Kharon Part 42

Kharon Chapter 42

        Kiarah sits on the rails of the top deck of the Kharon looking up at the hazy dark sky.  Luke walks up to her carrying a bag.  “I grabbed some weapons for my trouble.”  Kiarah does not stir but continues to stare out at the blackness of the night.  Luke sits down next to her.  “Are you really going to leave if they don’t return in time.”

        Kiarah does not turn away from the darkness.  “I told you.  I always keep my word.”

        “They’ll never make it.  Me I got my map and I’ll find The Gardens one day.  How about you?  What are your plans?”

        “Sail until I find the edge of the world then jump off it.”

        “Because of your tribe?  Because of your Fronzo?”  Kiarah responds with silence.  “At least you had something to lose.  I never had anybody but Jacob till he got a big head and betrayed me.”

        “You don’t want this kind of pain.”

        “Lady I’d give anything to trade the sharp pain of losing where I belong with the dull pain of never having found it.  But you never understood that did you?  You never understood my quest for The Gardens.  I thought for a while Emma understood but she got distracted.”

        “Maybe she knows it’s not a place where you belong but instead in the hearts of others who understand you.”

        Luke pauses for a moment and then says, “Then why are you letting them go?”

        “They are not my tribe.”

        “Exactly.  Why would I risk my ass for a conniving thief, a backstabbing asshole, and a manipulative bitch.”

        “Maybe because you’re an irritable bastard which makes them your tribe.”

        “Fuck you.”  Luke and Kiarah both stare in silence at the black sea in front of them for a few moments.  “Even if they are my tribe that’s all the more reason I’m better off alone.”

         Kiarah turns towards Luke for the first time to look him in the eyes.  Luke notices that Kiarah’s eyes are wet and glassy as she speaks to him.  “It is hard to find your place in life without others to light the way.  You should always try and find your tribe.”

         Luke gets up off the rail and goes to walk away with his duffel bag.  He stops after a few steps and says, “That would be a lot more convincing if you weren’t always sitting alone sulking.”  Luke then walks away leaving Kiarah alone on the rail.