Page 112 of Ruby
She is safe. She has found others of her kind. She is useful here. Needed. Not hunted. Not caged.
She does not need me anymore.
The thought creeps in without permission.
I have done what I set out to do. I brought her to safety. To Ree. To others like her.
My promise is fulfilled.
“I could leave,” I say, words startling me.
I do not mean to say the words aloud.
Wroahk surfaces without spectacle. Just a massive shift in volume and presence. Flat, predatory expression fixed on me.
“You are looking for a way out,” he says, the sound rolling through the shallows and into my bones, surprising me after how focused he was before on ignoring any attempt at communication.
It is not a question.
“I am assessing variables,” I reply in his language, shaping the resonance carefully.
“You are thinking of leaving,” he repeats.
I do not deny it.
Wroahk drifts closer, the current curling around my legs in a subtle restraint.
“Communities are loud,” he rumbles. “Annoying. Just asking to be abandoned to fall to their own weakness.”
“No,” I argue. “The community is strong. I am the one who is weak.”
His eyes narrow slightly. “You are loud now as well.”
I go still, unsure of his meaning, but knowing his words will be important if they have inspired him to speak with me instead of lurking in the deep waters of his lake.
“If you leave,” he continues, “you will not reduce danger. You will increase the fracture.”
I frown. “Explain.”
“You are woven,” he says. “Into their pattern. Remove one strand and the net weakens.”
I look back toward the settlement, then farther. I can see more of the community in the distance, small silhouettes against the sand. Kira’s restless movement. Drasuk’s rigid posture. Olivia’s sharp gestures as she speaks.
“They would adapt,” I say quietly.
“They would splinter,” Wroahk corrects.
The word settles heavily.
I stand there for a long moment, the pull of open sky wrestling with the gravity of the shore.
Finally, I exhale.
“I will remain,” I say.
Wroahk’s massive form dips back into the water, satisfaction rippling through the current. Leaving the water calm in his absence.
I remain where I am, listening to both directions. Sky and shore.
