Xelan loved standing in Ishkur’s hangar, surrounded by all the marvels of Aegis technology. But this craft wasn’t Aegis, and that was even more exciting. Among the bays filled with various landing support, the Shadow had discovered this transparent glass ship. Composed of a material not known to their galaxy, it spanned the size of a sports stadium. Rooms, mess halls, infirmary, bridge—All of it completely see-through.

Grinning, Xelan raised his hand over a glass panel on the bridge. The warmth of his hands summoned figures of a language his nacre translated thanks to Aegis databanks. Xelan understood this panel controlled hardware components, such as atmospheric gas conversion, anti-gravity, landing mechanisms, and basic maintenance and repair. When he moved his hand away, the imprints disappeared.

From behind, Twenty-One confirmed, “This is to be my station, your imperial majesty?”

Xelan faced the second largest Icarus he’d ever seen. Thinking of the person who topped the list—Nox—brought a bitter taste to Xelan’s mouth. It vanished as Twenty-One smiled openly, expectant and ready for duty. Xelan clasped a hand on the other man’s shoulder and said, “That’s exactly right. And Miy, you’ll be—”

“Let me guess. Pilot?” With the Lyrik’s arms folded and her hip jutted out, Miy’s attitude reminded Xelan of twelve-year-old Rayne. Except for the clothes. Miy liked her skirts short and tight, and judging by the look Twenty-One gave her, so did he.

In too good a humor for anything to ruin it, Xelan beamed at Miy. “Actually, the ship pilots itself. I’m placing you in charge of navigation, which shouldn’t be too difficult once we port in the coordinates for Tumu’s homeworld.”

“Did I hear someone call my name with the desperate longing of unexplored potential?” Compressed to seven feet, his shortest setting, Tumu barely fit in the ship. He was squeezed tight as he traversed the narrow corridors.

Through those transparent passages, Xelan watched Tumu walk to them and called, “I thought you were with Lam in the stronghold?”

The Primary said, “I’m here on an errand from our Co-Emperor.”

Twenty-One wandered to the hull of the ship, looked out, and pointed. “Her imperial majesty is outside with the Generals.”

Miy wrapped an arm around her partner’s waist, saying, “Looks like you’re being summoned, Wingmaster. Don’t worry. Twenty-One and I will give the ship a proper christening.”

Her statement made Xelan double-take. Bewildered, he blew the air from his cheeks. “I guess you’d better get it out of your system. I don’t think there’ll be much privacy once you take off, and I’d appreciate it if you’d spare Qas and the other crew.”

“From what? Jealousy? They’d be so fortunate for the show. Mark my words, one week into space travel, and they’ll be begging for the entertainment.” When Miy smiled, a rarer occasion than a Phoenix Dragon sighting, it was infectious.

Having accustomed to her conceited sense of humor, Xelan grinned and shook his head incredulously. On his and Tumu’s way out, he said, “You two have fun, and try to avoid the surfaces. You might accidentally start Crystal up and send yourselves into space.”

Behind him, Miy scoffed. “Seriously?! Crystal—Sir, you can’t name a ship that.”

“Actually, I like it,” Twenty-One’s grin was in his voice.

Xelan was grateful to know the pair of them. He was more excited about this launch than he’d been about a non-Tameka and Pax related event in a long time.

Wait.

Before he disembarked from Crystal, Xelan recalled the last time he’d been this excited.

“Nox, are you sure there will be stars tonight? I search every night, and they never come.” Xelan followed his older brother into his chambers, where Korac waited.

Their personal guard, always so quiet, straightened to attention at Xelan’s arrival.

“Stand down, Korac. We are brothers.” Xelan tried for a warm smile, anything to assure the new addition to Umbra’s Spire of his place here in their home.

The quiet soldier’s ears flushed blue, but Korac managed a reserved nod.

Progress.

They both fixed their gazes on Nox, who darted about his room with frenetic energy. He was at work on something in the center until he stood and opened his wings.

Korac’s eyes widened, and Xelan beamed. It was hard not to idolize the impressive warrior—Their big brother.

Nox said, “Close your eyes.”

They did so without hesitation. To think… Stars. Nox promised to bring the stars through Li’s harrowing blaze. Xelan knew Nox would, because he never broke a promise.

Unable to contain his excitement, Xelan reached out and blindly groped until he found Korac’s hand. Their guard stiffened, but relaxed by inches into Xelan’s gentle grip.

More progress.

With his eyes closed, Xelan heard Nox’s boots alight once more on the black stone floor. The baby brother bounced with excitement. “Can we open our eyes yet?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Nox chuckled. “Not yet.”

Xelan squeezed Korac’s hand and cried, “Oh, I cannot wait anymore. Please?!”

He wasn’t sure, but he thought the boy beside him snickered.

“Very well. You may open your eyes.”

Nox had snuffed the torches before Xelan opened his eyes, but he found himself dazzled in light, anyway. Tiny gems peppered the ceiling and each of them glowed in swirling nebulas and clusters—Star systems like the ones mother and the Verses described.

Nox said, “I found them among the magma caves in the Ignis Desert. Tomorrow, I promise to install them in your chambers.”

Xelan released Korac’s hand and wandered into the center of Nox’s room, with his mouth gaping all the while. His first stars. When he could speak, he said, “Thank you, Nox.”

The baby grinned as he faced his older brother, who nodded toward Korac. For all his reservations, their guard’s eyes were filled with wonder as he stared into their understanding of a night’s sky.

“I will see them all, one day,” Xelan declared. “And you will both be with me.”

Nox had kept his promise, while Xelan…

“Your imperial majesty, I require your presence for a most serious errand.”

Seeing Korac after the recollection filled Xelan with so many conflicting emotions. Happiness, sorrow, shame, and hope. He followed Tumu down Crystal’s glass gangplank, smiling warmer than usual at his oldest friend. “What will you have of me?”

Korac froze and blinked.

Sagan snickered.

Tumu rolled his eyes.

At his poor choice of words, Xelan wouldn’t offer an apology, but an amused grin should do.

Tameka said, “Anyway, they’re taking us for a little excursion.”

Without hesitation, Sagan opened a conduit, and Xelan’s eyes widened as he recognized its destination. He froze and stared into Thailea’s forest, while the Generals waited expectantly. After the shock wore off, Xelan realized this was it.

Rayne was ready.

The look on Korac’s face confirmed it.

Xelan licked his lips before saying, “Uhm. Tameka?”

“Yes?”

Tumu interjected, “Allow me. Peaches, the father of your children is finally prepared to let you in on his big secret. Can you handle it?”

Tameka lost some color to her complexion as Sagan took her hand supportively. Ever the warrior, Tameka said, “I’m ready.”

Xelan didn’t want to talk to anyone or look them in the eyes. He marched through the conduit and up to the door, planted his hand on the DNA scanner, and walked inside.

Rayne.

When Xelan entered, she was sitting on the edge of the couch, hands clasped tight with worry and her knees bouncing. The moment she saw him, Rayne sprung to her feet and ran across the living space. Xelan welcomed the hug, even as she nearly crushed him on impact. The smell of ocean foam and white sand followed, making him squeeze tighter and kiss the top of her head.

Tears.

Both of them.

Hopefully, this was the end of their scarce reunions. From hereon, Rayne would stay with the Shadow. No more hiding—

Boots.

On the floor, at the end of the couch, sat an enormous pair of heavy boots.

As if sensing Xelan’s tension, Rayne stepped back and wiped the tears from her face. She said, “I have so much to tell you.” Her half-sob, half laugh touched him. “I guess I always have so much to tell you—Oh… Tameka…”

It shamed Xelan to realize he’d almost forgotten about their audience. About his significant other.

Tameka’s joyous tears were in her voice. “I can’t believe… Xelan never gave up on you, and after I kill him for keeping you a secret all this time, we’ll catch up. Until then, I know how much you two need this. I’ll sit over here and listen. Tell us everything.”

Xelan did not deserve her. He took a moment to pull Tameka against his side and kiss her. He whispered against in ear, “Thank you.”

Tameka whispered back. “You are so dead.” But her sweet smile belied her fury.

Korac and Sagan followed in, nodding to Rayne, before taking their seats on the couch with Tameka. They looked for all the world like a proper audience, and Xelan didn’t care because there was no way that cloak spread across the back of the couch was Rayne’s. It looked like the sail on a ship.

“Rayne.” Xelan tried, but he couldn’t keep the edge from his voice. He took a deep breath and pushed for a softer tone. “Please.”

He listened as she explained more thoroughly how Elden had resurrected her. The bargain between them and her flashbacks into Elden’s life. Those were mind-boggling enough and required further inspection, but Xelan was waiting…

Waiting for…

“And I know we’ve talked a lot about… about Nox, but I’ve never gotten to explain everything to you.” Rayne used both hands to tuck thick strands of hair behind her ears. A tell. She hadn’t done that since the old days of confessing her dreams about Nox to Xelan. She said, “When I killed him, I remembered Elden’s second Verse. ‘Take the warrior you fell to victory with you.’ I swallowed Nox’s nacre, thinking you would be in there.” Fresh tears welled in Rayne’s eyes as she relived the heartbreak. “You weren’t… But… Nox was. Elden kept our nacres separate, and I could talk to him.”

When Rayne peered up at Xelan, checking for his response, he tried to keep his expression open, but honestly, it felt like the planet had opened up and swallowed him. Xelan nodded for her to go on.

“I wanted to understand why… I mean, you read his Verse. How did he end up this way? So I lived his life with him. All seven million years.” Xelan’s eyes widened, and Rayne nodded, understanding. “I felt everything he felt. Then we lived my life, which was obviously shorter, but he felt everything. All the love for my family and friends—For you. The pressure of being born a Progeny with this Imminent future breathing down my neck—All of it. It… transformed Nox.”

Xelan swallowed, physically and figuratively. This was almost too much to take in.

Rayne raked a hand through her hair, uncertain if she was making her case—And that’s what this was. She was building a case for something Xelan did not want to confront. She said, “Then… in Enki… Nox manifested as my shadow and protected me from Remorse and Abresson.” So Xelan had seen right when he first found her on New Cinder. Rayne went on. “And when I was dying—”

Her voice broke, and so did Xelan’s heart. He wiped a hand down his mouth while fresh tears stung his eyes.

“Nox took the pain of it from me and endured it alone.”

This was Rayne’s Verse. The genuine article.

Xelan pressed, “And now? Rayne…”

Beyond Rayne, a living monolith stepped around the corner dressed in clothes the color of her eyes. Xelan couldn’t discern much beyond those details because his vision went blurry as the room spun. He heard Tameka gasp and sensed Korac’s eyes on him. Sagan’s on Rayne.

This was too much.

With a shake of his head, Xelan focused the room again. Rayne was… raw. Her eyes flashed Atramentous as if her emotions raged like a violent ocean and begged Xelan to anchor her. But this…

Xelan gently took Rayne by the biceps and directed her aside, so she no longer stood between him and Nox. The face of Xelan’s nightmares… and warmest childhood memories… one Xelan could see with every glimpse in a mirror… looked resigned.

Nox knew what Rayne had refused to accept.

This would not end happily ever after.

While he strode over to his brother, Xelan scanned the space. Comfortable—Cozy even. Perfect for a new couple to cement their budding relationship. And one important detail couldn’t escape Xelan’s attention, no matter how hard he tried.

Xelan faced Nox and said, “There’s only one bed,” before punching his older brother square in the jaw. Bone crunched, cobalt blood sprayed, and Nox fell backward like a chopped redwood.

Unconscious.