Page 163 of Salt in the Seas
As they pulled out of harbor, two fishermen stood in their boats, eyes on Aeliana as they touched three fingers to their foreheads and bowed their heads. She shrank away from the bulkhead of the ship and tugged the hood of her cloak over her hair, which had finally grown past her shoulders.
“Remember,” Sylmar said from beside her, “it’s an honor to receive their salute of tribute. They recognize you as Emeris’ daughter. You shouldn’t shy away from it.”
“It’s not the symbolism of the salute that bothers me,” she said, surprised to find her words were true. “Not anymore. It’s that strangers know who I am. With Mayvus loose, it can’t be good to make my whereabouts known.”
“That’s wise.” Pride leaked from his tone even as his eyes narrowed. “We should consider disguising you at future ports.” He continued droning on about safety measures, but Aeliana grew distracted as Velden approached one of the younger sailors, gesturing with his normal emphatic flair by pointing to his eyes and then over to the water.
The sailor he spoke to frowned, his words making Velden let out a frustrated sigh. When the sailor sent a nervous glance at one of his comrades, Velden gave his back a good-natured slap, leaving a wet stain that made the younger man shudder. Velden turned to catch Aeliana’s gaze, and he gave her a sheepish grin before heading her way.
“Can I steal Aeliana away for some training?” he interrupted Sylmar. “I could use some sparring.”
Sylmar initially grumbled, but he was never one to turn down efforts to train her. “Hand-to-hand or dagger-to-sword?”
Velden grimaced at Aeliana. “It never feels fair when she just has a dagger.”
“It’s all I can carry at this point,” Aeliana said. “Especially when I have my bow and arrow.”
“Maybe you should start carrying a sword. You’ll never get used to the weight unless you start sometime.” He passed over his own, and while it was lighter than most of Sylmar’s training swords, it still felt awkward in her hands.
“How about hand-to-hand,” she said, passing it back. Sylmar stepped away and leaned against the bulkhead, folding his arms across his chest and pressing his lips together until they disappeared within his facial hair as he settled in to observe.
Velden muttered under his breath as he tucked the sword away.
“What’s got you so riled up?” she asked. “What did that sailor tell you?”
At first, his face clouded over with irritation, a rare look for his normal jovial demeanor. But then his lip lifted and his head cocked to the left. “Best me and I’ll tell you.”
She snorted her disbelief, but her curiosity was piqued. So instead of starting with her normal defensive stance, she moved in with a jab at his ribs. He barely dodged her and briefly lost his balance before laughing and making his own swipe. They weren’t evenly matched on Aeliana’s best day, but Velden’s distraction seemed to lengthen his response times.
Perhaps it was cheating, but Aeliana let her magic flood through her, desperate to win a chance at hearing whatever had upset him. He’d been understandably moody ever since Andel. But that moodiness had shifted to something more calculating. She’d thought releasing his mother to the sea in Paelen’s waters would lighten his load, but now he almost seemed more distracted than before.
“It was Lady Merinnia, wasn’t it?” Aeliana asked between lunges. Her words came out in a pant, but his eyes still widened in surprise, and she made another lunge for his legs. This time she caught one, andhe toppled over, rolling away from her grasp and popping up with unnatural grace.
“You’re using magic,” she accused.
He laughed again. “And you aren’t?”
Her face heated, and they eyed each other once more. A few of the sailors had stopped working to watch, egged on by Erech’s and Cyrus’ excitement over the sparring. She couldn’t spare a glance back at Sylmar, but he was probably proud she’d used the magic since she rarely did in hand-to-hand combat. Lukai had always taught her to fight as if her magic had been drained because that should be the only time she was fighting in the first place.
Thinking of him made her think of Gaeren, which left her distracted and vulnerable. Too late, she sensed Velden dropping for a kick to her knee. She was even slower to catch that it was a feint so he could trip her up instead when she dodged.
She toppled to the deck, where he placed his hands at her throat, calling for the win.
“It’s not a guaranteed win,” she grumbled. “I could get out of your choke hold.”
Velden shrugged and stood, holding out a hand to help her up. “Probably true.”
After taking a long swig, he passed her his flask of water, and the tiny crowd of sailors dispersed when Larkos yelled at them. Sylmar still watched them, frowning, but he didn’t come any closer.
“You’ve improved a lot since we left Bayla’s house,” Velden said.
The compliment warmed Aeliana. “I feel like I’m nearly back to normal, except for my magic.” She glanced at the scar on her palm, the faint reminder of the choice she and Gaeren had made.
Velden held out his own palm, his mysterious broken bond drawing her gaze. “You were right about Lady Merinnia,” he said.
She raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t win.”
He chuckled, then let his gaze stray out over the water. “Maybe not. But there is value in sharing one’s burdens with another. And Sylmar isn’t exactly looking to swap secrets late at night.”
