Free Without a Front by Fletcher DeLancey

mornings. It’s the best time of day, truly. The air is crisp, and there’s such a sense of possibility.”
    â€œAnd you think there’s less possibility later in the day?”
    â€œIn my life, there usually is.”
    They came to a stop, and the woman held up her palm. “I’m Darzen Fosta. May I have the pleasure of knowing you?”
    â€œWell met, Darzen. I’m Dira Shaldone.” It wasn’t imaginative—her childhood nickname and her mother’s family name—but it was the best she could do on a moment’s notice. Judging by Darzen’s front, she was a mid empath and would never detect the pretense.
    They touched palms and smiled at each other as the physical connection bridged their emotions. For Darzen it was probably a significant glimpse, impossible without the touch, but Tal had already skimmed her emotions before their hands met. Darzen was genuinely happy to meet her, quite attracted, and a little nervous. There was also an underlying sorrow and loneliness whose source Tal could not discern without deeper probing.
    They resumed their run, with Tal matching her pace to the slower one of her companion. Darzen might be taller, but her height wasn’t in her legs.
    â€œYou’re warrior caste,” Darzen said. “I think I’d have known that even without our touch.”
    â€œAnd you’re scholar caste. What do you study?”
    â€œEconomics.”
    â€œUgh.” Tal made a face; economics haunted her life. “And you chose that?”
    Darzen laughed. “I did. It’s really quite fascinating, like assembling a puzzle from a slightly different set of pieces every day. I’m never bored.”
    â€œI don’t even know the meaning of the word.”
    â€œI sensed that about you.” Darzen glanced over. “I heard the Lancer was staying in the village for her vacation. Are you entailed to her Guard?”
    Tal barely paused. “Yes.”
    â€œTruly? How fascinating. What’s it like to serve with her?”
    â€œI serve under Colonel Micah.” It was a lie only in timing; for much of her life he had indeed been her superior. “He’s demanding, but fair and honorable. I’m proud to be one of his students.”
    â€œI’ve always found that interesting. Warriors spend much of their lives studying, and yet we’re called the scholar caste.”
    â€œYou study far more than we do. It’s a matter of percentages. And how is it that you know so much about the life of a warrior?”
    â€œI was bondmate to one.”
    They ran in silence for a few ticks, but it wasn’t awkward. Tal knew that Darzen was simply trying to decide how much to say, and in the end it was quite a bit. She learned that Darzen lived in Whitesun, the largest city in Pallea, where she worked as an advisor to the city council. She had loved a Mariner, and for six cycles they had enjoyed a happy bond. But then her bondmate was lost in a storm.
    â€œThe remains of their ship washed up here,” she said. “So I come here every cycle to be with him on the anniversary of his Return. This is my third trip.”
    â€œYou loved him very much.”
    â€œToo much, I think. He was my first love, but his first love was the Mariners.”
    Tal stopped running. When Darzen turned to her in question, she said, “I’m truly sorry for your loss. I’m also sorry that you still feel such resentment for the Mariners. It complicates your recovery.”
    â€œIs it that obvious?” Darzen gave a short laugh. “I didn’t realize it was so close to the surface.”
    It wasn’t, but Tal had no intention of admitting that she had skimmed her companion’s emotions. She wasn’t ready to disclose her empathic rating just yet, not when she was trying to appear a very ordinary warrior.
    Darzen turned to the sea. “I should resent that . It’s what killed him. It was hard,