Page 30 of The Song of Sunrise
We take our seats, and Ramona immediately starts digging into her soup with an impressive veracity.
I raise an eyebrow at her.
“What?” she asks, mouth full and dripping, then shrugs. “Oh this? Never quite broke the habit of eating quickly. Growing up with five older brothers does that to you. The second Mom put the food on the table, it was all out war. The slowest ones got the least amount of food.”
“That sounds equal parts entertaining and terrifying. I'm sure there were many hungry nights.”
“For them! My lovely Sun'cher thoroughbred brothers never much liked that their little sister was the fastest of them all.” Ramona gives a feral grin, and I laugh.
Ramona goes on to share a few stories about her brothers, all of whom are successful three-stone Sun’chers currently stationed at WatchTowers throughout the Territories, except her oldest brother, Civil, who recently took leave to care for his new baby girl. Ramona pretends to be nonchalant about being born into a Legacy Watcher family, but I sense the pressure she is under. Her need to succeed and prove to her family that she is equally as powerful, if not more.
“Looks like our weakest link was uncovered day one,” a raspy alto voice calls from behind me. The skin on the back of my neck crawls, knowing this is about me by the way Ramona’s nostrils flare.
“Already starting this shit are we, Sabra?” Ramona comes immediately to my defense.
It’s the same cadet who laughed at me in class, Sabra. This close, her soulless eyes swirl with the same red as her hair, so dark it’s almost black. One of her eyebrows is missing a section like a blade barely missed her eye.
Her lips are curled back in disgust. “I’m not starting anything. Not yet. Our class was full, then suddenlyshegets added in, and she can barely channel enough to be considered a Sun’cher. My family was right, the Watch is going to shit. It takes people years of training, preliminary testing, and she just what… walksin?” Sabra tosses her hair behind her shoulder and continues, “I heard Castor brought her in. She must have slept her way in from the Elder—”
“Akemi,” I interrupt firmly, sick of her talking about me like I’m not here. My blood begins to boil with rage, unfreezing the ice that kept me silent and frozen. I push my tray and stand, turning to face Sabra.
She rolls her eyes. “What?”
“Mynameis Akemi. If you are going to talk shit about me while I’m sitting right here, you might as well use my name.”
Ramona snorts behind me.
I continue, “And no, I didn’t fucking sleep my way into the Academy. Maybe I have a reason to be here. Maybe I’m stronger than you think. Maybe my entire town was destroyed by Underlings and I have no choice but to come here and learn how to fight so that never happens to me or my people again!” I’m yelling by the end. My chest heaves, but I hold Sabra’s dark gaze. Cadets at the tables closest to us are silent, watching.
“Let's go.” Ramona grabs my elbow and guides me back to our room to change into our fighting leathers for Battlefield, our next class.
I know why Sabra triggered me, yet it’s hard to process all the same. I’m so sick of people underestimating me, but I can’t even be mad at her for it because I underestimate myself. By the time we pass the corridors near the main hall, my whirlpool of anger finally stills. Swirling down a drain until there is no more emotion left.
“Looking fierce,” Leaf says, bumping into us. His eyes trail up and down at our new fighting leathers. Mine is a dark brown set with woven leather pants that fit tightly into my boots, a fitted breast plate, and matching arm guards. Ramona wears the black version with an added chainmail skirt to protect her midsection and holster an obscene amount of daggers.
“As always.” Ramona flips her hand at Leaf and charges past, not slowing her relentlessly fast pace she manages to keep despite her platform boots.
Leaf slows his pace to match mine and throws an arm over my shoulders. “Missed you, travel buddy.”
“You too, Leaf,” I admit truthfully. “What class are you heading to?”
“Battlefield.”
“What?” Ramona stops dead in her tracks, and Leaf grabs me by the waist to stop us from running straight into her. “That’s where we are going. It’s on the first-year schedule.”
Why would they be sending other years to the same class?
Ramona usually oozes confidence, so the nervous look on her face isn’t making me feel any better. Battlefield is a combat class where we learn fighting and channeling techniques. It’s intimidating enough going as a first year class, let alone the possibility of all three years attending.
“Maybe they want all of us combined this year for some reason.” Leaf doesn’t seem concerned. I guess I wouldn’t be either if I was as skilled of a Sun’cher as him. I witnessed his relentless fighting style first hand.
“I almost forgot,” I say, trying to contain my excitement. “I was tested in Intro with the Affinity Stones. They placed me as a Sun’cher!”
Leaf picks me up and wiggles me around in a tight hug. “I knew it! Welcome to the bright side ‘Kem!”
We walk together on the main level down a long corridor until we reach a set of large, arched doors leading to the training compound outside at the side of the castle. Sprawling stone steps give way to a large, grassy field where multiple clusters of cadets in an assortment of fighting leathers already wait.
The crisp wind whips strands loose from the high ponytail Ramona insisted I wear, saying that it accentuated my cheekbones. I am starting to admire her personality split that is equal parts fighter and fashion connoisseur.
