Tabitha Chirrick - Overshadowed

“Xite,” Shy hissed, hand on the ship’s handle. She touched her forehead to the door, teeth bared.

“What is it?” Tayel breathed.

“It’s in lockdown, Tayel, what does it look like?” Shy stepped off the ladder. “Do you remember seeing the maintenance area from the viewing bridge?”

“Yeah, but—”

“I bet those will be the only vessels unlocked.”

“But it’s completely exposed,” Tayel hissed. She flicked her eyes to the sound of footsteps nearby.

“I know. Give me a moment to think.”

“We don’t have time to think!”

“Then you do something. I can’t babysit anymore; you’ve been nothing but dead weight.”

Tayel suppressed the urge to scream. She couldn’t have accounted for any of this. She was just following Shy’s master plan. The desire to abandon this quest for an FTL drive that might not even be attainable was growing stronger by the minute.

Shy tried another ship, tugging on its handle despite the obvious: it wasn’t budging. Tayel sighed. If it wasn’t for Shy, that Varg would have taken her at the front of the castle. And if it weren’t for Shy the night before, Tayel would already be in the castle with Jace — in prison. What had Tayel really done to pull her own weight lately?

She grimaced. Maybe Shy had a point. Maybe. Now wasn’t the time to argue either way. Jace needed Tayel right now. Hell, the stubborn princess wouldn’t admit it, but Shy needed her, too.

Guards ran the row over, their armored boots hitting the ground far too close.

Shy squeezed her temples. “Xite, xite, xite.”

Tayel could use her fear — like adrenaline in a championship game. She was fast. She didn’t need to beat the guards, she just had to outrun them.

“Go. I’ll distract them.” Tayel stood.

Shy’s eyes widened. “What? No!”

She reached out to stop her, but Tayel moved fast. She darted out of cover and ran.

“There’s one!” a man shouted. “Stop!”

Tayel’s arms tucked instinctively to her sides, every swing of her elbows generating more momentum. Her legs propelled her forward, moments of air time in between footfalls. She could do this. The wall on the far side of the bay seemed to be the furthest landmark from the maintenance area. It would have to do. Her mind raced scanning every route. She had to be fast enough to dodge the guards, slow enough to give Shy enough time. But she forgot to ask how much time Shy would need.

Two bolts whizzed past, each implanting with a thunk into the side of a ship and it’s rig directly ahead. Instantly, the bolt shafts lit up white hot and a wild arc of plasma exploded between them.

“Xite!” Tayel dove under the arc and heated air.

Her palms scraped across the ground, rubbing them raw. She rolled the rest of the way under the ship, heart hammering, mind conjuring a storm of gruesome images. Her, dead, a bolt in her back. Her, dead, vaporized by plasma.

Guards shouted to one another far behind. She kept going, weaving in and out between ships, practicing the pattern-less evasive maneuvers years of magball had taught her. She scurried under a few of the larger vessels, skipping one, two, three rows — but soon there weren’t any more to duck under. Empty space threatened capture behind the next ship, but her pursuers still sounded far off.

She jumped onto a stepladder and used its height to hurdle to the top of the nearby fuel rig. She clambered up the control box until she could leap to the final vessel in the row — the final vessel before the wall she’d set as her target.

The speed of her careless climb left throbbing pain in her elbows and knees. She rolled to the far side of the cockpit and plastered herself to the metal, now almost fifteen feet off the ground. Sweat slid down the small of her back. She steadied her breathing as the guards drew close. Clanking boots came to a stop between her refuge and the wall.

“Where’d she go?”

“Must have gone through the door. Two of you stay here and keep searching. We’ll follow this exit.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Tayel swallowed. Seconds ticked by. Maybe minutes. The two guards by the door started back toward the ships. Any elation she might’ve had at her successful flee dissipated back into gut-wrenching fear. She had to get out of there. She was too exposed.

Taking a deep breath, she sat up and placed her hand on the hull to steady herself. Her sweaty palms slipped. They slid over the smooth service and she fell forward, toppling off the vessel and barely catching herself on the fuel tank. Her heart lurched.

“Hey!” one of the two guards by the door shouted.

Tayel gasped. She had to get out. She had to get out now.

“Go get the captain! I’ve got this one. Go!”

No, no, no ! Tayel panicked, dropping to the ground in a heap. She writhed to a stand and bolted. The guard’s footsteps echoed off the cement behind her. She sprinted faster, but every turn, the footsteps came closer.

“Shy!” she screamed.

She needed help. She needed Shy. She couldn’t do this on her own. A wave of fire flashed over her shoulder and her eyes went wide. The guard was an aetherion . The heat built nausea at the back of her throat. Her vision blurred. She had to go faster. She had to get out of there n— pain .

Tayel screamed. She seized, then collapsed, her chin knocking to the cement. Blinding pain emanated from her left arm. She frantically grabbed the blistered skin and reeled, the contact sending shocks up through her elbow and into her teeth. She rolled onto her back, still screaming, streams of hot tears blurring her vision. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think.

The aetherion guard stepped over her, fire at his fingertips. His mouth moved, but Tayel couldn’t hear him. She blinked tears out of her eyes. He turned his head to where they’d ran from, and her breathing hitched. There were more guards. The pain vied for her attention. No , there were a lot more guards, and they were coming here .

She kicked the aetherion’s ankle. It gave under the force. His cry broke through her fog. He fell forward. She shoved him to the side, but his hand closed around a fistful of her hair and pulled her to the ground. He maneuvered over her, pressing his knee into her chest.

“Get off!” she yelled.

He leaned in more, pressing the breath out of her.

A wrench came down on his head from behind. His eyes rolled backward, and he slumped to the side. Shy stood over him, placing the enormous tool on her belt.

Her expression morphed from rage to a deep-set frown and softened eyes. “Tayel.” She stepped forward, but snapped her head to the sound of their other pursuers returning. “Can you move?”

Tayel grit her teeth. She took Shy’s offered hand and stood, her body screaming for her to do anything but. “Barely. Shy, thank—”

“No time.” Shy gripped Tayel’s hand harder and led the way.

The guards’ clamor returned, echoing through every row of ships. They called out a name over and over — probably the aetherion-guard’s. Their calls fell to desperate shouts as seconds ticked by without response. Tayel swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth.

She moved where Shy led her, watching the bulky object tied by cloth to the princess’ back. By its shape and size, Tayel guessed it was the FTL drive. Her distraction hadn’t been for nothing after all, but she couldn’t bring herself to be happy as a stronger wave of pain came over her. She and Shy picked up speed at the sight of the door that led to the rest of the castle. The rushing air stung — a million tiny daggers across Tayel’s blistered skin. She bit her cheek to stifle a cry as they ran through the door, but the pain carved deeper, the heat unbearable.