All she knew was that it flooded her veins, a tiny bit leaking into the air around her head.
An instant later, Fyr's staff collided with her skull.
Kira - Rothchild's Surface
A cloak was thrust in front of Kira's face, obstructing her view of the snow covered landscape.
"What's this?" Kira asked, looking at the item in front of her.
Pallas jiggled the cloak impatiently. "What does it look like? It's a cloak."
"I can see that. Why are you giving it to me?"
The balial material that made up her clothes was temperature regulating. She didn't need to worry about freezing to death while wearing it. The parts of her uncovered might experience frostbite. Such as her ears and hands. But gloves and earmuffs would protect her well enough.
"Anti-Consortium sentiment has grown in the last few years. The planet's inhabitants didn't appreciate their sacrifices being forgotten and glossed over by the rest of their government. Since you're the one responsible for the moon, I thought you'd want to keep your identity hidden to avoid pointless fights."
Reluctantly, Kira took the cloak from Pallas, holding it between her thumb and forefinger like it might bite.
With Pallas, you never knew.
He watched her with a tiny smirk on his face as if he found her actions adorable. "I suggest you keep the hood up. The Phoenix is rather famous around here."
Kira's snarl was silent as he sauntered back into the ship.
Alone, Kira scrutinized the cloth. Except for the fur lining the hood and edges, it looked average. The color a deep green that could be mistaken for black at a distance or in dim light.
Considering that night had already fallen, she'd blend in nicely.
Finding nothing that might pose her harm, Kira settled the cloak over her shoulders. The bottom brushed the tops of her boots.
"It looks good on you," Graydon said, joining her.
Seeing her fiddling with the cloak strings, he moved forward to take over. "Let me."
Kira dropped her hands, letting him help despite being able to do it herself. The worry crouched in the back of his eyes held her back. A distress she wished she could ease.
"Being back here feels strange." Kira lifted her gaze to the sky and the moon whose scars were visible even from the planet's surface. "Last time I visited this solar system, I left a permanent mark."
How many people could claim that?
Graydon's fingertips brushed her collarbone as his movements slowed.
"This place has featured in my dreams for so long that the very name of the planet brings forth a flood of emotion. I've relived that battle so many times that every moment of it is burned into my memory. All except the one moment that counts."
Kira liked the fact that Graydon didn't offer her banal words of sympathy. He didn't say that there was nothing she could have done. That remembering wasn't important. Everything she'd been told again and again. Instead, he listened. His silence allowing her the freedom to examine her feelings without the pressure of judgment.
"I don't remember giving the order for the explosion. I don't remember what came afterward."
And that bothered her. It had always bothered her.
"They were so important to me." Kira glanced up at the stars. "The least I could do was remember their final moments."
Graydon reached for her hand, squeezing it in comfort. "Trauma can affect memory. Your brain's way of blunting the pain of loss."
"That's what all the doctors Himoto found for me said as well."
Her mind's way of protecting her, they claimed.
