Chapter 29 Sparks of Eternity
Sparks of Eternity
The Ignis breached the amber-streaked atmosphere of Tansinia Minor, settling on the parched, ocher landing pad with a muffled roar of reversing thrusters.
As the rear deck unfurled, the heat of the planet hit Sheba’s skin and sucking her dry.
The skeletal remains of the Lattaya Medical Centre lay before her.
The place remained in ruins in several sectors, but she took in the builders and the frantic activity from the locals moving about the renovations with intent.
‘Ready?’ Idan rasped, coming beside her.
‘As I’ll ever be,’ she murmured, slipping her hand in his as they stepped off the ramp and onto the construction site.
Sheba’s heart lifted as she recognized familiar faces through the billowing dust: Nurses Rehema and Kaelin, old Jace the janitor, and the junior medic, Matteo.
‘Sheba!’ Matteo shouted.
He dropped a crate to sprint toward the couple, coming to a stop before them, falling into a hug with Sheba.
He pulled away and nodded to Idan, his smile laced with relief. ‘You’re back.’
‘Just for a short time,’ Sheba said. ‘We had to check in to see how you were all doing.’
‘We’ve started rebuilding on our own,’ Matteo said, gesturing to the rising stone walls of the new admin facility.
‘I see that. It’s impressive,’ Sheba murmured.
‘It is, indeed.’
She spun around at the sound of the deep voice.
Chief Xian approached from the shadow of a building undergoing a roof replacement.
He shook her hand before clasping Idan’s forearm.
‘My people have reclaimed our mining rights, my friend, all thanks to you and Sheba. The xentium belongs to the valleys now. We’re no longer hostage to Ty Rhex and his goons; we serve the collective good.
The sale from the first export of raw ore gave us enough schills to kick start the clinic’s rebuild. ’
‘What else do you need?’ Sheba asked.
Xian ran through an inventory of necessary supplies: structural steel, specialized scanners, antibiotics, and a power generator.
Sheba took a breath, the scale of it hitting her. ‘Send me a list, Chief, and I’ll see what I can do.’
In her mind, she began drafting a plea to Kainan, Selene, Ki’Remi, and the Pegasi Joint Peace Coalition to fund the urgent repairs.
‘I can also add to the kitty,’ Idan said, holding out a reinforced obsidian box and handing it to Xian.
‘My friend, always so freakin’ generous,’ the Chief said as he opened the lid, and the radiance of a dozen unrefined diamonds illuminated his weathered face.
‘You’ll find enough to get you water tight,’ Idan rasped, his timbre a deep vibration in the midday heat.
‘Sante,’ Xian said, his voice thick with emotion. ‘It’s more than adequate, but it’s appreciated. I’ll send you detailed reports on how we utilize your funds, but know this, it means a hella lot; most of all the health, well-being, and sovereignty of Lattaya.’
‘Maybe we’ll name a ward in the new hospital after you, brother,’ Matteo grinned.
He turned to Sheba. ‘What we’re sorely lacking, however, is experienced staff.’
Sheba squeezed Matteo’s arm. ‘I’ll speak with Ki’Remi the moment we hit orbit. He and Issa manage a vast network of emergency personnel. I’ll ensure they dispatch a vanguard to help.’
‘Sante,’ Matteo beamed. ‘Now, you can’t visit Lattaya and not have a cup of tea.’
‘Are you making it?’ she teased. ‘Because I have reservations given the last time you attempted a pot of colored tepid water.’
‘Nada,’ he laughed. ‘Some of the locals have been brewing it over the fire. It’s smoky and sweet.’
‘Then in that case, naam.’
After half an hour spent sharing gossip, sugared hot beverages, and biscuits still hot from a clay oven, the couple left with great reluctance.
As the corvette lifted away from the hills of Lattaya, Sheba stood at the observation port.
Her gaze remained on the dwindling figures of her friends until they became mere specks against the ocher dirt.
A surge of wistfulness rose in her soul, a phantom ache for the woman she had been when she first arrived in these wild mountains.
Idan’s arms moved around her from behind, his chest a solid, heated anchor against her spine.
He held her close, his chin resting atop her head as the ship breached the exosphere.
The silence between pulsed with a shared understanding that while their pasts were rooted in this soil, their future was written in Dunia’s skies.
The Corvette’s landing struts compressed the dry earth of the farmstead, the hull groaning as it settled into the dust of Idan’s farm.
He descended to the terrain below, the grit of the dirt crunching beneath his heavy boots as he prowled on, eager to rediscover his sanctuary.
Sheba walked beside him, drawing in the crisp, highland air.
‘Honey, the timber line,’ she noted, pointing toward the northern ridge. ‘We’ve got more saplings.’
‘The barn is still standing,’ Idan added, his gaze sweeping over the weathered wood. ‘The fences are intact. Someone’s been hard at work.’
‘Who’s there?’ a voice called out as a figure rounded the corner of the shed.
‘Master?’ came the shocked whisper.
A young man in worn leather overalls came to a skidding stop, staring at Idan and Sheba in shock.
Idan’s face wreathed into a genuine smile. ‘Lago. You’ve kept the place running. It’s as if I never left.’
The youthful farmhand sprinted forward, his face a map of visceral relief.
‘You returned! I got worried I’d never see you again. I came back after the snow melted and found the hut empty, but I stayed. The fences are fixed, and the seedlings are already in the dirt.’
‘You did well, my friend,’ Idan growled, his hand landing on the boy’s shoulder. ‘It’s just as well because I now plan to gift it all to you.’
Lago’s face fell. ‘Why? You’re leaving?’
Idan glanced at Sheba. ‘I must, this place was a temporary reprieve for me and is not home anymore, but it’s now yours.’
He produced a data-slate and a leather pouch heavy with more gems from his hoard.
‘The deeds are signed, Lago. The holding, the structures, and the machinery belong to you now. Consider this payment for the loyalty you demonstrated when I was elsewhere. Now you and your family can enjoy the land.’
The young man stared at the unexpected boon, tears carving tracks through the dirt on his cheeks.
He stammered a series of fractured thanks until Idan clapped him on the shoulder and led him away to inspect the animals and discuss the deed transfer in detail.
Sheba’s attention turned to the quaint cottage, as a flood of intimate memories rushed her.
Pushing the door in, her eyes fell on Idan’s leather-work surface, the armchair where she spent hours feeding the baby lamb by the fire, and the table where they shared quiet meals and read by the flickering amber light of the hearth.
Her hands brushed over the luxe furs on his bed, remembering their scorching lovemaking in the coldest nights.
Her heart pounded with emotion, and she blinked to keep the tears from running down her cheeks.
She was gliding her fingers over the stone mantelpiece when a voice murmured behind her.
‘This place appears sacred.’
She turned to see Mirage framed in the doorway, her high heels and tight bejeweled jumpsuit incongruous in the humble space.
‘It was and still is. I’ll miss it,’ Sheba muttered.
‘You can still bottle it so to speak, by taking the most precious aspects of it with you.’
‘Indeed, will you help me pack?’ Sheba invited. ‘It’s not much, we only have a living room, kitchen, lean-to, and the storage cellar to sort through.’
‘Of course,’ the demi-urge said as she launched into working alongside Sheba to bundle a bulk of her and Idan’s possessions into hover crates.
In time, they filled a couple of boxes with cutlery, plates, pots, pans, even the armchair, and bedding.
They left Idan’s tools and leather-making supplies, as well as his precious carvings, clothes, and belongings for him to organize through.
Mirage guided the sealed hover containers back to the ship as Sheba folded heavy furs into the last crate.
The space, once a shrine of wild heat and whispers, was now stark. However, to Sheba, it would forever be the sanctuary where she discovered the universe’s purest love.
Needing to share the moment with her man, she stepped out of the hut and called out for him.
‘Idan?’
Silence met her.
Sheba sent a Ssignakht pulse, and in seconds, she got a prescient nudge of which direction to search.
Heading east of the farm, she tracked a path through the scrub until she reached the perimeter of the property.
In the distance, where the land surrendered to a vertical drop of several thousand feet, she spotted him.
His dark silhouette stood outlined against the bruised purple of the twilight sky. He remained motionless, a statue of granite and shadow perched on the extreme edge of a cliffside.
Far below, the sea churned in a violent frenzy, the turbulent, white-capped waves slamming into the base of the mountain.
The wind whipped his sable hair around his face.
He seemed to be communing with the abyss, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the clouds met the churning water.
Seeing him so fundamentally connected to the raw power of the planet reminded her of the vastness of the man she loved.
He wasn’t just a farmer or a protector; he was a force of nature who had the freedom to rule the heavens yet chose to be anchored to this reality.
Idan finally stirred, his arms moving as he performed a ritual she’d never seen before.
Raising his palms toward the firmament, he launched an ethereal band of radiant energy.
He turned in a deliberate, slow circle, his focus consumed by the task, as even more potent vitality leaked from his sigils.
The luminosity almost blinded Sheba as the radiance blanketed the entire vista, touching the sky.
An intricate network of gilded spectral bands surged into view, running parallel to Tansinia’s ancient ley lines and weaving a shimmering tapestry that anchored itself into the very crust of the planet.