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‘I feel amazing,khamila,’ he said against her mouth.
‘Thank fokkin’ Dunia!’ she breathed, holding him tighter.
‘Language, love,’ he said with a laugh.
‘Fokk language when I have the love of my life back in my arms.’
‘Forever,’ he whispered, kissing her deeply. ‘Now you can have your foreverkhamila.’
‘And as long as our souls fly together, never apart ever again, we shall love forever,’ she said with a small smile.
He held her for a long moment, then finally he turned, his eyes searching for his Riders, his brothers. His family.
‘They never stopped believing in you,’ Selene said, stepping aside as the five men moved forward to embrace their brother.
Kage reached out to him first, and Kainan folded into his arms in a close hug.
‘We love you, big guy,’ Kage murmured, clapping Kainan’s back.
‘Appreciate it, K. Love you too,’ his leader said, burying his face in his friend’s shoulder.
‘So good to have you back,’ Riv said, his usually calm voice breaking with emotion.
‘You’ve always had our back, Kai,’ Zane added, throwing his long arms around Kainan. ‘You burnt the stars for us, and we could never repay you the sacrifice. Not even in this lifetime.’
Ki’Remi dipped his head, his characteristically solemn face wreathed in a smile.
‘I did it for you all, and I’d do it again,’ Kainan said. ‘In a heartbeat.’
The six Riders wrapped arms around each other until Kainan looked up and extended an arm to Selene, Sheba and Rina, who stood by, watching, with tears running down their faces. They joined the men and stood interlinked together for a long while as the bioluminescence of the underwater lagoon around them pulsed with an incredible cerulean glow that lit them all up from within.
Epilogue
Selene
‘While we are gathered in grief, we are also gathered in celebration. Of a great man, a great leader and a caring father. Kei’Lano Munene III is remembered today as a visionary man who led the planet of Dunia from strength to strength.’
The words of the Dunian cleric soared above the crashing waves below. He was used to raising his voice against the maelstrom of waves far below his feet, having conducted many ceremonies at this very same spot.
Selene felt Kainan squeeze her hand. She squeezed it back.
Her other arm was wrapped tightly around Sheba’s shoulders.
They stood on a bridge that spanned a narrow strait between the islands of Carpe and Evera, off New Malindi’s wild southern coast. Below the bridge, a frenzied eddy surged. The whirlpool created waves up to twelve metres high, and the roar of the churning waters could be heard miles away.
A cool breeze flapped jackets and threatened scarves. The bridge swayed in the wind, yet the three stood steadfast, rock solid in their support of each other during their collective grief.
In the skies above, birds wheeled against a bank of grey clouds that threatened rain. Yet the storms held off with an almost sentient reverence for the ceremony below.
The Dunian cleric continued the short eulogy.
Secured between the trio and himself was a simple coffin. Kei’Lano’s body which had been in the state morgue since the uprising, was now housed in an ebony black sarcophagus. A simple floral wreath of Kei’Lano’s favourite blossoms lay on its cover. Kei’Lano’s ceremonial guns finished the ensemble, laid over a woven cloth featuring the crest of the Munene family.
Onshore was gathered a group of Kei’Lano’s work colleagues and allies, as well as the Sable Riders and loyal members of his staff who Selene had retained under her employ.
They were the only invites to the closed ceremony, intended for just friends and family. They gathered on the edge of a cliff, their dark clothes in keeping with the sombre grey sky. They’d come from far and wide to say goodbye to their friend, who’d gone too soon.
The cleric’s voice carried across the windswept landscape. He spoke of Kei’Lano’s life, his accomplishments, and his legacy. The mourners listened intently, tears streaming down their faces.
