Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 308
Uncle... he appeared out of nowhere and took me away. He
saved my life." She shrugged. "That’s all."
"Oh." They walked on.
"Thanks," she said suddenly.
"For what?"
"For coming with us. For helping out." She hesitated,
then added, "and for putting up with me."
Jordan found he was smiling. She walked a few steps
away, her face and form softened by mist. She was looking
away from him.
"You uncle told me you had a tragedy very recently," he
said as gently as he could. "It’s understandable."
"It’ll be all right, though," she said a bit too brightly.
"When we get to Rhiene Uncle is going to introduce me to
society there. There’ll be balls, and dinners, and the rest of
that. So you see, I’m ready to take up a new life now. Uncle is
helping me do that."
"That’s good," he said cautiously.
She took a deep breath. "My foot feels a lot better."
"Good. But you shouldn’t use it too much yet."
They took a faint path down a long slope to a pebbled
beach. The sound of the waves was strangely hushed here.
A vast translucent canopy of light hung over the lake
now, and in the heart of it... Jordan and Tamsin stopped on the
shoreline, staring. Impossibly high in the air, a crescent of gold
and rose as broad as the lake burned in the morning sun. The
crescent outlined the top of a deep cloud-grey circle that
seemed to be punched in the mist overhanging the water.
Jordan could see a long, nearly horizontal tunnel of shadow
stretching to infinity behind the thing.
The sense of free happiness Jordan had felt only
moments ago collapsed. He backed away, hearing his own