Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Forty-Six

Water buffeted against them as Soren struggled to keep Tanden's head above the water. Prayers to the Old God of the Sea and to Roe looped constantly through his thoughts, mixed in with an occasionally plead to the Teltish Goddess and anyone else he could remember.

The salt water stung cuts and scrapes he didn't even know he had, including along his entire right forearm. Part of him wanted to inspect the damage, but his right arm worked and for the moment that was all that mattered. While he treaded water with his feet and left arm, his right tightly wound around Tanden's waist, holding him up. Their blood mingled in the water, and Soren briefly considered the danger of sharks, before putting the worry out of his mind. There was nothing he could do about sharks. Nothing he could do but make sure both he and Tanden continued to breath.

The smoke wasn't helping in that regard. Even though he tried to put distance between them and the burning, sinking ship, smoke billowed across the water. Sometimes a breeze would clear it for a moment, allowing him to get a lungful of air, but mostly he was inhaling smoke.

Inhaling smoke, swallowing seawater, and holding Tanden.

Despite his exhaustion and desperation, or maybe because of those things, Soren's mind wandered.

Seawater and smoke had taken Tanden away, and now, seawater and smoke had brought him back.

Soren still wasn't convinced it was real. It felt as if he let go, or turned Tanden around to get a good look, he would realize that he was clinging to some other man. Because it simply wasn't possible for Tanden to be there.

Although, Tanden had a habit of doing things that seemed impossible.

What had he done? Charmed the gods into letting him live? Commandeered a ship of his own? Climbed over the mountains? Maybe a pod of whales had come to his aid, like they had for the Sailor King. Maybe the ocean had bowed to his authority. Maybe the land had split, so a river could carry him North. Every absurd option seemed possible, because Tanden was capable of it all.

He was a miracle himself, so of course the world would bend to his whims.

He had probably strolled into the afterlife, and the gods had asked him how they could serve him. They had probably jumped at the opportunity.

Tanden slipped. Soren tightened his grip and tried to shift Tanden's limp body so his head would rest back on Soren's shoulder. Doing so pushed Soren a bit deeper, but he held his head up and kept breathing the smoky air.

Toliver's ship was nearly half-submerged. She would sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking Toliver along with her. Down into the dark, cold depths. The poor ship didn't deserved her fate, but she would make an honorable resting place for a man who didn't deserve such an honor.

Soren doubted anyone on the Walloxa had seen him jump overboard, and maybe that was fitting. His ship was named after the Alvarian afterlife. Maybe he had been an avenging ghost all along, and now that he had achieved his goal, it was time to drift on to whatever came next.

Maybe Tanden was a toxo. It made about as much sense as any of his other guesses.

Maybe sinking to the bottom of the ocean together was whatever came next. The Old God of the Sea would greet them, and they would finally find out what the truth of the deities was. They would see if Roe and the Old God of the Sea were the same or not.

Soren's strength was waning. Tanden was heavy and limp, dragging him down. Soon, Soren would have to make a decision, even though it wasn't really a decision at all. Letting Tanden go would make his own survival more likely, but it wasn't a real option. Soren was going to keep them afloat as long as he could, and once he couldn't, they were going to the Old God of the Sea together.