Tabitha Chirrick - Overshadowed

Locke flicked his eyes over Tayel and Jace. He shook his head. “This isn’t the place, Shy.”

“This is the perfect place. That’s Tayel, and he’s Jace. They’re allies,” she said. “They know everything. About us and our family — that we’re raiders. On the way here I had to land on Elsha. It would have been a much longer detour if it weren’t for them.”

“And leaving the planet really required telling them who you were?”

“It’s a lot easier to work with someone when you know who they are,” Tayel said.

He gave her a once over, and his mouth quirked into a smile. “Ah. Redhead.” He winked at Shy, whose jaw set.

Tayel flicked her gaze downward.

“I don’t know what they were trying to do to you,” Locke said to Fehn. “I knew my father had a project in the labs, and that the leader of the Rokkir was very interested in it. Freeing you was the first step in disrupting their plans, and” — his smile grew into a grin — “messing with father’s as well. I wish I could have seen his face.”

“Is the raider king interested in dark aether-tech?” Jace asked.

“I’m uncertain. Why would-? Oh, of course .” Locke squinted at Fehn’s cyonic arm. “You can wield dark aether.”

“Turns out—”

“Shush. It wasn’t a question. Does it hurt?”

Fehn crossed his arms. “It isn’t pleasant.”

“I see. If you really can wield the stuff, I have a favor to ask.” He looked back at his sister. “But before that, you all look like you’re in need of medical attention. A hot meal, too, I’d wager. Let’s head to the dining quarter.”

Tayel gripped her stomach. It had been over a day since she’d eaten, and even camp food sounded good now. Anything to eat sounded good now.

“Not to the medical facilities?” Fehn asked.

“Not to belittle your incident,” Locke said, “but there are soldiers from the wall with missing arms and most of their guts left spilled onto the snow. Our remedy pack is overwhelmed as is. No, I can fetch a suturing kit and deal with this over dinner. Unless one of you are missing half your blood and looking great for it?”

When no one responded, he waved for everyone to follow. “Right, then. Come on. We can talk more over food.”

He led the way into the connecting tunnel, lit on all sides by blue fire torches. Tayel fell into step behind him. She tried to block out the image of mutilated Varg on the walls, as well as the frightening reality of the army of raiders she’d seen from the sky. Considering them, the crash could have been much worse. The ship could have landed outside the outpost. Really, Tayel and everyone else were lucky. She didn’t feel lucky, though. That fear she’d experienced less than thirty minutes ago edged back in. Any one of them could have died. Shy could have died.

Tayel cleared her throat. She should say something to Shy. I’m glad you’re okay. Underwhelming. Glad you didn’t die! Too insensitive. Maybe how are you feeling? Probably the safest bet, although that might make her look oblivious. Obviously Shy wasn’t feeling all that great, since she’d just—

“Shy.” Locke craned his head back to look at his sister. “Come here. Let’s walk a couple paces ahead and chat. None of you will mind if we have a bit of sibling privacy on the way, I’m sure.”

Tayel repressed a sigh. Shy joined Locke several paces ahead, where Tayel could only catch the wispy brushes of lowered whispers. She bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was hard seeing Shy reunited with her brother. Even if she was happy for her. Mostly.

Tayel pictured Mom carving into ceramic art pieces with aetherial fire. Those same pieces were all likely rubble in the Under Sector now. It made Tayel sick. It made her home sick. Homesick enough to be delusional, almost. Like maybe if she went back to Delta she could be with her family again, too. Maybe those little figures would be scattered all over the living room again and Mom would be in the kitchen, lecturing about the importance of doing homework. Maybe everything that had happened would just wash away like a dream.

“You okay?” Jace asked. He watched her, his head craned and cocked in a confused twist.

It was a little painful remembering she was driving a similar fate with Jace. If she got everything she wanted out of this journey to Modnik, he would be back with his family, too. He would be back with his like Shy was with hers, and even though it was something Tayel would never have again, it was something she desperately wanted for those around her. Even if in the end, she was left all alone.

“Tayel?”

She had to be more resolved than this. She was on Modnik. She was so close .

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m just tired. It’s been a rough couple days.”

“Are you sure?”

“That it’s been a rough couple days?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Thanks for checking in, though.” She forced a smile and walked a little faster.

The tunnel let them out into a room with a ceiling three times as high. Orange-colored flames sat ensconced on the walls in place of blue ones, giving the spacious chamber a warm glow. That, combined with the savory scents of salt and grease soothed some of Tayel’s dismal thoughts. A meal would help her mood for sure.

Locke sat them in a pit where a bench was carved into the ground to form a perfect circle. In its center was a slab raised up on stone stilts to function as a table. Furs and ornate pillows lined the seat where Tayel, Jace, and Fehn settled in while Shy and her brother left to get food and medical supplies. They came back minutes later with a tray and passed steaming bowls around.

“Ah, make sure the Argel gets that one,” Locke said, gesturing to the wooden bowl in Fehn’s hands.

“Jace,” Jace said. “My name is—”

“Yes, Jace. The last thing we need is you getting sick from the wrong food.”

Tayel helped move the meal along, and cradled her own bowl in her lap. Its contents jarred as the room shook. The torches lining the room flickered, and fear settled over everyone’s faces. Even the Varg at neighboring tables perked up, all their eyes trained on the ceiling.

“You put a dent in them, and they get back up like all you did was put them to sleep,” Locke said, opening up a suturing kit. “Must be nice to fight with another man’s soldiers.”

“Do we even have the time to eat?” Jace asked.

“If you’re waiting for the war outside to end, I’m afraid you’ll starve. Go ahead. We’ve got plenty of dextro-based rations.”

Jace’s feathers bristled as the floor trembled again.

“I’m surprised Modnik has dextro food,” Fehn said. “I was under the impression this planet didn’t get many visitors.”

“I traveled from Sinos with an Argel friend of mine — Itah — but he didn’t make it. Died in the same fight they busted my side open.” Locke patted just beneath his rib cage.

Shy winced, her eyes on the needle in his other hand. “I liked him.”

“Well, so did I.” He cupped her face. “Keep still. So, Fehn. The cyonic. How’s it feel?”

“It hurts off and on,” Fehn said. “Though using the dark aether through it helps.”

“You do that often?”

“I’d use it every now and then on Elsha, when I could slip away.”

Tayel frowned remembering all the times he’d vanished without cause. The meals he’d missed, the mornings she’d wake up without him there.

“I got to fight some people with it yesterday,” he continued.

“That’s why you disappeared so much,” Tayel said. “Back in camp. Is this why you were so afraid of medical examinations?”