Page 60 of Stars in Aura

Their appreciation was profuse and almost too much.

He didn’t know how to handle gratitude, given that the golden-haired woman seated nearby had done most of the lifesaving.

Even now, the woman confounded his senses as she chatted with the crew and a few village teenagers, her soft laughter echoing through the square.

Riva’s android components soon captured the children’s fascination.

They poked at the black titanium plating of her cybernetic arm, tracing the sleek alloy with wide-eyed wonder.

‘They think you’re a metal ghost,’ Issa teased, smirking.

Riva arched a brow. ‘That’s because I’m thefokkin’ boogey machine.’

One of the Elders, a woman with silver-threaded hair, chuckled. ‘They have never seen one such as you. The melding of flesh and machine is rare in our world.’

‘Not in mine,’ Riva said, tapping her glowing neural interface.

The Seniors turned to Ki’Remi.

One of the older warriors gestured at his arms, his gaze on the Rider’s shifting metanoid tattoos flickering under the firelight.

‘The spirits of your ancestors manifest themselves in your soul bones,’ he murmured. ‘I see three powerful warlocks, and I pay them respect.’

Ki’Remi jolted and exhaled through his nose, not knowing what to say. ‘They pay it back,’ he rasped back, nonplussed.

The Elder studied him, long and slow, before he bowed before the Rider in awe.

Ki’Remi took a deep breath and then swiveled his head, only to find Issa watching him with a slight smile on her face and one arched brow.

Fokk.

ISSA

The banda stood on the outskirts of the village, nestled beneath the ancient canopy of jungle trees.

The structure was simple.

Woven reed barriers, a slanted roof reinforced with resin and bark, and a covered veranda where the soft glow of flames flickered from an iron lantern.

The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth, smoke, and the sweetness of crushed rainforest blossoms.

Inside, the sleeping hut was rudimentary but comfortable.

Straw-filled mattresses had been laid out along the walls, blankets crafted from the softest wool folded in neat piles at the foot of each bed.

Issa listened as the crew drifted into sleep one by one, claimed by exhaustion.

Riva was out first, always practical and efficient.

She rolled onto her side, one arm draped over her ribs like a soldier resting between battles, her glowing neural interface flickering off.

Bear lay on his back, breathing deep and even, one ham-fisted palm sprawled over his chest, the other settled close to the knife strapped to his thigh.

Ghost and Juno murmured in hushed voices, exchanging medical notes as drowsiness pulled at them until their conversation faded into silence.

Ki’Remi didn’t sleep.

Issa knew that without even looking at him.

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