“Yes. But it will also be a relief. It’s been consuming my strength a little each day to keep this wall in place.”

“Is the one along the Hyr River still up?”

“Yes. I’ve become strong enough to hold two in place, but three would be taxing. Admiral Gerault, the commander of the Northern Shores navy, has a patrol ready to take the place of the wall.”

They were five hundred feet from the wall when the ship finally came to a stop. The water roared as it shot to the sky, then fell back to the surface. Foam and waves gathered at the base. The sun was almost gone, the fading daylight a glimmer inside the water-wall.

“I will need all the room around me, so please step back and wait with the others.” Damien let go of her hand and moved closer to the railing that followed the prow. Selene moved back until she stood beside Taegis and Karl.

With the dying sun in front of him, Damien appeared as a lone shadowy figure against the wall. He took a deep breath, raised his hands, and then twisted his wrists.

A sudden invisible weight seemed to come down on him, and he let out a grunt. Slowly, with his palms up, he began to lower his hands. Beyond him, the water-wall began to move, starting with the area directly across from the ship.

Although he held nothing in his hands, Selene could see the exertion of his power as sweat began to form along Damien’s temples and his arms began to shake. However, he never lost control of the wall. Slowly, bit by bit, the water-wall lowered toward the sea’s surface until the last of the foam and waves disappeared. The sun sank beyond the horizon. Damien wavered for a moment, then fell to the deck.

“Damien!” Selene and Taegis rushed to his side. She fell to her knees, unsure of what to do. “Damien?” She could barely see his face in the dim light. His eyes fluttered, then rolled up into his head.

Taegis knelt down on the other side, a concerned look on his face. “I wondered if taking the wall down would drain him.” He checked Damien’s pulse, then paused with his hand over Damien’s mouth.

Captain Stout approached, holding an oil lamp. In the lamplight, Damien appeared pale. The sight squeezed at Selene’s heart.

“Is Lord Damien all right?” the captain asked.

“Yes,” Taegis said.

Selene looked up at him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. His heart is beating, and he still draws breath. He’s spent. Lowering the water-wall took more out of him than any of us were expecting. Even me.”

“So that’s all? He’s just exhausted?”

“More or less. Let’s move him to your cabin.” Taegis waved to Karl. “Help me move his lordship.”

Karl was already there, at the ready. “Yes, sir.”

Selene stood and moved away as Taegis and Karl worked together to lift Damien, then started across the deck. The captain and Selene followed. They made their way inside the ship, along the narrow corridor, before reaching the cabin where they were staying.