reverie. “Oh, no. She has other work to do—with Mom and Dad. Sometimes it seems like we’re spending most of the war apart.” He looked sad. “But if you’re worrying that you won’t be seeing her, don’t. She’ll be in tomorrow, when she’s caught up on her sleep. And speaking of which …”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m keeping you up. You already said that you wanted to get some—”
“No, Tahiri.” He laughed. “Actually, I was meaning you. You said you’ve not been sleeping very well lately.”
She nodded cautiously, not wanting to encourage questions along those lines.
“Okay,” he said. “So relax for a moment and close your eyes.” He edged closer as she did as he asked; at the same time the back of the bed lowered, and he placed his splayed his fingers across her forehead and temples. In the shadow of his hand, she smelled Anakin and bit her lip.
“I just want to try something,” she heard him say.
And that was the last she knew for an endless, timeless moment.
She awoke again to sunlight streaming through the room’s wide and opened viewport, the sound of water crashing against the city walls, and the smell of salt on the air. The transition from night to day was so jarring that, for a moment, she didn’t know where she was. Butwith a quick glance around the med room, it all came rushing back.
What had Jacen done to her? She felt rested for the first time in weeks, certainly, but instead of gratitude, she was left with a sense of betrayal. There was a strange feeling behind her eyes, as though someone had been poking around in there while she slept.
Jacen was nowhere to be seen, which was only to be expected. On the bedside table, under a jug of blue milk, she noticed a small piece of flimsiplast. Taking it, she unfolded the note, immediately recognizing the neat, confident handwriting as belonging to Anakin’s older brother.
It read, simply:
You will always be family to us. J.
Family. She sat up and hugged herself as though from a sudden chill. She had been thinking about family just before Jacen had put her to sleep, however he had done it. The reference seemed too pointed to be a coincidence. He must have taken the thought from her mind, and—
Did he see my dreams, too?
she wondered, fearfully.
And if so, did he also see …?
She dispelled the disquieting thought by taking the piece of flimsi and tearing it into tiny pieces. Then, stepping over to the window, she released the pieces to the wind and watched them until they had all disappeared into the rough waters below.
The training mat took the bulk of the impact, but the fall still left Jagged Fel winded. He lay gasping on his back for a moment, then levered himself upright.
“Nice move,” he said, massaging the muscles in his left shoulder. “For a scruffy rebel, anyway.”
He stood, dropping into the classic Chiss “Forbelean Defense” stance. From such a position, virtually all formsof attack could be deflected. On the opposite side of the mat, Jaina Solo dusted off her loose-fitting training outfit.
“You aristocrats are all the same, aren’t you?” she joked. “Underneath that tough exterior, you’re all as soft as Mon Cal jellyfish.”
“And that coming from the daughter of a
princess!
”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he didn’t give her a chance to say anything. Instead he lunged at her for another attack. Two half paces forward took him within arm’s reach. Ducking to avoid the defensive feint he knew she’d use, he brought one shoulder up to deflect her arm and his body and right leg around to sweep her off her feet. If he surprised her at all, she didn’t let it show. Instead she jumped lightly as his sweeping kick caught her feet. Seemingly effortlessly, she used the momentum of his blow to spin her body around its center of mass, landing, in apparent defiance of gravity, on one hand, upside down. It lasted only a split second, but it was all she needed. Her left leg
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m keeping you up. You already said that you wanted to get some—”
“No, Tahiri.” He laughed. “Actually, I was meaning you. You said you’ve not been sleeping very well lately.”
She nodded cautiously, not wanting to encourage questions along those lines.
“Okay,” he said. “So relax for a moment and close your eyes.” He edged closer as she did as he asked; at the same time the back of the bed lowered, and he placed his splayed his fingers across her forehead and temples. In the shadow of his hand, she smelled Anakin and bit her lip.
“I just want to try something,” she heard him say.
And that was the last she knew for an endless, timeless moment.
She awoke again to sunlight streaming through the room’s wide and opened viewport, the sound of water crashing against the city walls, and the smell of salt on the air. The transition from night to day was so jarring that, for a moment, she didn’t know where she was. Butwith a quick glance around the med room, it all came rushing back.
What had Jacen done to her? She felt rested for the first time in weeks, certainly, but instead of gratitude, she was left with a sense of betrayal. There was a strange feeling behind her eyes, as though someone had been poking around in there while she slept.
Jacen was nowhere to be seen, which was only to be expected. On the bedside table, under a jug of blue milk, she noticed a small piece of flimsiplast. Taking it, she unfolded the note, immediately recognizing the neat, confident handwriting as belonging to Anakin’s older brother.
It read, simply:
You will always be family to us. J.
Family. She sat up and hugged herself as though from a sudden chill. She had been thinking about family just before Jacen had put her to sleep, however he had done it. The reference seemed too pointed to be a coincidence. He must have taken the thought from her mind, and—
Did he see my dreams, too?
she wondered, fearfully.
And if so, did he also see …?
She dispelled the disquieting thought by taking the piece of flimsi and tearing it into tiny pieces. Then, stepping over to the window, she released the pieces to the wind and watched them until they had all disappeared into the rough waters below.
The training mat took the bulk of the impact, but the fall still left Jagged Fel winded. He lay gasping on his back for a moment, then levered himself upright.
“Nice move,” he said, massaging the muscles in his left shoulder. “For a scruffy rebel, anyway.”
He stood, dropping into the classic Chiss “Forbelean Defense” stance. From such a position, virtually all formsof attack could be deflected. On the opposite side of the mat, Jaina Solo dusted off her loose-fitting training outfit.
“You aristocrats are all the same, aren’t you?” she joked. “Underneath that tough exterior, you’re all as soft as Mon Cal jellyfish.”
“And that coming from the daughter of a
princess!
”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he didn’t give her a chance to say anything. Instead he lunged at her for another attack. Two half paces forward took him within arm’s reach. Ducking to avoid the defensive feint he knew she’d use, he brought one shoulder up to deflect her arm and his body and right leg around to sweep her off her feet. If he surprised her at all, she didn’t let it show. Instead she jumped lightly as his sweeping kick caught her feet. Seemingly effortlessly, she used the momentum of his blow to spin her body around its center of mass, landing, in apparent defiance of gravity, on one hand, upside down. It lasted only a split second, but it was all she needed. Her left leg
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