I was silent for a moment. I supposed she was right. Adaro had steered my fate like a ship—my brother, the Massacre, my friends and enemies, and my relationship with Lysi. He was part of my past, whether I liked it or not, and I could choose to let that bother me, or I could accept it.
The beach was growing dark, but Lysi’s eyes were bright as the moon to me.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said. “You need to understand that.”
“I do.”
I raised a hand, and she pressed her palm against mine. We looked at them for a moment—brown skin against white.
“I’ll introduce you to my family,” whispered Lysi. “My parents and brother will love to meet you.”
“I can’t wait.”
“And then we’re going on a date.”
I smiled. I plucked a piece of seaweed out of her hair, thinking of two kids who used to play on the beach and wear matching shell necklaces.
So much had happened since then, and so much had changed. Yet under the light of Lysi’s gaze and the laughter of friends and family echoing down the beach, I felt like today was the beginning of a lifetime together.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - Ben
The Port of Eriana Kwai
Ten Years Later
The HMS Rozina, a luxury cruise ship, departed Vancouver every week between May and September. It sailed the coast of British Columbia and Alaska, stopping at major ports along the way so tourists could explore the richness the landscape had to offer.
But the real allure, and the reason the cruise had attracted not only tourists from North America, but also those worldwide over the last ten years, was the new destination in its itinerary.
The Reeves family stood inside the Eriana Kwai Cultural Centre, gaping at the enormous serpent overhead. The original corpse had been restored, calcified, and suspended from the ceiling by thick cables. It encircled the main hall, one set of open jaws welcoming people at the entrance and the other descending in the middle of the hall as if it might snap closed over the dais.
“You feeling all right?” said Fern, grasping Ben’s hand.
He gave a half-smile. “It’s dead, so yeah, I’ll be fine. You?”
“I expected panic when I stepped off the ship, but you know, it feels good. I never appreciated how green everything—” She looked down at Spencer, who was tugging relentlessly at her pant leg. “Yes?”
“What does it say?” Spencer pointed at the plaque on the dais.
The family walked over.
“Sisiutl,” said Fern. “It tells the story of how it was found, and how your daddy fought it.”
“What are those letters?”
“That’s how you say it in Eriana.”
Spencer turned away. “I wanna go to the beach.”
“Now wait a minute,” said Ben, picking up his son before he could escape. “We waited two hours in that line to see this thing. We’re going to look around, all right?”
“But—”
“Spencer, stay still and smile for a picture,” said Fern. “We’ll buy you a toy from the shop when we’re done.”
Ben whispered something in Spencer’s ear. Spencer laughed and nodded.
“Ready for our picture, mom!”
