I spun away from Jovis to see Ragan, his hand on the wall, his face pale and sweat-streaked. It took me a moment to orient my thoughts; they were still on the feel of Jovis’s fingers against my cheek.

“Just a day or so,” Jovis said.

“An entire day,” Ragan said flatly.

“Why don’t you just wave your hand and make it calm out there?” Jovis said. I was gratified to note he sounded more than just a little annoyed.

Ragan lifted a finger. “While my abilities can be augmented by cloud juniper berries, putting to rest an entire section of the Endless Sea would be beyond the grasp of anyone except perhaps Dione. If the—” The boat swayed again, and he fell into the opposite wall, clutching his belly.

I grasped the doorknob of my room to stay upright.

“Are all the cloudtree monks like you?” Jovis asked, irritation seeping into his voice. “Ever think that perhaps Dione isn’t a name you should mention in the same breath as your abilities? We’ve a thin enough veneer as it is.”

“You should let people get used to the idea,” Ragan said. “They’ll have to be living with the reality sooner or later. We are not the only Alanga in this Empire.”

Another wave hit the ship, and he fell to the floor.

“Can you help him back to his room?” I asked Jovis.

“Can I help him into the ocean?” he asked, his jaw tight.

“The servants’ bunk, please,” I said lightly.

Reluctantly, he went to help the monk to his feet. “Ginger tea helps,” he told the man. “And just lying still. Try to sleep it off.”

The click of claws against wood sounded behind me. Thrana had awoken from her nap. She blinked at me sleepily, her bulk filling the entire hallway. I cupped her chin in my hands and scratched the small beard there. It felt like dandelion silk between my fingertips. My heartbeat calmed. “If you get any bigger, you won’t fit on a ship anymore,” I said to her.

She blinked. “Then I’ll swim.”

I laughed at her matter-of-fact tone. “I’m not sure how you’d manage for that long.”

She followed me into my cabin and settled by the window, waiting while I lit the lamps. She took up near half the space. It was like bringing a pony into a bedroom. I would have prepared better for this trip if I’d known she would grow so much.

But there were more pressing matters to attend to. I didn’t have much time before we got to Gaelung. I needed to be prepared.

I went to the chest at the foot of my bed, unlocked it and pulled out the small box of flasks. I lifted the one that held my father’s memories. Thrana watched me warily.

I returned her gaze. “You don’t think I should.”

“You come back not you,” she said.