The Third Claw of God

EPILOGUE

I’d refused to endure another elevator ride, so Jason and Jelaine had one of the family retainers fly me back up to Layabout.

I made it to my personal transport, still waiting for me at the VIP facilities, less than two hours after my brief return to and stormy departure from Jelaine Bettelhine’s estate.

The Porrinyards were sitting together at the control panel, looking more lost than I’d ever seen them. They didn’t notice my entrance until I tossed my satchel on the floor behind them. Given the changes in my appearance and my uncharacteristic clothing it took them all of half a second to recognize me before they leaped up and embraced me with the shared fervor of lovers who had not known whether they’d ever be seeing me again.

“I’m sorry,” they wept.

I held them tight. “It’s all right. I understand.”

They had figured out the whole thing, up to and including the nature of the hold Jason and Jelaine had on Hans, when we were still on the Royal Carriage and they were reviewing the files in the Khaajiir’s staff. The truth had repelled them, even more than the prior history of the Bettelhines had already repelled them.

“But this was your family,” they continued, the tears drying on their cheeks, their shared misery too much for the small space between them. “You’d already lost it twice: once before you were born, and then again on Bocai. Given everything I knew, I couldn’t remain with you if you decided to return to them, but I couldn’t make myself take them away from you a third time. I had to let you decide what was yours… and what wasn’t.”

I’d misinterpreted their attitude on the carriage. Their shared horror at my treatment of Colette Wilson had been less about my anger and revulsion at the moment (bad as that had been), than what I could become.

Ever since determining that I’d recover from my injuries and giving me the freedom I needed to make my decision, they’d been sitting here, unable to return to New London and unable to return to me, waiting for word, resting all their faith in my ability to make the choice they hoped I’d make, and wondering whether they’d made a terrible mistake.

I’d be wondering the same thing, for different reasons, a great deal in the days to come. There’d be sleepless nights and hopeless days. But right now I had no doubts whatsoever. I knew.

“I’ll want the first available departure window.”

In all the universe, there’s no sun brighter than the special kind of smile only found on loved ones who think they may have lost you forever, and now find out they’re wrong. I was lucky enough to get it from two faces at once.

It was another couple of minutes before Skye could separate herself from me long enough to go prepare the bluegel crypts, and Oscin could return to his seat and start calling up our nav program.

When I sat down next to him, feeling more at home in that tiny space than at any point in the few hours that I’d experienced the bonds of family, he gave me another appraising look and said, “Nice outfit. Nice hair.”

I punched his shoulder. “Shut up.”