Tabitha Chirrick - Overshadowed

Tayel had never dared to hope Mom lived, but knowing for a fact — for an indisputable, irreversible fact — that she would never see Mom again hurt. It hurt bad . Some things did turn out perfect. Some others, just too wrong.

When she lowered her clenched hands from her face and Otto pulled away, Jace and his family were standing nearby, chatting. The crowd around them had migrated and clumped toward where Shy landed earlier, leaving Tayel, Otto, and Jace’s family in relatively open space as Deltian refugees carried items from the crashed shuttle.

“…And that’s why we think the raiders attacked,” Jace continued. “But if the Rokkir didn’t come in force to every planet like they did to Modnik, I’m wondering—” He saw Tayel and stopped.

“I’m okay.” She wiped her eyes. “Hi Arcen. Nita,” she said to his parents.

Jace’s father stepped over and pulled her into a hug. “Tayel, I’m so glad you survived. Every time Nita and I thought of Jace, we prayed to Alhyt that he guide you to safety as well.”

“Thank you, Arcen. I appreciate it.”

“And I’m so sorry about your mother. The universe has lost one of its kindest souls.”

Tayel smiled politely.

“Goodness, look at you,” Nita said. She took Tayel’s face in her talon. “Everything you’ve been through. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must have been.”

“I didn’t even tell you half of it,” Jace said.

She shot him a mother’s patient look and turned back to Tayel. “If you ever need anything, you come to us,” she said. “You have put the light back in my life. As much as we can be, Arcen and I are here for you.”

“Thanks, Nita,” Tayel said. “I’m just so glad we found you.”

“Right!” Jace exclaimed. “I was getting to the best part.”

“Does it get better after you were abducted?” Arcen frowned.

“Yes! Well not good better, safe better I mean, but we have this friend, Fehn, who can wield dark aether — like a Rokkir — and when the Elshan guard chased us through the woods, he—”

“The Elshan guard chased you?” Nita squawked.

“Nice,” Otto said.

Arcen laughed. “I’m not sure we can take all the details after all, son.”

Tayel laughed along with the rest of them, but only barely. The day — hell, the last two months — was catching up to her. Her muscles hurt. Her mind was foggy. She’d cried a good lifetime’s worth of tears. Jace was right where he was supposed to be, where she wanted him to be, and maybe it was the after effects of hearing about Mom, but Tayel felt tired, disconnected. Like her part was done.

Across the field, a woman walked toward them, away from the crowd. Tayel didn’t need more than a glance to know it was Shy, whose black hair and bare arms stood out against the snow.

Tayel nudged Otto. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she whispered.

Without a word to anyone else she slipped away from the conversation at a brisk walk. She couldn’t do much else. Nothing short of another Rokkir siege was going to push Tayel past a stroll anytime soon, not even Shy, despite how eager Tayel was to talk with her.

That realization slowed Tayel a little, that the airiness she felt was excitement. It was a complete one eighty from when they’d met for the first time after that magball game in camp. Shy the Arrogant Banshee and Shy the Bossy Raider Princess seemed like entirely different people — people Tayel would never mistake for the woman in front of her.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey.” Shy’s breath fogged the air. “That’s Jace’s family?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you look so defeated?” she chattered. “This is everything you’ve worked for. I thought you’d be happier.”

“I am happy,” Tayel said. “Just tired and, well, I guess, I found out my Mom is gone. For certain.”

Shy stiffened; even her shivering stopped. “I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t think she had much of a chance.”

“Do you, I don’t know, do you need some time?”

“No. No, I’m okay, but thank you.”

“Okay.”

“If I seem off, it’s probably just because…” Tayel managed a weak laugh.

Shy smiled small, a sad, maybe even sympathetic gesture that matched her resigned tone. “Pick a reason?”

“Any one of the several, yes.”

Their laughter dwindled into the wind as the crowd at the end of the field made way for two snow rovers. They parked on the city streets, and whoever came out was lost in a swarm of people.

“Survivors from the trip here?” Tayel asked.

“It’s more of the evac crew from Kalanie, looks like,” Shy said.

“Oh right. How’s Fehn?”

“Went off in the first rover maybe a half hour ago. He looked good.”

“Like he’s going to make it ‘good’?”

Shy nodded. She hugged her arms to her chest.

“When do you think we can see him?”

“I don’t know. When we get back, I guess.”

“Any news from your brother?”

“No, but the communications center at Kalanie assured me the outpost was fine. So unless he ran outside swinging his cane, I think there’s a good chance I still have a sibling.” She rubbed her arms like she was trying to set fire to them. “Xite! Sorry, it’s just so fragging cold.”

Tayel grimaced. Of course Shy was cold, with the shivering, chattering, and no coat. And Tayel just stood there like an oblivious cob.

“No need to look so guilty,” Shy said. “It’s not like I’m dying.”

Tayel’s apology was ready to say, her jacket ready to be offered when she remembered Shy’s “offer” for the shield prototype that morning. She grinned.

“You know,” she started, “I’m a much more experienced cold dweller than you.”

“And?”

“In almost every way.”

“What are you…?” Shy stopped mid-sentence to sigh.

“I’m saying —”

“Oh you’re the worst.”

“—That if you wanted my coat, I’d understand,” Tayel chided. “I might not be as vulnerable to ending up in situations where I’ll freeze my ass off.”

Shy crossed her arms. “You think you’re hilarious.”

“Plus,” Tayel said, stripping out of her coat, “I’m wearing a thermal under here.”

“So you are.” Shy stared at the fur-lined jacket. “You’re sure?”

“Shy.”

She took it, and it was over her shoulders and zipped in what had to be record time. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Tayel brushed a falling stream of icy silver off her shoulder. Not a big problem, anyway.

Shy frowned.

“What’s up?” Tayel asked.

“What now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Where are you going now? I assume you’re going with them somewhere.” Shy nudged her chin toward Jace and his family.

“Actually, I was hoping I could go with you.”

Shy straightened. Her eyes widened.

“I love Jace, and — and I hope he’d be willing to come, too, but if his family wants to go hide, I can’t go with him. Even if hiding is, you know, justifiable at this point. I want to help stop the Rokkir, maybe help the Varg if I can. The best place to do that seems to be with you. If that’s okay, I mean.”

“Of course!” Shy grinned, an ear-to-ear smile that brought the airy feeling in Tayel back to the surface. “Gives me time to think up revenge for turning my phrasing against me.”

“Oh good.”

“I’m surprised is all. I expected you to go once you found them.”

“I’m a little surprised, too.”

“Is it because of your Mom?”

Tayel picked the hem of her sleeve. “I think it’s for a lot of reasons.”

“Fair.”

“Yeah. So. Speaking of…”