I‘ve written very few characters with the dynamic chemistry of Tali and Khine; taking the classic Princess and Thief trope for a spin, much of their interactions have less to do with class differences and what sets them apart, and more of what they–one a royal, the other a criminal–have in common. In a tale of expectations versus one’s true self, Tali has found her match in the seemingly innocuous con-artist, whose troubled past more than rivals her own.
If I could write poetry, if I at least knew how to create imagery meant to evoke the beauty of emotion and all these things that make people clasp their hands and gasp in awe, I might be able to find the pretty words for what I felt as I stared at the fading shoreline on the horizon. If I was a poet and not simply a woman whose memories were bursting from her heart and onto paper, I might have found better ways to describe the trail of foam behind the currents against the setting sun, or the stars that crept along the edges of the grey sky above that swollen sea. Or the shadows that danced on Khine’s face as he dropped beside me on the deck—a faint ghost of the proud, arrogant man he had appeared earlier. Perhaps I don’t need words. Perhaps the reminder that joy and sorrow went hand-in-hand is enough. No laughter without at least a few tears. No light, without the dark.
The Ikessar Falcon
A turning point in the trilogy is Tali and Khine’s journey through the Ruby Grove. Here, facades fall to the background, and Tali allows herself to forget the pressures of her reality for a little while. They speak of their dreams; Khine admits to once wanting to be a soldier, voicing out his desire to make a difference despite being born to a life where he couldn’t–a glimpse at his own restlessness and discontent. Tali, on the other hand–always finding herself at ease around Khine–simply wants to be free.
What happens to their friendship, and the parallels of their fate, will be revealed in The Xiaran Mongrel. For now, take a break from that dusty road and grab a drink of The Tome & Tankard Inn’s The Ruby Grove, a custom cocktail evoking the sweet escape of these chapters.
