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The tears came again as though there had been no break from them. Again, my nocs surrounded me, comforting me, kissing me.
I didn’t even think of pushing them away. I didn’t want to.
Kiar pulled me down and we ended up all tangled together. Their lips on me were soft, comforting and sweet enough that all the silver linings of this predicament stood out in stark relief.
Clem was over me like a shield, Kiar and Bracken on each side. Their hands were soothing but not seeking more than to make me feel better, basically petting me.
Somehow that was why it worked.
There were no mistakes in the universe and for the first time since this tether had come to be, I saw it for what it was; a gift. Tsuki’s intervention. She wanted us to right wrongs. She had hand-picked each of us to work together. A true goddess wanted us five to be one.
“I’m so glad she said no,” I whispered.
Kiar kissed my cheek and Clem nuzzled my neck while Bracken stroked my hair. It was almost silly how much I needed them right now.
“Have you accepted the tether now?” Clem asked.
I swallowed and nodded.
“We’re meant to be together,” I whispered. “Aren’t we?”
Clem shrugged and lifted enough to meet my gaze with his sweet, innocent face.
“Your soul was like a beacon,” he told me. “As we were all fading away, you were all I saw...”
My grip tightened on them, holding them close to me and my gaze traveled up, toward the top of the mountain that we were now near the base of.
“How long will it be before Hadi gets down here?” I asked.
“Not long,” Kiar said. “Without us to slow him down, I bet he will propel from the cliffs.”
“Good,” I said. “We need to be together.”
“Even Hadi?” Clem asked, like he couldn’t quite believe it.
“Yes,” I said firmly. “He’s part of this too.”
He was part of this. And part of me. The goddess had said so herself. It was time to accept that even if Hadi wasn’t ready to yet.
It felt strange now to be without him. I had become used to his presence, his quiet moping and haughty glares, even his snarky remarks when he made them.
The temperature was warmer here, but not enough to make it comfortable. At first it was lovely until my body adjusted and then we ended up huddled together again, as we often did when trying to keep warm.
Finally, the sound of shifting footsteps near us alerted me to Hadi’s arrival.
I extracted myself from the others, standing because I was eager to talk to him, to make him see reason whether he wanted to or not. We had to work together somehow–
But the being who emerged from the trees was not Hadi, or a noc at all. It was a human.
I recognised the black robes at once as the very soldiers’ uniform that was now barely a rag covering me and green ribbons of Naran’s flag.
“Captain Sun?” the soldier said, his eyes wide as they landed upon me. “We spotted some nocs descending the mountain and came to intercept them.”
Behind him, others emerged.
“What are you doing here?” one of them asked. “Last we heard you had been captured.”
“How did you escape, sir?”
