Page 109 of Sway's Peace
And, in some part of Grace’s mind, she thought she could understand. Veesway wasn’t actually wishing Sway had died. No, it wasn’t that simple. To him, Sway had suffered a fate even worse than death. He had destroyed himself, who he was as a person, with the crimes he committed. He transformed himself into a monster, grotesque and unforgivable. Veesway was saying that it would have been better for Sway if he had died rather than be forced to do all those things.
But that understanding was dim and distant and completely overshadowed by the simple fact that Veesway could not love his son. He could not accept his son. All the things he had done, the person he’d been forced to become, was not one that Veesway could see as deserving of life.
And Grace was sure all the people that Sway had hurt would agree.
But as someone who loved Sway more than all of them, who would trade all of their lives if it meant Sway could live, even knowing it was, objectively, an extremely lopsided trade, she couldn’t imagine how Veesway would prefer him to die.
“Fine,” she said, trying to sound hard and decisive. She only sounded sad. “We understand. I can’t force you to accept him, nor would I want to. Sway already resigned himself to your death once. He can do it again. Let us go. We’ll leave and you can imagine your son dead for the rest of your life.”
Veesway’s jaw tightened. “No. You may be carrying his hatchling. An innocent farasie. I could not protect my son from the horrors of this world, but Iwillprotect my grandchild.”
“You can’t-Hey!”
Veesway didn’t even pretend to listen to her protests. He turned to leave. She tried to chase him down. To grab him andforcehim to listen to her.
But she only got a few steps and Vweet intervened. He grabbed her. Keeping her from getting any closer. His grip wasn’t hurtful, but it was firm and unyielding.
“Let me go!” She snapped, thrashing in his arms, upsetting his feathers.
But it was too late. Veesway was already gone. The door slid shut and locked back behind him. Vweet released her, stepping back quickly.
He didn’t look guilty or confused anymore. Just determined.
“Please, don’t hurt yourself,” he said. “We’ve had one of our health officers apply for human scans so they can investigate if you are carrying. It will take some time to go through.”
“They aren’t my health officer. They have no right to have human scans,” she snarled.
Vweet held out a hand, like he was trying to calm her down. “Just stay here. Be good. The domini at your door aren’t people you can overpower. So just, stayhere.”
He did the motion again. Grace’s brow furrowed. Confused. He was giving her a look like he was trying to impress something on her. But if he thought he was going to make her sit and behavejust because he said so, he severely underestimated her as a person.
He took a couple steps back, still giving her that look, still gesturing with his hand like she was a wild animal he was trying to keep at bay. Only when he was at the door did he turn. And still, even then, he gave her a couple pointed looks as he walked through, right up until the door shut behind him.
What was he doing?
Grace was still angry, but now she was also confused. Why had he been acting like that?
She tilted her head, and in so doing, something shined on the ground. Her gaze immediately, reflexively darted down.
There was a combot on the ground.
Shiny, metallic, glinting in the light of the table lamp she was still holding in her hand. It was dull, turned off, and just laying there.
Grace’s combot had been taken when she was put in this room. There was nothing inside she could use to contact anyone. Her hope that Sway’s crew would come back and find them was dashed already by her guards. They already told her that a message had been sent days ago informing them that Sway and Grace had chosen to stay in the Song forever and there was no need to come back.
Days ago. They’d been making this plan for some time. They were purposefully and deliberately removing any hope they had of protecting or saving themselves.
It amazed her that they couldn’t see their own cruelty. Their own death sentence. They refused to admit they were killingthem, but they were cutting off all their escape routes and making it impossible for them to survive.
But this combot…
Bending down, she picked it up cautiously. It was warm, like someone had just been holding it.
Vweet…
Her eyes darted back to the door. It remained shut. Her room quiet.
Had he dropped it? Was that why he had been acting that way? Stayhere, he said, gesturing. Not like he was trying to hold her at bay, but like he was indicating to the spot where his combot was laying out in the open where he very well should have seen it.
