A rock whistled past Nirvana's shoulder and splashed into the water.
"Why's the water so yellow?" Cai's voice cut the quiet. He tossed another rock into the sea, watching it hiss and vanish. "Does that mean no swimming? I really need this today." He said the last part under his breath, hoping Nirvana hadn't heard.
The hill rose gently behind the village, just high enough to see over the rooftops to where the sea began. Nirvana and Cai stood facing the water, their backs to Iskarra's smoking chimneys.
The sea was still streaked yellow in places, traces of the hunt that had taken place the day before.
To the north, the Arctic Wall cut into the sky. Beyond it lay only silence, a place Iskarra never spoke of, and no one ever crossed.
The wind carried salt and the faint, cold scent of iron.
"The Hornik was here yesterday. It releases a yellow acidic substance that crystallizes. It takes less than forty eight for it to melt. No one comes around the sea during this period. But we're here now, so we might as well just wait. It's dissolved so it just needs to disappear with the water." Nirvana explained. She was glad he didn't ask how she knew because then her secret would be exposed. And if he asked, she'd lie and say she'd been reading a lot of scrolls from the temple.
Cai lunged towards the waters before she could react. Nirvana knew she couldn't catch up to him on time. And in less than two seconds his bones would be exposed.
Think, girl. Think!
The air suddenly cracked. Before him a wall of ice emerged, stopping him cold. He slammed into it and fell hard, the breath punched from his lungs.
As his eyes fluttered open, he saw a figure towering above him, her silhouette wreathed in pale blue light. Frost crawled over her hands and drifted into the air in glittering shards. The scent of ozone and brine burned his nose, and the cold pressed against his skin like knives.
"What were you thinking?" Nirvana asked, extending her arm. Her grip was strong and warm despite the frost still clinging to her fingers.
"I don't know." Cai spat snow and shook the ice from his hair. "It looked safe."
"This looks safe to you?" Nirvana's gaze was sharp, scanning him. He was jittery, his movements too quick. "What's up with you today? You're acting differently."
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"What do you suggest we do about the water?" he snapped, the words sharp as flint. As he spoke, he hugged his arm to his chest, his hand clamping over his sleeve in a white-knuckled grip. It was a frantic, defensive gesture that was entirely unlike his usual clumsy slouch.
"Fine," she said, letting the subject drop. For now. She turned back to the sea, crouching by the shore. She thought hard for a second. It wasn't simple to just say avoid the yellow parts. Most parts were yellow. But among the yellow some parts bubbled, while the others were free.
"If you badly want to swim, here's what we must do. We have to watch the bubbles. Where the sea breathes, it's clean, acid chokes everything. Then she paused. "Or we can wait for the acid to dissolve." She knew he wouldn't like the second option.
"How long will that take?"
Nirvana didn't answer.
Cai frowned, picked up another stone, and tossed it toward the bubbling patch she'd pointed at. It sank without a hiss. He glanced at her, half-impressed, half-annoyed.
"Not bad, Nira. Not bad."
She laughed. "Oh, Cai!" Nirvana pulled him into a hug. "What would I do if I had lost you?"
"Can't—breathe," Cai wheezed. "My ribs, Nira…my ribs…"
"Stop resisting," she said, tightening her hold. "We haven't hung out in a while."
"You saw me yesterday at the shack. We talked. We talked for over three HOURS."
"Are you eating well these days?"
"Nirvana, what's with all these questions?"
"You know why I'm asking." Her voice dropped. She brushed a thumb over his shoulder, where the fabric dipped. "You're thinner. And this—" she touched near his collarbone—"Are you causing any trouble at home?"
Cai turned away. "It's nothing."
"Cai." Her voice sharpened. "Be still. I'm not done examining you."
He shook his head. She reached for him again, and this time he tried to push her off, but she was stronger. They stumbled against the rocks, slipping in the snow.
"Stop it!" he raged.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears slipping before she could stop them. "It's just…you're not telling me anything…I don't want anything bad to happen to you…you don't have to endure this anymore…Cai…you're all I have."
Cai stared at her, stunned. "Nirvana, you have a family who loves you. You have team mates who admire you. Friends who would do anything for you. What do you mean I'm all you have?"
Her shoulders shook as tears streamed freely now. Cai sighed, stepped forward, and pulled her into a gentler hug this time—one that didn't hurt. He stroked her hair, his voice low and unsteady. "You're all I have too, Nira. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything else. But you've got to stop worrying about me."
She buried her face into his neck, ashamed of her eyes meeting his. Mucus was everywhere, all over her face, his clothes, but Cai didn't seem to mind. Instead he kissed her hair, and wiped her tears with his fragile thumb. She then heard him chuckle.
"What?"
"You're such an ugly crier."
The air between them grew still for a moment, save for the low hiss of the sea. Cai opened his mouth, then shut it again, unsure what to say. Nirvana pulled away, pretending to watch the horizon, the muscles in her jaw tightening as she bit back the rest of what she wanted to say.
And then—
"Glad to see everyone's in a thoughtful mood!"
They both jumped. Cai let out a startled yelp, half scream, half curse, and nearly lost his footing on the slick ice.
Boreas doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach. "You two forget I was here, or were you too busy staring into each other's souls?"
"Forget? Boreas, when did you get here? I hate it when you do that."
Cai glared. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, you mammoth-brained idiot!"
Nirvana's hand smacked the back of his head before he could duck. Boreas stumbled, still laughing.
"Can't believe you guys waited for us." another voice said.
All three of them looked up.
"EDUR!" Cai and Nirvana shouted in unison.
He was sliding down the snowy hill, one foot extended, the other bent just enough to control his balance. A trail of ice formed beneath his boots, glinting pale blue in the light before dissolving into mist. He landed cleanly in front of them, the hem of his temple robe swirling like a cape.
"Sorry, guys, I'm late again," Edur Silven said, brushing snow from his sleeves with a grin that was far too pleased with itself. "But I promise this time it wasn't my fault. The temple's been in chaos."
"So I'm guessing you sneaked out." Nirvana folded her arms, a frown appeared on her face. "Isn't the High Warden going to notice?"
"I have my ways. That's all I can say for now. Anyway, how long have you been waiting?"
"Not too long. We're trying to decide if we should wait for the acid to completely dissolve or …what are you doing?" Nirvana's cheeks turned red immediately she saw it. "You're changing here?"
Edur peeled off his temple robe in one smooth motion, the fabric catching the light before falling to the snow. Nirvana had seen him like this before training, swimming, working but something about it felt different now. The lines of his shoulders looked sharper, the muscles in his arms leaner, his skin pale against the cold air.
She caught herself staring, heart thudding in a way that had nothing to do with the chill. What's wrong with me?
Boreas's laughter jolted her back to reality. "This is the best day of my life!"
Cai groaned, covering his eyes. "I refuse to have my innocence taken away."
Nirvana scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at Edur, trying to hide the flush in her cheeks. "Dont go completely naked, you'd freeze to death, you idiot!" Boreas and Cai quickly joined in, pelting Edur from every direction until he raised his arms in mock surrender, grinning.
By the time the laughter died down, the yellow acid had fully dissolved. The water gleamed blue again, rippling gently in the afternoon light. One by one, they stripped down to their undershirts, everyone except Nirvana.
Cai kicked at the snow, grumbling. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Which is exactly why we brought you," Boreas said. "Someone has to remind us how stupid we are."
Nirvana's laugh rang bright against the frozen cliffs. She glanced out at the water. "Last time we made it past the black rock. This time…" She pointed farther. "That ridge. The first one there wins."
Cai groaned. "Do we have to make everything a race?" He was the least athletic of all four of them. Nirvana and Boreas had this stupid, childish rivalry that had been going on for years.
"Yes," Nirvana and Boreas shouted at the same time.
Ice flared under Nirvana's feet as she leapt onto the lake. The frozen patches formed and melted with each step, her pace light, fast, efficient. Boreas thundered forward like a charging mammoth, water spraying high where his steps broke the surface. Edur's movements were careful, precise, his lines straight as though he measured every stride. Cai followed last, scrambling, arms pumping, his ice cracking too soon so that every few steps he splashed waist-deep before hauling himself back up again.
They laughed, shouted, and spluttered.
When they reached the ridge—a line of jagged rocks jutting from the center of the lake—they flopped onto it together, panting, clothes damp and clinging.
"I told you I'd win," Boreas wheezed, though Nirvana had clearly beaten him by a step.
"You're blind," Nirvana said, flicking water at him.
Cai coughed, lying flat on his back. "One of these days… you're all going to fish me out… when I sink to the bottom."
"You float like driftwood," Edur teased.
"Better driftwood than a stone," Cai shot back, though his smile was weak.
Boreas cut through the surface with a strong stroke, then leaned back, grinning like he'd conquered the sea itself. "I swear, next week can't come soon enough. Once the trial is over, you'll all be saluting. "Guard Boreas, son of Chief Rurik!" He puffed out his chest like his father, the head of Iskarra's guards.
"Or…" Nirvana smirked, flicking ice shards toward him, "…you could end up crushing herbs."
"Or tinkering blocks of ice." Edur added.
"Or weaving mammoth wool." Cai was happy to be included. For once, he wasn't the butt of their jokes. Someone had taken the bait and it wasn't him.
Boreas sputtered and swung water at them. "Shut it. Everyone knows the guard's mark runs in my blood. My father was selected. His father before him. I'll be the next."
"Don't be so sure," Edur said, his voice quiet but steady. He floated easily, arms stretched wide, temple robes trailing in the water like silver kelp. "The trial doesn't focus on bloodline. It only proves what you are, not what you pretend to be."
Cai groaned, sinking until just his nose poked above the surface. "That's what I'm afraid of. What if I end up with nothing? My family already thinks I'm… strange. If the rite doesn't go well for me. I'll—"
"Well, you're training right? I mean, the reason why we've not hung out for so long is because you guys have been training non-stop. If you work hard, there's no way you wouldn't succeed at it. You might not get the best roles but somehow you'll end up with something. It's rare for no one to pass the trial. I'm sure you'll do great." Edur, being the oldest, was also the wisest of all three. Nirvana thought it had to be because of the name he carried. He was a temple attendant, one of the Silvens, a family line that had served the priestess of Iskarra for generations. Anyone who spent that much time at the temple must have been drawing wisdom from the gods. She hadn't interacted much with other Silvens, so it was just a theory.
Boreas held up a hand and focused. Ice spiraled from his palm, shaping itself into what was clearly meant to be a guard's spear. But the shaft curled like a sickled fern, and the tip drooped comically.
Nirvana burst out laughing. "Going to fight with a noodle?"
Boreas shrugged, the ice melting in his grip. "It's… flexible."
Their laughter echoed off the frozen cliffs, but Edur's voice pulled them back down. "Still… things will change. Once you're selected, it's no more swimming afternoons, no more 'let's see how far we can go.' You're not kids anymore, you belong to the village. A full-time duty."
That left the four of them quiet, drifting with the current. Even Boreas, who always filled silence, only kicked absently at the water.
But Nirvana, staring at the horizon, whispered, "Then we make this last swim count."