Kira sensed rather than saw his small smile. "Perhaps you're projecting."
Kira glanced at him. "Pretty sure I'm not."
If only she could believe it.
NINETEEN
Kira slogged toward the spot where had Graydon disappeared, hoping it led to the city above. From there, she could find her way to the fortress. Otherwise, it was going to be a long climb.
She ignored the way her shoes squished and squelched after their submerging in the sea. Already sand was beginning to make its way into them, rubbing at the soles of her feet and along her heel. Happily, Graydon had left the access to the tunnel open for them.
"For someone determined not to form attachments, you have shown a certain proclivity for them," Finn observed.
Kira didn't respond. This was a well-known weakness of hers. It'd been the same with the Curs. She'd only intended to form a team capable of combating the Tsavitee. It hadn't been long until they developed into a makeshift family.
She hoped she wouldn’t fall into the same trap here.
Kira came to a sharp stop as the tunnel abruptly widened into a large cavern, walls sloping up to meet an arched cathedral ceiling, paintings the like of which she'd never seen decorating it. The colors were vibrant and saturated, almost too intense. Gold separated the different panels, leading Kira's eye through a story she didn't quite understand.
She had a feeling she could sit there for hours and still find something new to discover in the paintings above.
"What is this?" Kira asked.
In the center of the cavern, a massive crystal cluster drew her attention. What she at first assumed was a natural phenomenon, she soon discovered wasn't. The column formations were entirely too uniform, pointing to the Tuann's hand in their design.
The crystal shimmered, flecks of rose and gold seeming to dance and move, almost like a fire flickered within its depths. Vaguely diamond shaped, the crystal cluster had dozens of columns branching off the large geode in the middle.
Kira moved closer, the feel of water splashing underneath her foot drawing her up short. Abruptly, she realized a thin layer of liquid covered the smooth floor surrounding the crystal cluster.
Kira caught movement as scattered Tuann kneeled in the water, touching a column and bowing their head.
The atmosphere of the cavern was somber. Almost holy.
Small candles bobbed on the water like offerings. Flowers floated near them, some on the surface, others submerged beneath.
Finn's voice was hushed and filled with respect. "We call it the etheiri. It's a place of remembrance."
"Like the banners in the Warrior's Hall," Kira guessed.
Finn's head cocked as he thought. "Similar, but different. The banners represent those who fell in service to House Roake. This is for anyone who lost someone in the Sorrowing."
Kira took in the crystal cluster. As a memorial, it certainly made a statement. It was surreal and beautiful. Peace and serenity seemed to fill the space.
"Kira, how kind of you to visit," Loudon said from a few feet away.
He wore the synth armor and ceremonial robe and vestments similar to the ones she'd seen him in that first day, though the colors were different—and unexpected. They looked like a sunrise, deep orange at the ends transitioning into a golden color toward the middle.
On Loudon's face, he'd painted runes on both cheeks and his forehead, connecting them with a complicated pattern of swirls and lines. The effect was startling. Stare too long, and the slightest bit of dizziness would creep in.
"Have you come to visit with your father?" he asked.
Kira's forehead wrinkled. Her father was dead—or so people kept telling her. What did this place have to do with him?
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"Come, I'll show you." Loudon walked toward the cluster, leaving Kira with no choice but to trail behind him like a lost lamb. She bid her plans of finding her bed and changing out of her wet clothes a grumpy farewell. Annoying as Loudon's presumption was, she found herself curious and knew this place would only torture her with questions if she didn't follow.
Loudon's step was confident as he circled the crystal cluster, careful not to step in the water as he gave Kira a brief history lesson. "The Tuann believe no one is ever truly gone. Their physical bodies might wither and decay, but as long as we are connected to the Mea'Ave a piece of us lives on. In a sense, this place is a graveyard."
Kira looked at the cavern with new eyes.
"The Mea'Ave responded to our overwhelming grief during the Sorrowing and created this. Each column houses the memory of someone we lost," Loudon instructed.
He stepped over the small, narrow channel separating the water from the rest of the cavern. The faint trickle as it cascaded over the lip of the ledge echoed in the space. Kira was a bit surprised the candles and flowers didn't float over the mini waterfall, but perhaps that was because the gap separating it from the rest of the room was only a few centimeters wide.
Loudon’s steps were soundless, ripples spreading out from each foot in ever-widening rings as he walked toward the cluster.
Kira hesitated on the edge, before glancing at Finn. His blank, emotionless expression wasn't exactly a surprise. He did that a lot when others joined them, especially if it wasn't someone he knew or particularly trusted.
Since Loudon was House Roake and likely familiar to Finn, she suspected it was the latter. Still, the fact Finn hadn't already tried to stop her said he didn't think whatever Loudon wanted to show her was dangerous. That was something, at least.
Finally, Kira took a step, freezing as soon as her foot touched the water. It was like stepping into a pool of mild electricity. Her shoes were no impediment as she rode the line between discomfort and pain. A stinging awareness pricked her as her senses were thrown wide, every part of her on high alert.
She wavered between the need to step back and the desire to move forward as she wrestled with the uncomfortable sensation.
After a brief battle of wills, she forced herself forward, inching toward the cluster.
Once she neared him, Loudon inclined his head to her. "I apologize. I forgot the effect the etheiri can have on the undisciplined mind."
Kira wasn't sure how to react to that statement. While his tone had been kind and understanding, his words suggested an insult.
In the end, she chose to do nothing, more interested in what he had to share than his hidden motivations.
"Here. Feel." Loudon set his hand on the small growth, his eyes sliding shut as his face relaxed, happiness and bliss on it.
Kira reached out, barely touching it. Warmth spread through her, a tight sensation in her chest gripped her heart as it overflowed with feelings.
Behind her eyelids, she caught a glimpse of a woman, her smile soft, love in her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder with a mischievous grin. Her hair was a riot of curls, reaching to her waist. It framed a heart-shaped face with a button nose. On both cheeks, symbols were painted in blue, seeming to add to her beauty rather than detract from it. She wore a loose, flowing dress that exposed the skin of her shoulders and arms before ending inches above her bare feet.
"Marielle," he whispered. His longing was easy to hear.
The feelings were too much. Kira stepped back. Her cheeks wet as she fought to untangle the riot of emotions, none of which were hers.