Callumkal said that according to the map, the shelf of land the sea was on curved inward here, and they were skirting the edge of the ocean. That if they went straight into the wind they would eventually reach it and see the spot where the shallows dropped away into the deeps. The creature must have died there and been pushed up into the sea by the current. Moon found it tempting to fly in that direction, just to see what the ocean looked like. But they were going to see it anyway, when they got past the archipelagos.
The weather had been good for flying, another temptation. They passed through a light rain shower one day, but the rest of the time it was sunny with clouds forming ever-changing white mountains in the distance. Moon, Jade, Stone, and the warriors took flights off the deck to stretch their wings and scout ahead a little. Stone had spent enough time on Golden Islander flying boats to be adept at the trick of jumping off before shifting, and of shifting back to groundling some distance above the deck as he came in to land.
Interactions with the crew had been quiet, but there had been no hostility. Moon saw Stone and Magrim, still recovering from his broken ribs, sitting and talking near the bow. Vendoin came to sit with the Raksura and Delin in the evenings, and often Callumkal appeared. Kalam was there every night, obviously feeling more comfortable with them now after his outing with Moon and Stone.
One night, everyone was thinking of the approaching sel-Selatra and the first sight of the ocean. They were sitting on the floor of the common room on their deck, listening to Delin tell a story of the Golden Islanders’ explorations, drinking tea made on one of the ship’s hearths. These were square boxes with a layer of thin stone in the bottom that never got hot, with a block of plant material in it that emitted heat, and a metal frame above it where pots could be placed. It wasn’t that different from a Raksuran hearth with heating stones.
Delin was seated on a cushion, taking notes as he talked, with the Arbora and Kalam gathered around him and warriors sprawled on the floor in whatever position seemed comfortable. Moon leaned against Jade, with Chime on one side and Balm on the other. Except for the green walls and the faint sense of movement, they might have been back in the teachers’ hall at Indigo Cloud.
Then Bramble asked, “Does anything live in the ocean? Anything different than in the sea? Besides fish and giant sea creatures, I mean. Are there ocean sealings?”
Still writing, Delin said, “I don’t know. We know of ships that cross it, or have crossed it, but I have never traveled quite so far. Our ships are more vulnerable to weather than this one.” He looked up at Stone, sitting across from the hearth. “Have you?”
Kalam, and Vendoin, who sat at the outer edge of the group, looked at Stone in surprise. Stone said, “Once or twice.”
Jade sighed. “What were you doing at the ocean?”
“I got curious,” Stone told her. Moon could understand that. If he had Stone’s wingspan and stamina, he might go visit some interesting places too.
“What was it like?” Bramble persisted.
“Empty, mostly.” Stone’s expression was thoughtful. “Just wind and water in every direction. The scent is different from these seas. You can’t smell land at all.”
Chime leaned forward, propping an elbow on Moon’s hip. “Was anything living there? That you could see?”
“Skylings, mostly,” Stone said. “Like the upper air skylings we see over the Reaches, and over mountain ranges. But the swarms that these skylings feed on sometimes fly down and land on the water, and the skylings follow them and dip down and scoop them off the surface.”
“Are there sealings?” Merit asked.
“I didn’t see any. I did see shapes in the water. Big shapes.”
“How big? As big as that skeleton we saw?” Root asked.
“Bigger than that,” Stone said. “Shadows longer and wider than skylings, moving below the surface.”
Everyone absorbed that in silence for a moment. Past Stone, Moon saw Rorra, standing in the doorway, listening. She caught his eye and stepped away to vanish down the corridor, the faint thump of her heavy boots on the soft material fading slowly.
Then Vendoin said, “Well, you shall all see for yourselves soon.”
Later that night, Moon woke with Bramble leaning over him. “Jade, River thought he heard something.”
“Like what?” Jade asked, instantly awake. Moon felt her shift to her winged form, the change in the heat and shape of her body as she uncoiled from around him.
“Something big, moving through the air outside.”
Moon sat up. “Is it—” He had started to ask if it was Stone, taking advantage of a clear night to stretch his wings, but Stone stood beside the window, head tilted to listen. River still crouched by the door for his turn at guard, and the others were stirring. Balm stepped over Merit to stand beside the bed.
“Can anyone hear it now? Stone?” Jade asked.
After a moment, Stone nodded. “He’s right.”
Moon saw River’s tense posture relax a little. If anyone else had mistaken a wind shear for a wingbeat in the middle of the night, it would have been cause for some teasing and complaint and forgotten by the time everyone fell back asleep. Moon wasn’t sure if River making that mistake would have been any different, but River evidently thought so.
Jade climbed over Moon and out of the bed. Moon rolled out after her and grabbed his clothes from the shelf overhead. Even if he had to shift, he wanted to have them with him. Jade said, “Chime, Merit?”
Merit replied first, “I’m not having a vision.” Somewhat testily, he added, “And yes, before anyone mentions it, I know that’s not unusual.” Merit’s augury had continued to be uninformative, and it was bothering him more than it was anyone else.
Chime hesitated. “I don’t hear anything. Not just with my ears, I mean—”
“I know what you mean,” Jade told him.
That’s a relief, Moon thought, rapidly tying the drawstring on his pants. Though it could still be Fell, since with the strong wind the Fell stench would be hard to scent. Or it could just be a gigantic predator.
Everyone was awake now, scrambling out of the way as Jade stepped across to the doorway. She said, “Balm, Moon, Chime, Stone, with me. The rest of you stay here for now.”
Bramble said, urgently, “Jade, Delin went back to his room.”
Jade paused in the doorway. “I want a warrior within arm’s reach of each Arbora. And Delin.”
Moon followed her down the corridor. She was already thinking ahead to what they would do if something attacked the flying boat. Moon hoped that wouldn’t happen. And he hoped Callumkal had those flying packs for all the groundlings on the crew.
Jade reached the stairwell and started up. Moon shifted to follow her, flowing up the steps. He scented Rorra before he saw her, and heard her say, “What—”
As he reached the top of the stairs Rorra stood in the open common area there. She was dressed in a loose sleeping robe and her boots, wide-eyed and startled. Jade paused to tell her, “Something big flew past the boat.”
“Something—” she repeated blankly, then comprehension dawned. She turned and strode down the passage toward the steering cabin.
Moon came out onto the deck behind Jade. The lamps were set low to protect the look-outs’ vision, but to Raksuran eyes it still made the boat a bubble of light surrounded by walls of solid darkness. Moon leapt up, caught hold of the center ridge, and climbed to the top.
After a moment, his vision cleared and he saw the sweep of stars overhead, the blend of indigo and violet in the sky, blotted out in a few places by clouds. And one of the clouds was moving. He whispered, “There it is.”