by Cheree Alsop
“This ship is the closest thing to home that I have,” Liora admitted quietly.
Devren nodded. He set a hand on the wall as if greeting an old friend. “Yeah. No matter how many times I go to Verdan or other planets, I never feel quite as comfortable as I do on the Kratos. It’s home.” His voice quieted. “Tariq and I grew up here. I lost my dad in these halls. The crew has become my family.” He glanced at her. “You are a part of that, you know?”
Liora turned her gaze back to the painting. After all she had been through, she couldn’t take the solemn mood. She forced her tone to be lighter. “They do look happy.”
She could see Devren’s expression out of the corner of her eye. He gave a slight nod as if he accepted her attempt at diversion.
“They didn’t care that a huge ship had just landed in their ocean. They were just happy to play and include us in their games. I think O’Tule did a great job capturing the moment.”
Liora rubbed the back of her neck. “I think I’m going to catch some sleep.”
“Good idea,” Devren agreed. “I think we could all use some rest before the wedding.”
“I’ve never been to a wedding,” Liora said. “Is there anything I need to do?”
“Just watch and smile at the appropriate moments.” His gaze turned skeptical. “Is that asking too much?”
Liora nodded. “Definitely.”
Devren gave a chuckle. “That’s what I thought.” He turned back toward the control room. “Get some rest, Liora. You deserve it.”
Liora walked into her room. She could have slept on the bed. It was something she had learned to get used to on Cree. Instead, she pulled the blankets onto the floor and arranged them the way Tariq had when he found out she had spent so much time in a cage that sleeping on the bed felt suffocating. Feeling as though she had finally found home again, she closed her eyes and let sleep take over.
***
“It’s absolutely gorgeous here,” O’Tule gushed to Shathryn. “I had no idea it would be like this.”
“It’s beautiful,” Zran said from O’Tule’s side.
“I’m glad you like it,” Shathryn replied. She was dressed in a dark violet and white dress that accented her purple hair and light purple eyes. It was obvious by her expression how much having her crew mates there meant to her.
Liora looked around the grove in which they sat. The orange sky glowed with a warmth that she felt to her bones. The dark blue grass at her feet swayed softly in the warm breeze. Purple and white ribbons ran between the purple-leafed trees. The people on Tramareaus’ side of the family wore dresses and robes of white. Devren’s crew had been offered robes of purple to wear over their uniforms. The fabric was as smooth as silk beneath Liora’s fingers.
“I’ll see you guys after,” Shathryn said with a big smile.
She took the arm Tramareaus held out. He looked resplendent in his tailored black suit with violet cufflinks at the wrists of his three arms. His third hand was closed tight. Liora could picture the wedding bands he held within.
“Welcome loved ones, friends, and crew members,” the master of the ceremony said with a welcoming wave of his arms. His flowing robes moved like wings with his gesture. “I invite you to take a seat and enjoy the beauty of this fine evening.” He turned to Shathryn and Tramareaus. “Of course, you two have more important things to do than bask in the warm sun rays.”
The pair smiled at each other. Both of them beamed as if they couldn’t be happier than at that moment. At the robed man’s invitation, Tramareaus took Shathryn’s hands in his.
“Shathryn Lewlyn Yestendres and Tramareaus Blas Vickel, you have called your loved ones here to witness the joining of your hearts, minds, and through a kiss, your bodies, to be as one throughout your entire lives. It is attraction that brought you together, love that keeps you hand in hand, and the gathering of those who care about you to give you support in this endeavor. Your union is one blessed by the gods and overseen by the goddesses. May you live together in happiness and health for the rest of your lives.”
“Thank you,” Tramareaus said.
The master of ceremony bowed, then held out his hands. Shathryn placed her right hand in his. Tramareaus did the same. The robed man put their hands together, then wrapped a cord of purple and white around them.
“With this rope I bind your hearts and souls in beautiful union. Do you, Tramareaus, take Shathryn to be your wife throughout the rest of your existence?”
“I do,” Tramareaus replied.
The man turned to Shathryn. “Do you, Shathryn, take Tramareaus to be your husband throughout the rest of your existence?”
Shathryn nodded. “I do with all of my heart.”
The robed man opened a hand toward Tramareaus. “And now you wish to exchange rings?”
“Yes, your honor,” Tramareaus answered. “It is a custom of Shathryn’s people.”
He opened his third hand to reveal the rings. Shathryn took the silver one and placed it on his finger. Tramareaus placed the gold one upon hers.
“You are now husband and wife. Cherish each other for the rest of your long, beautiful days,” the robed man concluded with a bow.
A cheer went through the crowd. Tramareaus’ family surged forward, sweeping the pair up in welcoming embraces. The crew around Liora joined them.
Liora tried to smile. She was happy for them, grateful Shathryn had found love after losing Stone so tragically. She told herself that the wedding was for Shathryn and Tramareaus. She had chosen to be there to celebrate their moment, to support them and let them know that she cared about what was important to them.
But it hurt to know she would never share such a thing with Tariq. Through all of their conversations, their plans to never settle down, to explore the ends of the Macrocosm together, she never once thought she would be doing it without him. Marriage had never come into their discussions, but no matter what plans she made or thoughts for the future, he had always been in them at her side. Whether they had a symbolic rope around their wrists or rings on their fingers, it didn’t matter because their hearts had been bound together since the first time he kissed her.
It hurt to know she would never stand with him in a circle of their friends and family and profess their love for all of the cosmos to hear.
Liora walked away through the trees. She heard the footsteps of someone running after her. She didn’t have to turn to recognize them.
“Where are you going?” Devren asked when he reached her.
“I was at their ceremony. They’re happy. That’s enough,” Liora replied without looking at him. She was afraid of the emotions that would show on her face. She didn’t feel she could hide them any longer. Her hands clenched into fists.
“It’s enough,” Devren replied. “Shathryn was thrilled to have you there.” His voice became more distant as though he glanced over his shoulder away from her. “They’re oblivious to anyone else right now, as they should be.”
“As they should be,” Liora repeated.
Devren put a hand on her arm. “Liora, wait. Where are you going?”
She stopped walking. It took her a moment before she could turn to face him. She hoped he didn’t see her quick attempt to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“I need to hit something.”
“Hit me,” Devren offered.
Chapter 9
Liora stared at him. “That’s crazy.”
Devren shrugged. “Why? You need to hit something. I’m very hittable. It’s a win—win for everyone.”
Liora shook her head. “You’re insane.” She started walking again.
Devren kept pace with her. “You feel like your chance to stand in a ceremony like that was taken away with Tariq’s death.”
Cold tingled through Liora’s fingertips. She gritted her teeth. She took a steeling breath through them before she could reply. “I don’t care about the ceremony.”
“Obviously,” Devren replied in a wry tone that reminded her so much of
Tariq her heart ached.
“Leave me alone,” she said, walking fast to put as much of the forest between her and the happy couple as she could. A glance over her shoulder showed that the crowd was well hidden behind them.
“You’re afraid I’ll beat you.”
Liora paused. The taunting in his statement almost brought a smile to her face, but not quite. She glanced at him.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’ve been practicing in case something like this happened,” Devren replied.
His statement struck her. Devren had been practicing in case she needed an outlet. It sounded ridiculous.
“I’ll kill you,” she said.
It wasn’t a boast. Growing up training every day in fighting was very different from combat school and the Coalition training Devren had received. She had seen him fight on many occasions. He was good with hand-to-hand, but much better with a gun.
“Probably,” Devren said with one of his carefree smiles. “Let’s find out.”
Liora looked around. The truth was, she desperately needed to hit something about a million times so she could use exhaustion as a way to combat the pain of memories. She had hit the side of a ship before in a moment of desperation, but starships didn’t strike back, and the metal hull left an impression in her knuckles she didn’t relish. The bark of the trees around her didn’t look appealing, especially since she didn’t have anything to wrap around her hands, and the thought of shadow boxing felt useless given the pent-up fury she felt.
Devren’s hands were already up in a guard stance. Though he smiled, there was a tightness behind his eyes and a hint of something that resonated in her. He felt the same desperation, the same loss. The thought that he might need it as much as she did appealed to Liora.
She struck out with a fast jab. Devren batted it aside with an open hand and danced to the left.
“Is that all you got?” he taunted.
A true smile touched Liora’s lips before she followed with a left jab and a right uppercut to his stomach.
Devren blocked them both easily and stepped backwards, his feet light.
“I can do this light stuff all day,” he said. “Come on. Give me something real.”
Liora feinted right, dodged left and landed a punch to his ribs.
Devren barely winced. He followed with a roundhouse swing to catch her when she was open, but she closed her guard and blocked his punch with her forearms. She answered with two punches to his ribs in the same place as before, then stepped back before his jab could land on her jaw.
He gave a respectful nod. “Well played. I see some holes in my training.” He punched at her chest.
Liora dodged to the right, punched toward his stomach which he blocked, then caught his arm before he could pull back. She ducked under his arm and spun, using his weight as leverage to send him over her back to the forest floor. Her back reminded her that the move was going to cost her later.
To his credit, Devren merely chuckled up at her.
“Nice,” he said as he pushed back to his feet.
Liora circled as he rose, wary in case he attacked again.
“Did you really start training again?”
Devren gave a self-deprecatory smile. “What, you can’t tell?”
“I can,” she replied. It was true. Though she could block his punches and answer, he was much faster than before and the power behind his blows was controlled. If it wasn’t for her intense training, she would have been the one on the ground.
Devren blocked her two punches and answered with one that brushed her cheekbone. When Liora replied with a roundhouse toward his ribs, he blocked it with his forearms, then snuck a jab in that landed on her stomach.
Liora breathed out with the punch and gave him a surprised look.
“Good hit.”
“I got lucky,” Devren replied.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Liora said.
She watched him closely as they circled. His stance had changed and his movements had tightened. He lost many of the extra motions, conserving his energy so that he could apply the most power behind his punches. When he swung, it was with tight, precise skill. She was hard-pressed to dodge out of his reach and answer with a chop to his jaw that he blocked with a simple forearm swipe.
Liora let out a sound of approval. “Smooth.”
Curious to see what he would do, she feinted with a right hook and instead threw a roundhouse kick toward his head. When he blocked it with his left arm and punched toward her stomach in a perfect counterbalance, Liora used the same leg to block the punch, spun, and swung for the back of his head. Devren ducked and swept with his left leg, catching hers before she regained her balance. Liora rolled when she hit the ground and came up in a ready stance.
“You really have been training.”
“I’m glad it’s paying off,” Devren replied. “Though the fact that you’re still healing has a lot to do with it, I’m sure.”
“Did you think I would attack you?” Liora asked.
Devren shrugged. “You never know about Damaclans,” he replied, his dark eyes twinkling with mischief.
A laugh escaped Liora that caught her by surprise. Devren took advantage of her lowered guard to throw a hook at her jaw. Liora swung her right arm in, blocked his hook, and slid her hand up his arm in a chop. Devren ducked under both their arms, spun around, and kicked in a roundhouse toward her back. Liora ducked the roundhouse and was about to answer with a two-handed punch to his exposed back, but something about his tense muscles showed that he was expecting it.
Instead, Liora dropped and spun, kicking his legs out from under him. As soon as he hit the ground on his back, she grabbed his leg, flipped him, and pinned him on his stomach with her arm around his throat.
Devren gave a grunt of surprise. “I guess I have a bit more practicing to do,” he said, forcing his words past her tight hold.
Liora let him go and moved back to her knees on the grass to catch her breath.
“That’s the most combat I’ve done since my back was burned,” she said. “I’ve got some practicing to do, too.”
Devren sat up. “It’s good to know you could have killed me otherwise. I suppose I have your scars to thank for my life. Did we destroy your burns entirely?”
The compassion and apology in his voice brought Liora back. She didn’t need anyone to worry about her.
“I’m fine,” she replied shortly.
“Do you remember that day on the Kirkos?”
Devren’s words caught her off-guard.
Thoughts of Malivian’s ship flooded Liora's mind. She heard two voices talking. In her memory, she saw the flashlight beam sweeping back and forth, illuminating the cages and aquariums that made up Malivian’s menagerie. The flashlight shone across her face, then away and Liora saw them for the first time, Devren and Tariq, two young Coalition officers filled with enthusiasm and the want to make a difference in the Macrocosm.
“I don't want to talk about it,” she said.
“I do.”
When Liora rose to her feet, Devren grabbed her hand. She stared down at him. He never touched her, always maintaining the professional, respectful distance required of a captain to a member of his crew. She couldn't turn away from the despair in his eyes. As much as she was hurting, he hurt, too.
“Liora, something made me walk into that ship. We knew we shouldn't be there, but I wanted to go, I needed to go, and so Tariq followed me.” His gaze was intense with the want for her to understand. “It wasn't you, I know that. When I felt you speak in my mind, asking me not to leave you there, it was the first time I had ever felt someone push into my thoughts. Whatever drew me into the ship was different. It felt like….” He hesitated, then continued, “Like fate held me by the hand and guided my feet. It felt as though every moment of my life centered on your dark eyes watching me from behind those bars. I would have come back even if you hadn’t asked me to.”
Silence filled the grove.
A creature flapped its small, leathery wings in the tree above them, then settled again.
Liora shook her head. “Devren, I can't—”
He cut her off. “I'm not asking for feelings or to tell you that you owe me. I only want to let you know that there is a reason for this, a reason we are here right now. We are heading toward something, Liora. I can feel it. Whatever it is, it's big, and we're not going to be able to handle it alone.”
He met her eyes, his own impassioned by his words. “Liora, don't push everyone away, especially me.” He swallowed as if his throat was tight, then continued, “Because you are the only one who understood Tariq the way I did. You and I know what we lost, and it's something that can never be replaced. I shouldn’t have let you two leave Corian without me. Who knows what that one decision would have changed? I ask myself that every day.”
“You were obeying the orders of my father, your new boss,” Liora replied. “You were protecting the merchant fleet.”
“I should have been with Tariq. We watched each other’s backs. I shouldn’t have let him go by himself. Don't push me away because I can't be alone with this.”
Liora drew in a shuddering breath. When the silence felt so thick she could barely bring herself to break it, she said, “I'll try.”
Devren nodded. He knew not to ask more of her. It was enough that they were on the same ground together.
Liora held out a hand. Devren took it, but instead of letting her help him up, he grabbed her foot with his other hand and yanked up as he rose. She let his strength throw her backwards and completed the flip, landing on her feet in crouch with her hands up ready to block an attack.
