It made perfect sense.
The pain from the headache surged until it felt like a vise had ahold of her head. She made a small sound of pain as she staggered into the side of the cliff. She used the stone as a crutch. Mustn't sit down.
The marshal's warning had been clear. Sit down, and you're out. Set anything down and lose it.
She'd come too far to do either now. It might be a silly test, but she hated failing.
Call it stubbornness. Call it pride. She had no intention of losing here. Not to stairs. Not to her own body.
The pain increased.
"Son of a banter bot. I really should have made different life choices," Kira said through gritted teeth, her vision nearly gone.
Below, a bright mind snapped into shape. Rushing, rushing. Closer and closer.
A large form speared up from the deeps. Water sprayed off it, drenching Kira, so close she felt she could reach out and touch the serpentine body.
Blue scales shimmered in the light as it continued a path toward the sky. Its powerful body coiled as it reached the apex of its jump, already shifting to plunge into the ocean's depths.
Kira caught sight of horns curling from its head, its crest of feathers sleek and smooth to make thelu-ongas aerodynamic as possible. Long whiskers streamed from its snout, catching the wind.
Something akin to fear and awe trembled through Kira. She now saw how Graydon could call the lastlu-ongshe'd encountered a baby. This one was mammoth when compared to the one she'd met. Many, many times the size of Earth's whales.
Emotion threatened to overwhelm Kira. The wonder of the sight made her breath catch.
It plunged into the sea, its long, serpentine body following, only for its head to rise out of the water again in preparation for another jump. With its body stretched behind it, thelu-ong’slength reminded Kira of a half-submerged mountain range, shifting and disappearing.
Its spirit brushed hers. Massive like the void of space—and just as wondrous.
Only when thelu-onghad moved into the distance and was a small dot against the horizon, did Kira start forward again. Her headache had faded while watching thelu-ong, but even without it, every step dragged on her.
It was a short time later when she stepped up one last time and nearly stumbled. She paused, startled to find flat ground. Kira lifted her head, weariness dragging at her.
No further steps waited for her. She'd reached the top.
She stilled as she took in the city before her. Its size and breadth dwarfed the Citadel of Light, even from this distance.
Five large fortresses rimmed the city, walkways extending from their walls like spokes on a wheel to a palace in the center. Each one as different from the last as night and day. Crests flew above them announcing the different Houses.
The city outside the fortresses’ walls was made up of smaller, no less awe-inspiring buildings that filled the spaces between as it spilled toward the ocean below.
"I've seen a lot of places. Admittedly most of them were destroyed by the time I reached them, but this is definitely one for the history books," Raider said from a spot where he sat, leaning against his duffel. Sweat dotted his skin, making Kira glad she hadn't been the only one to find the test difficult.
"It's like a dream," Blue whispered.
Kira shook her head as feelings welled up, almost too big to contain.
We're home, something inside her seemed to say. She shook her head again, refusing its lure. No, she wasn't.
Her home was a ship currently docked at O’Riley Station. It was small and cramped, but it was hers.
"I'm sure we'll find a dirty underbelly if we look close enough," Raider said. "Places that seem too good to be true always have them."
Blue scowled. "Don't ruin it. Can't you see we're having a moment."
In this, Kira agreed with Raider. As beautiful as the city was, there was no doubt in her mind shadows existed within. It was best to remember that. Any instant connection she might have felt was an illusion, and she had no intention of letting it twist her goals.
The stairs had led them to a spot well outside the city limits. They stood on a ridge overlooking the vista below. The closest fortress wasn't far, standing stalwart and tall on the edge of the cliff on which it impossibly perched, its exterior walls creating a smooth drop to the ocean below. It was difficult to see the exact spot where the cliff and fortress met, so seamless was the integration between the two.
