She hadn't realized just how much until she saw the Vega.
"They already are, coli." Graydon pulled back, tapping her head and then her chest. "You carry them with you wherever you walk. Hasn't the Mea'Ave taught you at least that much?"
Kira's laugh was watery. "You sound so corny right now."
But he was right. She did carry the Curs with her. The crew of the Vega too.
She'd found that weight unbearable once. No more. They were her reason for standing. They'd be proud of what she was doing. Going after Jin and Elena despite the odds. They'd think she was crazy, but they'd be right there with her if she'd asked.
"Better?" Graydon asked, his eyes steady on Kira as she pushed herself upright.
Her nod was short as she gave his hand one last squeeze. "I might need you again before this is over."
"Anytime, cheva nier. You know that."
She was beginning to.
There were only a handful of people Kira had ever been willing to lean on in tough times. Just three, in fact. One of whom was no longer as trustworthy as she'd once been.
Graydon was different though.
He'd become as important as Jin. Her bond with him cherished every bit as much.
It was strange how someone she'd known for such a short time could become as interwoven into the pattern of her soul as Graydon was.
But he had.
She thanked every higher entity out there that her mountain had withstood every test she'd put him through to remain by her side. Not many would have bothered.
After a moment, Kira straightened, patting Graydon's chest before stepping away. She caught Lathan watching them with an unreadable look on his face.
"Let's get moving," Brie called before starting down the hill.
Her trajectory led them away from the Vega and toward a clearing beside a set of trees that were growing in the ship's shadow.
"Where are you taking us?" Kira asked.
Brie nodded at the trees. "Our camp is set up over there."
"And that’s where Odin is?"
That seemed odd. It wasn't exactly the Sye's style. Odin wasn't a lover of nature. Or the cold.
"We'll get to that. But first—there's someone you should meet."
Kira stopped. "I'm here to find the All Father. Not sightsee."
"Why not do both?"
Brie increased her pace, putting distance between them. Kira almost lost track of her white shrouded figure in the snowy landscape.
"Why would your friend pick a place they knew would hurt you as their base?" Graydon asked as they worked their way carefully down the icy hill.
Kira nodded at the Vega. "I'm guessing that's why."
Before it had gone down, the Vega was best-in-class. It's mainframe and computing systems the most advanced the Consortium had to offer. Access to its systems would cut down considerably on the time needed to sift through the mountain of data Odin faced.
"I'm more curious about how I was kept in the dark with regards to Rothchild salvaging the Vega," Kira said.
