The Fire and the Sky (Book 3 of the... - Chapter 69: Chapter 69

May wiped her sweaty brow with her equally sweaty forearm and took a breath.
She had been on the roof laying shingles for the better part of the day, and the sun's heat was relentless. Her only saving grace was the steady breeze rolling in off the ocean that cooled her bare shoulders and the skin of her neck. She sat back and surveyed her work thus far; at this rate she would be finished by dinner.
"Heyo," Em called, drifting up over the roof's edge with a glass of water in one hand and an apple in the other. Her clothes were coated in a fine layer of drywall dust from her work inside. "Thought you could use a hydration break."
It had taken a long time for Em to get the strength to fly again. After her imprisonment with the Loyals and the erasure of her previous life, she and May weren't sure if any of her abilities would return. But as her body healed and her mind settled, her Starborn traits resurfaced one by one. She wasn't as powerful as she once was, but that didn't bother her.
While May drained her glass, Em walked the roof and eyed her wife's work. "It looks great, babe! Do you think you'll finish today?"
"Oh yeah," May replied, pressing the glass with its icy condensation to her temple for some added relief. "I can't wait to be done up here."
Em crouched in front of her and gave May's nose a gentle boop. "All this sun is really bringing out your freckles. Damn, you're cute."
"You're just saying that because we're married."
"Ah, you got me." Em sank down to sit beside her. She tipped back her face—just as pale as the day they met—and let the ocean breeze play with her hair. She still wore it cropped close, which May found adorable. The cut suited her elegant features. Meanwhile, May had left hers to grow long and wild, changing which side she parted it on to avoid the awkward growing-out phase of her side-shave.
"I think you're missing the best part of all this hard labor," May said. She curled her arm in front of Em and flexed. "I mean, check out these guns."
"Oh, I have. Often." Em gave her a wink. "They're very sexy. Speaking of which, wanna makeout before the others get here?"
The sound of a horn blasting told them they were already too late. A pickup truck was speeding up their long drive, kicking up dust as it raced along.
The couple got to their feet to watch.
"Slow down, you animals!" May shouted. The truck skidded to a dusty stop below and responded with one last, long blare of its horn for good measure.
Em helped May back to the ground as Dom and Jeremy piled out of the truck.
"Heeeeey!" Dom cried, rushing forward and pulled both May and Em into a giant hug, which he regretted immediately. "Oh, ew. You're both disgusting."
"Hard work will do that to you," May replied, poking him in the stomach. "You should try it some time."
"Oy!" Jeremy called. He was standing on the running board of the truck's passenger side and leaning over the top. "Look who we found!"
He leapt down to make room for a third body, one far too big to be traveling on the cramped back bench of the truck's crew cab. Kai stepped out into the sunlight and stretched his arms overhead.
May let out a squeal and darted toward her brother.
"Be careful!" Dom shouted as Kai caught her around the middle. "She's so sweaty!"
"Shut up, Dom."
Kai let out a booming, good natured laugh. "I'll let it slide this one time."
"It's so good to see you," May cried, beaming up at her brother. "How are you? How's everyone back home?"
"They're good. They send their love," Kai replied. "Dawn and Oliver are settling in pretty well."
May breathed a sigh of relief. Her birth parents had moved back to the island shortly after they were released from prison. She and Em had picked them both up, and spent a couple days getting to know them before they sailed. May was glad they were well, but their time together had been strained and awkward. She looked forward to a day when they could have a normal, adult relationship, but she wasn't quite ready for it yet.
Jeremy let out a whistle. "Wow, you two have made some serious headway on this place. Do you even need our help?"
"Ha ha," Em replied, thrusting a pair of work gloves into his hands. "Get your ass on that roof."
With the extra hands, they were able to finish the shingles with hours of daylight to spare. When they were done, Dom drove into town to pick up some food while Em built a campfire overlooking the ocean. They cooked dinner over the open flames, swapping stories and catching up as the sun went down.
The world was bathed in shades of twilight orange when Dom suddenly sat straight up in his lawn chair. The rest of the group tensed and watched him closely.
"What is it, Dom?" Em asked. Her hands clutched the arms of her chair, nails digging into the plastic.
Dom tilted his head as if listening for something. Then he frowned. "Fargus?"
Sure enough, a loud caw broke the silence, making May jolt in her seat. The raven swooped down between Em's and Dom's chairs, coming to rest in the fire's glow. Fargus hopped around, cawing over loudly and with determined intention. Dom cocked his head and listened.
"Man, what's he saying?" Jeremy whispered, frowning at the corvid like there might be something wrong with him.
The expression on Dom's face softened into one of surprise. In one fluid motion, he got to his feet and turned to look back across the wide open property.
"We're about to have some company."
The others stood and clustered around him to watch. May stole a glance at Dom's face, trying to get a sense for how concerned they should be. But if their mystery visitor posed a threat, he didn't seem phased. They waited a few more breathless moments in perfect silence. And then, in the distance, a low, pale figure came into view. It was moving toward them quickly, taking rhythmic, purposeful strides like a current of water. Something dark trailed in the air behind it. As it drew nearer, May realized whatever it was moved on all fours.
Which is when it dawned on her.
"Emandi?"
Fargus let out a throaty rattle and hopped onto Dom's abandoned seat to warm himself by the fire.
When Emandi was close enough for the others to make out the vivid magenta of their eyes, they slowed their gait and shifted onto their hind legs. The billowing cloak the creature often carried when traveling great distances settled over their massive body. They didn't speak until they were only a handful of paces away.
"Loved ones," they said, the sharp points of their fangs showing in their catlike smile. "What a pleasure to see so many of you at once."
"Oh fuck," Kai whispered from his place near the back of the group. "Oh fuck, what is that?"
"Dude, calm down," Jeremy hissed, driving his elbow into Kai's side. "That's Emandi — one of the first sentient creatures on the planet. Show some damn respect."
"I know what an Emandi is!" Kai was near hysterics. "But I didn't know they were real! Holy shit, why is the mainland like this?"
May shook her head and ignored her brother for the moment. Instead, she strode forward to greet their old friend. Emandi met her half way, crouching low so she could reach their great head. She ran her fingers through their silky mane and pressed a loving kiss to their brow.
"It's good to see you, Emandi," she said, smiling.
"And you also, little one." Emandi nudged her cheek with their snout. "I hear you are a hero."
"Ha, that's a bit of a reach."
"No it's not," Jeremy chimed in. She waved him off.
Emandi shifted their attention to Em; their namesake, their offspring. They held a paw out to her and she leaned into it with a happy sigh. The creature was so large that they could have crushed her head like a piece of fruit. But Emandi was tender, and caressed their daughter lovingly.
"I also hear the pair of you have joined in union. Is this so?"
Em smiled up at them. "It sure is."
"How auspicious. I'm glad to find you under better circumstances than our last meeting."
Both May and Em winced. They shared a sad look, each remembering the last time they'd spoken to Emandi. How they'd desperately summoned the ancient creature to Welkin's funeral pyre in hopes they might be able to salvage what little remained of the Star's life force. With so little to work with, Emandi kept their expectations low. And when they didn't hear from them again, well... it had been worth a try.
"That is why I've come to find you," Emandi said. Their inflection was low and measured, and something about it broke May's heart all over again.
"It's okay, Emandi," she said, taking Em's hand. "We knew what we asked of you was a long shot. Thank you for trying."
Emandi nodded their majestic head. "Try I did. Tried and, depending on your definition of the word, succeeded."
Em, who had hung her head in fresh grief, snapped to attention. "Wait, what? What do you mean, succeeded?"
"I will preface by saying the result is likely not what either of you had in mind." Emandi withdrew their paw and pulled in under their cloak. Carefully, they unwound the garment from around their shoulders. "But given the circumstances, I hope you will be satisfied."
May and Em looked to one another in confusion and alarm.
"What are you getting at there, buddy?" Dom asked, stepping forward and eyeing the mess of cloak curiously. Jeremy and Kai crept closer, tense as though whatever Emandi was unraveling might spring out at them the moment they let their guard down.
"There we are," Emandi said, easing a small bundle that had been strapped to their body out into the open. "Emanthy, if you would hold out your arms, please."
Em did as she was told, and into her outstretched arms, Emandi placed the bundle. The bundle squirmed.
It cooed.
May leaned in and gasped.
There, peering up from the bundle, was a baby. Too old to be a newborn, but still so young, so small. The child's skin looked kissed by the sun, and their eyes were pure gold.
"As I told you before, there was precious little of Welkin's life force to work with. This was the best I could do, given what I had."
Em's eyes shimmered with tears. She had to rip her gaze away from the baby just to look up at Emandi. "This... this is Welkin?"
Emandi settled low on their haunches. "Well, about as much as you are Audrey. Even less so, really — there was a lot more of her left over. But in the same way, I've taken what once was Welkin and used it to make something entirely new. A fresh start, if you will."
The baby babbled in Em's arms, wriggling to free themself from the security of their swaddle. Em looked to her wife and let out a sob.
"May," she said, holding the baby out to her. "May, look."
But May was already looking. She could hardly stand to look away. Emandi was right: this wasn't what they had expected at all. But when she reached out to stoke the child's soft cheek, she knew at her core that this was better.
That they were perfect.
"So, what do you say?" Emandi asked, looking from Em to May and back again. "Do you accept?"
May and Em stared at one another in stunned silence.
"We always said we wanted a family," Em choked.
And May laughed. "Are we doing this?"
Em grinned in reply. She turned back to Emandi, who waited patiently before them. "Of course we accept."
"Joyus!" Emandi boomed, rising back up.
Elated, May reached out. Em laid the baby in her arms and stood back to take them in.
"You look perfect," she wept, then kissed them both.
"Holy shit," Kai laughed, raking his hands back through this dark hair. "Ma's going to lose her damn mind. We better get this house done fast because this might actually be what it takes to get her to the mainland."
Dom landed a hearty slap on Em's back, sending her jerking forward with the force of it.
"Will you look at that!" he said, taking her by the shoulders and giving her a little shake. "You two are moms now!"
May was laughing, and crying, when she felt a nudge at her elbow. She glanced up, away from the baby's happy face—her baby's happy face—and found Jeremy smiling at her side.
"Congrats," he said quietly. "You two are gonna be great."
"Yeah?" May had never doubted her desire to be a mother before — never doubted that it was something she'd be good at. But there was something about hearing it from someone else that made her heart feel steady, and made all of this feel real.
Jeremy nodded, then looked at the baby. "Do they have a name yet?"
"No, I didn't believe that was my place," Emandi said with a shake of their head. "Though I can offer a strong suggestion if you are looking for inspiration."
At this, Em laughed. "Given your track record of naming people after yourself—" she pointed at herself "—I think we'll take your suggestion under advisement."
Emandi shrugged, nonplussed. "Suit yourself."
Em turned back to May. "Well? What do you think? Knowing you, I'll bet you've had baby names picked out since you were a kid yourself."
May laughed. She wasn't wrong.
Still, when she looked down at the child cradled in her arms, she knew that none of those names would work. She thought of Welkin, and the last time she saw them; smoke and ash drifting toward the heavens, their earthly body carried by the wind back from whence they came.
She raised her eyes skyward as she thought. The final rays of sunlight were receding over the horizon and the first stars of evening were just beginning to appear overhead.
May smiled.
"How about Sky?"
Em considered it for a moment. She looked up, then back at their baby. "Sky..."
Then she smiled too. With one arm wrapped around May, she took their baby's tiny hand between her fingers. "I like it."
And in that moment, May's heart was as full as it had ever been. She had the love of her life at her side, and their future in her arms. Gently, she pressed a kiss to the child's forehead.
"Welcome to the family, Sky."