Page 61 of Potions & Pints
“Tan!”came another voice through the crowd and he looked to see Pili making his way toward them.
The water elf clapped him on his back, smiling. There was still a certain sadness there, and Tan could see Pili was conflicted. Tan couldn’t blame him — so much had happened over the previous few weeks and there was no doubt the water elf would struggle with his father’s betrayal for a long time. Perhaps forever. Nothing would bring his brother back, after all.
“Thank you for uncovering the truth,” Pili said softly into Tan’s ear as the party carried on around them. “I may have underestimated you.”
Tan smiled back gently. “I’m sorry for the pain that truth has caused you,” he said, and meant it.
But Pili only shook his head. “That’s not on your shoulders,” he said. “That’s between me and Laeve Taesi.”
The thought struck Tan as tragic and a question came into his mind and heart then.
“Why are you choosing to stay?” he asked, peering at the water elf with both respect and curiosity. If he were in Pili’s position, he wasn’t sure he’d want to do the same.
“So much has happened,” he continued. “Isn’t it hard for you to be here?”
Pili sighed, sending his own spray of bubbles up to join those of his kin.
“It is, and perhaps it always will be. But that could never have stopped me from rejoining my city. These are my people and it is an honor and a privilege to serve them. There is much pain here, but there is so much more love.”
He looked around him, gesturing at the people who danced and sang with joy and relief at the end of Sinifris’ rule and the beginning of Pili’s and Tan saw what he meant.
The words of Pili’s oath came back to him again and Tan decided he might even learn something from the water elf.
“I have no doubt you’ll make an excellent chieftain,” Tan said and in a gesture that surprised even him, he bowed deeply to Pili.
When he stood again the water elf was staring at him with a humorous grin on his face.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Pili joked.
Tan just rolled his eyes. “Neither did I,” he replied with a smirk. The two of them shared one last look of mutual respect before someone passed another bottle around and they were pulled into the revelry.
28
The waves lapped the shore at Tan’s and Vir’s feet in a way that was almost foreign to them by now. They hadn’t been to the surface in over a month and Tan had almost forgotten what the sun looked like, what dry sand felt like, what dryanythingfelt like.
“There’s something to that saying about fish not knowing they’re in water,” Tan said thoughtfully, enjoying the suddenly novel experience of breathing without gills.
In fact, there were so many novel things about being on land again that Tan had almost forgotten about — the feeling of the wind on his skin, the color of the sky, even the trees of Gamlin Ait that had been a terror to the crew just a few months ago, were now looking positively inviting.
“I guess the saying applies to orcs and elves too,” Vir replied, grinning.
Tan breathed in the salty sea air through his nose and it took him a second to understand why there were no bubbles appearing as he exhaled. Suddenly he let out a laugh. It felt good to be on land again but he never thought it would feel so strange.
He hardly knew what to make of it all — the gills, the life they’d been living in Laeve Taesi, the overthrowing of the chieftain, the reunion with his sister, the reconciliation with Pili. And not least of all his relationship with Vir.
He looked beside him to the orc and Vir smiled at him from where he sat, his giant green toes scrunching the sand in a way that made Tan happy. It was a simple pleasure, one that they could finally enjoy now that things had stabilized in Laeve Taesi. Tan intended to enjoy every minute of it.
“I’m glad you came up here with me,” Vir finally said, his signature smile still dashed across his face.
Tan smiled back. He was starting to do that more and more and he was acutely aware that this was Vir’s influence on him. He couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it. It was definitely nicer than scowling and smirking all the time.
“I’m glad you asked me,” he replied and meant it. “I was starting to think I’d be a fish forever.”
The two of them chuckled softly, each one thinking of how unlikely their time in Laeve Taesi had been while gazing out at the sea that stretched before them. It reminded Tan of a clean, blank slate. Not even the Heaving Sea could sully the image.
“Well, now that I’m immune to the sleeping sickness, I can come up whenever I like,” Vir remarked and Tan could hear the happiness in his voice. “And since you never seem to have any problem with it, so can you.”
Tan had to admit, being back on land was scratching an itch that life with the water elves never could. As much as he was enjoying life underwater, their current trip was a breath of fresh air, in every sense.
