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“I’ve always loved learning about different cultures,” she tells me. “I loved it when I lived on Earth and traveled to different countries. And when I moved to EC-12, part of my plan was to visit as many planets as I could. It made me so angry to realize that my experience in captivity would take that away from me. It was hard enough living my normal life again, let alone leaving the colony and feeling unsafe in a foreign place. Traveling by myself wasn’t going to be possible, but the time we’ve spent here on Kar’Kal together has been amazing, because I can do something I love again without being afraid.”
“You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear that,” I say. “I had noticed you like antiquities and history. You were the first person I thought of when I saw images of this place. I imagined you standing here among the ruins, running about all excited.”
She laughs. “And that’s exactly what I did today, didn’t I?”
“You did,” I agree.
“It seems like you made your mind up,” she says.
“Well, haven’t you?”
Her beaming smile is all I need to see as confirmation.
“All that’s left to do is convince the rest of the voters,” I say. “It’s not just the council who will have a say. Any sworn that so chooses to put their word in will have a vote.”
“I’m not worried, because I think it will charm them,” she says. “But when we return with the larger group, we’ll have to help them along in seeing the vision.”
“You are getting the hang of this queen business. Emotional manipulation, manifestation, and…”
“Architectural history fun facts?” she proposes. “I’ll pack the books.”
I frown. “In moderation.”
“A totally normal and not boring amount of information on Archaic architectural styles.”
She’s so adorable that I’m liable to grab her by the cheeks if I don’t look away.
“Look at those cliffs there,” I say, pointing across the bay. The water’s beginning to sparkle with the pink light of the setting sun. “Don’t you think The Rightful Heir would fit so nicely landed there? There are some families that might be happier keeping the same house aboard our old home…”
She stares in the direction, nodding slowly. “It’d make quite the silhouette up there. You could admire it from right here, see all the comings and goings.”
“I have to secure the ship before we can make any concrete plans, but it’s a lovely idea.”
“Secure it?”
I briefly explain to her why I can’t risk revealing The Rightful Heir without a plan in place to prevent the Zaledians from taking it from us on the basis of its origins.
“Wasn’t it the current monarchy’s mortal enemies that built it and left with it in the first place?” she asks after considering the dilemma for a moment.
I’m impressed by her historical knowledge, but she has been burning through my library like a female on a mission, after all.
“Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less Zaledian in origin,” I sigh.
“You’re clever,” she says with all the confidence in the world. “I know you’ll come up with a plan. Or we could bring it here in secret.”
“If I thought I could get away with dragging that ancient hunk of metal across multiple galaxies completely unnoticed, don’t you think I would’ve done so already?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MAK
We return to the rooftop when it’s gotten pitch black, having spent the evening chatting over what’s left of our food supply and exploring the many empty rooms within the stone palace. There isn’t much to find aside from more carvings and the occasional signs of wildlife inhabitants.
It’s a chilly night, but not unpleasantly so. For the hundredth time, I recount in my mind what I might do if I could touch her. I’d lightly support her as we climbed the ancient stairwell. I’d offer my hand to help her up the last step. Then, once we reached the stone wall of the balcony, I’d wrap my arms around her to stop the winds from biting through her.
But instead, we stand side by side, leaning against the edge to appreciate the view.
The water is black beneath a midnight blue sky, and the name of this city makes itself evident. The moonlight sparkles brightly on the choppy waves. The effect is like twinkling stars.
