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The Vast Collective Series Books #9-13
Flood 16.3 Until Eternity Takes Me

Flood 16.3 Until Eternity Takes Me

{Ishkur | Palatial Grounds}

With the Imperial Prince between them, Co-Emperors Xelan and Tameka followed Sagan and Korac through the conduit which the Seamswalker had opened to the Palatial Grounds. As the location for all imperial business, Xelan left it open, with vistas of medicinal and experimental plants and flowers stretching to the horizon. A crowded horizon at that. Legir, F8, X, Tempest, and 2Lip waited to greet them, representing the force of people seated at the tables behind them.

With a nod from Xelan, the Monarch 3 Queen approached the wedding party to say, “Sagan and Korac, your union marks the six-month anniversary of Iona Pax, the Concerted Empire. We are honored to share in your marriage. Please, won’t you speak to your guests?”

Sagan glanced back at Xelan, uncertain, but he offered her an encouraging nod. After which, she took Korac’s hand and the microphone from F8. Colton, Chris, Lamassau, Aria, and Torch flanked the party, on high alert. Both Gargantuan Lyriks looked ready to activate the Siren’s Gale shield, but Xelan was certain it wouldn’t be necessary.

It wasn’t optimism; although, there was some of that. No. Xelan knew no one would dare attack. Not today. The retaliation would be swift and great.

Sagan said, “Hello, everyone!” The crowd cheered and settled down for her to continue. “Thank you for joining us for our union day, but we don’t mean to be a symbol of unity and hope.”

As a hush fell, Tameka glanced up at Xelan. He smiled because he trusted Sagan.

Taking Korac’s hand, Sagan said, “We are the same as any couple in the Concerted Empire. We simply started on opposite sides of the conflict. Any relationship out there is as special as ours. So we ask that you sit with your families and friends, eat your fill, and dance until your feet hurt or until you’re ready to go home. In this way, you’ll celebrate with us. What do you say?”

Korac smirked down at his wife, and Xelan knew she’d spared him some public speaking the Iona General truly detested. Korac’s speeches were for war. Well, he’d have to grow out of that and work on his diplomacy skills again. Until then, Xelan would let this slide.

The audience of Mon3 drones and Queens, Yun healers, Pil Dwarves, Lyriks, Reipon Lamias, Luk jellyfish-capped males and females, Caprents in togas, human beings, and wing-ed Icari—Their cheers shook the ground and thundered across the sky. Screens captured the moment, using cameras from the Overseers. Immortalized.

A symbol, whether Korac and Sagan wanted it or not.

The ferocity of it left some of the wedding party shuffling and uncomfortable. Xelan didn’t blame them. He remembered the first time he’d addressed millions of his own people. It was intimidating, but it also came with the territory. To break the spell, Xelan asked, “Eating and dancing, right, Sagan?”

It startled her, and Korac immediately put a hand on her back for comfort. She shot Xelan a wary smile. “Right. Let’s party.”

The Shadow’s table was sheltered in a special nanite bubble—invisible, but effective at stopping anything moving faster than five miles an hour. Any slower, and Pax couldn’t run and play inside it.

The Shadow sat at one massive table in their respective clusters. They’d prepared the buffet meals themselves, all of them, earlier in the day. No servants, no waiters, and no danger. Risk mitigation wasn’t the only reason. Xelan detested servitude. In fact, he’d replaced the working class with non-sentient androids. People only worked in areas they liked, as with Lucas and Pehton, and they were compensated fairly for their time. Mostly, everything and everyone was provided for. Just how Xelan wanted it.

So why wasn’t he able to enjoy himself? There was no guilt and no risk. Well. That wasn’t entirely true, was it?

Celindria.

Xelan set her free to pursue the soul she’d been born without. He knew beyond all her other motivations, emotion was all she sought. Sympathizing with her tragedy, Xelan had refused to kill her. Yet again.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Was Celindria out there in the crowd, waiting for her next chance to take revenge against the maker who’d left her unfinished? Would she come after Pax again—

“Dad!” Pax called to Xelan as if he’d tried before. “Mommy wants to dance.”

Tameka laughed but didn’t deny it.

Sagan, sitting in Korac’s lap, giggled. “The bride and groom usually dance first, kiddo.” She glanced at Korac before saying, “But we’ll make an exception for the Concerted Emperors.”

Xelan grinned down at his son and ruffled his hair. “Thanks, wing man.” He stood and went to Tameka’s chair, pulling it out for her. “Your imperial majesty, may I have the pleasure of this dance?”

Slow Icarean music overtook the upbeat Earth music. Xelan glanced over to find Iuo giving him a thumbs up from the DJ booth. The Shadow cheered and yelled as Tameka and Xelan took to the open patio. The couple waved to their family before he bowed to her and she curtsied to him. It occurred to him that although they’d survived a lifetime’s worth of drama and trauma together; they hadn’t danced since he first taught her all those months—years ago in the park.

Both opened their wings, and Xelan took Tameka’s waist with one hand and her fingers in the other. Despite how much more time had passed between then and now for her, Tameka remembered the steps admirably. She flared her wings at the right moments without having them at the time Xelan had taught her.

“How?”

Tameka grinned with pride, and Xelan raised a brow at her. She said, “Lucas gave me a refresher.”

Xelan glimpsed the Icarus giving a little wave in the crowd. They came to the part where they twirled and brushed wings before taking hands again. “You’re doing beautifully, as you do with everything.”

Again, Tameka’s smile was more incredulous now. “You are so cheesy.”

He brought her close and kissed her—Completely out of step with the dance. When he pulled back, Xelan grinned to find her a little drunk from the kiss. He said, “You know you love it.” Amid all the cheers from the Shadow, he asked, “What do you say to letting them join us?”

Tameka, still unable to speak, nodded.

Xelan waved the Shadow over and called, “I hope you don’t mind, Sagan.”

Balanced on Korac’s thighs, She beamed with a bite of roast Pil duck on her fork. “Go for it. We’ll steal the spotlight in a minute.”

Korac said something that made her blush.

It was all enough to push Celindria from Xelan’s mind. Something told him to enjoy this.

“So I feel like I haven’t seen you all day while everyone prepared for this. How was the hangar?” Tameka pulled them closer together, placed her cheek and hands on his chest, and swayed them gently to the beat.

Xelan loved operating a Dyson’s Sphere. Work kept his mind off—Well, everything. And Tameka was really understanding of this. He kissed the top of her head to show his appreciation. “We found two very different space craft parked in the bays.”

Tameka turned her face to look up at him. “Really?! That’s so exciting!”

It really was. Xelan didn’t want to go on too much during the event, but he said, “We’ll consult with Zero. Tumu suggested we run a special program to vet astronaut candidates. It’s coming together.”

With a kiss on his chest, Tameka’s affection for him glittered in her eyes. “I want in.”

“I got you…” Xelan’s catch phrase trailed at the end because he’d spotted Matt and Lucy, sitting alone at one side of the table.

Kyle and Silence bumped into Xelan and Tameka on the dance floor. Namely, the young man wedged himself right in the middle of the imperial couple to say, “Every function. We can already smell them.”

Tameka looked confused at first until she followed their line of sight and then she burst out in laughter. “Oh, my god. We had a buddy system in place for this.”

Korac and Sagan made their way to the group, ready to dance, but paused when they saw their expressions. It took Sagan one glance at her male bridesmaid before looking straight ahead. “Why are they like this? At least Pax is dancing with Bethany by Ross and Jack. No one wants him to see this.”

Shrugging out of his tuxedo jacket, Korac said, “I don’t know why they’re like this, but if anyone’s engaging in bed sport at my wedding, it’ll be me and the bride. Excuse me.” He handed the jacket to Xelan before marching over to the not-so-subtle couple.

Lemonade and sandalwood.

Matt and Lucy hopped out of the seat as soon as they noticed Korac crossing the lawns to them. It was too far away to hear what he said, but the look on Lucy’s face suggested it was either hilarious or tasty. Hard to say which.

Silence mused, “We can’t fault them. Love is hard to restrain. Especially when young.”

Kyle conceded the point with a nod, but added, “Yeah, but at every public function?”

Xelan appreciated the sympathy in Sagan’s voice as she said, “A kink is a kink. It’s nothing to shame them for.”

Tameka shook her head. “Maybe. But not with my son around, they don’t.”

As Korac returned, the errant couple most efficient at murder laughed into their Yun wine, embarrassed but still in a good humor. The groom said, “They are two of the most interesting characters I’ve ever met.”

“Cheers to that,” Lamassau toasted from Tumu’s arm.

Korac and Sagan took to the center of the dance floor while they celebrated their union. Tameka clung to Xelan’s arm and let out a contented sigh. Everything had gone right today. Now, he needed to invite the entire Shadow to the stronghold for the after party.

After which, Xelan could search for Rayne the only way he knew how. Nothing could make him give up on her. Not even the total decimation of Enki.