Page 118 of Stars in Umbra
His jaw clenched.
‘So what my mother told me all those years ago, the stories I thought she made up?’ His timbre cracked. ‘They were true?’
Issa nodded, eyes narrowing as if piecing together a thread of a long-forgotten recollection. ‘What was her name?’
Mo swallowed. The memory of the woman he adored and lost left a bitter and ashen residue in his mouth.
‘Her full name was Sayonna Ikjhaol Mithandri Iqal.’
Issa’s holo flared with sudden static.
She gasped, her breath catching so hard her mate Ki’Remi reached out from behind, placing a palm on her spine, steadying her.
She waved him away after a beat and straightened.
‘She was Sulfiqar’s concubine,’ Issa whispered. ‘One of many who disappeared during his reign. You’re his son, Mo. One of the many heirs of Sulfiqar, the Most High God of Sacra.’
The heft of her words hit him like a thunderclap, then sank instead, cold and leaden, into the hollows of his bones.
‘The same freakin’ Sulfiqar whose name is popping up in strange messages and mutterings in the fringe and DarkNet message boards?’ Zane drawled.
Mo shrugged. ‘Sounds like it, but we can’t be sure until we have proof.’
‘Fokkin’ wild coincidence,’ the psionic Rider rasped, eyes narrowing. ‘I might need to conduct a telepathic sweep of Pegasi to locate whoever the hell this Sulfiqar is.’
Kainan huffed in agreement. ‘Soon, brother, it appears necessary; however, right now we stand with Mo.’
The Sable Rider’skhanturned to his security specialist.
‘That was a hell of a thing to learn, Mo,’ Kainan said, his voice quiet but firm, jerking his chin, the gesture grounding. ‘The burden of a legacy like that might be precarious to say the least.’
He paused, letting the silence hang between them, a space for Mo to breathe. ‘But you’re not just this god, Sulfiqar’s son,’ Kainan continued, his gaze steady. ‘You’re Mo. You’re our brother. A Rider. A man with a heart, whom we all dearly treasure. That’s who you are, and that’s all that matters to us.’
He gave Mo a final, firm nod. ‘Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together. But for now, you need to go home and put your feet up. The rest of this can wait until you’re ready.’
He clapped a hand over his chest one ultimate time, in a show of solidarity. ‘We’ll be here. Always.’
Mo bowed his head for a beat, then glanced up, meeting Kainan’s gaze. ‘Santekhan, I can’t imagine how to thank you.’
‘You can do it by resting then, when you’re strong, going after the mofos that got you in this mess in the first place, with our blessing, of course.’
‘I appreciate that.’
‘Karibu,’ Kainan intoned.
Mo fell back onto his hover bed, eyes canted to the ceiling as the Riders wrapped up their discussion, nodding toward Rina, decisions made, protocols set.
Rina waved goodbye, and their holo images winked out one after the other.
Rina whispered with Mirage about the next steps.
‘Let him rest and heal first, then we can discuss next steps,’ Mirage urged.
‘I’ve got him, I’ll take care of him,’ Rina murmured.
It was a simple statement, yet it resonated in Mo’s chest.
Damn, this woman. Her concern and kindness were beyond measure.
