Page 7 of Rainse
I should have felt guilt for what I’d done, but I didn’t. For the first time in a long while, the ache that had followed me since leaving Finfolkaheem began to fade.
I closed my eyes and listened to the waves.
She was here.
And I wasn’t alone any more.
4
Verity
Warmth.
That was the first thing I felt. Not the biting cold I’d expected, but heat seeping into my skin, wrapping around me like a heavy blanket. The smell of salt and seaweed filled my nose. My body rocked slightly, as if the world still moved with the rhythm of waves.
I forced my eyes open. Brightness stabbed at me, evening sunlight bouncing off pale sand and water that shimmered green and gold. The sky above was too blue, too calm, as if the sea hadn’t tried to kill me a few hours ago.
I was alive. Somehow.
I tried to sit up and instantly regretted it. My head spun. My throat burned with salt, my lips cracked when I licked them. Everything ached.
A sharp pain shot through my side, deep and sudden enough to steal my breath. I pressed my hand against my ribs, grimacing when even that small touch made me wince. Something had hit me hard out there—debris, maybe. Every inhale felt bruised.
And then I realised I was naked.
The realisation hit harder than the cold ever could. I was covered only by what looked like strands of seaweed — thick ribbons of golden-green kelp draped over me from shoulders to knees. The fronds smelled faintly of brine and sun-warmed rock.
Panic clawed its way up my throat. I snatched at the nearest handful, clutching it tight to my chest. Whoever had done this had stripped me, arranged me like some drowned offering on a beach.
I wasn’t alone. I could feel it before I saw him, a heaviness near my shoulder blades.
He sat a few paces away, half in shadow, half in sunlight. For a moment my brain refused to make sense of him. He looked human, almost. Broad shoulders, dark hair slicked back from a face that was too sharp, too still. But his skin caught the light and shimmered faintly green, the colour of deep water. Thin strips of kelp clung to his arms and shoulders, moving with the breeze as if they breathed.
I froze, my breath catching painfully in my chest.
He didn’t move, only watched me with eyes the colour of storm glass. Calm, unreadable, far too focused.
My voice cracked. “Who are you?”
He spoke slowly, gently, as if not wanting to spook me further.
"My name is Rainse."
His accent was strange, the vowels drawn out, soft at the edges.
"What..." It felt rude to ask, but it was clear this was the only question that I had to ask. "What... are you?"
"They call me a finman." He said it in the same gentle, soft voice. I had no idea what a finman was, what this was all supposed to mean, but I was going to return to that. For now, I had other, more urgent needs. I could ignore his green skin and kelp-growths and too-pretty-to-be-real face.
"Do you have water?"
He got to his feet in one fast, elegant movement. "I have seen humans drink the juice from this seed. I will bring you proper water later."
He handed me a green coconut. He'd made a hole in the top, giving me easy access to the water inside. I didn't hesitate, drank greedily, cool juice running down my chin.
"Slowly," he said softly. "Don't upset your stomach."
I ignored him and continued to drink until the very last drop. I licked my dry, cracked lips, wishing I had some lip balm handy. Now that my thirst was no longer overwhelming my thoughts, I was ready to ask more questions.
