The walk to the sea felt longer than ten minutes, but maybe that was just because I was still grumbling under my breath the entire way. Zed didn’t say a word, which only annoyed me more—how dare he just stay quiet like that when he was the reason I was stomping through dirt roads at this ungodly hour.
But when we finally reached the shore, my annoyance faltered.
The world seemed to open up in front of me—an endless stretch of blue that shimmered under the early dawn light. The salty air hit me first, sharp but strangely refreshing. My lungs filled with it like it was the first real breath I’d taken in days.
There were already a few people there—men with their nets slung over their shoulders, women setting down baskets, kids running along the sand. They all looked busy, purposeful. I fel
