Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Forty-One

He was cold.

Tanden came to suddenly, heart racing in panic. He was underwater. Clear, cold water. He pushed off of the hard ground, swimming for the sunlight he could see filtering through the water above him.

Only to be stopped short.

Tanden felt something catch around his ankle. He tried to kick it off, momentarily letting panic overcome his thoughts. Then a moment of clarity. He stretched his hands down to free his ankle, expecting to find a weed or tangled root.

Instead he found a metal cuff.

In his shock, Tanden inhaled. But instead of icy cold water, his lungs filled with air.

It was enough to clear his panic. Tanden took another deep breath of air and a feeling of detached calm flowed through him. He gave the metal cuff another unurgent tug. When nothing happened, Tanden's eyes found the chain the cuff was attached to and followed it to a bed. It was his own bed. Tanden waved his arms to spin in the clear water, realizing for the first time that he was in a small wooden room.

The instant he recognized it as his Captain's Quarters, the water rushed from the room. It poured out the shattered window and burned doorway so suddenly that Tanden fell. Unfortunately, he missed the bed and landed on the floor, his cuffed ankle awkwardly held up above him.

"Fuck." He growled, pushing himself up as best he could. He ended up sitting facing the bed, with his right ankle propped up on the soggy mattress.

"You thought this would be fun."

"I never thought drowning would be—" Tanden voice caught in his throat. He wanted to turn around, just as much as he didn't. He wasn't sure what he would see. The panic came back, but he tried to force it aside and turned, slowly.

Soren sat on the desk chair, idly twirling the cuff's key around one finger. He looked just as he had that night, hastily dressed, unarmed and unable to defend himself, and whole. He was whole. His dark hair ruffled from sleep, green eyes watching Tanden, reading Tanden as easily as if he were a book. Relief flooded through Tanden.

"I thought you... I was worried you'd look like..." he swallowed. "You're dead."

Soren shrugged one shoulder. "Well."

Tanden pulled himself onto the bed and sat. Moving drew his attention back to the cuff, which reminded him of Soren's first words. "I thought what would be fun?"

"This." Soren's hand stilled. The key swung around his hand one more time before dropping into his palm. "Chaining me to the bed. It was fun."

"It was." Tanden nodded slowly. "So... what is this? You'll unchain me, and then take me off to the afterlife? Any one in particular? And why this scene, anyway?"

The corners of Soren's lips rose in a smirk. "Do you ever stop thinking?"

"I've been trying very hard to stop thinking." Tanden rubbed his hand over his eyes. "You can't possibly imagine how hard it's been. But finally, maybe I'll be able to stop." He dropped his hand and looked up, meeting Soren's beautiful, understanding eyes. "I don't mind dying. I wish I'd managed to get Jale and Kuiva somewhere safe first, though. And I wish I'd managed to kill Toliver."

"Hmm."

"And I wish you would say something," Tanden muttered. "You're being very evasive."

"I'm probably doing that on purpose." Soren's fingers toyed with the key. "You're not ready to die yet."

"What?" Tanden waved his arms at the room around them. "What is this then, if I'm not ready to die?"

"I don't know." Soren stood and crossed to the bed. Tanden reached for him. Soren fingers met his, but instead of grabbing hold, Soren only put the key in his hand before taking a step backwards. "We're in your head, aren't we?"