Page 57 of Avery

When I'm back to thinking rationally, I'll tell him again that I love him. Yeah, that'll show my appreciation for everything he does for me. But for now, I focus on the pleasure, focus on Phial, focus on my mate.

twenty-five

Epilogue

Phial - Ten Years Later

It never ceases to amaze me just how many young Holoth and K'Vella managed to have in the decade since they left the ship. Six young in ten years? That seems unhealthy. But then again, I'm not Rytharian, and I'm not female.

For all I know, K'Vella doesn't hate Holoth for having to go through labor six times. Well, soon to be seven, probably. They haven't announced another pregnancy yet, but I've watched K'Vella rub her belly absentmindedly throughout dinner.

Now, all their children sit in their oldest sister's bed, covered in furs that I'm sure smell like their mother and father. I enjoy visiting Holoth and his family on Rythar. We try to make the tripat least once a year, but now that families are growing between the crew, we are here more often than that.

"Come on, start the story!" Athna, Holoth's eldest daughter, pokes me with her foot to get me to start speaking.

I, along with their mother, who's standing in the doorway to make sure I'm fine being surrounded by five young while she nurses the sixth, snort at Athna's impatience.

"Are you sure you all do not wish for a new story this time? I have many."

I already know their answer will be a rejection of my storytelling prowess. No, there is only one story that these little Rytharians like. Well, one story that Athna likes and her siblings all like because they follow her lead. She will be a tiny tyrant when she gets older.

"Tell us about the Sytharians again," Athna says, and her siblings agree with her in a chorus of affirmations.

Does it matter that only three of them remember anything about the story? No, of course not. But that's fine. This is fine. I'm sure this won't be the last time I tell the story, either.

"Fine, but do you all know the rules?" I ask, cocking one of my feathered brows at the pile of blond children staring up at me.

"If anyone from the IA ever asks about it, we don't know what they're talking about," Athna says, beaming up at me because she remembers the first rule of Phial's story time.

The others mumble under their breath, side-eyeing their sister as they speak. It's good enough for me, and really, the IA no longer cares about my past transgressions. They have bigger problems than one male discussing his reason for exile.

"Once upon a time, there was a devilishly handsome Sytharian male named Vial. He lived on a planet made wealthy by the minerals found on it. They were so wealthy that they didn't need to be part of the Intergalactic Alliance. If they were, they would never get paid nearly as much for all of theirresources. This made it so the wealthy Sytharians were bathing in their riches, and the less fortunate were stuck toiling away all day in the mines.

"One day, Vial, the devilishly handsome male, if you'll recall. Well, he decided he wanted to find a way out of the mines. Not to cause trouble but just because he longed to be out in the stars, exploring the universe.

"He was young, and he was foolish, but he was also good with explosives. He was so good that he was in charge of detonations across a whole chain of mines connected underneath one of the richest districts on Sythar. This was an honor amongst those in the mines, and he earned the position when he was still a young male.

"Now, Vial didn't have the same skills as those who came from wealth. He wasn't what the rich would call learned, but he knew math, and he knew the mines. He was also charming enough when he needed to be, and more importantly, the mother looked favorably on him in everything he did. They used to say that she was there the day he was born. A sign from the mother meant being blessed in all of life.

"Many saw Vial's position in life as one to strive for. He had enough money for a small shack he shared with his brother and parents until they passed from the illness that took miner's lungs. Yes, his job was dangerous, but it paid better than many others in the mines. Vial wasn't happy, though. No, he was young and eager and thought of ways to change the world. Mostly his own by leaving Sythar, something no one was allowed to do.

"One day, the wealthiest family in all of Sythar came to the mines. Sometimes, the wealthy enjoyed doing that. It made them feel like they were getting a taste of the work being done underneath their lands. No one knew why they came that day,and no one dared to even look at them for fear they would be executed on the spot.

"Unfortunately, Vial had not heard about the family coming to visit the mines and had scheduled many explosives to go off deep, deep in the ground. This was something the miners were all used to. Their world was constantly shaking and shifting in unnatural and scary ways.

"When the mines began to rumble, and the dirt and stone around them began to fall from the walls, the wealthy family started to panic. They saw their lives flash before their eyes. They saw the end of their legacy. Now, this was all perfectly normal occurrences for Vial and everyone else in the mines, but this wealthy family saw it as their end.

"Even worse, the daughter of the wealthy family had wandered off at some point. She escaped her security detail and was nowhere to be found.

"When she was frightened and alone, she was consoled by a miner. Something that should've never happened because those below the ground weren't to speak to or touch those from above.

"It wasn't just any miner who eased her fears, though. No, it was Vial's brother who knew much better than to even think of thinking about someone so far above him. But the princess was crying, and she was separated from her family, so he did what any good male would do. He tried to aid her.

"Of course, because of his station in life, his actions were not seen as kind or helpful. Oh no. The princess, well, she was smitten with Vial's brother the first time they saw one another. That much was clear to everyone who saw the way she looked at him. But her parents? They would much rather the mines swallow them whole than allow their daughter to be looked at by someone who worked deep in the dirt where there was no light.

"Because Vial's brother was kind enough to walk the princess back to her family, they accused him of trying to befriend her in a way they were not happy with. It didn't matter that the princess was a grown female who could make her own decisions, and it mattered even less that Vial's brother denied such accusations.

"Before anyone could stop it, Vial's brother was hauled away by the princess's security. Vial was already disheartened by the life he was given, and it was only made worse by his brother being taken from him. So, he made some decisions that others might say were bad.

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