It has been three weeks since Kushi asked to court Myles, and by this point Clav and Daena have finally come down to the planet, though he has yet to meet them. He is told they are undergoing training of their own.
Apparently, Daena somehow contacts Thia, who informs the pair about Guman and Ubum. The brothers have slaughtered one of the great armies by themselves. Twelve thousand men and women strong, all proficient with criole, and their leader, a warrior princess, Avingo, dies trying to protect her people. It is all for nought.
The hatred for those with human DNA runs deep within the Dark Core, but this is madness. Ubum wants to erase every semblance of humanity, every trace, whether small, large, or seemingly insignificant.
Hamana does not take the news well and falls into a depression. She closes herself off from everyone, even her beloved husband. Of course, Dande is furious, but he knows his duties lie elsewhere. So he grits his teeth and bears the pain, waiting.
Avingo, like most Demonkin, had distant blood ties to humans. Long ago, when humanity gained access to the galaxy, they spread throughout it like rabbits, leaving traces of their bloodline across countless worlds. Most of the Dark Core are, in their own way, reasonable and choose to leave those distant descendants alone. Then there are those like Ubum, seeking the Twelve Splier Weapons to erase every trace of their creators from existence.
Myles sighs, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his brow as if nursing a headache brought on by his thoughts. He sits upon a cliff overlooking ferocious waves crashing against the hard rock far below.
Kushi walks up from behind and sits beside him.
"Are you thinking about Lia again?" she asks in her usual gentle tone, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin atop his head.
Myles lets out an audible sigh and looks up at her.
"Yes. Of course, and no."
Kushi raises an eyebrow.
"You know, it's funny really. I love her, I know I do, but I don't even know why. I'm worried about her and her sisters, especially Rai."
Kushi gently pulls back, giving him her full attention.
"She's the one I'm most worried about right now. She's the eldest and the most powerful of the sisters, but she's been pulled away from them because of me."
Kushi smiles.
"It is the duty of the strong to protect the weak. You know that. But of course, simply knowing it will never be enough to make you feel better. Is that not why you agree to let me court you? So you can become stronger?"
Myles smiles gratefully.
"I know I've asked this already, but why me? Really, why?"
Kushi smiles and turns towards the ocean. Her head wrap is absent today, allowing her hair to sway softly in the breeze like the petals of a daffodil. The root-like strands are smaller than those of Dande's family and coil like springs.
"To be honest, I don't know. My heart flutters when I see you. It's a strange feeling, very alien to me. Before you, I'd never felt it."
She turns back to him and smiles. This smile is different, carrying genuine joy, a hint of fear, and hope. Myles instinctively recognises the vulnerability she is showing him.
The sudden sincerity makes him blush.
This woman might actually make him fall for her.
"Well, it stands to reason that I want to feel it more. And you know what? It turns out to be even better than I imagined. Every moment I spend with you is something I'll cherish."
By this point, Myles' heart is practically beating out of his chest.
Kushi closes her eyes and leans towards him.
Myles turns away.
She smiles, opens her eyes, gently takes hold of his chin, and guides him back to face her.
"Please, don't deny us."
She closes her eyes once more and kisses him.
For a moment, his hands go limp.
After several seconds, she slowly pulls away. Both of them are breathing heavily.
"Let's get back to training before we cross a line, shall we?"
"What?" he blurts out in confusion.
Suddenly, her palm lands gently against his back.
Then she shoves him off the cliff and into the raging sea.
Kushi remains seated alone for a moment, lightly touching her lips.
That is her first kiss.
She loves it.
A few moments later, she dives in after him.
Underwater, Kushi eventually finds Myles doing exactly what she expects.
Over the past few weeks, she has brought him to an archipelago gifted to her by Dande several years ago. It lies within Cradle. She had no use for it back then because she had not yet marked him. Perhaps Dande knew she eventually would. After all, like Myles, Kushi was born with immeasurable talent.
She was found as an orphan in Kungu roughly thirty years ago, surrounded by crushing concentrations of criole powerful enough to force seasoned warriors to their knees.
In any case, the archipelago is unlike most of Cradle. It is harsh, unforgiving, and, most importantly, lethally dangerous.
Ideal for training.
At present, Myles works on permanently strengthening his body rather than simply augmenting it with criole. Simultaneously, he battles the current while using criole to remain perfectly still.
Brutal training, but crucial if he wants an edge over more experienced warriors.
Fortunately for him, he learns fast.
Freakishly fast.
It takes him only five days to endure thirty minutes. That may seem insignificant, but the currents here are powerful enough to tear apart an ordinary spaceship.
Each island within the archipelago possesses dangers of its own, and so far Myles has only faced the least threatening among them.
At the rate he is progressing, he should be ready for Kungu in two years.
There, far more dangerous and harrowing challenges await.
**********
"So, you knew Avingo?" Kaelen asks Rai curiously.
Rai sits behind a desk cluttered with numerous cylindrical, wood-like objects covered in runic inscriptions. Her glasses rest gently upon her nose. With her back turned to Kaelen, she partially turns her head, though her attention remains fixed on her work.
"Yes," she says quietly. "She was one of my sister wives."
Kaelen falls silent, shocked by the revelation and feeling sorry for her sister.
Come to think of it, where are Irva and Sebbeh?
As if reading her younger sister's mind, Rai stands, removes her glasses, and gently lies down on her bed, still not facing Kaelen.
"Irva went to bring Surri back. She won't listen to reason." Her voice seems to break before she can continue. "I understand her."
Kaelen has questions but decides against asking them. Her elder sister has not been herself since the news arrived.
Instead, she rises from her seat and walks over. Her hair shifts from blonde to red as she leans down and kisses Rai on the cheek before quietly leaving her alone.
She finds Clav and Daena sparring in one of the tower's training rooms. Like the egg vehicle, the tower appears to utilise spatial technology. What should be an ordinary chamber expands into a vast grassland stretching beyond the horizon.
Thia asked Kaelen to train Daena in the ways of a warrior. Daena may be strong, but she lacks skill and experience—at least, the sort she will need if she is to survive an encounter with the Dark Core.
According to Thia, the girls originally planned to train and punish Sebbeh with their own hands, but that will have to wait. Guman and Ubum are ticking time bombs, and there are others like them.
The troubling part is that, as far as anyone can tell, there are no signs of movement from the others.
So, since arriving, Kaelen spends her time improving her own control and practising techniques she learned from watching Myles aboard the ship.
Her hair turns red.
"Hey, twigs."
Her voice is dark and controlled.
The two immediately stop what they are doing and move to her side.
Kaelen smiles.
"We have two years. Two years before Kushi takes Myles to Kungu."
Her smile widens slightly.
"Make me proud."