Ryke stood over the gap, looking down at the sea. He gripped the railing, hard, twisting his hands as he tried to make sense of everything. Nothing he saw below made it from his eyes to his mind. He was blind to all but his thoughts.
When he’d told Gio he had seen no words on the page she’d read from, the look of shocked disbelief on her face had rocked him. Since then, the Followers had applied certain methods to the page and he’d seen this, seen the results.
They claimed to be able to read most of the words, once various corroded spots and patches were catered for.
Magnets and metal filings. Ink wiped over the surface. Stars knew what else.
Gio had believed though, that had convinced him more than any Follower science. Believing her, that was a sort of faith that transcended all else. She was the one person he should trust the least...surely? Once, she’d wanted to kill him and he’d happily been prepared to destroy her to get what he’d wanted.
Then the Followers had retrieved the last few sentences of the words, convincingly. Those, he had read.
Accept your burden. Be the man and the Prophet our people, both deckers and the Above, need. Give the Followers the waik crystal with your blessing as bestowed on you by Aerthe.
Sacrifices hurt but the gain is worth it.
Your loving mother, Symaia.
That would’ve been enough to make him question all he had believed before. Or rather what he had not believed.
He’d believed his mother had died, selfishly. What else could it be to leave two sons behind when their father was already gone?
He’d believed the Followers were idiots following useless words.
He’d believed there was no solution to the predicament of the Mekkers
That he was no prophet and anyone placing faith in him was a fool.
He’d believed his life was never going to rise above being the king’s man, who did exactly what he was told, no matter how dire.
Now, he knew he was wrong.
When she’d died, the Followers didn’t even have a label. Which made her words eerily prescient. How had she done this? It’d been twenty-five years since her death.
If he was the Prophet of his people and due to make them into something that could walk on Aerthe without dying then he must also be due and right to reject the offer of Judge Ormrad and keep Gio as his.
He must walk out onto the Aerthe at the Gathering and remain there to test the waik crystal theory. Because there was no way he was going to ask that of anyone else.
His mother’s words...
For so long he’d almost hated her. Loved her, hated her. Two irreconcilable things. He hadn’t quite forgiven her all. How could he?
She’d left them alone.
Tears formed in his eyes, welled up when he ignored them. More came. He watched them fall into the void, heading for the sea, and let them come. If ever there would be a forgiveness of her, if ever, it would be now.
Stars, how could he do this?
Then he plunged his face over his hands and he clawed his fingers into his scalp, his cheeks, his jaw, until the pain rose and rose, obliterating his grief, or so he thought. The physical pain waned and left him and his heart still ached.
There was no one here to see at this most lonely spot and he fell to his knees, his hands sliding down the vertical rails. He banged his forehead on the metal until tears came again. Tears. He wept fully with his head bowed to the floor.
“I forgive you. I do. I’m sorry, Mother. I am. I forgive you.” As he always should have.
* * * * *
The days passed and he came up with a million, million plans on how to avert the disaster that might happen when he denied Ormrad.
He collected provisions, weapons, anything that might be useful on the land. He’d take Gio, of course, yet wasn’t sure he should tell her his plans. He wasn’t telling the Followers either. They, of all of the deckers, might act irrationally if they knew their prophet was about to try a dangerous experiment.
Sneaking away with a pack on his shoulders, and hers, might alert any number of watchers, so he gave Aunt M that duty. Other mechlings couldn’t carry the weight whereas Aunt M seemed perfectly capable of lugging about furniture and climbing dead trees. She would be vital outside – impervious to most weather, smart, strong, and she could recharge easily.
His plans firmed, so did his dick most times he saw Gio waggling that ass near him.
The sex was far more consensual than anything he’d had for years, barring the whores, but he’d acquired a taste for it, as long as he had the control and that was indisputable.
He put more rope into the packs, then had to make up a third pack for Aunt M, then added his favorite dildo. Getting bored and not fucking her while in the wilderness must be illegal.
When the Gathering was only one day away, he found himself nervous.
He was never that. Finally, he saw why this was. He had her kneeling before him but facing away so he could simply study her. He’d found it calming to do this, to place her in a position where he could gather her hair in his hand and play with her, let his fingers slowly trace her curves.
He let his fist close over the tail of her hair, feeling the soft give as he ran his fist downward to the end. Her gentle sigh and the subtle twist of her neck enticed him to gather her hair again in both hands.
Her. It was Gio.
He had responsibilities that were grievous, and not just for the entire race of his people, but also for her. If he failed at this, she would likely also die.
That was his main worry.
What was wrong with him?
Gyle called him to the screen again soon after to give him a location to meet tomorrow, and to remind him to bring both the girl and the mechling. He agreed, nodded, then disengaged the screen. Everything would need to run like clockwork for this to succeed.
They’d be watching for a humanoid mechling and for her, a gold-haired human. Both of them were distinctive. Maybe he should involve Badh after all. Not the Followers, but Badh. A little distraction at the exit from the ship would be a huge help.
“I have to go talk to Badh but offscreen.” He didn’t quite trust the screen links anymore either. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Get showered and dressed for bed.”
Gio nodded and he gathered his coat and the Thelk pistol then headed for the door.