The outer arms of the Bay of Jarime had slowly drawn closer together during the last hour, revealing tall cliffs on either side. Auraya watched with interest as the crew of the Herald went about their tasks, following orders relayed down a chain of command. The ship pulled out of the bay, then between the two great columns of rock known as the Guardians. The swaying of the deck changed to a deep rolling as they entered the waters of Mirror Strait.

“Ships used to make me ill.”

Auraya glanced at Mairae. They were sitting up on the stern, where wooden benches hugged the railing. Soft cushions had been placed there for them and a canopy shaded them from the bright sun. Leiard and Danjin stood near the prow and a small team of servants were down in the hull preparing a light meal.

“Seasickness?” Auraya asked.

“Yes. It affected me so badly, I’d spend most of a journey barely conscious.” Mairae lifted her hand and splayed her fingers. The sunlight glinted off the white ring on her middle finger. “Sometimes it is the smallest of the gods’ Gifts that I treasure the most.”

Auraya looked at her own ring, then at the door leading to the rooms below deck.

“I hope Leiard and Danjin will be all right.”

“I’m sure the Dreamweaver has his own ways of curing seasickness, and Danjin has probably brought medicines for it. He’s very organized.”

“Yes.” Auraya smiled. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.” She turned to regard Mairae. “You don’t have an adviser?”

“I did, in the beginning. His name was Wesso, but I called him Old Westie because he came from Irian Island and his accent was so strong it was hard, sometimes, to understand him. He was my adviser for nearly ten years.” Her gaze became distant. “I didn’t need him by then, but dismissing him would have hurt him deeply, so I kept him until he died. I do miss him sometimes.”

Seeing the sadness in Mairae’s eyes, Auraya felt a pang of sympathy—and something akin to dread.

“Have you grown used to watching people grow old and die?” she asked in a low voice.

Mairae met Auraya’s eyes, her expression unusually grave. “No, but I have learned how best to allow myself to grieve. I give myself a measure of time to feel bad, then move on. And I don’t let myself anticipate it too much. The way I see it, you can’t worry overly much about the future when the future stretches endlessly before you.”

“I guess not. But sometimes I can’t stop worrying. I suppose that’s something I’ll have to learn, among other things.”

Mairae’s eyebrows rose. “What are you so worried about?”

Auraya hesitated, then shook her head. “Oh, just…small things. Nothing important.”