He might have only been calf-deep in the waves, but Kel still felt terribly out of his depth as the woman whose directions he had been following was revealed as the god, and the god as the woman, and then the sea was filled with light and creatures he had never imagined, merfolk he had never seen before, and more humans than he could count.
The young hunter stumbled back to the shore, shivering and confused by it all and trying not to touch any of the glowing souls. The boat was nearby, waiting and welcoming, but he could only shake his head mutely at the apparent offer as the dead and the living both streamed aboard. Kel was very much lost and distressed, alone and feeling lonelier than ever as so many people who seemed to know each other either celebrated the god's game or took their leave. He didn't understand any of it yet, and he made his way to a dry rock to sit and pull his boots on while he watched the ship warily, wondering if it would return to its original toy-size halfway through the voyage and drop the living into the sea to join the already-dead that filled its holds and decks.
The young hunter stumbled back to the shore, shivering and confused by it all and trying not to touch any of the glowing souls. The boat was nearby, waiting and welcoming, but he could only shake his head mutely at the apparent offer as the dead and the living both streamed aboard. Kel was very much lost and distressed, alone and feeling lonelier than ever as so many people who seemed to know each other either celebrated the god's game or took their leave. He didn't understand any of it yet, and he made his way to a dry rock to sit and pull his boots on while he watched the ship warily, wondering if it would return to its original toy-size halfway through the voyage and drop the living into the sea to join the already-dead that filled its holds and decks.
