by Claire Luana
Rika thought for a moment. She wanted Vikal at her side, but she wasn’t sure how her mother would feel. “Perhaps it’s best if you don’t attend. I’ll find you after.”
He nodded, standing. “I understand. I should check on Kemala and the others anyway.”
Rika walked him to the door, not wanting him to go. It was a silly sentiment, she told herself. They would only be apart a few hours.
Vikal hesitated. “I will see you soon, dewa,” he said before leaning in quickly and kissing her on the forehead. He disappeared out the door.
She leaned her head against the door jamb for long after he was gone, her skin tingling from the touch of his lips. Dewa. For the first time since this mad adventure had begun, she liked the sound of that.
HIRO’S WAKE WAS held in the great temple in Yoshai. After Vikal had left, Rika bathed, braided her hair, and scarfed down a quick meal the servants had brought her. She moved through the motions like a ghost, her mind firmly fixed upon its dilemma. Could she really leave Kitina forever? Give up being queen—the role she had studied and prepared for her entire life? What would her mother say? Would it break her heart to have her daughter leave so soon after losing her husband? Would she think it was a foolish gamble, to leave for a man Rika hardly knew?
Rika opened her wardrobe and selected a white dress embroidered in gold. As she pulled it on, she pushed thoughts of Vikal aside. It wouldn’t do for her to be distracted, not tonight. The memory of her father deserved her undivided attention.
Rika had always thought the temple was one of the grandest spaces in the city, but tonight, it blazed even brighter with light from thousands of candles. Its soaring ceiling, inlaid with gold and silver celestial scenes, glimmered above their heads. Those scenes were familiar to Rika now, those constellations beginning to feel like friends. They didn’t just watch over the people of Kitina from a dispassionate distance. They had saved them. Fought for them. Fought for her. She couldn’t wait to get to know them in the calm of peace. Their personalities, their quirks. She could sense that each was unique. But if she left, would she ever have that chance?
Rika walked up the polished aisle between the rows of guests. The temple was packed to bursting with people—everyone had streamed back into the city when they’d heard of the defeat of the soul-eater queen and her hordes. Sunburners in full red and gold armor, silver-haired moonburners, nobles in glorious colors. Tears pricked at Rika’s eyes. This was her father’s legacy. The love and devotion of everyone he’d met.
She settled into a seat in the front row between Koji and Nanase, who gave her a tight hug. “Good work, Rika. I knew you had it in you.” As she settled back, Koji took her hand in his and squeezed. She looked at him in surprise, and he offered a smile. It seemed that the soul-eaters had changed him, too.
Rika’s mother ascended onto the dais between larger-than-life statutes of the gods Tsuki and Taiyo. She wore a white gown with billowing sleeves, her waist wrapped in a white obi. The lunar crown was woven into her silver hair. She held up her hands to quiet the crowd.
“We’re here to honor the life and death of my husband and your king. I like to think that Hiro died like he lived—without regrets. He died with honor. Fighting to protect us, his people. To give us the chance to barricade our gates against the storm that was to come. He died to give his children a chance to escape from that same fate and return to us with the key to defeating the greatest foe we have ever encountered. He would ask us not to mourn him. But to celebrate the exceptional life he lived.”
One by one, people came forward to tell a story or a tale of Hiro, how he had lived. So many Rika had never heard; she had never known that her father had made those impressions. When it was her turn, she couldn’t find the words, so she asked those attending to follow her outside into the warm spring night. When everyone had gathered, she cleared her throat. “I don’t have the right words to tell you what my father meant to me. He was always there for me. Even when I thought I knew better or pushed him away, he would be there to pick me up when I fell, or to kiss the pain or sorrow away. That’s who he was. A protector, a guardian, a friend—and the best dad. I don’t feel like he’s gone. He will always be there, watching over me. Watching over all of us. His family, the people of Yoshai and Kitina, the burners whom he loved. I can think of no better way to honor my father than to give him a place in the heavens, so he will truly, always be with us.”
Rika had been planning it out in the hours before the wake, unsure if she could even do what she was about to attempt, if the stars would cooperate. But she had reached out and stroked the threads and found willing stars, those who were eager to be part of something more—something bigger. So she opened her third eye, and reached for the heavens, gathering stars to her, pulling them across the sky into a patch of inky blackness that would be the constellation’s new home. She formed the stars into an image of an armored man with a sword, a lion at his side. When it was done, and her father’s likeness winked at her from the sky, she turned and walked back to her mother’s side.
Tears were flowing freely down Kai’s face. “Thank you.”
Rika stood with her mother and brother and thanked their guests as they left, receiving hugs and handshakes and kisses and murmured condolences until her feet throbbed. When they were finally alone, Kai wrapped her arms around her children and pulled them close. Rika laid her head on her mother’s shoulder, her heart aching at her father’s absence. It wasn’t fair. He should be here with them. “I miss him too, dear ones,” Kai said. “But he’ll never be gone. Not really.”
Finally, as the rays of dawn were lightening the horizon, Koji claimed he was tired, heading back to his rooms. Kai’s seishen, Quitsu, jumped into Rika’s arms, and she clutched him to her chest, taking in the offered comfort and warmth.
“I’m starving,” Kai said. “Come with me to the kitchen to sneak something delicious?”
Rika set Quitsu down. “I don’t think the queen can sneak anything. It all belongs to you.”
“Sometimes it’s more fun to sneak,” Kai said, and Rika shook her head with a little laugh.
“Sure.”
The kitchens were nestled into the palace walls, their hearths forever chugging out fragrant smoke. Kai and Rika managed to find and commandeer a batch of steaming soup buns that had just come out of the pot. The cook handed them two bowls and waved them out of her kitchen with a good-natured flick of her apron.
“I’ve had some interesting conversations with your fellow, Vikal,” Kai said as they made their way out into a quiet courtyard to sit.
Rika’s breath caught as she sat down on a wooden bench carved like two facing dragons. “Oh?” she said, trying to feign disinterest.
“He seems like a good man,” Kai said. “He’s been through much. They all have.”
Rika took a bite and hissed, letting the bun drop back into the bowl. “Hot,” she said, fanning her mouth. “He is a good man. He saved my life.”
“And you saved his. Or so he told me many times.”
“I guess we both saved each other.”
“That’s the best way. That’s how me and your father…” Kai trailed off for a moment. “That’s how we started. We spared each other’s lives. Have I told you the story of how we met?”
Only about a hundred times. But Rika wanted to hear it again. “Tell me,” she said.
“I was just leaving Kita to make my way to the citadel in Kyuden for the first time. I had been sentenced to death and had barely made it out of the desert alive. I wouldn’t have, if it weren’t for Quitsu.” Kai scratched her seishen’s head. “Daarco knocked me off my koumori. I almost fell to my death. I was almost dying a lot back then.”
“Clearly,” Rika commented, grinning. “So Father comes out of the darkness…”
“Right,” Kai said. “Daarco has a knife to my throat—he’s ready to kill me for my silver hair, but your father commands him to halt. There was something about him—in that moment, I knew he was somethi
ng special. That there was a connection between us.” Kai shivered.
“You knew you were supposed to be together,” Rika said, thinking of Vikal, of the likelihood that he would be there in that tent the night her father had died, of all the thousands of thralls in the soul-eaters’ clutches. That she would have killed the soul-eater that had had control of him…that he would have helped her escape. What were the odds?
“I was never one to believe in fate,” Kai continued. “But sometimes it’s hard to argue with. I have no doubt your father and I were meant to be together. As infuriating as that man was sometimes.”
Rika smiled. “I always loved that story.”
“I sense that you and Vikal are making such a story yourselves. He told me he loves you, and that he wants you to return to Nua with him. He was very candid with me.”
Rika’s eyes widened and she fought to keep her heart grounded. “He said that?”
“It surprises you?”
“No. Sort of. Not the sentiment, but that he was so upfront with you. We haven’t had much time to talk.”
“Do you love him?” Kai asked, innocently popping a steaming bun into her mouth.
“Yes,” Rika said, closing her eyes for a moment as the image of his face swam up before her. “I tried not to. We were fighting the soul-eaters, Father had just died, I was in a foreign place trying to figure out how the heck I had grown a third eye.” She laughed ruefully. “But somewhere in all of that, in trying to deny it…I fell for him.”
“I thought so,” Kai said. “This is something to celebrate! Why do you look so forlorn about it?”
“I was worried you’d be…disappointed in me,” Rika admitted, shoving a bun in her mouth so she didn’t have to say any more.
“Disappointed? That my darling daughter has found a unique and capable man to love, who loves her back? What kind of mother would I be?”
“You and Father have been preparing me from birth to be queen of Kitina. I can’t just abandon it for love. Can I?” She looked up with hope.
“Your grandmother gave up her country for love, and though she had many joys in her life, I know that was a piece of sorrow she carried with her all her life. For me, I’m not sure what I would have chosen. Your father was smart enough to never make me choose. We were lucky. For you, though…you have always been different, my daughter. With your head in the stars, you weren’t bright sun like your father or cool moon like me. Perhaps your path was always to lead elsewhere. Perhaps when we were teaching you to be queen, we just didn’t have the imagination to see what country you would rule.”
“Do you think that’s true? That Nua is my destiny? That those are my people?”
“Only you can know that, deep in your heart. But Vikal told me something of the cycles of Nua, and your divine destiny as goddess of bright light. As much as I selfishly want you here with me, I must be honest. It seems to be the role you were born for.”
“But what about Kitina?” Rika said. “I couldn’t leave you and Koji and Emi and Nanase… Everyone I’ve ever known is here! And Koji would be king?”
“Yes, Tsuki help Kitina with your brother at the helm,” Kai joked, then turned serious. “We raised him too, you know. You may think of him only as your annoying little brother, but he will make a good king. I see much of Hiro in him.”
Rika’s mind raced as she took in what her mother was saying. She was saying…to go. To go to Nua. To be goddess and queen and…more. Tears sprang to life, threatening to spill down her cheeks. “Will you be…all right?”
“Me?” Kai said, setting her bowl down on the ground. She cupped Rika’s face in her hands, gazing at her with hazel eyes. “I am stronger than you think. I refuse to let you abandon this new adventure because you are worried about your dear old mother. This is your destiny, Rika. I feel it.”
Rika nodded as the tears came in earnest. “I feel it too. But I’m going to miss you so much. Everyone. Everything here. How can I say goodbye?”
“It won’t be goodbye. That massive star-bird thing brought your boyfriend and those other gods—it can bring you back to visit. Or bring me over to Nua! Vikal makes it sound like a very nice place to vacation.”
She laughed. “It will be once the forest grows back.”
“Just you wait and see, you’ll never be rid of me. Especially if you have grandchildren.” Kai’s eyes lit up, and she rubbed her hands together. “Oh yes, once the babies come, you’ll be wishing you had more than a galaxy between us!”
Rika rolled her eyes and pulled her mother into her arms, squeezing her tightly. “I’m holding you to that.”
“Vikal!” Rika ran down the hallway of the guest wing, lit by the light of the rising sun. Which room was he in? “Vikal!”
A door opened behind her and she whirled, skidding to a stop. “Vikal?”
It was Bahti, rubbing his eyes, a scowl on his face. “What time is it, crazy goddess?”
“Time for me to find Vikal!” Rika said, grinning like a madwoman. “Which room is he in?”
The door across the hall opened, and Vikal stepped out. “Is everything all right?”
Rika’s whole body thrummed at the sight of him, shirtless, his dark hair tousled. “Nothing’s wrong,” she said, coming to stand before him. “I talked to my mother about everything. I’ve decided. I’m going to Nua!”
Vikal’s face lit up. “You’re coming to Nua?”
“That’s what she said,” Bahti said grumpily.
Rika nodded her head. “I’m going to Nua. I’m going with you.”
Vikal swept her up in his arms and with a laugh of disbelief, spun her around and around. She buried her face in his shoulder and grinned until her cheeks hurt. When he finally set her feet on the ground, his lips met hers, his arms pulled her to him—his embrace saying more than his words ever could.
“Ugh, young love,” Bahti said. “There will be so much kissing.”
“Shut up,” Kemala said softly, and then Rika stopped listening. Kissing Vikal was like floating, a weightlessness she had never experienced. Together, they would fly.
WITH THE DESTRUCTION of the soul-eater queen, the astrolabes had gone dark, now just complex decorations adorning the ships. Thousands of Nuans had been brought to Kitina by the soul-eaters, and they needed a way home. Kai had extended an offer of land or work to any who wished to stay and make a new start in Kitina, and an adventurous few took her up on the offer. But for the majority, they had family and a home they longed to return to. Cygna, the one constellation who could make the journey, would have a busy few months, shepherding them across the star-paths a few at a time. Kitina would generously keep them fed and clothed until they all made their way home.
It took a few days for Vikal to see his people settled and prepared for the wait. Rika knew that her goodbye would come sooner than ever, so she relished her last few days in Kitina, riding beside Koji and Enzo, snuggling with Quitsu, laughing with Oma, sparring with Nanase with her new totem in the evenings. And then she would slip away from her friends and family into Vikal’s arms, lingering tension and worry and doubt unwinding beneath his soft kisses.
“Someday soon, when we’re not surrounded by a thousand people, I’m going to show you how much I really love you,” Vikal murmured into the curve of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.
“I look forward to that day,” Rika replied, leaning into the hard planes of his chest. And while she spoke the truth, part of her savored this moment too. She was done wishing for life to be different, longing for the future or some grand adventure. She was content to take each day as it was, savoring the pleasures and frustrations it offered in turn. Because that, she was beginning to realize, was what life was all about.
The morning they were to leave dawned sooner than Rika had been ready for. For now, it was just Rika, Vikal, and the other gods who would ride home on Cygna.
They were to take off from the palace’s upper courtyard. Rika stood at the wall, looking down at the shimmering stretch of sea
where the lifeless soul-eater vessels bobbed.
Kai and Quitsu approached, and Kai wrapped her arm around Rika’s waist. “Whenever I look at the stars I’ll think of you. I’ll know you’re just across the way. You do the same, yes?”
Rika nodded.
“Just what I need,” Koji said, coming to stand on the other side with Enzo. “My sister watching me all the time. Creepy!”
“Don’t get into any trouble, and you won’t need to worry about it.” Rika reached her other arm around Koji’s waist and pulled him close, despite the groan that escaped his lips. “When did you get so tall?” she asked, looking up at him.
“I ask myself the same thing daily,” Kai muttered.
Koji just smiled. “Maybe I’ll come visit you someday, sis.”
“I’d like that. Lots of pretty girls in Nua.”
“Why didn’t you say so? I’ll come now. Any room left on that giant bird?”
Vikal came to stand beside Kai, keeping a respectful distance. “The people of Kitina are always welcome in Nua. Our shores are always open to you.”
Rika beamed at him, and then laughed as Kai snaked her other arm around Vikal’s waist and pulled him into the embrace.
“I already told Rika that I’m visiting. Especially once there are grandbabies.”
“Mother.” Rika groaned, mortified.
Vikal just laughed, a throaty chuckle. “Let’s take it one day at a time, Your Majesty. Today, we go home.”
Rika met Vikal’s eyes over her mother’s silver head and excitement trilled in her. Was it possible to have two homes? Yes, she thought it was. Part of her heart and soul would always belong to Kitina. But Nua called to her too, a siren song welcoming her return.
Today, together, they were going home.
Dear Readers:
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Starburner, the final book in the Moonburner Cycle! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Rika and Vikal's adventures as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them!