Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
“It doesn’t seem peaceful. It seems empty and cold. I miss the forests of my home.”
“Yeah. You get used to missing home too.” I stand up from the console and controls. “I should teach you how to fly a ship, so you can make your way.”
He tilts his head to the side, golden eyes considering me. “Where do you think you will be?”
“I assume you’ll be getting rid of me. I betrayed you, Kail. I almost got you killed. And I was allied with the people that killed everybody you knew. I know you don’t want me, and I accept that. If you let me live, I’ll be grateful.”
There is a weight to the silence that follows. It’s a solemn, grave moment. The danger has passed and now we are floating in the void of space. Nothing to fight against, and nowhere for either of us to hide.
I wait for Kail to speak, knowing that what he says will set the stage for the rest of my life.
There is a slight shrug as his fanged mouth opens. “You intended to get me killed. I intended to kill you. We both changed our minds. You saved my life when you freed me. I returned the favor. We are even.”
“Even.” I repeat the word. It is not frightening, but it is also not encouraging.
“Even,” he repeats.
That is not a word lovers use with one another. That is the language of co-conspirators and criminals. We are now both those things.
I want to ask if we are romantically over, but I also do not want to ask that question. If I ask it, he might say yes, and then I would lose all hope. So I don’t ask. I take the coward’s way out and change the subject.
“We are going to have to learn a lot about the worlds we visit,” I say. “I’ve had some experience in illicit bases. I used to work undercover.”
“And you are very good at it.”
It’s not a compliment, just a simple, damning statement of fact. I am good at being a liar. I am good at fooling everyone around me into thinking I am one thing when in truth I am another. I am dangerous in quite a different way than Kail is dangerous, but I am still dangerous. Treacherous might be a better word.
I feel all Kail’s judgement as I berate myself inwardly for who I am and what I have chosen to do. I used to feel proud of how good I am at slipping into someone else’s skin, at becoming someone else entirely. Now I feel like that same ability is a barrier to inhabiting my own skin, or having anybody I care about actually know me.
“Basically, we keep to ourselves as much as possible. That’s how pretty much everybody operates. We do what we have to do, try not to be seen together, and we disguise ourselves. I’ll cut and dye my hair. Probably red or something brash. It’s fashionable now, and I won’t stand out. Also, time to hit the cake and gain some pounds to change the shape of my face up a bit.”
“How can I be disguised?”
“Extra teeth, body paint. Blue instead of green. Maybe some tattoos also brushed on. Change of clothing. Armor instead of a suit. Contacts to change the eye color…” I trail off as he looks at me with what I can only describe as growing horror. “Or none of those things.”
Kail
I knew she had lied to me. I knew she had deceived me. I knew we were both playing a game of sorts, one born of loyalty to our respective species. But I had no idea just how very competent she really is. They sent a specialist to bring me in. Someone they must have trained and trusted for years, and she turned on them for me.
“You hate me, don’t you,” she says, her shoulders stooping, her head lowering. “I understand that, and I respect it. I don’t deserve anything.”
There is a brief moment in which I consider this might be a manipulation, but her actions speak louder than her words. She has given up everything to save me twice. There is no way she is going to ever be welcomed back into human society now. Humans are highly communicative creatures. The warrant for her execution has been through all their many unseen channels. She is a marked and wanted woman.
I cross the floor, impressed with how steady and solid it feels given there is nothing but the vastness of an eternal void below it. My stomach clenches at that realization, and I resolve immediately to never think of that again.
“Tarni,” I say. “Is that your name?”
“Yes,” she says.
I go down on one knee. She has always been shorter than me, and when trying to hide from me, she makes herself even smaller.