Gilded Bay Og havet, hun snakket til meg

the skin around his eyes creased in a broad smile, though it faded as she went on into something solemn and contemplative. each word she spoke brought the sea up before him, vast, deep and dark. the horrible beauty of it came vividly to life once more. pulling. . .pulling. . .and a voice in his ear, commanding him to go on.

twice i have survived the sea, govinda said, not to brag, but rather as a show of solidarity. i don't know how, either. other than--it wasn't our time to leave these lives. there was work yet to be done. hari had said exactly that. he'd begged the deity to let him go, but his pleas had been denied. ripped apart by undersea and then by the sea itself, he had no right to live.

but he had, anyway.

it is to be respected, he murmured, tipping his muzzle toward the waves. but i'm sure you know that, already.