35As Bey's words sank in, Cryssa stared at him blankly. Of all the times when she had been surprised in her life, this was surely among the most extreme.
"I don't understand," she said quietly.
"Ikaz was afraid that you would die on your Rebirth Day," said Bey. "He kept telling everyone that when you were put in the water, your gills would open and you would be fine...but he didn't really believe it.
"The problem was, if he didn't make you go through with the Rebirth Day rite, he and Queen Perza would have been disgraced. They might even have been forced to step down as king and queen.
"He had to insist that you undergo the rite," said Bey, "but he loved you too much to let you die...so he came up with another option."
Cryssa had grown to hate Ikaz so much that it made her uncomfor
