Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Memory of Water
The transition through the Deep Void was not like the previous jumps. It didn't feel like a tearing of flesh or a snapping of bone; it felt like being submerged in a cold, infinite ocean of ink. Inside the Heart of the Ship, Roric and Ember stood as the only points of light in a cabin that had become a window into the "Between."
The Ghost Pack had settled into the architecture. Kael's translucent form was merged with the navigation column, his amethyst eyes closed as he translated the ship's ancient star-charts into something the Shifter mind could navigate. Vala and Torin paced the perimeter, their flickering shadows blending with the violet-grey walls. They weren't just passengers; they were the nervous system of the vessel.
"We're slowing down," Roric noted, his hand still interlaced with Ember's. The white light of the gauntlet had dimmed to a soft, rhythmic pulse, like a resting heartbeat.
