There was no storm on the evening Otabek picked his way along the rocky shore, but neither was the sky clear. He picked a slow, unsteady path until his body's memories returned to lend surety, the soles of his bare feet finding purchase on the jagged stones.
A tiny cave was notched into the sea-weathered cliffs, soon to be swallowed by the rising tide. Otabek crouched and ducked in, ignoring the icy water that tugged at his ankles as he shed the dark cloak wrapped around his bare shoulders. He gently tucked the soft folds into a crevice that had been carved into the rock by gods older than his own.
With that finished, Otabek turned and stepped back into the ocean.
:: :: ::
Birds whirled through the air above the cliffs as the darkening sky gave itself up to the sea. It was not the sort of day upon which prophecies were told or lost kings returned to claim their throne, but forgotten secrets would stir in the earth that night, dreaming of their past and awaiting the stories to come. Yuri's eyes skimmed the crashing waves. He paused as a dark head appeared in the water, sleek and sure amid the currents.
A seal, he thought, watching it swim to the shore.
But it was not a seal that emerged from the inky ocean. Though the distance was too great for their eyes to meet, Yuri smiled toothily into the weight of the stranger's gaze.