He raised his brows and combed his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know.”
She smiled. It seemed a strange thing for a God to admit.
“Until Sandy and I are reborn, there are walls of warrants blocking our paths and many who would follow in Dhagaz’s footsteps.”
“You could apply for amnesty. Rayn and I would testify on your behalf.”
Kyl shook his head, and the strands of hair he’d just smoothed into place slid over his forehead. “We live with our deeds—good and bad. And we keep our secret. Call it part of the Roven’s Code if you will. We’ll travel. The stars will speak to us and tell us what needs to be done.”
She would miss him, and she’d miss his reverence for the stars and his stories. He pulled her close and gave her a gentle kiss. “Go now, Hellfire,” he whispered. “There’s a man outside waiting for you. Speed of the Gods.”
“Luck of the Roven,” she breathed as she gave him a final kiss.
A day later, back in their suite in Terminus, she asked the same question of Rayn. “Where will we go, Rayn? Back to B’harata? I’ve been trying to get there for a very long time, you know.”
Rayn took a deep breath. “Freedom has a sweet smell. We can go wherever you wish, little girl.”
Sage put a hand on Rayn’s shoulder. “You took a vow, cousin. You have a mission to fulfill. I say this aloud so Dina hears all of it.”
“The Run? I did what I did for a ship and the means to find Dina. You know that.”
Sage leaned close. “I do know that. But you can’t go back on your word to the Run.”
Rayn laughed. “We’re half a galaxy away. Salhjon has no power to stop me.”
“But I do,” said Sage.
Dina froze, and for a moment there was such utter silence that she wondered if they were using their Voices and leaving her out of the conversation.
Rayn grasped the arm that held him. “What?”
“If you try to escape your responsibilities to B’harata again, Rayn, you’ll have to go through me. You see, I, too, made a bargain with the Run. How do you think an outlaw like me got a fine house and a respectable job? I owe the Run for everything I have, and payment on demand came when you made your deal with them. I was to make sure you survived yourself and reached your goal of finding Dina. But even more so, my job was to make sure you return to B’harata. I have no choice in this, Rayn. No choice if I want to see Cyonne again. And I promised her I’d return.”
She stared at both men. She didn’t understand what the Run was, but she comprehended that Rayn had struck some sort of bargain to be able to come for her. She wanted to tell him that going back was just fine by her, but she held her tongue. It was Rayn’s decision, not hers. She’d be happy anywhere in the galaxy, as long as she was with him. But he was the one who had to come to terms with his homeland.
She watched his eyes, knowing their future hung on what he saw.
He turned to her with a sigh. “Well, little girl, what do you think of the title of Madam Ambassador?”
She smiled. “I’ve been told by a God that I have a tongue like a knife. I don’t think that’s a good qualification for an ambassador. Are you sure there’s a diplomatic entity anywhere in the galaxy that would want me?”
Rayn laughed and pulled her into his embrace. “They’ll want you. But not as much as I do.” Never as much as I do.
Epilogue
KYL WAS NOT prosecuted for the death of Dhagaz, but he remained a fugitive from the Synergy for his many other crimes. He gave up raiding and kept a low profile, taking on transport jobs when the stars called to him. He waited for rebirth and a new manifestation, and he waited for his next role as destiny incarnate. He had no more nightmares of the Crimson Rain, and he was able to finally lay to rest his memories of Axial. He thought of his little Hellfire often, and while he missed her, he rejoiced for the happiness she’d found with her bond-mate.
Dina and Rayn returned to B’harata, where they spent a year learning the craft of diplomacy before being posted to Glacia. It was hard for Rayn to take orders, but the cause was one he could embrace.
And he had Dina, which made all things possible.
The End
Crimson Rain Page 29
