This whole adventure is far more intimate than anything Dejah has undertaken in the last century. That he's at the center of it has not escaped her. This whole world is alien to her, and being surrounded by pure water extends the experience into the surreal.

And he's the only fixed point in the storm of sensation. His hand on her back, his voice in her ear.

She reaches out a hand for him, catching his hand in hers and holds on so tight, her knuckles blanch. "Don't let go," she whispers.