Chapter 11

Sollit

"Please! You are closer to me than anyone. You cannot make me watch you die!" Sollit's horrified cries were met with stoic silence. "Please…"

"I must fight," Tillos responded, his voice echoing in the deadly silence of the auditorium. He looked at him, tears gathering in his eyes. "She hurt you. I cannot allow that to pass…"

Sollit put a hand over the bandages wrapped around his chest. "The pain of these wounds will be nothing compared to the agony of losing you."

Tillos turned his gaze away. Tense. "Forgive me."

"No!" Sollit yelled, trying to chase after him as Tillos ran off stage.

But he cried out, grabbing his chest, the pain of his wound making him drop to his knees. Losing him the chance to stop Tillos before he ran to his death in battle. He gasped on his hands and knees before letting out a wordless scream. His pain, his helplessness, his despair all coiled together into a heartbreaking sound that burned in his throat and echoed deeply in the auditorium.

The stage went dark as the scene ended, and the audience cheered riotously. Sollit, in the cover of darkness, dropped back to the bottom of the stage and snuck out as Skara and the others playing in the next scene took the stage.

He met up with Tillos at the entrance. His brother would be in the next scene as well, but he wouldn't enter until about halfway through.

"Did you see Leah?" Sollit whispered as the distant sounds of Skara's speech began. The sound proofing between the stage and understage meant it was pointless to whisper, but it was a habit from back when he and Tillos had performed with troupes that weren't so lucky.

Tillos grinned, nodding. Which made Sollit chuckle.

"Nodding? How very human of you."

"She does the head bobbing movements a lot. I thought it best to get used to it."

Sollit nodded as well, the movement smooth – not from familiarity, just from a long life of performing on stage and needing his body to do unfamiliar motions and signs easily. "She looked enraptured, didn't she? She was hanging off her seat."

"I think we've made a fan of her," Tillos agreed, tightening his bracer.

Sollit grinned. "I'm going to go make sure our gift is ready."

Tillos nodded and stepped up to the stage entrance, getting ready to rush on.

Sollit turned and jogged out of the backstage area. Usually, it was the actors that were given gifts after a performance, and he was sure there would be that too, but he and Tillos wanted to give Leah something. A thank you for coming here. A welcoming present. A reassurance that they were going to take care of her, no matter how long she needed to get used to everything.

The present they'd ordered had been rush delivered to the Jin-Raun Space Station. He had then hired someone in the station to bring it to the ship during the show so he could make sure that Leah didn't see it early.

He picked up the delivery at the service entrance of the ship, paid him the other half of the credz he was owed, then ran back to put it in their dressing room. The fan gifts had already been placed. He pushed them back so he could place hers in the very center.

With that done, he ran back to the understage area. He returned just in time for the final fight. His character would arrive on the scene only to watch his best friend die, inheriting his title of leader of the clan, and then begging Skara for peace.

After she gave it to him, he'd then attack while her back was turned. Unable to bear the humiliation of surrender along with the pain of the death of his closest friend, he would try to kill her from behind. A failed attempt that would end with his own death, but that was preferable than continuing to live without his friend or his pride.

It was, from their perspective, a tragedy. However, they weren't the main characters. Skara was and, from her perspective, it was a total victory. His surrender still stood, even after attacking her, and she would fulfill her goal of uniting the clans by the end.

He hoped Leah enjoyed the show.