Take on the Night

Take on the Night

Despite the sudden crash of the islands into the Ocean for which the people had yearned for so long, no one seemed concerned with anything other than the festivities being held night and day in every city, in every town. When the sun descended upon the center of the action in Komo Mai, the people of the Earth kept the celebration going by firelight – huge, bright bonfires burning throughout the center of the city. For the first time in many years, the people of the Earth stayed waking into the night as one, defying sleep.
It was not the first time in very long for Savyna; this forward waking thrust into the night was only the latest in many over the last several months. She kept a respectable distance from many of the happily engaging parties, her eyes wandering back to the Ocean again and again, its black surface glistening under the brightly lit moon. The view from Komo Mai was poor – only a fleeting view of the strange waters which now surrounded every island instead of clouds and endless stretches of sky – its gently rippling waves were strangely compelling, and Savyna found herself drifting further and further away from the festivities, toward the port where she could have a better and quieter look.

She stood at the Anuenue port, stared down at the waters lapping gently at the weathered stone dock. It was so strange and a little frightening to see something other than vast, empty space below her. She inched her heeled foot back as a small wave splashed a tiny bit of water onto the dock.

There were footsteps behind her on the port. She recognized them immediately; there were only so many men with brass boots that clinked with every step. She didn’t bother turning, keeping her hands resting on her hips as she surveyed the Ocean, mighty and black and vast.

“Did you come out here to escape the festivities, too?” Lyude, for all that he was a gentle and kind young man, never had been very good at correctly interpreting Savyna’s more subtle actions. That was all right, she supposed; most people weren’t. She didn’t usually mind how off the mark he and the others usually were. “It’s nice and quiet out here. I can see why.”

“I just came to look at the Ocean,” she replied. Her voice was always so dark and rich and thick, rolling in quiet, gentle waves like the Ocean her eyes stared down so intently at. “It’s so…”

“Strange?” Lyude supplied. Savyna shrugged, unwilling to put forth another offer of words. Lyude merely smiled, looking upward at the night sky. It wasn’t as interesting or unsettling as the Ocean, Savyna thought; the sky hadn’t changed at all, only their position in it.

They were silent for a while longer, Savyna unwilling to speak and Lyude still searching for the right words. He didn’t necessarily find them all of the time.

“Will you return home, after all this?”

Savyna turned her head slightly, just to the side, but not far enough to look at him. “I already am home.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Lyude’s voice had gained a hushed quality to it, as if the oppressiveness of the small space between the sky and the Ocean had swallowed up the sound. “Back to your real home. The place where you were born.”

Savyna reeled slightly, as if she’d been struck, and pivoted on her heel to stare at Lyude. Her eyes were just slightly too wide to be piercing, looking just a little too disarmed to be able to strike back at any moment. She regained her composure just as quickly, and the startled light in her eyes disappeared just as quickly as it had come, but it lingered still in the way she closed her eyes and tipped her chin downward, tossing a bundle of hair over her shoulder.

“You don’t – I never mentioned where I was from,” she said, and the catch in her voice betrayed her. Lyude merely shook his head.

“You didn’t have to.” Lyude clasped his hands in front of him, still looking up at the sky. “Hearing your name and status was enough, you know. Just as you did, I studied the history books as I was growing up. You know just as well as I what’s written on Imperial genealogy.”

Savyna was silent for a time, unsure of what to say. She’d never been good with words, always preferring silence. Lyude allowed her that much, at least, before he spoke again.

“It’s all right, Savyna. It’s not like I don’t understand.” Lyude smiled slightly, turning to look at her.