Page 75 of Tempting Fate

She swallowed a growl. “About how I’m flying a shitty cruiser now and haven’t made any skikking progress? No.”

She’d left the Dorimisa? No wonder she was in a foul mood. “Let me help. I can use my time and skills if you tell me where to apply them.”

“Trading indexes are no substitution for real knowledge of—”

“I am not a child!” My veins felt too hot, this room too constricting. “I am not an invalid, Shohari. You set me free, so do not seek to keep me captive any more.” I rubbed my horns, the sensation almost soothing. “Point me in the right direction and let me do what I do best.”

“You don’t need—”

“Give me a month, and I will be strong enough to kick your arse, sister,” I snarled. “Do not give me more reason to.”

The image shook, and the panel lights of the ceiling replaced Shohari’s face.

Garrison’s voice filtered through the connection, echoey and distant. “I know this is scary, Sho, but he wants to help. Be angry at your fucking mother or at the crappy sublight engines on this thing, but don’t take it out on him.”

More growls, more words I couldn’t make out, then Shohari again: “I hate it when you talk sense, taamthi.” Their voices dropped to murmurs before she snatched up her comm. Ah, there was my big sister’s haughty smirk. “Airi, I’d like to see you try.”

“You’ll find I am capable of plenty of things, Ohri.” I pushed a soothing note into my voice. “What can you tell me?”

She eased a hand over her headspines, keeping one in her grip, twisting gently. “Easier if I send it to you. We’re still trying to get the bounty cancelled. Paiata is speaking to his contacts, but it’s slow progress. I’ll get him to send more of what we’ve got. There probably are things you can help with. Might save me some credits on information brokers.”

The more she spent on those, the less she had for either another ship or the guild’s ransom. At last, there was something I could do. “Good. Be safe.”

“Doing my best.”

The comm went dead, leaving only the ringing in my ears, the twitters of birds outside the window, and Orbit’s soft coos. It was only then, I realised I hadn’t told her about the danger here.

With a huff, I crossed the room to the kitchen and put the kettle on.

The hissing burble echoed my energy, and clouds of steam filled the air. Mother had sought to use my talents? We’d see how well she’d fare once I turned them against her.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Absolute delight

Airida

“HOW ARE YOU bearing up?” Tokki asked me the next day.

I glanced around the village. Armed guards stood at a nearby building, and the blue glow on the perimeter walls felt as oppressive as it did protective, but I kept my voice gentle. “I feel like a prisoner again, how do you think?”

“You’re safe here. Focus on that.”

This again. “Will you tell me how? Nobody told me anything back home, and I couldn’t bear it. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but it’s not enough. I need details. Please.”

He laid a hand on my forearm and squeezed. “Of course. I’m sorry, I’m so used to being in charge and managing multiple things, I didn’t think about what else you might need.” He let out a sigh. “I can’t imagine how it feels to know your own mother is hunting you.”

“I don’t care about her.” The place in my heart that had ever held any affection for her had calloused over, leaving it cool and hard. I’d only clung to it to make my life on Orith more bearable, and I had no more use of it.

“Parents are tricky things for shaa’ith.” Tokki’s jaw clenched. “Soon after I was liberated, I found out who my father was.”

I barely dared breathe. Tokki never spoke about his personal life, past or present. “Oh?”

“If you followed Orithian politics, you’ll have heard of him. At one point, he was the minister for health.”

“And therefore in charge of the colonies,” I murmured.

He let out a low, rumbling growl. “The very same. What I’d give to burn it all to the ground.”