Page 108 of The Song of Sunrise
Ramona thinks for a few moments as we trudge through the muddy path toward Olwythion. “Hmm, that sounds familiar, but nothing is striking a chord. I can ask my dad for you.”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it.”
She looks at me, assessing and curious.
“Just researching past Summits, comparing tasks, students, you know…. Research.” What a poor excuse, but my obsession with constantly reading and researching seems to cover the lie well enough.
“Akemi, what aren’t you telling me?” Ramona probes, and I crack easily.
“I think I’ve seen Lark before.” Her eyebrows shoot upward in shock. “Not like that. But in… a memory. I think without really knowing it, I was tapping into my Starwatcher abilities. Twice now, I’ve seen visions of Lark and another boy, Bennidix.”
“What were the memories of?”
I pull a branch out of our way as the ground hardens into the cobblestone path at the edge of Olwythion’s main streets. “I think they were recovering something important that was lost or stolen from Lark’s family. Benidix seemed to take the blame for it—saying something about his family’s duty to protect Lark’s. They were candidates in the Summit too, and one of the items was the prize for that season: the moon stone. I think they calledit the Marfik stone or something like that. Does that sound familiar to you?”
Ramona scratches her chin. “Not really. But it must be important if it was the prize for the Summit, considering the prize for our Summit is the Helios Blessing stone that can make an impenetrable shield. Why do you think you’re seeing their memories?”
I have asked myself that same question many times. Especially considering that I’m not even intentionally trying to pull those memories from the stars. They just came to me openly. “I don’t know. But I think we should try to find out why the Marfik stone is so important. Something tells me that it’s significant, but I cannot tell why.”
We chat easily as we make our way to Anita’s, the familiar warmth of the tavern already spilling out onto the street. Outside, cedar barrels stand turned upside down, serving as makeshift tables. Most are crowded with cadets, their voices loud with laughter as they savor steaming mugs and clink glasses filled with whatever cheap libation gets them through training.
The scent of roasted meat and spiced cider hits me the moment we step inside, thick and comforting. Ramona leads me through the low-lit space, where smoke from the hearth curls lazily toward the rafters. The wooden floor is scuffed from years of boots and restless pacing, and mismatched chairs creak under the weight of tired bodies. Sun’cher created orbs flicker above every table, casting everyone in a warm glow.
Every corner of the tavern is worn in the best way. The walls are cluttered with faded sketches, old military insignias, and hand-carved initials etched deep into the wood. Somewhere near the back, Anita herself shouts good-naturedly at a pair of cadets trying to sneak out without paying.
Ramona guides me to our usual spot—a corner table with a deep L-shaped bench that wraps like a half-hug around Leaf, Castor, and Vega, already mid-conversation. The bench sags just enough to be comfortable.
“Akemi! Ramona!” Leaf waves us over and pushes Vega inward toward Castor, making room for us next to him. “Join us.”
Ramona sits next to Leaf, and I tuck in on the end. Castor signals for the waitress to bring over two more ales, flipping her a few coins. We lock eyes for a moment across the table. I nod in thanks before Vega leans forward to cut me off from his view and starts chatting with Castor. I sigh and return my attention to Ramona and Leaf, somehow already mid-debate.
“No it’s crimson!” Ramona yells, pointing to her neck.
“I was just trying to compliment your new scarf. So what if I called it red?”
“But red isso obviouslya different color, much brighter and louder. This is crimson. Soft, subdued, yet bold and sophisticated.”
I chuckle, bouncing my head back and forth between the two and take a sip of ale the waitress just dropped off at the table. Notes of butternut and wheat. Delicious.
“Honestly Ramona, I think you can see more colors than I can, because all I see is red—”
“—red. So much red. I almost fainted when I saw your face after the third task,” Bennidix says, leaning against the bar top of Anita’s. “You half scared me to death with all that blood!”
I realize in an instant that I’m in another memory. I can feel my hands curled around my drink, and yet I’m standing next to the bar. Besides the slightly more polished cedar and torches for light instead of the orbs that float today, Anita’s is basically the exact same.
“It’s just a tooth.” The taller, dark-haired boy smirks.
“A tooth! A tooth is a big deal for a Teller, Lark.”
“Well good thing I’m not the Teller then.”
Bennidix stretches in his seat before chugging the ale. “You’re right, I need all my teeth intact if I’m going to go out there and Tell. Need all my teeth in order to whistle…”
“Priorities,” Lark agrees.
“What are you going to do? Now that you won the Summit?” Bennidix asks.
Lark twirls a small, iridescent stone in his hand. “I know where my path is headed.”
