K etrick touched down on Vikta a few moments later. Whether he knew something was wrong because he had been warned, or just sensed it, Riot wasn’t sure .
The Trilord Prince jumped off Vikta’s back before the dragon had come to a complete stop. He ran to Riot and wrapped her in a hug. It didn’t matter to him who was watching at the moment .
Riot hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment. The universe was changing, and she could, too. She grabbed on to Ketrick tight, lost in his huge arms. The Trilord prince had sustained his own injuries. Black streaks of smoke covered his body, while dried blood told stories all their own .
“I’m so happy you’re safe,” Ketrick said, burying his head into her shoulder. “I heard confused messages over the comms and wasn’t sure what happened. I came as fast as I could .”
The same fear of not knowing what to say took hold of Riot’s gut. Ketrick didn’t know about his mother. He had flown back and seemed in such a hurry for her .
“Ketrick.” Riot pushed him gently back and told him how she would want to be told. No beating around the bush; just the truth, however harsh it may be. “Your mother, the queen … she didn’t make it. She died defending the city .”
Ketrick’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked up, searching the smoking battlefield for his mother. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard .
Tears filled his eyes as he searched for someone he knew he would never see alive again. “Where … where is she ?”
“Here, here.” Riot took his hand and led him to the spot where the other Trilords had gathered .
As soon as the other Trilord warriors saw who approached, they went down to one knee. Not a single eye was dry amongst the gathered group of ferocious warriors .
Tears fell freely from Ketrick’s eyes as he looked down at his mother. He took one of her hands into his own and fell to his knees. Although tears washed down his cheeks, no whimpers or cries escaped his throat .
Riot felt hot tears gathering in her own eyes as she looked on. What was she supposed to say? What could she say ?
Ketrick leaned over and kissed his mother’s forehead. He stood back, laying her hand gently by her side .
“She … she would have … she would have wanted to die like this,” Ketrick finally managed. “She was … a warrior before a queen .”
Riot gathered Ketrick into her arms as if he were shorter than she. In that moment, he fit into her embrace like a small child. Riot didn’t have to say anything. Ketrick cried into her shoulder for a moment. Brief deep tremors shook his shoulders .
Riot held him so hard that, had he been anyone else, she would have been afraid she might crush them .
A moment later, Ketrick pulled away. If he was ashamed for everyone to see the tears spilling down his face, he didn’t show it .
Every Trilord warrior present remained on their knees to pay respect to their new king .
* * *
“S o you ripped out his throat, huh?” General Armon looked over to Riot with a twitch of his lips. “That sounds like something you would do .”
Riot stood beside the general on their spot next to the capitol building. From this vantage, they could look out over the city, or what was left of it. The fires that had once run unopposed in the city had been put out. The dead belonging to them were being prepared for burial, while the enemy corpses were being burned .
Riot looked over to her left where, just down the hill, Ketrick, her War Wolves, and Rippa were all taking a brief moment to express their gratefulness for each other having lived through the engagement. Ketrick even went so far as to pat Rippa on the shoulder. Rippa nearly stumbled back from the act .
“It’s not over, is it?” Riot asked herself more than the general standing beside her. “It’ll never be over .”
“Planets, people, aliens will always need to be protected,” General Armon said, catching Riot’s eye. “The universe is a sandbox with bullies in it, just like anywhere else .”
“General, I think I may need a br — ”
“It’s come to my attention that you and your crew more than deserve a much-needed rest,” General Armon said, interrupting Riot before she could continue. “You know our position, though, so I can’t give you a break, can I ?”
“I understand,” Riot said, licking her dry lips. Was she really going to ask for a leave of absence now? Could she, when there was still so much to do? “General, maybe — ”
“But what I can do,” the general interrupted again. His eyes told her he knew exactly what she was going to request. “I can assign you to remain here on Hoydren. I’m calling Colonel Harlan and his team back to Earth. They’ll soon leave to be the emissaries between the Grovothe and SPEAR. I couldn’t think of a better person to leave here to help the Trilords rebuild than you and your team .”
“Thank you,” Riot said to the general. He had given her exactly what she wanted without her even having to ask for a break. She was a Marine, and Marines didn’t need breaks. But this time of rest wouldn’t be for her, it would be to keep a promise she had made to a queen. Although, if she was being truly honest with herself, it was a little bit for her .
Laughter, despite the hour, rose up from the group of warriors to her left. Vet or Wang had said something funny, and Rippa, as well as Ketrick, was bent over laughing. Rizzo was shaking his head, while Doctor Miller tried to explain to Evonne what was so funny .
“Use this time to rest and help the Trilords build.” General Armon’s voice was stern. “The fight is far from over .”
“Oohrah, sir,” Riot said, saluting her superior officer .
“Oohrah, Marine.” The general saluted her back .
Riot reminded herself to walk, not run, back to her team, her family. As she got closer, she picked up on Vet’s voice and the story he was telling .
“And I see Doctor Miller, there, all wide-eyed and sweating, and she’s hitting this Abomination over and over and over again. I mean, this thing isn’t moving, and its guts are just plastered all over the ground. I think Rippa’s mech had stomped it already,” Vet said, pausing to laugh. “And I come up, and I’m like: Doc, I think it’s dead .”
“In my defense, I’m not a warrior, like you guys are.” Doctor Miller shook her head with a good-natured smile of her own. “I didn’t know if it was going to get up and try to shank me or something .”
“Shank you?” Wang doubled over, laughing. “What are we, in prison or something? An Abomination would have stabbed you or blown you away .”
“What does the word ‘shank’ mean?” Ketrick asked with a raised eyebrow .
“Here, let me show you,” Rippa said, pulling a knife from a holster in her boot .
“You should really not be shanking one another,” Evonne said as Rizzo plucked the knife out of Rippa’s hand .
“What?” Rippa said and looked around with a shrug. “I wasn’t going to shank him hard .”
“All right, you misfits,” Riot said, joining her family. “If anyone should be showing anyone how to shank someone, it should be me. Who wants to go first ?”
T he End