Page 101 of The Song of Sunrise
Each piece of broken building is kindling for the fury lining the inside of my body. My vision blurs with fresh tears. I let them fall freely as I walk past the remains of the tavern, Marrow’s house, the town hall where Nickel and I would meet for lunch between shifts. I try to hold onto the memories of how it once was rather than the pile of scrap snow-covered wood and ash it is today. Crows have long since left the village, and nature is already reclaiming the space. By the end of my walk, I feel lighter, likeI was able to properly mourn the things that were. What could have been.
Heru nudges my shoulder from behind then bends her head to the ground, offering me a ramp to climb up.
The flight back to the Watch was swift and quiet. The landscapes beneath, plush with thick forests of pine and oak, give way to tall grasses, then to the large, rocky hills. Eventually, mountains loom in the distance, signaling my proximity to the castle.
Now that I understand my power comes from within, channeling magic feels different, more natural. All this time, I’d been reaching outward, pulling from the world around me, never realizing the true source was inside me all along.
I left for Redrock driven by duty, by necessity. I return with those same convictions—but something in me has shifted, as if a veil has been lifted.
The world I thought I knew, once so narrow and shadowed, now stretches wider than I ever imagined. Vast. Harsh. Beautiful. And far more broken than I was prepared for.
But I see it clearly now. And I’m not the same girl who left.
By the time we arrive on the Upper Fields, it’s late afternoon. My joints are as frozen and unforgiving as the thick sheet of ice forming over the lake. Slowly descending toward the snowy courtyards outside the keep, Heru glides effortlessly to a running landing. My fingers ache from being tightly curled around the leather harness.
As if capable of predicting our arrival, Garrot is there to take the reins.
We will be together again, Starheart, Heru promises as she flies back to where the other rocs are camped.
I’m going to miss her, I realize, as I walk to Professor Novak’s classroom, repeating my excuse over and over again until it’s memorized as surely as a Telling. I pick up my speed, one footin front of the other until I’m climbing the corridor steps to the first-stone wing.
I run along the stone hallways until I barge into Professor Novak’s room.
“Professor, I’m so sorry I’m late to return. I—”
“Cadet Nox.” Professor Novak gestures at the room full of students. “How about you and I touch base on the matters of your absence after my class is finished?” His tone is more of a statement than a question.
“Of course, my apologies, Professor.” My cheeks burn from embarrassment as students gawk at my unruly appearance. It’s another first-stone cohort that I don’t overlap classes with too often, though that doesn’t stop them from whispering to one another.
“She’s the first-stone that snuck off.”
“I heard she’s a roc rider now.”
“Why isn’t she in uniform?”
I don’t bother to look down at the myriad of Nickel’s hunting clothes, leather riding pants, and furs I’m currently wearing.
“Wait in my office, Cadet Nox,” Professor Novak says, pinching the sides of his nose.
I leave the room abruptly and work my way to the Professor quarters.
Office?Oh gods, this cannot be where my story ends. Surely Professor Novak would understand why I chose to fight in Redrock? Would he see the honor in my decision and not the disregard for Commander Hogsmith’s command for first-stones to stay back.
I wipe my palms on my pants, ignoring the other two cadets in the glass lift chatting in hushed tones.
No matter my fate, I will make Professor Novak see the truth. The dire situation at hand: that small towns throughout Midland are slowly being decimated by the Jord. Ourallies! And for whatreason? Raid for supplies or gold? What could they possibly be gaining from such violence? I try to swallow down my fear, but the anger in my soul keeps rising back up my throat.
Professor Novak’s office is smaller than I anticipated. Slender windows stretch from floor to ceiling, and the crisp late afternoon light glistens through to a hanging crystal chandelier, sending shards of brightness around the room.
I make myself comfortable in the wingback chair across from his desk and fall far too quickly into my nervous habit of humming. This time it’s theBattle of the Bards. A ridiculous tune about two bards striving for the loudest cheers, but instead of battling until the end, they join together and make the iconic tune.
The door swings open and I stop my soprano rendition immediately, unfortunately right before the chorus. Professor Novak strides in.
Rude. I was just getting to the good part.
“You are one day late to return to class. You went to Redrock when first-stones were specifically advised to stay. All deployed returned within the past three days, and yet you return now.” His eyes narrow. “Explain.”
I swallow, trying to think of the words I had made up on the way here. “The roc I defeated in the first challenge offered me a ride.”
