Dindi
Dindi half-skipped, half-climbed to keep up with Kavio. He jumped easily from rock to rock, climbing up a steep hill. When he reached the top, he held out his hands and lifted her up by the waist. For one breathless moment, she thought he might pull her into his arms. But instead, he set her down beside him. His aura shone with a bright blue glow.
"Look," he said.
She turned—and gasped.
They stood on a high cliff above the sea. The beach below was full of rocks, and the waves crashed hard. But the Blue Vast itself was just as beautiful as she had always heard. The sunset sparkled on the water, and the wind from the sea smelled sweet—like salt and wildflowers mixed together.
"Have you ever seen the Vast before?" he asked.
"No," she said. "Not this close."
"Nor I." He took a deep breath. "No wonder they call it the Blue Vast. No wonder they say the Blue Lady is the oldest and most powerful fae of all. But they also say the sea was not made by her power, but by her tears. It used to be fresh water, long ago. But the Blue Lady and the Merfae cried for so many years, they turned it into salt. I can taste it in the air—can you?"
"What did the fae cry about?" she asked.
"The end of the Aelfae, their brothers and sisters. When humans were born, the Blue Lady had a dream that the Aelfae would fight us—and lose. If the Last Aelfae vanishes from the world, she has sworn to destroy all humans in a great flood. That's what my mother used to sing to me in bedtime songs."
His mother was the Last Aelfae. Dindi wondered what she thought of humans. After all, she had married one. She had raised Kavio.
"Do you think it could really happen?" Dindi asked.
"I never knew how much of my mother's stories were true. But…"
A strong wind blew through his dark hair. In that moment, he looked almost too perfect—like something not quite human. His skin shimmered with cold blue light. Dindi sometimes forgot he was part fae. But not now. Now, it was clear.
Then the wind calmed. His aura faded. He looked human again—vulnerable.
"Something about the sea makes me sad," he said in a quiet voice. "It's so big. So endless. It makes me feel close to death."
"Yes," she said. "I feel how big it is too. But for me, it brings joy."
He squeezed her hand and laughed. "Typical. You always stand on the opposite side of anything I say."
"If by opposite, you mean the one who wins the fight," she said seriously, "then joy doesn't defeat sadness. Compassion does."
"And what defeats joy?" he asked.
She thought of the man in black. She remembered the cold.
"Fear," she said.
He nodded. "Soon we will reach the Blue Waters tribehold—Sharkshead."
"Do we cross the Blue Vast here?" she asked.
"No. We will follow the river until we find a better place to cross the open sea. But we are close now. Are you afraid?"
The wind twisted her hair around her neck. He reached out and gently untangled it. The back of his hand brushed her cheek. She shivered, but not from the cold. Being near him made her feel too happy to be afraid.
"You should be," he said. "It will be dangerous. Nargano cannot be trusted. This tribe has many strange taboos and troubling ways. But if we want peace, we must let them plant the seeds they choose to plant. Promise me you will not do anything forbidden."
"Dancing with you? Is that forbidden?" she asked.
He looked troubled. "We won't take the chance. I will not dance with you in Sharkshead."
Or ever again?
He didn't say it. She didn't ask. But the thought settled into her bones like a cold fog, stealing her joy. She didn't fear the Blue Waters people. After meeting many of them, she thought they were just people—like those from Rainbow Labyrinth or Yellow Bear. No matter how far you traveled, people were just people.
The idea that strangers might hate her enough to hurt her felt silly. War between tribes seemed hard to believe.
But she could easily imagine Kavio changing his mind. Telling her they must stop dancing together. Maybe he would stop teaching her. Maybe he would make her promise never to dance again.
Should she tell him now that she wanted to try the Test again?
He had not seemed sure when she first mentioned it. She still didn't know if it was even allowed. Maybe no one had ever done it before. But if anyone knew, it would be Kavio.
Still, she hadn't asked him. Not yet. She wanted to become a better dancer first. If she could master the tama of the Unfinished Song, she might have a real chance to convince him.
She touched the spot over her chest where the corncob doll was hidden under her clothes. That had to stay secret too, or she might betray Gwenika.
"Sometimes we must keep secrets," Kavio said out loud. "In this world, not everyone is a friend. And silence must be our shield."
He stared out toward the sea as he spoke. His thoughts were not hers—but they echoed them so closely it gave her chills.
They shared a secret against the world.
But she had other secrets she kept from him.
And now, for the first time, she wondered…
What secrets did he keep from her?