Page 69 of The Song of Sunrise
His large hand touches my chin, so gently.
The large male is now staring at me so intently. Angry. I’ve upset him.
“Atlys, just Atlys. And never apologize for voicing your thoughts.”
“Sorr—” I try shaking off my habit of apologizing, especially to men. “I mean. Umm, thank you.”
“I will want to meet with you frequently. To ensure your proper training.”
“Yes, of course,” I agree, barely above a whisper. We stare at one another until the sound dissipates out of the room.
Or, wait, the roomissilent.
“Dear royal delegates!” Commander Hogsmith announces. “I hope you were able to meet your champion, because the first task of the Summit begins tonight!”
Oh, fuck.
The floor suddenly shifts under my feet. I fall into the nothingness, trying to orient myself upward, latch on to anything, anyone. But I’m alone, falling in a blur of impossible motion as the warm orb lights of the dining hall fade to black.
I land with a curt thud, stopping the scream I didn’t know was escaping my lips. My vision fills with stars. No, thosearethe stars.
Sun burn me. It’s freezing, and I think I just fell on something sharp.
“Ouch,” I mumble to myself while struggling to get up from the… bush that has impaled me with multiple thorny pins? Ugh!
As I stand, my dress rips from the knee down, leaving behind a swath of shimmering gold in the bushes. “Just great,” I mutter. It’s dark, and I’m somewhere outside. Based on the mountainsin the distance, I must be near the Watch. My pulse races and I get my bearings. I’m in an open field, tall grasses and patches of mud littering the snow-dusted ground.
A blood curdling screech tears from the distance.
Duck!Atlys’s low, raspy voice fills my head. I can hear a note of concern in his voice that makes me not question the connection: how he can see what’s going on and how far away he is. Last I remember, I was in the ballroom, and now I’m outside, freezing in the open. This is the first task of the Summit! I need to stay alert.
Now, Akemi!Atlys roars.
I throw myself forward to the muddy ground just in time as a huge blur of white nearly misses my head.
“Goddess above!” I yelp as another piercing cry fills the air.
Just barely audible over the pounding rhythm of my own heart, a crowd cheers. The cadets from the feast are watching this somehow. Atlys is watching.
Think,think. I’m in the first task. But what is it? In all of my reading about the Summit, there was always a goal or objective. Something out of the ordinary that stood out, a riddle, or a physical challenge.
I rise to my feet and observe my moonlit surroundings. A shadowed forest of pines stretches horizontally in the distance. I’m in the middle of a grassy field, littered with patches of mud and sour smelling lumps of shit. What was that streak of white I saw earlier? For good measure, I unstrap my heels so I can run faster if need be. I’m too numb with adrenaline to register the cold.
What do I do now? Is there a clue I’m supposed to be looking for? Other than the treeline in the distance, there appears to be nothing out of the ordinary in this dark, abandoned field. I strain my ears but hear nothing beyond the gurgling of a nearby stream.
A sudden gust of wind whips strands of my hair into my face, stinging and blurring my vision.
THHHUMP!
The ground cracks at the impact of something—likely very large and very, very scary—behind me.
Oh Gods. I slowly turn, bile creeping into my throat.
Talons the size of my entire body grip into the soil, tearing the earth with ease at the bottom of the creature’s muscular feathered legs. Its body hunches forward, wings tucked in tightly to its side. Intelligent eyes refract in the dim light, yellow and large.
And staring straight at me.
I take a careful step backward. Tall strands of wheat grass tickle my calves.
