Page 71 of Salt in the Seas
“I wonder if you could,” Gaeren said. “Over time, as your skills grow, you might be able to tap into memories you’ve forgotten. You were young enough that it’s possible the memories are truly gone, but I suspect some of your time with Arvid and Vera caused you to lock them away. Almost in self-defense out of fear that you would lose them.”
“Is that even possible? To lock memories away?” she asked.
His face grew serious, and he studied her too closely. “It is. I’ve done it. I kept my memories of you locked away for many years. Not necessarily to protect the memories, but to protect you.”
Her previous irritation with him was replaced with a warmth she couldn’t define. At one time it had felt unwarranted, but the more she saw of their past, the more she appreciated it.
“I knew there was something important about you even when I was a child. Toddlers don’t make daisies grow, not even the royal family’s toddlers who all have ridiculously high levels of starblood.” He tilted his head in thought, making Aeliana aware of the fact that they still had no explanation for that, especially if they’d gotten her spoke wrong. “I was afraid one of my instructors or fellow students would find my memories of you, even accidentally, while training.”
She glanced down at her hands, grateful for all the ways he’d protected her, but she didn’t like when he looked at her like she was a sister or a child. She told herself it was because they’d barely agreed on friendship after their families’ history as enemies. But her bond mark twinged as if it was because she wanted something else entirely.
“I was going to have you try giving that memory to Iris,” he said, “but since you blurted it out, I’ll have to pick something else. Otherwise, I’ll have no way of knowing if you succeeded.”
She snorted. “Not to spoil the surprise, but I wouldn’t have succeeded.” They’d been sailing for over a week, and her noetic skills had hardly grown. The progress was even slower than it had been before, probably because her magic had weaned to a more normal amount. Her light shields were barely more than a flicker, and her ability to heal had been reduced to surface cuts and minor ailments. “At this rate, I’m not sure I see the point in practicing. I seem to do better when I use it by accident.”
He waved away her concerns. “That’s how it is for everyone when they’re first learning. Don’t let Sylmar tell you otherwise.” He held out his hands, and she took them, fully aware of the irony that she’d grown so used to touching him. She was more used to holding his hands than Lukai’s, and with that thought, her bond mark flared.
A knock on the door prevented them from returning to their training, and Aeliana snatched her hands back to her lap. The door opened, and Erech’s head popped in, his youthful zeal always a welcome sight.
“Is it that time?” Gaeren stood, his eagerness matching Erech’s.
Erech nodded. “Yes, Captain Elanesse.” He glanced at Aeliana before ducking back out from the cabin, face pink.
“Time for what?” Aeliana’s voice betrayed her disappointment, and Gaeren’s grin widened.
“There’s something I want to show you.” He led her out on the deck and steered her to the starboard side.
Her breath caught as she took in the view of the coast. They’d mostly stayed farther out to sea, where she could catch glimpses of the shimmering barrier now and then. But for some reason, they’d traveled closer to the mainland today, allowing her to see small towns and ports.
Gaeren stood behind her, bending down so his cheek was nearly lined up with hers, and he wrapped his arm around her so he could point and direct her line of sight toward a barren ridge. “Do you see where the bluff hits its peak?”
She nodded, the warmth of his breath on her cheek making it difficult to pay attention.
“You can barely make out ruins before it slopes back down into the valley beyond, but that is Celanoft. That’s where your parents meant to raise you, and that’s where you and I first met.”
Her shock chased away any confusion over his nearness, and she leaned forward over the ship’s edge, ignoring the spray that caught her blouse. “That was my home?”
Instead of answering, he passed her a spyglass. She fumbled with it, mixing up the front from back until he gently guided it to her eye, showing her how to bring the distant coast into focus. “That’s where the Sungazer was, isn’t it?”
He hummed his confirmation, and her chest tightened. It had been completely razed, maybe not by Mayvus herself, but on Mayvus’ orders. The remains were little more than a foundation of stone, but they seemed well cared for, like the people in the surrounding area still honored the site.
The area was too barren to match glimpses from the memories Gaeren had shared, but the lines of the various paths—down to the beach and out to the forest—were a perfect fit. Most of their time had been spent on the other side of the ridge where she knew a creek flowed through the valley and out to the sea. She relished the way seeing it now made the memories feel more certain. Even the salty breeze dancing through her short hair made the memories feel more alive.
“I wish we could stop and see it.” She passed him the spyglass, and he took a turn studying the land that had once connected them.
“We’ll come back sometime.” He said the words almost too casually, like he was testing out her response, or maybe testing out the promise for himself.
“I’d like that,” she said. They stood side by side at the ship’s edge, ignoring the bustle of the sailors around them as they sailed farther south and Celanoft grew smaller.
“I don’t mean to keep you from your duties,” she murmured when she realized how much time had passed.
“There are times I take full advantage of being a prince.” Gaeren’s words held mischievousness, and his sly grin returned. “Larkos is the only one on this ship who’ll ever tell me I’m being lazy, and even he picks and chooses when?—”
“Gaeren!” Larkos’ voice carried across the deck.
The smile on Gaeren’s face disappeared, and his eyes widened like a schoolboy caught cheating on a test.
“I shouldn’t have to send Erech to hunt you down every time it’s your turn to be at the helm,” Larkos continued, his voice growing louder. “What kind of captain shirks his own duties? You owe me at least three shifts for all the times I’ve covered for you on this voyage.”
