When I was done talking, I sat there for a long while, stroking the ’pus and feeling strange. Part of the feeling was sadness, and part of it was remorse. But there was also a striking sense of having been changed in ways I couldn’t understand. I was at a loss.

Eventually I got up to head back to camp. Oddly, the ’pus wanted to come with me. When I got in my sleeping bag, it settled on a root near my face.

I woke up several times during the night, and each time it was still there.

In the morning, it was gone.

A day and a half later, we reached the shore.

Williams led us out to the point where rocks and water met. We waded into the gentle waves until Ghosteater indicated the strait was beneath us. I looked down. The water was clear, but it was impossible to pick the stone ball out of the rocky seabed. As I watched, Ghosteater dove down, kicking vigorously to reach the bottom. We all watched as he touched a certain place with his nose, then disappeared. The water tossed violently as it filled the space he’d occupied, and I lost sight of the spot he’d touched.

“Ryder,” Williams said. “Go.”

Taking a deep breath, I bent down to the place I thought the strait was and began feeling around with my hands. On the third try, I must’ve touched it because I found myself sprawled on the tile floor of a windowless room beside a stone ball — the matching strait, the one Graham had been carrying.

“Move away,” Ghosteater said from the corner.

I scrambled over to the wall and waited while the others appeared one by one.

Once everyone was there, I thanked them for coming to get me.

“Sure,” Kara said, “no problem.”

Zion shrugged. “Not like we had a choice, right?”

Ghosteater cocked his head and stared at me.

Williams said nothing — just grabbed a towel from the pile that had been left in the corner and walked out.

“Don’t mind them,” Kara said. “They’re assholes. It’s not your fault you ended up there.”

“It is your fault we had to go so far to find you,” Zion said, toweling her hair. “Next time, stay put.”

Her words stung. I felt defensive, even though I’d been berating myself for that exact mistake.

“I didn’t know if anyone would come for me. Or if Graham or Lord Limu might be the one who came, if anyone did.”

“Exactly,” Kara said staunchly. “I would’ve been on the move, too.”

Zion rolled her eyes and left.

Kara and I dried off, then stood there awkwardly.

“Well,” she said, “we’d better go find Lord Cordus. I mean, you’d better go find him. Hopefully he won’t need to talk to me.”

“Yeah. Okay.”