Kova walked through the narrow alleyways of the lower district with his hood pulled low. Rain began to pour in the capital and his mind was a heavy carousel of red mist and diamond debts. He thought of the mountain and the synthetic spark he had forced into a dead man's chest.
A sharp static pressure bloomed behind his eyes. It was a familiar and jagged sensation. It was the telepathy of Kaola. In these years her reach was not yet a sovereign net but a frayed thread reaching across the miles.
"Kova," Lokee's voice whispered in the back of his mind. She was trembling with exhaustion. "The heart is beating. The Carrion Rhythm caught. But the vibration is wrong. The marrow is resisting the vacuum. I cannot hold the shackle alone. I need your help to finish this."
Kova didn't break his stride. He looked at a puddle and watched his own distorted reflection ripple under the rain.
"I will be there tomorrow morning," Kova thought back. His mental voice was as flat as a blade. "I have unfinished business with the crown. Keep his heart beating until I return. Do not let the rhythm break."
The connection snapped and left a dull ache in his temples. Kova stopped walking. He looked up at the silhouette of the palace looming against the grey sky. In an instant the alley was empty.
A sharp crack of air announced his arrival in the royal chambers. Princess Athena gasped and spun away from her vanity. Her hair was loose and cascaded over the silk of her nightgown. She clutched a silver brush to her chest. Her eyes were wide with a mixture of terror and recognition.
"Kova," she breathed. Her heart was hammering against her throat. "Why are you here?"
"I came to check on you," Kova replied. He stood in the shadows near the balcony doors. "I wanted to see if everything is okay."
"You cannot just do something like that," she said. Her voice was trembling. "You cannot just barge in here after what you did in the Council Room."
Kova didn't move toward her. He simply watched her with a gaze that revealed nothing.
"You saved your father today," Kova said. His voice was devoid of warmth or malice. "If I had not run into you in that hall I would have killed him. I would have killed Renci too."
Athena's face paled and then flushed with a sudden sharp anger. She dropped the brush and marched toward him. Her footsteps were silent on the thick rugs. When she reached him she didn't hesitate. She swung her hand and slapped him across the face.
The sound of the strike echoed through the room. Kova didn't move. He didn't tilt his head or even blink. He allowed the blow because he cared for her in a way that he could never put into words. He would let her do whatever she felt she needed to do.
"I cannot do it anymore," Athena said. Her voice was cracking as she stared up at him. "You are a totally different person. One minute you are here and the next you are gone for several months doing whatever you do. Then you come barging in here threatening to kill my father and you expect things to be okay?"
Kova looked at her. He saw the genuine pain in her eyes. But he didn't show his own. His response held no emotion that she could understand.
"I am here for the debt Athena," Kova replied. "The diamonds will be ready by morning. That is all that remains between us."
Athena let out a harsh and bitter laugh. "That is all that remains? All you care about is currency. All you care about is mission duties and that demented thing you call a brother."
She turned her back to him and gripped the edge of her vanity. "Fine. You leave tonight. I will get the diamonds myself Kova. Just get out of my sight."
Kova didn't say goodbye. He simply vanished, leaving the room as silent as a tomb.
He didn't go far. Kova reappeared on the sloped obsidian roof of the princess's wing of the castle. He lay back against the cold stone, letting the rain wash over his face. He stared at the dark clouds, trying to figure out how to make amends before leaving for good.
He knew he might not ever return to her. He wanted her to know that he cared, but he didn't have a way of saying it that would not put her in danger. He remained there in the dark, a silent guardian on the roof, expressing his love through a distance she didn't understand.