Page 209 of Salt in the Seas
Instead, he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her, his welcoming touch so different from Reyna’s judgmental hatred on the north tower’s balcony all those moons ago. Over his shoulder, she sawat least a dozen Stars with more arriving as they shot from the sky and shed their reflective fire for human forms.
“I wondered if you might come.” He moved to pull back, but Orra held him tighter, relishing the feel of arms around her, acceptance from her own kind.
“Forgive me,” she whispered.
“It’s not my forgiveness you should seek,” he said. “I gave that long ago.”
“I don’t think Reyna will forgive me.”
His laugh spread through her, the warmth as inviting as the Sun spilling over a mountain’s ridge. “Reyna forgives no one.”
This time when he pulled away, she didn’t resist but kept her eyes downcast, unable to see his pity or distrust. “When I reunite the starbridges, I will ask Bryton’s forgiveness.”
“I’m not talking about Bryton either.” He bent down and tilted her chin up, raising his eyebrows. His full meaning hit her.
“I don’t deserve the Sun’s forgive?—”
“And yet,” he interrupted quietly, “the Sun offers it.”
She nodded, knowing he was right but still not ready to face all that she’d done. She couldn’t earn that forgiveness by reuniting the starbridges, but it was difficult to imagine asking before having at least accomplished that task. The advice she’d given to so many others over thousands of years was now too difficult for her to take herself.
“I thought you’d all given up on me. That you didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Not all of us.” Beyond Andreas’ understanding smile, Reyna’s scowl came into focus.
“Joining us won’t allow you to return to the skies,” she said.
Orra stepped away from Andreas, not wanting to implicate him in the confrontation that was to come. Wind whipped her hair into her eyes while the other Stars’ long locks ruffled near their knees—another reminder of the sacrifices she’d made for all the wrong reasons.
“I’m not asking to join you. I’m asking you to stop.”
Reyna laughed, and a few of the other Stars around her echoed her titter. “Does it not fit with your plans?”
“You’re doing what I did so many years ago,” Orra said. “You’re interfering in ways that the Sun would not approve.”
Uncertainty flickered across Andreas’ face, and he turned to Reyna. “Perhaps we should listen.”
“The same way you listened to my doubts all those years ago?” Reyna asked.
He flinched and hung his head.
“I doubted your ideas.” Reyna stepped forward, chin raised as she approached Orra. “I sensed your actions would not be approved by the Sun. Even as I began to split the earth for you, I felt the wrongness of it.”
“And so you backed away,” Orra said. “I don’t blame you for that. You made the right choice then, but I think you’re making the wrong choice now.”
“And why should I trust your judgment after all your failings?”
Orra hesitated, knowing the question was a good one. The number of Stars staring back at her had grown to at least fifty, with more still landing on the turret, their glow receding until they resembled familiar forms from her past. She had to get them to reconsider.
She raised her voice, ensuring all would hear. “Tell me, has the Sun approved this endeavor? Has the Sun chosen the Ahmranans to receive some sort of additional gift like I hear you’ve promised?”
Reyna frowned. “All of these Ahmranans have starlocks. They’ve been chosen by the Sun and blessed by the Stars. What more do you need?”
“The king and queen were also chosen and blessed by the Stars. If my guess is correct from the time I’ve been with them, they were gifted by Lumina and Andreas.”
One of the Stars near Andreas shifted uncomfortably. Moonlight revealed the worry in her eyes as she exchanged a glance with him, confirming Orra’s suspicions.
“If you let Mayvus win, the king and queen will join the Sun tonight and you’ll receive your locks of hair back.”
