Page 94 of Sky Song
“I don’t care if she is.”
But Ren was desperate to convince him. “She’s just a girl with an unfortunate condition. She is no danger to anyone.”
“I said I wouldn’t harm her.”
“A careless word to a wrong person would do us both in.”
“What happened to your face, defender?” Rosamma put a stop to their uneasy exchange with a question of her own.
“I got beat up in a fighting ring.”
Cricket couldn’t help but glare a little at Lyle’s swollen face. She could only wish he were as honest with her every time she asked a question.
Rosamma’s silvery eyebrows went up. “You? In a fighting ring? I thought Rix had a policy against recreational fights.”
“I don’t abide by Rix policy, lady. Believe me when I say I’m not a defender. Besides, I owed a sum to you brother over here.”
“Ren!” Rosamma scolded. “You shouldn’t.”
Ren screwed up his face. “It’s business, Rose.”
She rose from her chair, surprising Cricket yet again. She had assumed Rosamma was completely invalid.
“Come, I’ll clean your scrapes. No, don’t argue. Let me be useful.” She proceeded to the door in a slow halting walk, like an old woman, her frailty on display. Obedient, Lyle trailed her out of sight.
Cricket was left with Ren and Paloma and the heavy silence that descended. Ren’s face showed a play of emotions that ranged from shame to helplessness to anger - all of them on Rosamma’s behalf.
“Can anything be done to help your sister?” Cricket asked, thinking back to her own fight with a sickness, and how she moved to Meeus, got help from its advanced medicine. By stars, she was lucky.
But Ren only shook his head. “She isn’t really sick. She was born like this. Not whole. Neither was I, for that matter, but she got the worst of it.”
“Is it because you are…” Cricket stopped, uncomfortable. It really wasn’t her business.
“You heard the Rix call me a half-breed. He’s right, we are.”
“Ren, don’t.” Paloma laid a soothing hand on his elbow.
“She already knows anyway. Our father was Tana-Tana and our mother was human. Don’t look so shocked, Tana-Tana are known to breed with certain other species. It would have been fine, I think, if Rosamma and I hadn’t happened to be twins.”
Cricket looked down at a soft geometric rug in shades of beige, yellow and olive. Once more she felt the weight of guilt keenly for being so lucky. So healthy.
“Come, friends!” Rosamma’s soft voice floated from the other room. “Let’s open some sweet treats that I have been hoarding for months and let’s celebrate.”
Ren sighed. “Celebrate what, Rose?”
“Our acquaintance.”
Chapter 12
They stayed at Ren’s till the wee hours of the morning.
Paloma had fallen asleep in the chair, and Ren tenderly picked her up and took her to a different room. He never came back, and Rosamma didn’t seem to be surprised.
“I’ll call for a rider.” Cricket resigned herself to paying the fare. There was no way she was going to walk home for several miles at this time of night, and Lyle still looked fuzzy around the eyes.
“I hope to see you again, Cricket,” Rosamma slowly rose to her feet with quiet dignity.
They said quiet goodbyes.
