Page 39 of Lover from the Waves

“I’m sorry, Ector.”

He turned his head and leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss atop Kat’s hair. “You do not need to apologize, Kathryn. You have not wronged me or my people, and I have not been the victim of any of what my ancestors experienced.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder, once again melting into his warmth. “I’m still sorry about all of it. Sorry it happened. Your people didn’t deserve any of it.”

Ector ran his hand slowly up and down her arm, holding her close. “I am sorry for it, too. Thank you.”

Kathryn would’ve been content to simply sit there, secure in Ector’s embrace, but her eyes fell on the holographic screen, and she could not suppress her curiosity. “There are more logs left.”

Ector made a thoughtful hum that vibrated into Kat. “So, the story is not yet over?”

“I guess we’re about to find out.” She selected the next log.

The holographic projection changed, but this time it depicted a different—and entirely unexpected—scene. It was the same young man, Luke, but he was on some sort of small boat or raft unlike any Kat had seen. The vessel was made of a flexible material instead of wood, colored an oddly reflective white and bright orange. He was only dressed in his uniform pants—no shirt or shoes. A familiar-looking metal box lay beside him in the boat.

Based on the angle and viewpoint of the hologram, he must’ve been holding the recording device in his hand. Outside the boat was only churning water, dark but for the flickering reflections of light from overhead.

Once again, he looked tired and distraught, like he was stretched too thin, but there was a gleam in his eyes now that suggested he was also rattled.

“She found me. In all that… She found me and got me out. They, uh…” He stared off blankly for a few seconds before uttering a humorless laugh. “They fought back. I said they would, and now they have, and could anyone blame them?”

Luke dragged his free hand down over his face. “Took a PDS to get out. Ditched it as soon as I reached the surface so they can’t use it to track me. Tore the distress beacon from this raft, too. I don’t think… There’s no going back now. And I’m just…glad. Glad to be out of that place, to be away from what it means.

“She’s scouting right now to make sure we weren’t followed. I think we slipped out unnoticed, just because…it was chaos down there. Going to follow the sunrise. We’re only a few kilometers from shore, I think, so it shouldn’t take long to reach land. Then, uh… Well, I guess we’ll figure it out, won’t we?”

The recording ended. Kat wet her lips again as she moved to select the next log. That tightness in her chest was still there, more intense than ever, and she knew it wouldn’t ease until this was done. Until she knew.

The next recording began on a beach, but the hologram—as usual—only spread about five meters from its central point, leaving a featureless patch of sand and a sliver of surf visible. Luke stood at the center of it, still barefoot but now wearing his uniform shirt with its buttons undone. Sand clung to his feet and pants.

“Came ashore about ten minutes ago. I turned off all network features on this device so it can’t be pinged, but that also means I can’t link with the navigation satellites.” He turned to look to his left and slowly swung around to look to his right. “I think Watchpoint Echo is down the coast from here, maybe a day or two of walking away. That’s not enough distance. They’ll probably be mobilizing troops from there, so we’re going to move in the opposite direction. Hopefully.”

Luke turned again, this time toward the sea. “Hera should be back any minute. She was pushing the life raft out to open water to sink it. It might’ve been useful, but…it’s too visible. We’ll manage without.”

When the holographic screen reverted to the icon list, Kathryn didn’t waste any time in selecting the next.

The holographic scene depicted the sort of vegetation that seemed common along the edges of Halora’s jungles—green and violet leaves of various sizes and shapes, blades of grass that moved in the wind like the surface of the ocean, and scattered trees. But none of that fully registered for Ector; his attention was caught instead by thetwofigures within the scene.

One of them was familiar by now—the human named Luke, who wore his dark uniform shirt tied around his waist. The short-sleeved white shirt, which he must’ve usually worn beneath the other, was stained and damp looking. The man’s face bore the short hairs humans called stubble and was smudged with dirt, but he was smiling.

The female kraken beside him looked a touch more bewildered, and Ector understood why. Her big, bright, violet eyes were wide and in continual motion, scanning her surroundings with awe and a hint of unease. Ector had reacted much the same way the first several times he’d been on land.

The female’s skin was green, much more vibrant than Ector’s drab natural color, and she had dark stripes along her arms, shoulders, tentacles, and head. She was beautiful; Ector couldn’t deny it. But she couldn’t compare to his female.

He shifted his gaze to Kathryn, who sat with her soft little body tucked against him. From this angle, he couldn’t see her face, but its every detail was locked in his memory to be summoned at will. He could stare at her for hours at a time without getting his fill.

But his attention was called back to the hologram when Luke spoke.

“We’ve been moving along the coast for a few days now.”

Hera turned toward Luke, and her brow furrowed. “I know this.”

Luke chuckled and glanced at her. “I know you do. I’m just…documenting this.”

“I do not understand what you mean.”

He lifted his extended hand—the hand that must’ve been holding the recording device—and smiled. “I’m recording it on here. It’ll help us remember these moments.”

“Do you require that device’s assistance to remember?” Hera asked.

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