Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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"Me, too," the girl said gravely.
It's my tiredness, Megan thought.She doesn't mean it thatway . But the flare of anger rose. She
strangled it down.She has a right to think what she thinks . "Sovee… some part of you would be glad
if you knew she were dead, wouldn't it?" Megan said, as gently as she could.
She sensed the girl freezing. "Glad? Zhymata, whatever gave youthat idea?"
Megan felt the chill she always felt, witnessing the telling of a bare-faced lie.She feels she has to , she
thought.For my sake. It's not as if she wished it wholeheartedly; just part of her does, and you
can't blame her . "Just a thought." Megan thumped her pillow and settled down again. "I'd be an idiot if I
thought you loved us completely after what happened between your family and us, wouldn't I?"
"I don't think you're an idiot,zhymata ," the girl said, stroking Fishhook with deliberate attention. "Niiiice
Hook."
"Not many parents get to hear that, from adolescents," Megan said drily.
"Here, Hooky-hooky-hooky.Niiiiice kitty." Sova yawned conspicuously.
Megan let her anger snap into words. "Don't you dare ignore me!" She propped herself up on her
elbows. "If you don't want to talk about it,say so !"
"I can'ttalk about it."
"Why not?"
"Because… because she's your akribhan."
Megan sighed. "I suppose that's reasonable. But since you don't have anyone else here to talk to, you
can always ask whether I could hear you objectively."
"Could you?" The girl's whisper was full of suspicion. "You're not usually very objective."
Megan bit back a retort. "If I promised then I'd have to do my best. If I couldn't, I'd go away for a while
to cool down, afterwards. So: I promise."
Sova drew up onto her elbows suddenly. "Vat if I told you I hated her? What if I told you Idid vish she
vass dead?" Excitement brought out her accent. "I'm not saying I do! But vat if Idid ?"
"I'd do my best to understand."
There was a long silence. Fishhook shifted, and carefully licked her wings. Finally Sova said, "Khyd-hird
likes to hurt people who are already hurt. Even if she wasn't the one who defeated them. I don't think
that's right."
"Yes. I was already in love with Shkai'ra before I found out that her people taught her that anyone
helpless deserved to be kicked. She's trying to learn that the rest of the world doesn't think that, but it
doesn't come easy to her to admit she has to learn anything. You can still love someone and yet disagree
with them and the way they were brought up."