away from the barrier, Ina slowed. Blue torchlight flickered in the gaps between the leaves on the windows, though unlike elsewhere in the city, this place was silent.
Ina glanced to Zeke, and then approached the nearest opening in the wall.
“Hello?” she called.
No one answered her.
She cast a quick look around. “Granddad?” she tried.
“Ina?” came a deep, hoarse voice.
A hand pulled the leaves back to reveal a weathered face with dark blue eyes. Gray hair long enough to brush his cheekbones hung from the man’s head in loose strands, and old scars puckered the skin of his chest and arms.
At the sight of Zeke, the man paused, a cautious look replacing the nascent friendliness in his expression. “Zeke.”
“Jirral.”
I glanced over. Zeke’s voice was cold, and his face matched the sound.
The old man’s gaze took in me and the guards before returning to his grandson. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk to you,” Ina told him.
“Talk to me,” he repeated, still watching Zeke. “And you brought guards.”
The muscles jumped in Zeke’s jaw. “Not our choice.”
I could see the disbelief in the man’s eyes.
“Granddad, please,” Ina said. “They’re here because of her, not you. And she’s why we need to talk. Can we come in?”
He paused, his gaze twitching to me. “They stay outside.” He jerked his chin at the guards.
Ina glanced over. The nearest one hesitated, and then bowed his head.
The old man backed from the opening, allowing us to enter.
A bleak room greeted us, with hardly more than empty walls and a fireplace to its name. The ceiling was lower than I’d seen in most dehaian spaces so far, which meant it was almost normal height for a human. A bag was placed in the corner and a stone chest sat nearby, but beyond those two small features, the place was utterly bare.
Ina looked around, a hint of sadness darkening the normal humor in her eyes. “How’ve you been?” she asked quietly.
Jirral paused as the leaves closed up behind us. Pity softened his hard expression. “Fine, poppet. What’s this about?”
Ina looked to Zeke. He didn’t take his gaze from the nearly empty room. “We’ve got kind of an odd question,” she sighed. “Have you ever met anyone who, you know, does strange things to the water? Makes it feel different around them?”
The old man glanced to me with the same piercing gaze that Zeke’s father possessed.
I tried not to look too nervous.
“How so?” he asked.
“Like there’s electricity in the water,” Ina said. “Like a charge is running through the whole ocean.”
“Is this why there were guards on her?”
“Sort of,” Ina allowed.
Jirral waited. She grimaced.
“Care to help me out here?” she asked Zeke.
Pulling his attention from the room, Zeke glanced to her, his face tense. “Dad put guards on her because Ren thinks she’s a spy,” he supplied shortly. “He didn’t believe me when I said she was being chased by a group of Sylphaen and needed our help.”
His grandfather’s eyebrow rose, and Zeke’s mouth tightened. “We don’t know if it’s related to them,” he continued, “and it’s practically undetectable now, but every time Chloe’s gotten in the water,” he nodded toward me, “there’s been this strange feeling like Ina described. We need to know if you’ve ever heard of someone who could do that.”
The old man paused. “Not that I recall.”
“Alright then.” Zeke turned for the door.
“Zeke,” Ina protested.
“So that’s it?” his grandfather asked. “You just leave?”
“What else is there?” Zeke retorted.
“Conversation? A chance to talk? I haven’t seen you in years.”
“And? You’ve known where to find us. You’ve been sending messages to Ina, for pity’s sake. It obviously wasn’t that complicated.”
“Ina made it clear she wanted to talk to me.”
“Yeah, well, Ina’s always been more forgiving than I am.”
His sister made an angry
Ina glanced to Zeke, and then approached the nearest opening in the wall.
“Hello?” she called.
No one answered her.
She cast a quick look around. “Granddad?” she tried.
“Ina?” came a deep, hoarse voice.
A hand pulled the leaves back to reveal a weathered face with dark blue eyes. Gray hair long enough to brush his cheekbones hung from the man’s head in loose strands, and old scars puckered the skin of his chest and arms.
At the sight of Zeke, the man paused, a cautious look replacing the nascent friendliness in his expression. “Zeke.”
“Jirral.”
I glanced over. Zeke’s voice was cold, and his face matched the sound.
The old man’s gaze took in me and the guards before returning to his grandson. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk to you,” Ina told him.
“Talk to me,” he repeated, still watching Zeke. “And you brought guards.”
The muscles jumped in Zeke’s jaw. “Not our choice.”
I could see the disbelief in the man’s eyes.
“Granddad, please,” Ina said. “They’re here because of her, not you. And she’s why we need to talk. Can we come in?”
He paused, his gaze twitching to me. “They stay outside.” He jerked his chin at the guards.
Ina glanced over. The nearest one hesitated, and then bowed his head.
The old man backed from the opening, allowing us to enter.
A bleak room greeted us, with hardly more than empty walls and a fireplace to its name. The ceiling was lower than I’d seen in most dehaian spaces so far, which meant it was almost normal height for a human. A bag was placed in the corner and a stone chest sat nearby, but beyond those two small features, the place was utterly bare.
Ina looked around, a hint of sadness darkening the normal humor in her eyes. “How’ve you been?” she asked quietly.
Jirral paused as the leaves closed up behind us. Pity softened his hard expression. “Fine, poppet. What’s this about?”
Ina looked to Zeke. He didn’t take his gaze from the nearly empty room. “We’ve got kind of an odd question,” she sighed. “Have you ever met anyone who, you know, does strange things to the water? Makes it feel different around them?”
The old man glanced to me with the same piercing gaze that Zeke’s father possessed.
I tried not to look too nervous.
“How so?” he asked.
“Like there’s electricity in the water,” Ina said. “Like a charge is running through the whole ocean.”
“Is this why there were guards on her?”
“Sort of,” Ina allowed.
Jirral waited. She grimaced.
“Care to help me out here?” she asked Zeke.
Pulling his attention from the room, Zeke glanced to her, his face tense. “Dad put guards on her because Ren thinks she’s a spy,” he supplied shortly. “He didn’t believe me when I said she was being chased by a group of Sylphaen and needed our help.”
His grandfather’s eyebrow rose, and Zeke’s mouth tightened. “We don’t know if it’s related to them,” he continued, “and it’s practically undetectable now, but every time Chloe’s gotten in the water,” he nodded toward me, “there’s been this strange feeling like Ina described. We need to know if you’ve ever heard of someone who could do that.”
The old man paused. “Not that I recall.”
“Alright then.” Zeke turned for the door.
“Zeke,” Ina protested.
“So that’s it?” his grandfather asked. “You just leave?”
“What else is there?” Zeke retorted.
“Conversation? A chance to talk? I haven’t seen you in years.”
“And? You’ve known where to find us. You’ve been sending messages to Ina, for pity’s sake. It obviously wasn’t that complicated.”
“Ina made it clear she wanted to talk to me.”
“Yeah, well, Ina’s always been more forgiving than I am.”
His sister made an angry
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