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“Kurt and Joe send their apologies,” Rudi insisted. “I’m afraid they had a more pressing engagement.”
The Norwegian representative looked ruffled. “More pressing than this body’s full gathering to discuss a near-global catastrophe?”
“Apparently,” Rudi replied. “I’ll be sure to tell them they were missed.”
The Norwegian allowed his irritation to evaporate. “And,” he added wearily, “please also extend our appreciation for their efforts in preventing this global catastrophe.”
The engagement was adjourned, and the crowd began to file out. One of the NUMA staffers who’d come to watch leaned over to ask a question. “Where are Kurt and Joe anyway?”
Rudi offered a sad smile. “Saying goodbye to a friend.”
“Which reminds me,” Gamay said. “We have a flight to catch.”
Epilogue
A crowd of people stood on the beach that fronted Petrel Bay on Île de l’Est. Among the crowd were the clones who had escaped Vaughn’s prison and survived on the far side of the island, another dozen who had remained captive, a group from NUMA, and an elderly couple of Indian descent.
They’d gathered on the beach to pay their respects to the person who’d helped them escape, given them hope, and died to secure their freedom. And while Priya’s parents and the NUMA delegation referred to Priya by her name, the islanders continued to call her the Gray Witch. Speaking the term with reverence.
After being treated aboard the hospital ship, Priya had been airlifted to the States and cared for at the Bethesda naval hospital outside of Washington, D.C. Despite having no obvious injuries and receiving first-class treatment and a parade of visitors, she never regained consciousness. Forty-nine days after leaving the island, Priya’s vital signs began to fade. She died that evening.
Knowing what she had done for the people of the island, and that Kai, who resembled her almost perfectly now, remained there, Priya’s parents agreed to have her ashes scattered in the bay that fronted theisland. The pristine waters were beautiful and calming. The beach was soft brown sand, warm in the sun and cool in the evening.
Though she wasn’t particularly religious, Priya’s family had given her a Hindu ceremony and had her body cremated in Washington, D.C. Kurt and Joe had then flown her ashes and her parents to the island for the ceremony.
They now stood on the beach with Paul, Gamay, and Hiram Yaeger, all dressed in white because it symbolized purity in the Hindu tradition. They remained silent as a Hindu priest led the family in a calming chant and several prayers.
“The body and soul are distinct entities,” the priest announced. “Priya’s soul has been released and we scatter her ashes, knowing that the cycle of samsara, of life, death, and rebirth, continues. We know that she has gained good karma for acts in this world. We know this because so many give thanks for what she has done. If her life and choices are those that shall lead her to moksha, to Nirvana, then we shall feel joy for her. And if it is not time for her to rejoin Brahma, then she will be reborn here on earth.”
Each person who knew her spoke. And when all the remembrances were done, her ashes were given to Kai, who waded into the low surf and scattered them into the bay.
Kai stood for a long time and then came back to the beach, searching for Kurt.
“For so long, she sent hints of her feelings in her messages,” she told him. “It was always pain. Always sadness. Always afraid for us. I used to be happy when I didn’t hear from her for a while. But now…Now I miss…”
Kurt gripped her hand firmly.
Kai seemed about to break, but pulled herself back. “But at the end,” she said, looking up, “right before the explosion, she was different. She was relieved. I think she even felt joy.”
“I hope so,” Kurt said.
“She knew you were there,” Kai insisted, placing a hand in each of Kurt’s hands and squeezing them tightly. “She saw you, and she saw the light again with her own eyes. And she knew she was not alone.”
Kurt was not an emotional man, but he found himself taking a deep breath and turning to look out over the sea. He let his gaze wander, finding a small bird in flight, a white fairy tern that was swooping in over the cresting waves. The agile little bird rushed over the beach, riding on the wind before pulling up into the sky and gliding toward one of the perfectly manicured trees.
Watching the bird, he remembered Priya wanting to fly. Not in a plane, but using a hang glider, or by skydiving. She’d even talked about BASE jumping in a wingsuit. She’d never gotten the chance, but she’d longed for the freedom.
Kurt wasn’t sure how the deeds of karma worked, but if anyone had earned enough to get into heaven, Priya had. And if not, the idea of her soul rejoining the world for another go-around was all right by him.
He glanced across the beach toward Priya’s parents and took Kai by the hand. “Come with me,” he said, the cocky grin returning to his face. “I’ll introduce you to your family.”