Page 184 of Stars in Umbra
In the end, it was Elder J’Kuu who rose, her silken robes sweeping around her as she addressed the room.
‘Molan, you are not the sum of what was done to you,’ the elder said. ‘You are the entirety of what you do next. We absolve you of formal guilt, Mo, son of Sulfiqar, because your heart carries more judgment than any sentence we will pass.’
Mo nodded, throat thick, shoulders lifting with the quiet release of his shame and remorseful burden.
He left the chamber with his spirit restored to a final peace.
RINA
Rina stirred in the golden hush of morning, the scent of him still lingering on the pillow next to her.
Her hand reached across the bed, but his side was empty and cool.
She sat up, brushing a hand over her face.
A ping flashed in her neural link, indicating a waiting message, and she sent a command to access it.
I have a matter to attend to for the day, and I’ll be back by evening. I love you, M.
She sighed, resting back against the headboard, missing him in the mornings, longing to wake with him beside her.
She’d gotten used to it these last few weeks and needed it more than she liked to admit.
The rest of her day unfolded at a slow, steady pace.
Although she had a few days off, she spent some time on admin.
A handful of calls from the Pegasi High Command came in.
She also had a series of briefings to approve, message threads with her officers back on Dunia.
Plus a status update from Issa and Ki’Remi about a possible collaboration between their fleet of mercy ships and the Peace Corps’ medical operations.
She replied and messaged, but her heart wasn’t quite in it.
By early evening, the light softened into a warm amber, casting long shadows across the apartment.
The silence wrapped around her like a shawl, warm and restless.
Rina crossed to the sleek kitchen and opened the cooler.
He’d need a meal when he got in, and since she needed to keep her hands busy, she decided on a home-cooked dinner.
She prepped with quiet efficiency, marinating beef, cutting and spicing a sweet root mash, and prepping a fragrant herb drizzle.
The aroma filled the suite, grounding her.
She was placing the food in a warmer when the door hissed open.
She turned, and everything in her stilled.
Mo stood framed by the doorway, broad shoulders haloed in the last of the sunset light.
He appeared tired, but she perceived a serenity in him, as if a heavy load was lifted off his soul.
She placed the platter down and moved to him, launching herself into his arms.
He caught her, his grasp locking tight around her, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss that unmade her.
