Page 35 of Lover from the Waves

His answering smile was wide and warm despite his sharp teeth. “Even then. A few years ago, I would not have given it any thought, but… It feels good to think that two people lived in that place together happily.”

The warm sensation Ector so often sparked in Kathryn’s chest bloomed again, deeper and more powerful than before. There was something subtle in his voice—a hint of longing, perhaps—that made his words resonate with her. His sentiment regarding the matter only endeared her to him further. She hoped he was right, too, and that the mysterious couple she’d speculated had shared happiness here…

She placed the pendant beside the other items on the ground with great care. Each object was a piece of the puzzle, but Kat couldn’t see how they could possibly tell enough of the story to answer her questions.

Of course, she also could never have anticipated the final item that had been tucked away in that old cloth.

Kathryn’s brows fell low as she removed the last object from the box and held it to the light. It was a small device—not quite as large as her hand—with rounded ends and a shallow depression on top that was roughly thumb width. She felt like she’d seen something similar before and knew it was an old piece of technology, but the work she’d done during her life had never brought her into contact with such objects.

“That almost looks like the wrist controls on the diving suits,” Ector said.

“I’ve never really seen those suits up close apart from the one you snuck onto the boat for me.” Even then, she hadn’t taken the time to study the controls she’d seen on the suit during her quick perusal of it. Kathryn turned the device over; its underside was smooth and lacked any discernable markings or buttons.

Ector chuckled. “I cannot claim any understanding of their operation, but I believe you brush a finger along the groove to activate it.”

She nodded and placed her thumb in that shallow depression. This thing dated at least as far back as the colonization, three hundred and sixty-five years ago. Some of those old devices still functioned. Many more did not. Expecting nothing, she swiped her thumb along the groove.

A holographic screen flashed into existence in the air above the device.

Kathryn started, heart skipping a beat, and raised her free hand to her chest. Her startlement passed within a couple seconds, and she couldn’t help laughing at herself. When she looked up at Ector, he was smiling softly, an amused light dancing in his eyes—but it wasn’t amusement at her expense. Somehow, she knew he wouldn’t be responding this way were it not for her laughter.

“I guess I really didn’t expect it to work,” she said, returning her attention to the hologram. The screen’s bluish glow clashed with the firelight immediately around it, lending Ector’s skin a surreal cast. It took a moment for Kathryn to realize what she was looking at—a menu with various icons, most of which were meaningless to her.

“I haven’t used anything like this since I was a girl,” she said. “We use a few of the working holos and computers in The Watch to teach children—mostly history.”

“My people have used the computer in the Facility similarly, though we were long limited by the need for voice commands and the fact that much of the information was locked away. Our younglings have enjoyed listening to old human stories for many generations.”

Kathryn tilted her head, studying him anew. “So, you grew up hearing human stories but being distrustful of humans?”

The amused light rekindled in his eyes. “It does sound contradictory, does it not? But so many of those tales went beyond species. They were about strength, courage, defiance of fate and oppression. Many of our names are derived from those stories.”

“Was yours?”

“Yes. I am named for a warrior who fought a superior foe in defense of his home.”

Kathryn smiled at him. “It suits you. You’ll have to tell me the story some time.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Her mind flashed back to the day of the festival, the day he’d first approached her. Before their conversation, Kathryn had seen Ector surrounded by children—including her younger grandchildren—as he regaled them with a story. That was another quality humans and kraken shared—the need to share stories.

She shifted her gaze back to the holographic screen. There was a story here, she was certain of it, and this was a rare opportunity for Kat and Ector to discover it together. A chance to, in some small way, make it a part of their own stories, which were currently intertwined.

“Let’s see what there is to find in this thing,” she said.

Chapter 9

Many of the items displayed on the screen were labeled with strings of numbers that were all similar in sequence but held no meaning or Kathryn. A flick of her finger made that list scroll, revealing dozens of similar icons.

Here goes nothing, I guess.

She selected one of the icons at random.

The hologram changed instantly, becoming a small, three-dimensional image of a room. The place was clean and sleek, bearing some resemblance to a few of the oldest buildings in The Watch, but the hologram didn’t seem to encompass the entire room. A uniformed man was seated in a chair close to Kat, his face depicted in stunning detail despite its reduced size. He had short brown hair, a long, sharp nose, and dark brown eyes. He couldn’t have been older than twenty-five or thirty.

Kathryn recognized the insignia on his uniform—it belonged to the Interstellar Defense Coalition, the military organization that had been involved in Halora’s colonization. Those markings could be found all over The Watch to this day.

Ector’s eyes widened, and he moved closer to Kathryn. “That looks just like the rooms in the Facility where the humans stay.”

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