The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The rules are simple – turn to page 56 in your current read (or 56% in your e-reader) and post a few non-spoilery sentences.

This week’s quote is from A Spark of White Fire, a space opera retelling of the Mahabharata.

Rickard’s face flashes in and out of my mind, with that sudden smile that would transform him. I’m surprised by how much it hurts to think of him. By how much I still miss him.

The very last memory I have of him is the way he stepped onto the wing of his ship and then looked back one more time. I was trying not to cry – he could see that, and his face softened. You will always have a place in my heart. Those were the very last words he ever spoke to me. They’re the words I try to remember, the ones I cling to, because the ones that came before fill me with shame and despair every time I think of them.