Timestone

Chapter Seventeen ϟ Sofina

"Her name was Sofina, and she was brilliant." Vela is telling me about her mom. She pauses to fight back tears, so we walk in silence for a moment. We're heading back to Vela's cavern.

"It's okay. We don't have to talk about this," I tell her.

"No, I want you to know about my mom." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "Everyone respected her—not just for her intelligence but even more for her kindness. My dad always said that her heart was even larger than her brain. She loved her people more than anything. She would do anything for them."

She dabs her eyes with her sleeves. "That's why my parents were a perfect match. It's not easy to see since my mom died, but my dad also has a big heart. He just expresses it differently."

"I can see that," I tell her. "I mean, your dad just risked his life to rescue me."

Her cavern entrance comes into view. "Come. I want to show you something," says Vela. I follow her down the stairs and into her room. She pulls back a curtain in the corner, revealing a small alcove. Three shelves span across the small opening. A large, flat stone stands on the middle shelf, leaning upright against the back wall. Varying shades and colors of sand are glued to the stone, artistically forming an image of a girl.

"That's incredible," I say, craning my head to examine the finer details. "That's you."

Vela laughs. "Actually . . . it's my mom." I can tell she likes that I confused it for her, though. "My dad gave this as a gift to my mom when he asked her to marry him," she says.

I continue staring at the artwork, impressed by the detail and the time it must have taken. "I can't believe your dad did this," I say in awe.

"Told you. My dad's heart is bigger than you think." She picks up a strange-looking rectangle from the bottom shelf and hands it to me. Smaller rectangles, black circles, bits of metal, and silver lines cover its surface.

I turn it over in my hands. "What is this?"

"My mom called it a circuit board. She helped design it for Tanek. This one didn't turn out quite right. My mom snuck it home to show my dad."

My eyebrows raise. Her mom worked for Tanek? Did I hear that correctly? "For Tanek?" I question.

"Yes," says Vela with a nod and smile. Shortly after my parents married, Tanek needed recruits to train under his scientists and engineers. He offered freedom and an easier life for those smart enough to become apprentices."

I lightly run my fingers over the backside of the circuit as she continues to explain.

"My parents both grew up in factions that fought against Tanek. That's another thing that drew them together. They were both willing to fight for their people's freedom. They saw an apprenticeship with Tanek as a perfect opportunity. Mom could establish herself as an insider at Tanek's encampment and act as a spy."

"A spy?" I ask rhetorically, sounding impressed.

Vela smiles, shrugs, and sits on her bed. She motions with her eyes for me to join her. I take the corner and lean into the cold wall to face her. The more she speaks, the more impressed I grow.

"She presented herself as a candidate to Tanek's team. They recognized her intelligence and immediately accepted her. But she backed out when she learned she would have to leave the caverns and live at the cliff base. She wouldn't leave her family and people."

"Then, how—" I begin to ask, but Vela answers my question before I ask it.

"Because she was so smart. They made an exception for her. They allowed her to remain in the caverns and travel back and forth to the cliff each day. She did it for years."

I finish inspecting the circuit board and hand it back to Vela. She stands and gently returns it to its place on the shelf. She nudges and straightens things as she peruses the other memories. A random object or two brings a smile to her face. Standing on her toes, she grabs something out of sight at the back of the top shelf. She turns to show it to me. Her eyes beam wide. I can see tears forming at the edges. She takes a deep breath, then places a rusted piece of sharpened metal in my hand.

I study it, wondering what significance it holds.

"One day, my mom overheard Tanek would be coming to her facility to inspect their progress. Mom and Dad discussed it with their faction and made plans. My mom decided she would attempt to assassinate Tanek."

A tear breaks free and runs down Vela's cheek. "My mom smuggled this blade on the day of inspection. My dad gathered a large group and snuck close to the cliff to help her escape. Mom knew the odds of surviving were slim, but she decided her life would be a small price to pay for her people's freedom."

Vela pauses to fight back more tears. I already know how this story will end—with her mom's death and Tanek still alive. I place a hand on her back and wait until she feels ready to continue.

"Tanek approached my mom's workstation. She pulled out the blade and lunged to kill him. But a nearby guard stopped her just in time with his taze. My dad's team rushed to save her, but the guards outnumbered them. They were all captured."

She pauses to sniffle and wipe more tears.

"The next day, Tanek brought my parents and everyone else they captured to the caverns. They gathered all the people. Tanek told everyone how my mom repaid his kindness by trying to assassinate him." Vela looks into my eyes. Her face is quivering. "I was there," she says. "I was just a little girl, but I remember every detail. Tanek announced that he was a forgiving man and would release the prisoners to prove it. Everyone . . . except for my mom. Even Tanek knew how much the people loved her."

I watch Vela's sadness turn to anger.

"Tanek pulled out this blade—the same one my mom used. He handed it to a nearby guard and ordered him to execute her. The guard raised the blade. That's when I buried my head. I couldn't bear to watch. He murdered my mom in front of everyone."

I stare at the blade and turn it over a few times. Then, I reverently pass it back to Vela. She sets it on the middle shelf, next to the sand art of Sofina. When she turns around, her eyes are cold and angry. "I will never forget the face of the man who killed her. This is why I fight. Not just for freedom, but for her."

I long to say something to make her feel better, but what? Vela's sadness, anger, and pain renew my shame for not believing the things she tried to teach me earlier.

At last, I understand why she slapped me that day. I had told her to imagine how losing a family member in the fight against Tanek would feel. Then I told her it wasn't worth it. What a skraking, insensitive jerk I had been.

Vela didn't have to imagine—she lost her mother. Sofina died fighting Tanek in hopes of making a better world for her family—for Vela. And I told her it wasn't worth it. I had earned that slap. I wish she would reach out and slap me again. But instead, she's here confiding in me, which proves her forgiving, kind nature.

"Vela, I'm so sorry. I had no idea . . ."

She gives a soft, appreciative smile.

"I see where you get it from," I tell her.

Her voice is shaking. "Get what?"

"Your kindness. You get it from your mom." Then, I tell her how I observed her with the people in the farming cavern and how I could tell how much they loved her. "Your mom must have been an incredible person to have a daughter like you," I say.

She looks at me, eyes brimming with tears. "Thankyou, Payaso." She leans her forehead into my shoulder.