My grandparents had helped with my mother’s transport to New Inverness when her grave had been excavated. They’d buried her in a little plot of land on their ancestral estate, close to her beloved stables and the forest where she’d often ridden her horse with her father growing up. She would’ve loved that, I knew, and it brought me and my sisters a lot of peace whenever we thought of her there.

My father, however…I hadn’t spoken to him since the night of his arrest in the Collis. Azur had Setlan keeping us updated with any major happenings regarding his trial, any scrap of news he’d heard through the Four Quadrants. As of yet, nothing had happened. He wasn’t on a prison planet. He was being held in the High Quadrant Council’s private base with the rest of his unit and would likely remain there for a year, possibly even two, as the evidence was gathered.

For now, we would wait. Just as Aina had waited. Just as House Kaalium had waited.

And we would likely wait some more.

But it was important to me to fill that time with life. While my emotions regarding my father were mixed, a maelstrom of emotions that ranged from pity to grief to sadness to anger, I refused to waste another day of my life lamenting the mistakes he’d made in his.

When the time for his trial came, I would attend. But that would be the first time I would see my father since I’d last seen him.

Until then, I wanted to focus on Azur, on our future, on my sisters, on my loved ones and friends, on me.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Azur murmured in my ear, nipping at my lobe, dragging me abruptly out of my thoughts. I smiled as he smoothed my dress over my hips. “We have a celebration to get to. Though we can skip it if you’d like,” he teased.

“Piper worked so hard on it, we can’t,” I informed him, my legs feeling wobbly when I turned to face him, looping my arms around his neck. “Besides, all your brothers will be calling in on the Halo soon, so we need to get to the shrine.”

Azur inclined his head. We were visiting Kythel in Erzos next week, a trip I’d been looking forward to for nearly a month ever since Azur’s twin had extended the invitation. I wanted to see the Kaalium. I wanted to see and explore the different territories.

I knew that Azur was going in part because they were investigating Maazin, whose death had left me reeling. Shocked. Upset. In disbelief. Azur had told me that they believed he’d been involved with the Thryki and had potentially been trying to create tension and friction between the Kaalium and Kaazor from within.

Maazin had lived in Erzos for years before he’d traveled to Laras. Kythel had been looking into his time there and likely had something to discuss with his twin in person. Me tagging along was a necessity since Azur didn’t like to be away from me for longer than a couple days. As such, we’d be away from Laras for nearly a full week.

His other brothers were coming to meet in Erzos as well. And while my relationship with Kaldur had gotten off to a rocky start, he had apologized to me shortly after his return from Pe’ji, after he’d recovered Aina’s body and transported her bones back to the Kaalium.

It had been a fresh beginning for us. For House Kaalium and me. For Azur, Kalia, Kythel, Kaldur, Thaine, and Lucen. And for me. I hoped that we could move beyond the pain and tragedy that had brought us together.

I believed we could.

House Kaalium’s shrine was peaceful and humming.

The Halo orbs were hovering in various spots of the room, illuminating Azur’s brother’s handsome features from their respective territories in the Kaalium. Kalia squeezed my hand as Azur spilled his blood in the small zylarr that stood in front of their family’s shrine. A small offering to Raazos, I’d learned, for keeping the souls safe and protected. For keeping them close.

But my eyes flickered to the newest soul gem within the shrine. There were hundreds of them—the souls of House Kaalium’s ancestors—illuminating the private room with its tall cathedral ceilings. Each soul gem was safely tucked away within the stone, a special carving for each that had been dug out within the black marble slab.

The soul gems were perfectly round and polished. Their insides were frosty and clear, though they were made from bone, a special process within a time-honored Kylorr tradition.

Aina’s soul gem was glowing.

As it had since the first moon winds after her soul gem had been nestled among the others.

I remembered that night now. I remembered Azur spilling all of our blood, even mine, within the zylarr, another attempt to reach Zyos, to appeal to Raazos to lead her back home to the realm of Alara. Where her sister had been waiting for her. Where her family had been waiting for her.

Like Aina had been waiting for that path to open for her, she’d flooded back in. The whole room had chilled with her touch, with her joy, and I’d been in wonderment as I’d felt her all around us. And the others too. The lingering souls, just like I’d felt within the keep. Their icy touches, the tendrils scraping through my hair.

It had been the closest I’d seen Azur to crying. When her soul gem had lit up and illuminated his face, his expression had been so fierce and impassioned that I’d embraced him for seemingly hours afterward.

“Raazos’s blood,” Azur had breathed at that first flickering of light.

“No,” Kalia had said, shaking her head as silver tears of joy had tracked down her cheeks. “This is Alaire’s mercy.”

Maybe it had been both.

And now tonight, Aina’s soul gem was glowing again. Even brighter than before. And her sister’s was too, right beside her.

Kalia and I placed the starwood bloom on the offering plate. The first bloom that had begun to grow among the deadened vines we had revived. Azur placed the dagger.

Together, we felt the souls sing.

Azur came to me, embracing me as the Alara opened to us. And then we left the souls to celebrate the moon winds with one another, stepping out onto the terrace that overlooked the lore fields.

Kalia went on ahead to Laras’s celebration below. But Azur and I stayed rooted in place as the winds burst all around us, as the music grew louder and the sounds of voices and laughter echoed through the villages.

“I love you, wife,” he whispered suddenly in my ear, his arm holding me close to his side.

As always, whenever he said that, my heart flipped backward and forward, like we were flying. Azur always worried that he didn’t tell me enough, and so he endeavored to say those words more. I’d always told him that I didn’t mind it because I knew how he felt. His actions told me every single day. Words were simply words…though it was nice to hear them every now and again.

“I love you too, husband,” I told him, smiling up at him, watching his pleased grin spread.

We’d gotten married again last month, in a private ceremony at the keep. His family had been in attendance. So had mine. I hadn’t needed another ceremony to bind myself to him, but I’d known that it was important to Azur. In the end, it had been one of the most beautiful days of my life.

His kiss was sweet and gentle as the bright, silvery moon shone down on us.

“Let’s go celebrate,” he murmured with a grin, his fangs flashing.

He tugged on my hand, leading me down the slope from the shrines.

“Laras awaits. And I’m eager to dance with my wife.”

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