{Enki | Pantheon}

Korac ducked his head for Sagan to give him a Shadow chain. In his hand, he held a vial of Rayne’s blood, which they trusted to him. He’d come a long way since Invasion Day.

Meanwhile, Razor, freed within Enki’s mainframe, explained how Ishkur required a power infusion. “Do you think you’re up for it, Fury?”

Korac appreciated that their future galactic Empress never looked to Xelan or Tumu for permission or confirmation. Fury simply said, “If I find you’re manipulating us, Razor, we won’t have to wait for Gait to impact Enki’s hull. I’ll destroy you, myself.”

Sagan’s eyes sparkled with pride as she glanced at Korac. He smirked back.

Yes. Tameka would do nicely, and oh, to be a fly on the wall for the conversation where Xelan confessed it all to her.

The image was enough to revive Korac. He didn’t even groan as he stood. Truth be told, without the Shadow asking, Korac had already prepared to upcycle Zero in case things went sideways with Razor.

It felt weird expecting aid from his father, but here he was, waiting for dad to bail him out if things got too tough.

Korac was getting soft—

Tameka crooked her finger at Korac, asking him to join her across the room. He quirked a brow. Even higher as Sagan, Xelan, Tumu, Pehton, and Iuo all exchanged glances. Straightening his robe, Korac answered her summons.

The redhead with her killer complexion and enviable freckles stared up at him, green eyes filled with purpose. “I have news for you and Pehton, but I can’t share with—” She pointed at the terminal, meaning Razor. “Listening. Watching.”

It must be important for Tameka to spend one-on-one time with Korac. He would’ve suggested the Seam for privacy, but Tameka couldn’t go there, and asking Sagan for more Seamswalking while she’d already strained her ability wasn’t happening.

Tameka continued. “I’ll brief you on the situation when the time is right. I just didn’t want you to think I kept it from you intentionally. It’s good news, I promise.” Wonder of wonders, she smiled at him. It was genuine and bright.

Korac wanted to repay her confidence, seal an accord between them, finally. He retrieved the amber glass box from his pocket and held it out where only she could see.

The smile fell from Tameka’s lips while her eyes filled with wonder. On a gasp, she asked, “Really?”

A cool composure was Korac’s trademark, but as he asked for Tameka’s blessing to marry her best friend, he found himself nervous. Again, soft.

But when Tameka looked up from the ring to Korac’s eyes, he decided soft wasn’t so bad. That was a smile to fight alongside. A thousand-watt beam. “She’ll love it.” As if she saw through to Korac’s fears, Fury gripped his shoulder. “She’ll say, ‘yes.’ Believe me.”

Korac did.

Tameka’s smile crooked into something cheekier as she said, “By the way, Xelan told me you were the one who convinced him I was still alive.”

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Korac chuckled. “That’s because I knew.”

Tameka put a hand on her hip, sassy. “What did you know?”

“No storm could take you out.”

“Damn straight.”

One glance at Xelan, pacing and biting his thumbnail, told Korac it was a bad idea to bring up the Empress deal, but since Tameka was so forthcoming, it seemed unfair to keep it from her entirely. Korac fought a wicked smirk as he said, “Xelan has a secret he’s afraid to tell you.”

Tameka glanced over at her future galactic co-leader and clicked her tongue. “You’re not planning to tell me, are you?”

“Nope.”

She sighed, and it held the weight of someone who’d fought a storm this day. “How did you ever get him to stop being so mysterious with you?”

Now Korac’s laughter was rich. “Believe me, Fury. You don’t want that level of detail into our relationship. I had my ways.” He walked back to Sagan, leaving Tameka blushing in his wake.

Sagan smiled with a hint of strain in her eyes. Keeping conduits open all over Enki was eating away at her reserves. Although Korac wasn’t happy to learn Razor had donated blood to her, Korac was glad Sagan had fed recently.

The Seamswalker held a hand out to him. “Someone’s waiting to see you.”

Without question, Korac took her hand and—

Vertigo hit him pretty hard as they stepped into nothing. Space. They were in the heart of Enki.

“Open your wings.”

Rayne.

Korac opened his wings and used them for stability in the abyss. Sagan held his hand the entire time, patient.

After an azure light pulsed under her pale skin, the King of Earth and Cinder said, “I’m so happy to see you as yourself again.”

Rayne looked, as always, beautiful, but in an untouchable kind of way, and Korac supposed that was painfully close to the truth. Any contact with her would diminish the frightening fuse. All the times Nox had shied away from contact—Even thinking of what a lonely existence his best friend had led choked Korac. And now that burden fell on Rayne.

On the topic of his half-brother, Korac said, “As am I, your highness. I’m sorry you ever had to meet Razor.”

The signature brightness of Rayne’s eyes faded for a moment. It returned as she said, “I trust you to keep him in line while he operates Enki for the Shadow.”

Sagan took in the scenery, saying, “I can’t believe you can hear Razor out here.”

Rayne looked withered by the vast emptiness surrounding her. Still, she sounded in high spirits when she said, “I suspect we’ll hear more from our ‘guide’ in the next two hours.”

Okay. Korac wasn’t imagining it. The brightness in her eyes faded again. He kept his frown off his face as he formed a hypothesis. Now Korac wanted to test it. “This…” He swept a hand to indicate the view. “It reminds me of the stories of the Valkyrie—” AKA, his own mother, “—Fighting in the rings of Thailea.”

Rayne’s eyes definitely shifted down a notch to a regular dim. Then the brightness returned. She said, “It didn’t surprise me to hear Amolot was too afraid to fight beyond the stratosphere.”

Korac used every ounce of his control not to open his mouth and gape at Rayne.

No one living knew that precious detail. Nox had hauled the confession from Amolot during a shouting match after she’d caught the boys during one of their pranks. Korac was the only witness.

Rayne smiled at him, waiting for a response, commiserating with impossible specifics. More than anything, Korac wanted to ask her if somehow—someway—she’d made the legends of Elden’s Verse viable.

“Take the warrior you fell to victory with you.”

Was Nox in there?

Rayne glanced at Sagan, then back at Korac. As azure pulsed under her skin again, Rayne gave him the most indiscernible of nods and, with it, confirmed all of Korac’s hopes.

He actually had to clear his throat before saying, “Yes, your majesty. I understand you won’t be joining us on the battlefield, but I will retrieve you, myself, before we evacuate.”

The brightness in Rayne’s eyes was on full power. “You got it. Besides, I refuse to miss whatever wedding we all know you have planned.”

With a wink, once again, Rayne nearly leveled Korac.

Sagan beamed at him. “One can only hope.”

Tameka came over the earpieces. “Seamswalker and Silver General, we found Primary Rem, and we’re about to begin. Over.”

Sagan confirmed. “On our way. Over.” She opened a conduit back to the bridge.

Rayne…

Korac almost shook his head with the awesomeness of it.

Rayne’s eyes dimmed as she presumably spoke to Korac’s best friend inside her head. Then she smiled. “We’ll see you soon.”

Yes.

They would.