Tabitha Chirrick - Overshadowed

Ruxbane gave a gruff chuckle and allowed himself a small, rare smile. Destiny favored him this day. “I’ve found the solution,” he said.

More than that, the solution witlessly put herself on a platter for him every step of the way. She got to Elsha, lived in the castle camp, and signed up for recruitment. Iselglith rose his snout before giving a long, drawn out nod. He might have thought he understood. Ruxbane wasn’t sure anyone but himself really could.

“Iselglith, I want you to rig the recruits tomorrow at the Aishan camp.”

“…Of course.”

“Make sure Shy Akar and Tayel Evanarb are called to the castle. The process will solve our worries regarding the princess.”

“It will be done,” Iselglith said.

“One last thing.”

“Yes?”

“Tayel is not to be processed,” Ruxbane warned. “After the recruits have gathered in the main hall, simply pull her away, and bring her to me.”

Tayel couldn’t shake the image of Jace screaming for her to run. He’d seen something to make him believe the Rokkir were real, something condemning enough to make the guards confront him. It chilled her to the core to think that Shy had been right — that the Rokkir had infiltrated the government and were running the camp.

Jace was in a lot of trouble.

Shy and Fehn spoke in hushed tones to one another beside her, but Tayel focused ahead. Through the crowd of people finding their seats in the grass, the Elshan military representative stepped up to his podium, his armor’s bronze pauldron reflecting the setting sun. He raised his hand, and people’s chatter quieted.

If Tayel wasn’t called, she would get into the castle the hard way. She’d leave through the tunnel to the fuel tanks outside camp and find a path from there. It would be the only option. Tayel had to get in. Every minute could be the one a Rokkir tortured or killed Jace. He was in the castle. He had to be in the castle. If anything, the guards wouldn’t have interrogated him in camp.

The representative called the first name.

It wasn’t hers. Tayel squeezed her eyes shut. If the first name wasn’t hers, then none of them would be. Her muscles twitched, caught between staying still and leaping to action. If she left now during the calling, the docks might be less crowded. She wouldn’t have to wait until the light shift in the early morning. She could go now.

“Shy Akar,” the representative shouted.

Tayel snapped her gaze to Shy. No. No, Tayel had to go to the castle — not Shy. Shy didn’t care about Jace. She wouldn’t save him.

The representative went on to call another name — another name that wasn’t Tayel’s.

“Do you remember the code to the access tunnel?” Shy asked quietly of Fehn.

He nodded. “Red and I will get to the ship.”

Tayel’s throat tightened, her pulse a thick, pounding sensation in her temples. “Shy.”

“I’m sorry, Tayel,” Shy whispered.

Tayel grabbed Shy’s wrist, ignoring the wandering eyes of nearby refugees. “You have to save him.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Please.”

Shy pulled out of the grip and took a step toward the head of the crowd.

“Tayel Evanarb,” the representative called.

Tayel went rigid. The representative seemed far away, almost like a mirage. Anticipation mixed with fear churned her stomach into a strange combination of butterflies and nausea.

“These are the only people we are calling today,” the representative said.

Shy marched onward without a backward glance, lost from view as the crowd came to a stand. Tayel couldn’t bring herself to move.

Fehn nudged her. “Go.”

What had Jace seen? The one thing she knew for certain was that nothing good waited for her in that castle.

She met Fehn’s eyes. “Fehn?”

“Go,” he growled. “I’ll do my part.” He blended into the moving hoard, gone in an instant.

Tayel’s breaths came in shallow gulps. Her palms sweat. Her mind raced with thoughts of Rokkir, corrupted guards, and raiders with aether-tech guns ready to blast her to pieces. But she also thought of Jace.

“Okay,” she muttered.

Moving forward did not come as easy as she liked, nor were her hands as steady as they should have been, but she moved through the crowd toward the representative at the front, because right now, more than ever, Jace needed her.

She found the gathering of recruits and joined them. Shy stood close nearby, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

“Tayel?” the representative asked, having finished confirming the rest.

She nodded.

He jotted something down and asked of them all, “Are there family or friends you wish to say goodbye to while we’re still in camp? This will be your last opportunity to see them for some time.”

All of them shook their heads, some more slowly than others. The man waved for them to follow. Tayel waited until the other refugees moved forward so she could fall to the back of the procession with Shy. Neither of them said a word.

“As you all know, being called today guarantees training with recruits from all over the planet. As we progress, you will see a number of refugees from other camps arriving. Some of them have traveled for days from different time zones for this honor, so count yourself lucky that you’ll be alert for processing!” He laughed light-heartedly, and a number of recruits joined him.

Tayel and Shy stayed quiet.

Guards opened the gates. Tayel followed the group out of the campgrounds and into the wide open field stretched between the perimeter fence and Castle Aishan. Nightfall approached from the east, turning the sky lavender. Long strands of grass overcame the path underfoot, and forests stood like walls on each side of the field, surrounding the camp and valley in trees.

The representative said nothing further. Every step took them all deeper into an eerie quiet, the chatter of camp falling behind into a soft echo. A few of the refugees ahead started a jovial conversation. Something about killing raiders and flying a spectre-class fighter.

Shy pulled on Tayel’s arm, urging her to slow down. “This is too perfect.”

“For who?” Tayel asked.

“This had to be rigged. The guards probably saw our faces last night. This is the easiest way to deal with us — call us to the castle for training and then slaughter us when we fall into the trap.”

It wasn’t comforting to know Shy suspected something sinister. Tayel rubbed her arms. “If they saw our faces, they could have dealt with us at any time. That’s what they did with Jace. Which, about that—”

Shy waved a hand like she was trying to shoo away a bug. “Let me think.”

Tayel bit the inside of her cheek. Damn banshee still bossed her around, even now.

Castle Aishan stood larger than she imagined it to be from afar. It loomed a dozen stories above them as they entered the courtyard. Spires erupted from the top of the white stone structure, and blue-green stained glass windows as long as Deltic City trams decorated the front side. Recruits from other camps arrived on rovers. She had no idea so many others would be here. Hundreds of others. It would be much harder to escape unnoticed now.

Following dozens of recruits, Tayel started up the wide flight of stairs to the entrance. “We need to break away,” she whispered to Shy. The crowd pressed at them from all sides.

“I’m thinking,” Shy said.

Tayel grit her teeth. Shy’s thinking was taking too long. “I thought you said you’d know what to do when you got here.”

“I act in the moment, Tayel,” Shy whispered, “I didn’t have a detailed plan coming in here, so.”