Page 120 of The Song of Sunrise
“GO!” Castor bellows. “The hound is mine.”
The ghosthound’s jaw snaps and snarls as it charges at Castor full speed. Castor clashes his swords together and a massive wave ofmystspirals toward the creature.
“GO, NOW!” he yells, but I can hear the extra layer of meaning in his voice. He wants me to win. This is him defying his father’s plans.
Leaving it up to me to win the Summit.
And I want to win. For the nomads without protection. For the people of Terraguard trapped below the Surface. For the brutality in Redrock. For the people of Goldenpine. For my family. For Marrow.
I turn and run, my feet a swift allegro.
Left, right, right, left. Dead end. Right, left, left…
There, just ahead is a golden light of the Helios Stone. It’s the center of the maze. I know it.
I’m drawn to the light, the sensation in my chest pulling me closer and closer.
Yes, yes, yes. Closer. Find me.
Suddenly, I’m hurled against the wall. My head slams into the stone, and I reach out to catch my fall, which turns out to be a major mistake as a quiet popping sound accompanies a sharp pain. My shoulder feels very, very wrong.
Fuck.
A massive silhouette towers above me. Ragnar. He leans over me, clumps of sweaty auburn hair blocking his eyes. He pulls back his fist, and everything seems to slow. I roll to the side before he can land his punch and kick one of his feet as hard as I can. He’s a mountain of a human, but I earn just enough time to stand as he regains his footing.
Ragnar laughs. He looks crazed. Dark eyes blown wide, red hair disheveled, and tunic shredded. He saunters forward, not caring to posture in a defensive pose, clearly not measuring me up as a threat.
Only thing is, that’s exactly what I’m hoping for. Being underestimated all the time is such a bitch, but it can help in certain situations. I stand and hug my arm to my chest, trying not to move my shoulder.
He claps his hands together and prepares for another swing.
I move straight forwardintohis swing, ducking low and using my shorter height to my advantage. His eyes widen with surprise. I’m too close for him to make contact.
I drop to the ground, swing under his legs, and kick out his knees at the precise spot Damaris showed me one night in our sparring ring. His knee joint buckles the wrong direction and he screams as falls. This time, I’m surprised because before Ragnarhits the floor, he twists with surprising agility, using his good knee to pin me underneath him.
We slam down to the stone. Stars twinkle around the edges of my vision, like the final flecks in the sky above clinging to the last breath of night.
His weight instantly smothers me, squeezing the air from my lungs.
I cannot breathe!
He reaches for my hands, pinning them above me. I cast mysunfyre, attempting to stun him,something. He only laughs.
No, no, no.
White dots flutter across my vision as Ragnar reaches for the Sun’cher stone cuff on my wrist, scraping my skin as he pulls it off. He throws it to the side, and I feel my body slump as the clanking echoes.
He leans to my ear and growls, spit flinging in my face. “Not much you can do now without your channeling stone.”
I gasp and gasp for air under the pressure of his body. With the last of my energy, I lean up and bite his cheek. Hard.
“Youbitch!” He yells then slaps me so hard my cheekbone splits on the stone.
Perhaps I’m imagining it, but somewhere far in the distance, I feel the earth rumble and shake.
“You’re lucky I have direct orders not to kill you.” Ragnar curls his meaty fist back.
I dig deep beyond the layers of fear and pain to the place I rarely go. I can feel the torrent within me. A well of Starwatcher powers just sits there, ready, like a bottomless pit of boiling water so hot to the touch, it freezes. It’s vast and powerful. Not like the light of the stars but the darkness between them.
