Page 43 of Adrift!
Not words, but impressions.
Vast darkness pierced by a wound of light. Or was it light marked by darkness? Both? The interpretation was beyond comprehension, only feeling. Something was marred or…missing? A melody not yet completed by its harmony, out there, somewhere.
But there was a promise too. Threading through it all, binding everything together: a profound peace that both steadied and lifted, a joy expressed in every chord and cadence of song and silence. Love. Though the love-made-music had spanned a bridge over the abyss, the final note was not resolved. A yearning to find…
Remy let out a shuddering breath, almost a sob, and sagged against him. Ikaryo caught her before she fell.
The guitar clattered to the stage. The jarring clang broke the stasis of the crowd. Everyone was talking at once, milling to get a clearer look at the resonark glowing in the yarn knot. The captain and Felicity, along with others from the crew, moved among the passengers, belatedly bringing some order to the incredulous amazement.
But Ikaryo held Remy, cradling her against his chest while she caught her breath.
“What happened?” Her voice was hoarse with strain. He needed to get her some tea with honey.
“You made contact with the resonark.”
She shook her head hard, frowning at him through tangled red strands. “We.”
“We.” He smoothed back her hair to kiss her.
The touch was meant to be tender, relieved and admiring, but she wrapped her hand behind his head, pulling him down to deepen the kiss, her thumb brushing along his jaw where the echo of their song still thrummed in his biomech bones. More breathlessness and the scent of salty Earther tears.
Not tears? Despite her moan of protest, he lifted his head to stare down at her. “Are you bleeding?”
“I haven’t played in a while.”
Gently, he caught her hand. Every fingertip was blistered and several cuticles ripped. “Remy…”
“I’ll heal.” She gazed up at him, the green and amber of her eyes bright as gemstones in the light of the resonark above. “Sometimes it’s worth getting hurt for something beautiful.”
He kissed her knuckles one by one, then helped her to her feet. Only to discover his own knees were none too steady, so they leaned together.
That same closeness was everywhere in the ballroom, and he realized they’d all felt the resonark’s…plea?
From several lengths away, the captain leaped to the stage, fur bristling, his uniform straining to contain the fuzzy worry. But his growl was steady and solicitous as he looked them over carefully.
The resonark pulsed behind him, but he ignored it. “What do you need? Water, wound sealant”—he nodded to Remy’s hands—“a prize for saving the ship?”
“Did we?” Remy’s voice cracked, and she wrapped her bloody fingers around her throat. “Save the ship?” she whispered stubbornly.
Ikaryo put his hand over hers. “Hush. I’ll get you a cordial with honey.”
“Here’s tea.” From the floor, Felicity lifted the cup to Nehivar. “With all the honey.”
He hefted her bodily and easily up beside him, not spilling a drop as he swiveled the cup to Ikaryo who held it to Remy’s lips. “Suvan’s readings indicate all the quantum tunnels that were destabilizing our systems are closing. Even the idiosyncratic power glitches that Griiek noted in previous refits are cleared.”
“Healing,” Felicity said. “Speaking of, here’s the med kit.” She touched Remy’s shoulder. “Sorry, I should’ve at least had water for you. I don’t think we understood…” A sheen brightened her blue eyes. “And after that performance, it should be Dom Perignon or the ET equivalent, I’ll have to check.”
“Actually, that’s my job,” Ikaryo said, chagrined. “But I had no idea either.” His voice trembled, but he kept his hand perfectly aligned with Remy as she gulped her tea.
She hummed out a breath as she finished. “Me neither,” she rasped. “I’ve never gone that hard.”
Despite his exquisite gentleness, using only as much pressure as his augments suggested, she winced as he cleaned her fingers and sealed the wounds.
“Looks worse than it is,” she whispered. “I swear.”
“Yes, I’ve heard you swear,” he whispered back. “Twice.”
She flashed him a wicked grin before ducking her head against his shoulder to hide it.
