Kanushin (Starweaver's Tapestry #1)

Chapter 13: Crimson Moon

***Content Warning: This chapter contains scenes of verbal and physical abuse featuring a younger Diah.***

Diah's eyes traced the swirls in the metal of the Nova's ceiling. Despite the beauty of the patterns above, Diah knew that each had only been formed by the removal of hundreds of impurities. Each little spot, scratch and warp that originally graced the metal slabs and made it unique were no longer there. She rubbed the tips of her fingers across the markings of her face.

Diah sighed and sat up, pressing against the spongy paneling of the wall. Sky pulled herself onto the other side of the bunk. She crossed her legs and fiddled with her ring. Diah thought about where she wanted to start.

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It was an unusually hot day during the Venshan summer and Diah was burning alive waiting for her mother to return. The waves of the beach behind her rolled lightly across the sand. A smell of salt hung in the air.

An hour beforehand, Wyrna had told Diah that she would return shortly and ran off to do an errand. While Diah had occupied herself at first by spectating beachgoers and playing in the sand, her patience had worn thin. There was only so much an eleven-year-old could do. She kicked the ground in frustration and decided to find the woman that had clearly abandoned her.

As she searched the stalls and beachside restaurants for a sign of her mother, she caught the sound of familiar laughter in the distance. She followed it around the corner and up to the side of a restaurant's large stone patio. Elegant chairs pressed against high black tables covered by white umbrellas. As she looked around for Wyrna, Diah noticed that a number of the patrons were members of the Alis. A familiar sense of disappointment settled in.

Wyrna's laugh floated by from a corner table. She was midway through a fancy green drink and was lost in her own conversation. The man she was with, one of the Alis' more outspoken members, tipped his glass in a toast.

Diah thought about running up to her mother and smashing the glass against the floor. She was furious that her mother had tossed her aside for business again, but the potential repercussions kept her locked in place. Instead, she decided to return to her sandy refuge. At least there she could try to make friends with the turtrabs or other wildlife.

A bang caught Diah's attention as she walked around the back of the restaurant. She debated on checking the origin of the noise out before curiosity got the best of her. She dropped low and took four small steps to the edge of the wall, peeking around the corner.

There was a large can knocked to the ground and a Chyl child struggling desperately to scoop its spilled contents back inside. Diah figured that she was around the same age, only a few inches taller. Her lilac skin clashed with the vibrant turquoise of her scruffy hair. Diah scooted closer, her shoe scuffing on the ground. The girl shot up in panic.

"It's okay!" Diah yelled, throwing her hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

The girl shuffled backward, her beady eyes darting all over Diah and the trash. Diah could tell she was frightened out of her mind.

"I wasn't bothering anyone, I promise!" The girl blurted out. She waved frantically. "I just wanted to see what the beaches were like."

"You're silly," Diah teased. "Why wouldn't you be ab-"

Diah stopped. The girl's markings were scattered across her face like starry freckles. Not a single pattern could be made out.

"Please," the Low Mark begged. "I don't want to get in trouble."