The first white light struck Jiang from below.
Cold saltwater burst through the root mouth and climbed the center chamber wall. The light moved inside it, too steady to be foam and too far away to touch. Jiang saw it once through the dark water before Skykeel rolled and the wall became the floor.
He slid toward Kaul on his bad hip.
Aylin caught him by the loose line behind his flippers. Her injured shoulder buckled, but she did not let the line draw tight across his throat. She dropped beside him, braced both boots against a copper rib, and hauled until his feet found metal.
For one breath, they only looked at each other.
Mud streaked her face. Blood had soaked the shoulder of her coat again. She was alive, furious, and close enough to put two fingers against the side of his neck.
"Hold still while I check you."
Jiang clicked his beak at the water rising around them.
"Yes, I see the sea," she said. "The sea can wait its turn."
