Thea could not see Torram’s blush, in the dim light. It would have been a comfort to see it, and know that she was not the only one – it might have made her feel like they were on equal footing. Instead, she pulled a soaked lock of hair over her ear, trying to keep her eyes fixed on his face…and failing.
“Five years?” she breathed, wide-eyed, shaking her head. “I know time works strangely on Shaman, but this…” Unable to help herself, she reached out and poked him in the arm as he bent to pick up his cat. His cat.
“Oh! Nice to meet you, too,” she replied, her eyes darting to Leto where she sat, staring. A twinge of unease travelled down the bond between them. If Thea were to leave Shaman…would Leto be changed? The thought was unsettling. She was surprised Torram did not seem disturbed by it, but she did not feel comfortable asking about it in front of Fennel. Fortunately, he was quick to change the subject.
“Oh, this old thing?” Her voiced pitched lower, sarcasm mingling with frustration, as she indicated the dome with a wave of her hand. “Long story long, Tsi’s seamonster familiar, Therait, had a very bad day. Somehow he flooded Shaman, and now only the mountaintops are left exposed. Mallos managed to protect the castle with this dome. Everyone either lives here, or in the towns they’ve built in the peaks…” she trailed off at Torram’s question, her tone slipping into uncertainty. “I don’t know, Torram. I haven’t seen her…”
Her face tried on a series of expression, mostly invisible in the darkness, as her mind went through the possibilities she would not say. She would not tell him how many people had died in the flood. She would not tell him that those castle guards who had vanished were all presumed lost. She could not bear to tell him those things, especially when it was possible that Birch had...left, like Torram had left. When it was possible that she was safe and sound, on some other world, and just hadn't been able to send word to her friends here or elsewhere.
“Have you been to the Peaks, yet? Maybe she's there...”
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