decide.”

The words land too cleanly to argue with. I glance toward the outer doors, where several feet of stone and steel are the only things separating us from the trench.

“You’re right. I should have asked what you wanted instead of deciding what you could handle.” Admitting it feels unpleasantly close to hearing my mother say the same thing, but Valerie deserves it from me. “If you still want to go outside, stay close until you understand how the suit moves.”

“I can do that.”

Ysra steps in before I can find another reason to hesitate. She checks Valerie’s collar, then presses a hand briefly against one of the shoulder seals.

“Keep your knees loose until the support wards take some of the load. Don’t fight the suit if the water pushes you sideways, and pay attention to where Sigurd puts his feet. The boots will feel much heavier outside.”

Valerie nods inside the helmet. “Loose knees, careful footing, and no trying to out-stubborn the ocean. I’ll remember.”

Ysra gives the shoulder plate one last firm pat before turning to me. “She has plenty of charge for a short excursion. Bring her back before she gets tired enough to make mistakes.”

“I will.”

Ysra leaves us alone in the staging room. The silence that follows feels different from the deliberate distance I’ve kept between us for the past few weeks.

“I meant what I said,” she tells me. “I want to see your world.”

I look once more at the seals around her collar, then reach for the outer controls. “The chamber floods quickly. Stay where you are until the wards settle, and let me know immediately if anything feels wrong.”

Water surges through the vents and climbs over Valerie’s boots. She braces as it reaches her knees and waist, but the suit holds steady around her. When the water covers the visor, her eyes widen at the sudden change. There’s no fear in them.

The chamber finishes filling, and I send a low vibration toward the enchantment in her collar. “Can you hear me clearly?”