One of the things Kira has best gotten used to in the village is Credence, and the things Credence says. A few months ago only corpses could float would take the fucking cake; today he just shakes his head and hovers another hand at Credence's shoulder, ready to help him lay back once he understands what they're doing.

"I did," he answers, though he hardly remembers doing it. When he'd rolled up over the stone edge, he'd laid on the frozen earth and cursed at the sky, confusion compounded by the cold. "I got lucky too, Mark found me before I froze to death." On the list of people who have seen him naked, Mark is probably the weirdest entry.

"Any body with air in it floats," he continues: "It's the same with logs, things that are decomposing make gas. You just have to take a breath to make it work. If you're laying in the water and you start to sink, inhale while your head is up over the water and you'll go back up."