Fall of Icarus (31 page)

           
“Those are some pretty serious emotions.”

           
Yen laughed slightly.
 
“You’re not kidding.
 
It’s just so invigorating to finally tell someone this.
 
I don’t think I knew how much I loved her.
 
Now, all I want to do is go find her and tell her how I feel.”

           
“Wow.
 
I can’t really think of another way to say it than that.”

           
Though Iana seemed like she wanted to be happy for Yen, he could still see her pouting.
 
Her full lips were pursed and her pale blue eyes twinkled mischievously.
 
It was a look that Yen was sure she had practiced and used before, with great effect.
 
Even now he found himself wanting to reach out and console her.

           
Sensing the awkward tension between them, they both spoke at once.

           
“I should really get ready to go,” Yen spoke while Iana said, “I really need to get dressed.”

           
Iana stood quickly and walked back toward the bedroom.
 
She tossed her body towel casually aside without closing the door to the bedroom, leaving a clear, tempting view for Yen.
 
He suddenly found it hard to swallow as he, for the second time, found himself admiring her firm and well proportioned body.
 
Though he could feel his blood stirring, Yen knew it was just lust and not the full love that he felt for Keryn.

           
“I wasn’t just feeding you lines last night, you know,” Yen said over his shoulder as he turned away from the temping view.
 
“I really do want to help you with your assignment on the
Revolution
.”

           
“That’s sweet,”
Iana
replied as she exited the bedroom, having slipped on a bathrobe to cover her body.
 
“But now that I know that Keryn is the new Squadron Commander, I think I might be able to do my own jockeying for a position.
 
Thank you, though.”

           
Yen turned toward her and put his hands on Iana’s shoulders.
 
“I hope this doesn’t make things strange between us when we’re working together.”

           
“Are you kidding me?” Iana laughed.
 
“You’ve seen me naked.
 
There isn’t much more comfort two people can have together than that.”
 
Smiling at one another, there was another pause before Iana spoke again.
 
“Go, Yen.
 
You know she’s in the city and if you let her get back to the
Revolution
without telling her how you feel, I’m going to do it for you.
 
And when I do it, it’ll include a lot of really sickeningly sweet words that are going to make you look like a sissy.”

           
Yen laughed heartily.
 
“I’m going, I’m going.
 
Thank you for putting up with me.”

           
He let the door close behind him as he left Iana’s hotel room.
 
The elevators were directly ahead, but he stood in the doorway, his hand still clutching the
door knob
.
 
Part of him was proud of his fortitude and loyalty to Keryn.
 
Another equally strong part of him was still kicking himself for not taking advantage of a beautiful woman when he had the chance.
 
Finally, through a battle of wills, Yen let go of the door and walked to the lift.

           
The elevator doors slid closed as soft music began playing as he rode the lift down to the lobby.
 
Though he knew she had to be staying somewhere, Yen didn’t even know where to begin looking for Keryn.
 
The Farimas Space Station was a sprawling construct, full of hundreds of streets and alleyways.
 
Yen had no way of knowing if Keryn had stayed at a hotel or if she had splurged and rented a townhouse during shore leave.
 
Hell, he realized, he still wasn’t completely convinced Keryn had even bothered to take shore leave at all.
 
Lately, she had become so married to her position that it seemed impossible to drive a wedge between her and the Squadron.

           
He was still grappling with his pending search when the elevator doors opened to the lobby and he stepped out.
 
Moving around the corner, Yen nodded to the concierge before turning toward the front doors of the hotel.
 
Looking up, he froze in his tracks.
 
There, silhouetted against the bright morning sunlight, Keryn stood at the window watching the flowing river beyond.
 
Yen’s heart leapt in his chest, surprised both by her appearance and by fate bringing them so quickly together.
 
Drawn forward, Yen stopped when he was only a body’s length away.

           
“Keryn,” he said, breathlessly.

           
She turned quickly, her violet eyes narrowed at the sound of her name.
 
Seeing Yen, she seemed to hardly relax.
 
If anything, she tensed further.
 
Hesitantly, Keryn brushed her silver hair out of her face sheepishly, exposing the brilliant red and purple tattoos that framed her face.

           
Keryn glanced quickly over Yen’s shoulder before speaking in a hushed tone.
 
“Yen, what are you doing here?”

           
“It’s a long story,” Yen sighed.
 
“But I’m really here looking for you.
 
Is this where you’re staying?”

           
Keryn
frowned
as she appeared to collect her thoughts.
 
“I can’t talk about this right now.
 
Whatever we need to talk about, we can do it when we’re back on board the
Revolution
.”

           
Yen arched an eyebrow.
 
Keryn seemed closed off and hesitant, a far cry from the reunion he had expected after finding her on the space station.
 
He took a step closer, but she took a step away.
 
“I don’t think the
Revolution
is the right place to say what I need to say.”

           
“You need to leave, Yen,” Keryn said slightly angrily.
 
“This is neither the time nor the place for the conversation that I want to have with you.”

           
Yen could feel his own anger rising.
 
“What has gotten into you?”

           
“I…” she began before pausing.

           
Before she could finish her sentence, a strong male voice called from behind Yen.
 
“Is there a problem here?”

           
Yen turned to find himself face to face with Eminent Merric.
 
At first, he simply stared at the Pilgrim, uncomprehending of why he would be getting involved in their personal conversation.
 
Subtly, though, Yen caught Merric’s stolen glances toward Keryn.
 
Suddenly, it became painfully apparent, and Yen was suddenly aware that he was caught standing in between Merric and Keryn.

           
Turning quickly on Keryn, Yen’s face betrayed his surprise and hurt.
 
“You and Merric?
 
How could you?”

           
Keryn’s eyes flashed angrily.
 
“Me?
 
How could I do this?
 
That’s more than a little hypocritical, don’t you think?”

           
“What are you talking about?” Yen said, his volume rising in reflection with his frustration.

           
“You need to keep your voice down,” Merric threatened from behind Yen.

           
“Stay out of this,” both Yen and Keryn replied simultaneously.

           
“What am I talking about?” Keryn asked.
 
“I’m talking about you and Iana Morven!”

           
Yen stared dumbfounded at the Wyndgaart woman before him.
 
He struggled to figure out how she could have known about them.

           
Misjudging Yen’s confusion, Keryn continued with a sadistic smile.
 
“That’s right, Yen.
 
I saw you two together, so much in love as you exited the movie theater last night.
 
And somehow I don’t think this is the hotel that you’re staying in.”

           
“That’s what this is about?” Yen said, laughing despite his frustration.
 
“This is all about me and Iana?”

           
Keryn flushed with anger at his laughter.
 
“Don’t try to deny it!”

           
“Believe me, I’m not!
 
But you’re basing this entire argument on the fact that you saw me with another woman.
 
Not kissing her.
 
Not holding hands.
 
Just with her.
 
So all this anger and all this jealousy is based off the fact that you can’t stand to see me with someone else.
 
You don’t want to be with me, but Gods forbid that I’m happy with anyone else.”
 
Yen’s eyes narrowed and his voice dropped dangerously.
 
“And because you saw me with another woman, that gives you the right to go have sex with your boss?”

           
Keryn’s hand struck so quickly that Yen didn’t have time to raise his own in defense.
 
Her open strike caught Yen across the cheek, snapping his head to the side.
 
Turning back toward her, Yen stared at her in disbelief.
 
He could feel the marks on his face stinging strongly from where her firm slap had struck.
 
Keryn looked back defiantly, though tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
 
Without a word, she turned away and stormed out the door.

           
With her slap, the anger and irritation Yen had felt fled from his body.
 
He hadn’t intended to be so harsh and he felt guilty after seeing that his words had made her cry.
 
A mixture of emotions drove him; conflicting urges to both pursue her out of love or out of betrayal and anger fought within him.
 
Confounded, Yen stood in the lobby and stared at her departure.

           
His revelry was broken by a rough shoulder nudging him out of the way
.
 
Merric walked past arrogantly with a faint smile on his lips.
 
Raising a hand, he waved as he reached the doors leading out into the street.

           
“So sorry, Xiao,” Merric said haughtily as he held the door open.
 
“I guess it’s true what they say: you can’t win them all.
 
Best of luck next time around.”

           
As the door swung shut behind Merric, Yen’s emotional turmoil disappeared.
 
All his conflicting feelings of love and hurt toward Keryn were replaced by a yearning for revenge against Merric.

           
Common sense quickly reasserted itself as he stepped outside, into the blindingly bright artificial sunlight.
 
Though he looked up and down the street, Yen could see no sign of Keryn.
 
He had no doubt that, once out of sight of the hotel, she had run back to wherever she was staying.
 
Frustrated, Yen knew that he had to make things right with Keryn.
 
Regardless of his feelings of betrayal, he still loved her.
 
Now, though, Yen found himself facing a sprawling three-level city and hundreds of streets and alleyways.
 
He would find her before shore leave was done and they returned to the
Revolution
; he was sure of that.
 
Sighing, he knew that finding her would probably take all day.
 
Pushing his plans of relaxation to the back of his mind, Yen set off to find the woman he loved.