"You should have said otherwise. I would have thought you were abnormally brave to be out here if you couldn't swim," she teased lightly, the joke half-hearted. She assumed he was able to, especially if he had once resided in a tower in the middle of a lake. Come to think of it, she doubted she knew anyone who couldn't swim.

She examined the bottle as she took it back, eying its contents a moment before taking a light sip. Thoughts were stewing, fueled by what he'd said about being afraid of mages because of what they'd done to him and the others in Kinloch Hold. She set the bottle down on the bench between them, her hand staying wrapped around the neck. "Is it better to hate or fear something that's hurt you?"