Chapter 38
THIRTY-EIGHT
Tai
The city is quiet. All the merchants close their stalls during the hottest part of the day.
Everyone is inside the mountain, taking shelter from the heat.
The occasional Sabaaki hurries from one shadow to another.
One smiles kindly when he walks by and gestures for me to follow him into a dark doorway.
Laughter and the dull murmur of conversation greet us when we step into a large room with a high ceiling painted with vibrant colors.
The room is crammed tight, and in the center of all of it, Bri and Cubes.
Of course. Three Sabaaki hunch over the table in tense discussion while Bri sits there comfortably like she doesn’t have a care in the world.
She casually drapes an arm over the chair next to her.
The entire room is on the edge of their seats, except Bri.
She must feel my eyes on her because she looks up and smiles broadly. My entire body vibrates from that one look. It’s all fire, confidence, and challenge. I know that smile. It’s the same one I saw all those months ago the first time we played.
Between us, everyone whispers back and forth. I hear a word here and there about the various strategies of the game. Bri waits patiently for her turn, relishing the utter chaos around her.
I lift an eyebrow at her as a silent question. How did this happen? Where did she find a set of Cubes on this planet? I would never guess the Sabaaki were the type to enjoy a game built on bluffing, but they are completely engrossed.
Bri shrugs back, giving me a non-answer. She returns her attention to the game. These Cubes are different from the holographic ones we played with on j’Tilak. These are roughly carved from sandstone. The glyphs on each side barely resemble the high-tech version I’m used to.
These poor guys. They don’t stand a chance against Bri.
This game was my first introduction to her. I’ll never forget that night. She was ferocious, and it was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. She played the game with swagger. It came naturally to her, while I fumbled repeatedly and couldn’t remember the rules.
So much has changed about us, but not that. She still owns every room she walks into.
The two Sabaaki counseling the player go quiet and lean back. The nervous opponent extends a trembling hand, ready to make his next move. He rethinks and pulls his hand back. The crowd groans and goes back to whispering feverishly about what he should do next.
My empty stomach pulls me to the table pushed up against the wall that’s piled high with food. I load up my plate and drift back to the game, sure not to miss any of the action.
My eyes are zeroed in on Bri, and I miss what the Sabaaki does with his turn.
I don’t need to see what he did, I can read it all over her face.
A sly smile spreads across her features.
Whatever he did was the wrong move. She’s got him in her clutches now.
No one else realizes it yet, but the game is over.
With a quick move, Bri takes her turn and slams down her set of Cubes, declaring victory.
The room erupts with everyone talking at once.
Some are still trying to understand what just happened, while others congratulate Bri on her win.
The defeated player holds his head in his hands, softly chiding himself for losing the game.
She pushes her chair back and stands with a stretch. Graciously, she goes to her opponent and shakes his hand, congratulating him on a game well played.
The Sabaaki continue debating. Who should have done what and when. Why her challenger made the wrong move at the wrong time. It doesn’t matter, none of them ever stood a chance against her. None of us do.
“You missed most of the action,” she says, stepping up next to me. She grabs a plump berry off my plate and pops it in her mouth.
“I think I get the gist,” I tell her and hold my plate as far from her as possible.
“You want a rematch?” she asks.
“Oh, no. I learned my lesson.”
“Scaredy-cat,” she says.
I don’t need to know the definition of the word to catch her meaning.
“They are ready to play another round, though.” I nod over to the table. The next challenger sits at the table and waits for her to return.
“Okay, fine.” She passes in front of me on her way back to the table and snatches up the rest of the berries. She eats them in one giant bite and smiles back at me, unfazed by my territorial growl.
The room goes quiet when the game starts up again. I step back and watch Bri work her magic over the room. Everyone here is completely under her spell.
She has managed to win over the Sabaaki. Bri has this divine ability to connect with people, to draw them in immediately. She’s familiar and mysterious at the same time. And I’m lucky enough to be a bystander and watch it all happen.
Maia’el comes to stand next to me. My anxiety spikes from the awkward silence between us in the loud raucous room.
“Would you like to talk about what is weighing you down, Tai?” she asks kindly.
I’m not surprised that out of everyone here, she would pick up on what’s happening in my head.
It feels like the right time to confess and deal with the consequences from before.
I can only hope that whatever punishment follows will be enough to silence the guilt.
I take a deep breath and follow her through a dark hallway that leads farther into the mountain.
She brings us to a small, cozy room away from the noise.
Sitting cross-legged on a thick rug. Maia’el motions for me to join her and hands me a clay mug.
I politely take a sip before setting it down.
The herbal sweetness has a slight medicinal flavor in the back of my mouth.
I can’t drink much. My stomach is in knots from the impending dread I’ve had since we arrived.
“You’ve been here before, yes?” Maia’el asks. An opening rather than an accusation.
“I have.”
“I know the story of a Tilak who came here once,” Maia’el says softly.
I brace myself for what comes next. Whatever it is, I deserve it. If the tea was poisoned, I hope it acts quickly, and that they will take mercy on Bri. They must know she had nothing to do with me back then.
“Maia’el, when I landed here six years ago, I was desperate and angry. I’ll never forgive myself for what I did.” I’m not trying to defend my actions, but she must know how truly remorseful I am.
She rests her long, thin-fingered hand on mine. “It was a tragedy, but not a tragic ending.”
“What do you mean? Sabaaki were hurt, probably killed, because of my selfishness.” Why doesn’t she understand how abhorrent I was?
“It was not the end, for the Sabaaki nor you. No one was killed. A village was destroyed, yes, but no lives were lost,” she says with a kindness I don’t deserve.
“I still shouldn’t have run.”
“Tsk.” She clicks her tongue at me. “Do not worry yourself with ‘shoulds’. Embrace the path that Sabaak sent you on. After all, it led you to her.” Maia’el doesn’t say Bri’s name, but there is no one else she could have meant.
I let her words sink in. What would it mean to truly embrace the path my life is taking?