When led to the water, S. is confused. Sola tells him they will be travelling by ship and in order to get to the ship they must walk over the ice. At this moment, S. fears death. He is afraid of falling through and drowning. This is an odd fear considering all he has been through in his life.

Eric connects this moment to a line which appears several times throughout the novel. “What begins at the water shall end there…” but Jen wonders “how can he ever know if he’s at an ending or a beginning?” At this point in the novel, S. seems as though he fears an ending.

Sola assures S. that the ice is fine to walk on and he recognizes this as “a question of trust. Or faith.” Ultimately, he trusts her. She has always been in his thoughts since the day he met her and now when they are finally reunited, S. must trust her.