The descent was taxing on Emily's exhausted body, but far less terrifying than her ascent. Dorian went first, testing holds, often pcing a steadying hand on her freckled shoulder. Where necessary, Emily used the Bronzeband to stabilize loose scree or widen a narrow foothold. Finally, their bare feet sank into cool, damp sand.

  The cove was exactly as Dorian described: a crescent of pale sand nestled between high, dark cliffs, the rhythmic crash of waves the only sound besides the cries of distant gulls. A thin ribbon of water cascaded down one rock face, pooling briefly before disappearing into the sand.

  "We can rest here," said Dorian, guiding Emily to the water with his hand on the small of her back. "Once you've rested, we'll discuss how to prepare for Richard and his trade. I'll prepare some spellbreaks for resonant and melodic magic."

  A deep sense of calm washed over Emily. She crouched before the freshwater seep, cupping her hands to drink deeply, the cool water soothing her parched throat. Dorian stayed close, his eyes scanning the cliff rim above and the open sea before them.

  As Emily straightened, wiping water from her mouth, a sleek shape broke the surface of the turquoise water just beyond the shore.

  "Who goes there!" shouted Dorian. "Identify yourself!"

  Whoever it was continued swimming towards them, heedless of the menace in Dorian's tone. Emily readied a small fireball in her palm.

  A powerful green tail spshed up to the water's edge, and the torso of a man rose from it. The merman had golden hair and icy blue eyes. His body bore fresh scars, but he was still instantly recognizable.

  "Caelum!" Emily excimed, rushing to the water's edge. "I can't believe it."

  Caelum's blue eyes glinted with pleasure and a genuine smile crossed his face. "It is good to see you again, Emily Stoneshell Bearer."

  Though Emily's first instinct was to cover her body, it seemed absurd before Caelum, who had never seen her wear more than a couple of goldapple leaves. As far as he and his culture were concerned, the Stoneshell neckce was clothing enough for its bearer.

  "I saw you climbing the cliff earlier, but you were too far up to hear my calls," Caelum said. "I did not think we would meet again."

  Dorian stepped closer to Emily, his arm brushing against her shoulder. She looked up at him, telling him with her eyes that the merman was a friend. "This is Dorian," she said to Caelum. "He's a spellbreaker. And Dorian, this is Caelum. He's a merman."

  "So I see," replied Dorian. He held out his hand for Caelum to shake.

  "Well met," said Caelum, taking the proferred hand. They shook solemnly, each sizing up the other.

  Caelum's eyes seemed to have more lines than the st time Emily had seen him. "Before I saw you on the cliff today, I did not know whether you still lived," he said to Emily, taking one of her hands in his. "I broke free from Trito's guards not long after we were separated, but by the time I returned to the spot, the ship was long gone. I searched for it day and night, but to no avail. Eventually, I had to return to my own affairs."

  "I'm very touched that you spent so long looking for me," Emily replied warmly. "Especially after I was the cause of your falling out with King Trito."

  Caelum waved a hand dismissively. "We would have cshed sooner or ter. I desire a much grander destiny than to be the stooge of a small-minded despot."

  "And what might that be?" Dorian asked, an edge in his tone.

  "It is my greatest wish to unify my people and bring them to glory."

  "Just like Thurseus Irontail."

  Caelum smiled at the comparison before turning back to Emily. "You have educated this man well, Emily. I cannot overstate how heartening it is to see you again, proudly bearing King Irontail's greatest work between your comely breasts."

  Emily blushed crimson, remembering Aria's words about the kinds of compliments merfolk considered polite.

  "What brings you here, Caelum?" asked Dorian, clearly eager to change the subject.

  "Trito's forces have driven me far from my Aquius, forcing me to seek allies in other mer kingdoms. I am on my way to the Kingdom of Nauticus, a few leagues south of here, as I have heard Queen Nera is sympathetic to my cause. I was following the strong currents of warm water near this shore when I heard a great commotion from the nd and stopped to investigate. It was then that I spied Emily."

  "You must have heard the dome falling," said Emily. "An evil pirate—the same one who captained the ship that caught me in its net—has stolen the Azure Sphere, a powerful source of magic for the abbey here. Without it, their wards are failing and their buildings are colpsing."

  Caleum made a noise of disapproval. "That would expin the sudden change in the current. Before, it carried me effortlessly toward Nauticus, but now it is erratic and ever-changing, and the once-warm water has cooled. The hospitality of these waters surprised me. It would seem that this was not their natural state."

  "He wants to trade the Azure Sphere to us for the return of the Bronzeband"—here Emily pointed to her anklet—"an artifact I won from him in a duel."

  "Ah, I thought you appeared more clothed than before," Caelum said, bringing a shy smile to Emily's lips. "Will you make the trade?"

  "Pirates aren't to be trusted," Dorian said. "We're to meet him for the handover on the cliffs at sunset tomorrow, but we'll come prepared."

  "I fully expect him to double-cross us," said Emily. "It wouldn't be the first time."

  A pained expression passed across Caelum's face. "I wish that I could offer my services. But dry nd is no pce for me, and this meeting pce is too high even for the greatest waves to crest." He gnced up hopelessly at the cliffs high above.

  "I think we'll manage," Dorian said, attempting to sound reassuring. "Emily is a powerful sorceress, and I have a few tricks up my... well, not my sleeves, right now. But I know some counters to musical spells."

  "I will ask the gods of the ocean to see to your good fortune."

  There was a lull in the conversation, during which Emily failed to prevent herself from releasing a giant yawn.

  "Emily needs to rest before then," Dorian said, pointedly addressing Caelum. "She's had an exhausting day."

  "Of course," Caelum replied. "I must see to hunting, as I grow peckish. But I will remain in shallow waters. If you have need of me, shout, and I will come at once."

  "Thank you," said Emily, smiling wearily. Though Caelum would be of no aid to them against Richard, just knowing he was alive and free released her mind from a great burden, one she'd been carrying since they parted.

  "Until we meet again." Caelum bowed slightly, kissing Emily's hand. Then, with a curt nod to Dorian, he turned tail and spshed away.

  Once he was out of sight, the full weight of Emily's fatigue finally caught up to her, and she found herself stumbling and struggling to keep her eyes open.

  Dorian pced a gentle hand on her back and led her to a shaded spot beneath the cliff, where the sand was soft and only a little warm. "Sleep now," he said. "I will keep watch."

  Emily let herself drop onto her side on the soft sand, curling her body up tight. The rhythmic sigh of the waves was a soft lulby, lulling her as she closed her eyes. She was more tired than she remembered ever being before and welcomed the oblivion of a deep, dreamless sleep.

  In no time at all, she was woken by a gentle nudge on her shoulder. She groaned, blinking open her eyes to see Dorian's face, framed by a sun that dipped low on the horizon. "Wake up," he said. "I've made you some tea."

  Emily nodded, though still half-asleep. She stretched and brushed sand from her arms, her mind still adjusting to her strange reality, just as it had every time she'd woken up in this world. Emily was not in her bed at home, or in her pajamas. She was on a secluded beach on the Azure Coast, in Thesson, and she was entirely naked, but for two pieces of magical jewelry and an inexplicable estic hair-tie.

  She felt better. A dull ache lingered in her forearms from the strain of climbing, but she felt stronger and more clear-minded. She could tell, through their unconscious, indescribable bond, that the Stoneshell's fire was greatly replenished.

  To her left, a campfire crackled merrily, and Dorian held a slightly misshapen stone cup for her. "Remember the handhold that came loose while we were coming down here? I thought it would make a good cup."

  Emily gave a small ugh as she accepted the cup. The tea was warm and smelled faintly of mint. She took a tentative sip and felt its warmth spread through her. "This is really good," she said. "I'm gd I picked you for this quest. Aria would never think to make tea, and that wood elf stuff Talyndra brews is awful."

  Dorian made a retching face at the thought of wood elf tea, and they both ughed.

  Emily gnced at the fire, then touched the Stoneshell. "How did you make that?"

  "Not all of us need a magic neckce to start a fire," Dorian replied.

  "Oh. Yeah." Emily blushed, then took another sip from the cup, watching the sea waves break on the sand.

  "He seemed quite concerned about you," Dorian said eventually, his tone carefully neutral as he stared out at the water. "The merman. Caelum."

  Emily gnced at him. Was that curiosity in his voice, or something else? "He has been a great friend to me," she said. "He helped me escape from Aquius after his king tried to steal the Stoneshell."

  "Aquius," Dorian repeated thoughtfully. "What was it like? I've never heard of a surface-dweller going there before, apart from the ones in the legends."

  "It was beautiful. And strange," Emily said. "Like nowhere I've ever seen before or since. Even after with all the strangeness of this world, it stands out."

  "How were you able to breathe?"

  Emily tapped the Stoneshell.

  Dorian's gaze flickered down to the Stoneshell, nestled between Emily's breasts, then quickly back to her face. "Ah, of course. Irontail's betrothal gift was not only a symbol of love between sea and nd, but a practical instrument for its realization. It allowed Evangeline to come to him."

  The Stoneshell had been a source of protection for Emily, and increasingly a source of power. But it was also a symbol of love. The love of a particur man for a particur woman. Dwelling on that made the neckce feel different, added a new kind of weight.

  "I've gathered some spellbreaking ingredients," Dorian said, motioning to a small pile of beach detritus at his side—seashells, seaweed, a few oddly-shaped sticks, another misshapen stone cup filled with sand, and a few small strips of blue fabric torn from his robe. "None of this stuff would do anything on its own, but I went back up to the cliff while you were sleeping and arranged some stones and branches in leyline-disrupting patterns. It won't look out of the ordinary to anyone not well-versed in spellbreaking."

  Emily nodded appreciatively. Dorian had expined the general principles of spellbreaking to her a few times, but she found it very complicated and counter-intuitive. Every time she thought she understood how one part of it worked, Dorian would gently correct her, until she gave up entirely on ever understanding it. She knew it worked though—after all, Dorian had once used it against her.

  The lower rim of the sun now rested directly on the water, casting a shimmering path across its surface. "What do we do now?" Emily asked. She finished her tea and set the makeshift stone cup down in the sand beside her.

  Dorian followed her gaze to the spectacur sunset. "Now? We wait. Richard said sunset tomorrow, did he not? That gives us time." He got up and poked at the small campfire, adding a few pieces of driftwood he must have gathered while she slept. Sparks danced upwards into the rapidly darkening sky. "It gives my preparations time to settle into the ley lines," he added, gncing back towards the cliffs. "And it gives you more time to recover your strength. You pushed yourself hard today."

  The day's events fshed through Emily's mind, bringing attention to the deep aches in her muscles.

  "We should eat," Dorian said. "I managed to find something while you were asleep." He gestured towards a cluster of ft rocks near the fire. On them y several rge, cooked shellfish steaming gently, alongside a handful of roasted tubers that smelled earthy and sweet. "Not exactly a feast, but edible. The shellfish were trapped in a tide pool, and the tubers grow wild just above the high tide line."

  Emily's stomach rumbled in response. "That looks amazing, Dorian. Thank you."

  They settled by the fire, pulling the hot shells apart with their fingers, and digging out the tender meat. They ate the tubers like baked potatoes, splitting the charred skins to get at the soft insides. It was simple food, but after the day's ordeal, it tasted incredible. They ate mostly in comfortable silence, listening to the fire's crackle and the rhythm of the waves.

  Darkness fell over the beach and stars slowly poputed the darkening sky. The night skies of Thesson, free from the light pollution Emily had grown up with, still occasionally caused her to catch her breath in wonder. The air grew cooler, raising goosebumps on Emily's bare arms. She huddled closer to the fire's warmth.

  "Dorian," she began hesitantly, fidgeting with the stone cup. "While you were out foraging... did you happen to find anything... you know?" She gestured vaguely at her own body. "To wear?"

  Dorian looked up from poking the fire with a stick, his cheeks illuminated by the fmes. He seemed surprised by the question, then slightly flustered. "Ah. Wear. Right." He cleared his throat. "Actually... no. I didn't. I was mostly focused on the spellbreaking components, setting the counter-measures on the cliff, and keeping an eye out." He avoided her gaze, suddenly finding the fire intensely interesting. "And making sure no one from the Abbey came looking for us. Priorities, you know."

  Emily couldn't help a small smile. It was strangely endearing, his practical focus completely overriding the rather obvious social awkwardness of their situation. "Right. Priorities. Spellbreaking first, clothing optional."

  "Well, yes," he said, looking back at her, seemingly missing her wry tone. "I don't have much experience with resonance magic, or anything else Richard can do with that violin. I needed every bit of time to prepare what I could." He frowned. "Even with the preparations, stopping him won't be easy if he means to fight."

  "Maybe it won't come to that," Emily said, trying to sound more sure of herself than she really was. She looked down at the band on her ankle, glinting slightly in the firelight. "If he's serious about making a trade, well... we do need the Azure Essence."

  Dorian stopped poking the fire, his expression becoming serious, attentive.

  "I know he doesn't deserve it back. He's... awful. And dangerous. Giving him that power again feels wrong, so wrong." Her hand instinctively went to the Stoneshell over her heart. "But Aria and the other statues... they've waited centuries. This might be their only chance. If we fight Richard and lose, or even if we just fail to get the Essence from him... the curse stays. Is keeping the Bronzeband worth that risk?"

  Dorian remained silent for a long moment, studying her face in the firelight. "And what happens after?" he asked quietly. "After Richard has the Bronzeband back? He won't just sail off peacefully into the sunset, Emily. Saving Aria is paramount, yes. But unleashing a re-empowered Captain Richard... that carries its own cost, doesn't it? Don't you have enough powerful and dangerous enemies already?"

  Emily didn't have an answer. She wrapped her arms around her knees, staring into the fmes. Dorian was right, of course. But the image of Aria, eternally stone, haunted her.

  There was something else about the Bronzeband that made her hesitate to give it up, and that was the mysterious nightmoss, which seemed to be somehow linked to it. It was a source of immense magical power from the Deep Realm that she could not understand, much less control, but that had come to her aid in impossible situations. Would abandoning the Bronzeband mean abandoning the nightmoss?

  She remembered wanting to ask Abbess Loren about the nightmoss, back at G Abbey. Why hadn't she? For that matter, why hadn't she asked Abbess Althea about it, or Aria? For some reason, Emily was unable to hold a thought about the nightmoss in her mind for more than a few minutes at a time.

  Dorian stood up, stretching. "We don't have to decide right now. We have until sunset tomorrow." He banked the fire carefully, leaving a few glowing embers, and gestured towards the soft patch of sand where Emily had slept before. "Get some more sleep. A clear head will help." He walked a few paces away, closer to the freshwater seep, and cleared another patch of sand for himself.

  Emily y down on the sand, still faintly warm from the day's sun. She looked up at the vast sweep of stars, so much more brilliant than any she'd ever seen back home. The Near Moon was full tonight, and the Far Moon a waning crescent. Closing her eyes, she listened to the waves, the distant cry of a night bird, and the soft sounds of Dorian settling down nearby.