Ulysses fixed his dark eyes on her and, for the briefest of moments, Taylor felt the same sensation of drowning that she had experienced in the Sea of Cohr. "Because I wanted to get your attention," he muttered.

She stared at him, unsure of what to do with this information. "I would've thought more highly of you if you had helped me," she said quietly.

Ulysses shrugged. He bent down to pick up a small twig from the tiled ground and dropped it into the fountain, suddenly ...