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“One thing I like about humans,” Viro says as he pushes empty glasses toward Raina, “is your ability to making almost everything a drinking occasion. I think it speaks to your uncanny compatibility with the Kar’Kali.”
Niko appears at the top of the stairs now, presumably having walked here at a normal pace behind his mate. He’s also brought a basket of goodies for us to enjoy, and at least these I’ll be able to partake in—fresh pastries from the market, ripe fruit, and knot-shaped chewy candies that taste like licorice.
Raina pauses while filling the drinks for herself, Viro, and Niko to give me a long, hard look.
“Why the fuck do you look like you’re about to cry?” she asks.
I pat my welling eyes.
“It’s an emotional day,” I say defensively. “And those stairs really did a number on me.”
It becomes more of a party when the rooftop fills up with more friends and family. Kaye and Kalla come with their tiny daughter in a papoose strapped to Kalla’s chest. Lalo arrives with a couple of her grandchildren and Viro’s sisters in tow. And while we chat and the others drink, down below on the shores below the cliffs, more people are gathering for a good view of the show to come. It’s not every day that a massive ship gets landed atop a cliff right before your eyes.
I grumpily take refuge from the party in a lounge chair.
Some of the families that will be watching are celebrating the arrival of kin that they haven’t seen for over a year. It reminds me that the time I’ve waited for Mak to get home is nothing, just the slightest twinge of pain compared to theirs. Still, I’ve felt his absence every morning, every meal, every night. I long for him, his comfort, the safety of his arms…
“Frankie!” Kaye says, shaking me by the shoulder. “You’re going to miss it.”
I’d been falling asleep, my mind weaving his presence into my dreams like wishful, impatient thinking. I pull myself upright in the lounge chair. The ship is finally arriving much later in the night than we anticipated.
“It’s entering the atmosphere now,” someone announces. Everyone’s gathered at the edge of the rooftop to watch, holding their breath and murmuring in excitement. I stay where I am to watch from there, too exhausted to move an inch.
There’s a blur of light, amazing me with how quickly a massive ship with a reputation for slowness can move. Then suddenly, it takes shape, a monster of a structure brightly lit with its false sunlight blazing against the Kar’Kali night sky. The sounds of its humming engines can be heard when it drops nearer to us. It hovers over the cliffs, then starts to shiver slowly down into position.
“I don’t envy piloting that park job,” Viro jokes as we watch it make a painstakingly slow descent to its new home.
“The Rightful Heir ends its voyage at last,” Kalla declares. “This is where she belongs.”
EPILOGUE
MAK
When I leave The Rightful Heir on my speeder, I have only the bay of Ta’Nak Annir separating me from the rooftop where my mate said she would wait to greet me.
The aftermath of a party is made evident by the empty glasses and bottles piled in a crate near the stairwell, and there are little black marks on the stone floor left by handheld firecrackers that children like to throw during celebrations. Our friends have cleared off. Some, like Kaye and Kalla with their young child, have turned in for the night, while others like Raina and Niko are heading toward the Heir to begin an entirely new party. I was going to ask Francesca whether she’d like to join them, but now that I see her curled up in a lounge chair, I doubt we’ll be making the trip back across the bay.
My mate is close to drifting off when I whisper in her ear, “Hello, wife. Did you miss me?”
She lights up in an instant, jolting awake and reaching for me. She’s nodding frantically against my chest as I embrace her. The smell of honeyed tea and citrus tells me what she’s been up to while she watched from the balcony for my arrival.
“Yes,” she says, nuzzling into me as I kneel next to her seat. “Is this the longest we’ve been apart?”
I decide not to include the time between when she awoke from regen and when she arrived on Makiva’s Revenge to propose marriage.
“I believe it is,” I say. I’ve taken a couple other trips without her, but I made them quick. This couldn’t be helped, since it seemed The Rightful Heir was a few loose bolts from falling apart in the sky. “And I’m not leaving again until our child is born.”
“Don’t make a promise on that,” she protests. “Because you can’t anticipate emergencies.”
“I have people for emergencies now. Delegation is a beautiful thing.”
“You like to say you’re a male of your word, so you’re better off being cautious,” she teases.
“I’ll be here by your side,” I vow. “And no one can stop me. Now, how are you feeling?”
“Everything’s healthy,” she tells me. “Other than the aggravation of moving around, I can’t complain. I think I’ve gotten off lucky compared to Kaye’s experience.”
“I’m glad your body is in good shape. But how are you feeling?” I ask.
