Chapter 179

THE NEXT MORNING, I SAT in my usual spot with Loushka, watching the choppy waves with a dubious stomach.

Really hope I don't get seasick-

I watched everyone on the main deck, spying Kassie and Rumal tucked into a discreet alcove by the covered entrance to the decks below. Rumal caressed Kassie's hair while they stared over at Loi and Sabyn's ship. Watching the way they moved together, the constant touches, always aware of the other, produced a hollow sense of longing. In some ways it felt like Alek sat with me constantly and I directed my thoughts to him while the often present but unwelcome tears crept down my cheeks.

Miss you. I guess before too long I'll see you again.

Religion wasn't part of my life. I was too suspicious of organized religions that required so many rules yet the mere humans that followed them frequently adjusted those rules however they liked, all too often at the command of the power-hungry leaders. But I recalled Elena and Yakov teaching us about rebirth, at