Early one evening, not long after their return to Silk, Skye and Zia arrived at the rooftop apartment of Siva Hand. City lights gleamed below them as they walked through the garden and up the stairs to Devi’s rooftop observatory.
Devi sat on the railing, silhouetted against the milky wash of the nebula. His telescope loomed beside him, while Buyu stood on his other side, leaning against the rail.
“So we’re all together again,” Zia chirped. “How shall we get in trouble this time?”
Skye hadn’t seen much of anyone since she’d gotten back. There had been hearings to attend, and disciplinary meetings and the obligatory media interviews. In the end, the city council decided to forgive rather than punish. It was the politically popular thing to do.
Ord dropped off her shoulder as she traded a hug with Devi, and then a soft kiss. She felt a bit awkward. Maybe he did too. Maybe that explained the unfamiliar tension she felt in his arms and in the muscles of his back. Did his smile seem forced?
“Look through the telescope,” he said softly.
“Why? Have you found another lifeboat?”
“Sooth. It’s the farthest away yet.”
She bent to peer through the eyepiece at a faint gold gleam, wondering how many years it would be before this “cargo child” was brought into Silk. Even the nearest lifeboats would take months to retrieve.
“Tannasen’s going out after them,” Devi announced. “He’s leaving in a few days.”
“So soon?”
Zia laughed. “On the way down the elevator, Tannasen told me that he hasn’t spent more than ten consecutive days in the city since Spindrift was made.”
Devi said, “He’s offered me a berth.”
Dead silence greeted this announcement. Skye turned slowly away from the telescope, almost afraid to breathe, afraid that something might break inside her. But to her surprise, nothing did.
Oh, it hurt—worse than hitting the end of a four kilometer cord—but underneath that she was . . . not exactly happy, but pleased. And proud. Devi had been wanting something like this all his life.
Skye smiled. It wasn’t that hard to do. She took his hands in hers. “You’ve accepted?”
He could not quite meet her gaze. “Not yet.”
“But you will?”
“I don’t know. It’s for two years.”
“That’s a long time,” Buyu suggested.
Was it? Skye would be all of sixteen when he got back. That didn’t sound so very old anymore. She squeezed Devi’s hands. “I’m going to miss you.”
He scowled. “I haven’t said I’m going yet.”
“Oh you’re going,” she told him. “I think you should.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “I am going to miss you. You know that.”
He looked at her suspiciously. “You’re trying to get rid of me, aren’t you?”
She thought it best not to answer that. “You’ll have to write me letters—”
“Listen to you! You can’t wait to see me gone.”
“—and make lots of exciting discoveries—”
“Skye—”
“—and . . .” Her voice caught. “And things will be different when you get back. I’ll be different. Older. Devi, I haven’t been an ado for very long.”
He looked down at their clasped hands. “Sooth. That’s part of it too.”
So he did understand.
Zia sidled up to Skye and put an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry about this ado, Devi. I’ll take good care of her. Make sure she stays out of trouble.”
“Oh that makes me feel better.”
Zia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “You know Skye, maybe we should lobby for a change in the sky jumping regs, push for a 5K leap?”
Buyu groaned. “Zia, I always knew you were the smart one. But before you two plunge to your deaths, let’s go collect that meal Chef Carlisle owes us. We’ve got reservations in fifteen minutes.”
Skye laughed. She let go of Devi’s hands, and shrugged out from under Zia’s arm. “Ord! We’re going.”
Devi slipped off the railing. “Hey.” He touched her shoulder. “You’re sure it’s okay?”
“Sooth.” And it was.