27. Raea
Raea
Ryker’s transport arrives today, but all I can think about are the refugees in our colonies and villages. After Draerr was consumed, more planets were evacuated, pushing them deeper into the system.
Yesterday, my mother and father agreed that I could go into one of the smaller villages and help by offering food and blankets. Ezra and the new Regils assigned to me stay close, keeping an eye on the lines of refugees walking through the plaza we had turned into a makeshift receiving area.
I arrived back at the palace late last night, but promised the others I would be back in the morning. I can’t ease the ache of losing their homes, but I can offer a kind smile and steady hands.
I wrap my cloak around my gown and meet Kellan on the launch pad. I still can’t look him in the eyes. I haven’t brought up what Linnea said.
We’ve been cordial since I’ve been back, but things are definitely still awkward between us.
At least the bruise on his eye is healed.
I barely saw him before I left for Malaya.
Ryker’s punch had definitely left a dark bruise.
I’d like to add another, but I promised myself to let it go. Kellan doesn’t owe me an explanation.
Kellan sighs. “I know you said you’ve forgiven me, but I’m sorry.”
I nod, keeping my gaze trained on my feet.
“Raea, c’mon.” His hand tightens around my arm.
When I look down at it, he lets go. “Kellan, if you aren’t coming, then this will have to wait.”
“I can’t come. My father is pulling me in for a meeting.”
“Then there’s nothing left to say right now.
I have to go.” I walk up the steps of the pod and take a seat.
A small part of me feels bad—but he shouldn’t have forced himself on me.
I wasn’t the one who lied for months or shared information about my life with my enemy.
I want to forgive him. I just…can’t yet.
I’m not ready to allow him access to my heart again.
Sam smiles down at me from the pilot's seat. “Hey, Princess.”
I reply with a quick good morning and nod that I’m ready.
I miss Ryker, but I really feel like I’m needed here.
Sitting in the palace all day is suffocating.
I can’t sit around anymore looking at wedding colors and designs and having tea on the terrace.
I need to be using my hands. I need to be with my people.
Not just the ones of Treon’s planets, but the ones who live in this system.
No matter the kingdom they come from, now, more than ever, we need to stand united as one.
When we reach the village, another transport is landing with more refugees from Kadora.
They all look so tired, but then again, I would be too.
I meet up with Tori, the Lady in charge of handling the intake of refugees.
She hands me a box of blankets and Ezra a box of bagged food.
It contains apples, bread, and water. It isn’t much, but it's a start.
The Kadorian people shuffle past us. They thank us as they accept the food and blankets before making their way to the tent where they’ll be assigned living quarters or a tent.
A mother shushes her crying baby with tears in her own eyes. “Thank you, m’lady.”
I hand her the blanket and then decide her arms are already full. “Kyla,” I say over my shoulder to one of the members of my guard. “Can you escort her to the tent and help her get settled?”
Kyla steps over and the woman’s tears rush down her face. She lunges forward, wrapping an arm around me in a sudden hug—Ezra and the guards rush in, pulling her back.
“Stop,” I demand. “I’m so sorry,” I say to the woman.
“Princess?” she asks as my hood falls.
The people in line mutter among themselves.
So much for keeping a low profile.
“Please, go with Kyla. She will help you get settled.”
She curtsies and leaves.
The rest of the guards and Ezra stay close as I hand out the next blanket. I pull my hood back up, but the damage is done. Prisms are already out and someone in line is taking a photo. I almost feel bad for Cassia.
After an hour, the line thins, and I know I should probably head back to the palace.
Before I can find a replacement for my task, I feel the energy in the air shift and my Bond hums excitedly pulling a breathy laugh from me.
I look over my shoulder and find sapphire eyes watching me from across the courtyard.
He’s here.
My Bond pulls so hard it’s almost painful, like something inside me is stretching toward him without permission.
Three days shouldn’t feel like this. Three days shouldn’t feel like starvation.
I feel the heat rise on my cheeks as I pull my gaze away and focus on the man in front of me.
When the line runs out, I sigh with relief.
Ezra follows me to the transport, where Ryker and Trysten are waiting.
With no one else around, I run and jump straight into his arms. He catches me easily, like he’s been bracing for it, and for a heartbeat, we both forget where we are.
His hands slide up my back, firm, grounding—and he exhales like he’s been holding his breath since Malaya.
Storms over the ocean, warm sandalwood, and that distinctly Ryker scent wraps around me, grounding me—the scent of home.
“If Ezra clears his throat,” Ryker murmurs against the skin of my neck, “I’m ignoring him.”
I snort against his collarbone. “If Ezra clears his throat, he’s dead.”
He holds me to him for long minutes, both of us inhaling deeply as our Bond settles for the first time in days. Gods, this separation is becoming torture.
“Hi, Princess,” Ryker says, his breath tickling my sensitive skin.
I squeeze him tighter before letting him set me down.
“Raea,” Trysten bows.
I reach over and give him a hug. I’ve missed him, too. “I’m glad you’re here.” It’s only been a few weeks since I've seen him, but the amount of tattoos covering his arms has me gaping like an idiot. “Did you get more tattoos?”
Trysten snorts softly. “Nah, not right now.”
“Well, I'm happy to see you.”
“Not me?” Ryker asks before chuckling.
I roll my eyes and lean back into him, letting his arms wrap around me. I didn’t know it was possible to miss him like I have. I’ve been keeping busy and ignoring the ache in my body, but now that he’s here, it’s apparent how much I've been ignoring it.
“Princess, we should return to the castle,” Ezra says. He opens the door, and Ryker helps me up, finding a seat beside me.
“I’m always glad to see you,” I hum, closing my eyes and leaning into him as the transport lifts off, carrying us up to the palace. His thumb traces the bare skin at my wrist, subtle but possessive, like he needs to remind himself I’m real.
“Princess.” One of the Regils stops before us as we enter the palace. “A message for you. Ordered to be hand-delivered as soon as you arrived back.”
I nod, accepting the folded and sealed letter. The seal has an EK in it. “It’s from Elison,” I say to Ryker, holding up the paper.
“Holy shit!” Ciara squeals as she comes running for us. Tate isn’t far behind her. “Trysten!” Ciara jumps and launches herself at Trysten, nearly taking him out. I had no idea they were that close.
Trysten lets out a surprised laugh and hugs her before shaking hands with Tate and pulling him for a rough pat on the back. “Didn’t know you were both here.”
“Do you guys mind showing Trysten around? He can pick any room near us. I need to handle something.”
Ryker looks down at the letter in his hand and then apologizes to Trysten, telling him we’ll see them later. We both take the stairs to my rooms, shutting ourselves inside. Mera is somewhere busying herself, but I'm not worried about her overhearing us.
“Why do you think it had to be hand-delivered?” I ask, dropping onto one of the stuffed sofas.
Ryker sits beside me and pulls me between his legs until I'm resting against his chest. He takes my hand, lifts it, and inspects the ring on my finger. “You’re wearing it.”
I playfully slap him. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?”
Both of his arms tighten around me as he inhales, burying his face in my hair. “Gods, I’ve missed you.”
I do the same, leaning back and inhaling, closing my eyes a moment to feel the well within me refill.
Our Bond floats around us, wrapping us in a cocoon.
I step onto the invisible bridge that tethers us and walk to where the thick mist still blocks the center.
I press my hand into it, then my face, feeling the coolness of it as if I were physically there.
Ryker shudders. “What are you doing?”
“Mentally hugging you. Or hugging a wall of mist at the moment.”
His quiet laugh reverberates through me.
After a few quiet minutes, I turn, resting my cheek on his chest and open the letter.
Your Highness,
I beg your forgiveness for the unconventional means of this delivery.
I thank you for the book that was surrendered to me for study.
It’s safely hidden away and will be returned once I’m through.
With recent events, the more I study what I’ve uncovered, the more certain I become that it must not travel through common channels. Too much is now stirring.
Deep within the restricted vaults beneath the palace archives, to which your father has granted access, I uncovered a sealed fragment of the Librum Caelestis—a Codex thought lost to fire over three millennia ago by my ancestors.
I’ve heard whispers of it here and there.
Mostly as a young boy, but I digress. The script is faded and incomplete, yet what remains is unlike anything I have read.
I believe it speaks of that which you now seek to understand more than anything, and that which will provide in the coming days. I send the translated fragment here, faithfully rendered as the language will allow.
— E.K.
Fragment from the Hymn of the First Light
(Recovered from the Temple of Elthandor, translation by Historian Elison Kolbek)
“In the beginning, before roots claimed the soil, the Primordials sang the First Song of creation—and from their song was born the light.