Even as the sea invigorated his body, he knew that his pursuit was futile. No matter the powers he had inherited from the Chadassa, Silus wouldn’t be able to outpace this storm. Once or twice he caught sight of the Llothriall, but the tempest departed as quickly as it had come, taking with it all trace of the ship.

Silus surfaced and looked around. The horizon on all sides was the same featureless blue. He could barely make out where sea met sky, and he had no inkling which bearing he should take to locate the ship. It would be all too easy to swim in entirely the wrong direction.

A fin broke the surface not far from where he trod water. A razor dolphin, from the colouring. Silus ducked his head back down below and saw that he was surrounded by a school of twenty or so. The razor dolphins brushed up against him as they tumbled through the water, clicking and whistling in delight at this strange new creature in their midst.

It was then that Silus realised exactly how he’d find the Llothriall.

He raced the school of razor dolphins to the seabed and they followed, eager to outpace him, and just before Silus touched the bottom he spun back and struck for the surface, leaping from the waves, the sleek bodies of the dolphins following in his wake, the rainbow sheen of their hides dazzling in the brilliant sunlight. As much as it might have seemed otherwise to any observer, this wasn’t just Silus killing time with frivolity. Through play, he was trying to gain a hold on the razor dolphins’ minds. The first time he had encountered this species he had found their thoughts slippery, almost impossible to gain a purchase on; but now Silus was beginning to hear and comprehend the song of their thoughts.

They wanted him to stay and play, to come hunting amongst the tuna shoals so that they could get a measure of what manner of creature he was. On any other day, Silus would have delighted in their requests, but now he had a task for them.