Reclamation

Eric felt his shoulders stiffen. He left? After everything…he hung his head. What did I ever really bring him? I saved his life and he saved mine and we spent the last six years trying to forget about each other. Why should I be surprised he's left me on my own? He felt an itch between his shoulder blades and remembered Aria was watching him.

He straightened up. "Then you know that this"—he laid his hand on the box—"is basically all the two contraband runners who took me off the Realm knew about their ship."

He tapped the screen three times to bring up Kessa's image by itself. "What history I've got of this ship is in here, and if anyone could get past the Vitae, it was her." He pointed at Kessa's image and shook himself to try to chase away the memory of her lying dead on the deck plates.

Aria sat in the terminal's chair and drew one of her stones out of the pouch. "I can learn without the stone, but it makes rearranging things later much more difficult." She hit the PLAY key on the console and cupped the stone in her hand.

"Whaddaya want?" demanded Kessa.

"I want to know about the U-Kenai," answered Aria. Her voice was heavy, as if there were a weight pressing against it.

Kessa started talking." U-Kenai, it means 'Second Chance.' Good little ship…"

Eric watched Aria. Her eyes fastened on the recording without blinking or flickering. She sat like a Vitae Ambassador, not moving, barely even breathing. She wasn't watching what passed in front of her, she was absorbing it.

A strange awkwardness washed over him and he automatically retreated to the bridge. But it wasn't Cam in the pilot's chair, oblivious to his presence. Adu turned around and wrinkled the skin over his eye sockets in a jerky imitation of humans raising their eyebrows.

Eric turned away again and, trying not to see Aria, shut himself into his cabin.

"Garismit's Eyes!" He sank onto the bed and stared at the blank surface of the door. "What is the matter with me?"

I don't know. He rubbed his palms together. That's really it. I've always known what I was leaving behind. I knew the Realm. I knew all its rules and I knew all its ranks and its choking, stupid laws and Words. Then, she turns up and it turns out I never knew a crashing thing, not about the People, or the world, or her. Especially not about her.

And I've just said I'll go back, to this place I don't know.

Eric leaned against the side of the bunk's nook and rubbed his eyes wearily. What do I think I'll do when I get there? Put on Garismit's robe and lead this Notouch into the Earth to move the Realm again? Save the world? I can't even save myself.

To his relief, exhaustion clouded his mind, wrapping his thoughts in thick velvet. Willingly, he relaxed into it and fell asleep.

Eric awoke several times to the uninterrupted sound of Kessa's voice vibrating softly through the cabin wall. When he woke to nothing but silence, he swung himself out of the bed and opened the door to the common room.

Aria still sat in front of the comm board. She was gently massaging her eyelids with her fingertips. The stone lay in her lap, gleaming in the light.

"Garismit's Eyes," she muttered, "I think mine are about to fall out of their sockets."

"Did you find it?" asked Eric.

"Eh?" Aria glanced Wearily at him. "I don't know." She sucked in a deep breath and picked the stone up. "Ask me again."

Eric sat on the sofa so he was eye level with Aria. "How can the U-Kenai land in the Realm without being seen by the Rhudolant Vitae?"

Her whole face changed. Her pupils dilated until her irises were almost lost behind black pools. Her jaw slackened, leaving her cheeks hollow and her bones pressing sharply against the inside of her skin. It was not a look of intelligence, or revelation. It was as if the woman inside had fled to make room for…what?