Page 21 of The Song of Sunrise
The clouds part and the flat plains begin to slowly roll as the day goes on. Tiny and Lux continue their pace across the expansive hills without falter. Show offs.
Then rolling hills cut away to large rock formations and spattered forests. Though it is late autumn, my brow glistens from the persistent sun.
Leaf seems to be thinking the same thing and says, “I need to cool off. This will be worth the extra time. Follow me.”
Leaf turns us slightly northward off the path. Castor and I follow suit. We weave between the trees as birds, squirrels, and other small forest animals flutter away in our presence.
“Ahh, here she is.” Leaf guides us to an opening where a large, pristine lake is nestled amongst massive boulders. The tree line is thick on the other side and cloaked with the misty shadows. Outlines of towering mountains loom in the distance.
Leaf dismounts and ties Tiny to a fallen log, then strips off his shirt. His muscles gleam in the sun. “Last one in has to tell the Elder Council where we’ve been!”
Before I can process what Leaf just said, Castor leaps off of Lux so fast I question if he was ever behind me. They both bolt to the lake, alternating ripping off their clothes and shoving one another until Leaf pulls ahead and jumps in first.
“HA! I wi—!” Leaf whips back his hair once he rises from the surface, but Castor is already on top of him, pushing him downward.
I catch myself staring a little too intently at the two fully grown man-warriors tackling each other like brawling cubs. Muscles on display, fighting for dominance.
“You coming in, Kem?” Leaf calls.
I don’t stop the smile that forms on my lips as I unbuckle my belt, kick off my boots, and run toward the Lake.
“Akemi was the last one in.Technicallythis means that she has to present to the council…” Leaf teases me as we continue our ride to the Watch.
Castor rolls his eyes at Leaf but does say, “I will be doing the talking, but she should come with. They might want to hear her account of things. Plus, she is late for our enrollment deadline, but with her circumstances—”
“—And with your dad,” Leaf interrupts.
“… Yes, and with myfather, we should be able to get her in.”
“Do you think there is a chance they won’t let me in?” I ask. I hadn’t thought of that yet. My pulse starts to race. I have no alternative plan.
Castor leans forward in the saddle until his chest touches my back, and I feel a zap of energy flow from my back to my toes. “I’ll make sure you have a spot.”
I gulp and nod a few times fast.
Get yourself together, girl.
I don’t know why I continue to torture myself and ride with him.
Sometimes the absence of words is ten times louder than a tale full of them. That is how it is with Castor. He only seems tospeak after listening thoroughly, then carefully chooses words, conveying his message in the most efficient manner.
A man of few words.
Good thing I have plenty.
Well, I used to. It’s been hard to be my usual chipper self when the world around you melts away and shows you its ugly core. So I distract myself in the scenery or by asking Castor questions as we ride.
Since Redrock, I learned there are three different factions within the Watch. Leaf is a Sun Watcher while Castor is a Moon Watcher. Sun’chers and Moon’chers are the two primary factions of Watchers, both powerful and able to channel Source magic to protect wide sections of the human territories. The third faction, Starwatchers, is so rare that no one has been studying those abilities in decades.
The clock is running out until we arrive at the Watch, and I have so many questions. The problem is that with each answer they give, two more questions arise in its place.
“You’ll be tested right away to determine which celestial faction you have the better affinity with,” Leaf explains.
“What happens if I don’t align with either?”What if I don’t belong?
“Nah. I wouldn’t worry about that too much. Everyone eventually finds a home. Sun’chers are a little more common, so I’m hoping you come over to the bright side with me!”
Castor scoffs. “As opposed to what? The dark side with the rest of us Moon’chers?” Then he breaks out in a rare laugh that gives me shivers.
