Page 90 of The Song of Sunrise
“Watch out!” another familiar voice commands from behind me. I look back to find the unmistakable lithe form of my friend running closer, curved sword swinging with each long stride. A friend who now looks really,reallyunhappy that I’m here.
“Akemi! What are you doing here?” Leaf asks.
“Same as you. Protecting innocent lives.”
“You cannot risk yourself like this, you haven’t even completed your first year, you—”
“Leaf, I’m not a helpless Prentice Teller anymore. I can help. I will help.”
A man yelps in pain, and Leaf and I twist toward the sound. It’s Castor. His arm is cut with a deep gash.
Leaf charges forward in two bounds and claps his hands until a bright flash ofblayzestuns the Underling. Castor takes theopportunity to unleash tendrils ofmyst. The white smoke wraps around the limbs of the beast and rips them clean off.
Just as that one falls, three more Underlings charge toward us from the shadows around buildings. Each marking their targets, one per each of us.
My pulse races, but I easily master the panic, having already worked through it multiple times throughout the night. I steel myself, observing the scenery around me and the giant Underling running my way. I note the slight limp on her right side and make a split-second decision.
I sprint toward the abandoned cart on the other side of the street. She catches my movement and shifts her own trajectory. I pull a dagger from my corset and throw it as hard as I can.
It lodges into her shoulder, but she doesn’t slow. Only laughs and pulls it out, giving me a toothless grin.
“Fuck!” I climb up the plank to the cart. She’s almost on me when I use the momentum of my climb and jump on the edge, tipping the cart over just as she draws nearer.
I tumble away from the cart, remembering to tuck and roll, just like I had when I jumped from Heru. The cart slams down, pinning the Underling beneath. Leaving no time for guesswork, I press my blade into her chest, piercing through the breastbone into the meaty center of her body until she no longer moves.
I pull out the sword, and my hands tremble violently.
“Akemi!” Castor runs toward me.
I turn toward him in a daze, his broad silhouette going in and out of focus.
He reaches me and pulls me into his arms.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he repeats over and over. Crushing me into him until I let go of the sword. It clanks to the ground as the battle nears an end, the Watch reinforcements sending the Underlings scurrying back to the depths from which they came.
“It’s okay,” he says again.
It’s not okay.
I’mnot okay.
This is Goldenpine all over again. I can smell Rosie’s apple pies, hear Marrow’s fiddle. It’s been way too long since I’ve heard Row’s bad jokes and Bane’s ridiculous laugh. I barely register that I’m moving as more memories of Goldenpine flood my mind. Castor keeps me under his arm as we walk back toward the rallying group of Watchers.
Some will stay back and help with the fallout and rebuilding for a week or so. Others head back to the Academy. The WatchGuards will return to their towers, one of which is stationed near Redrock. The same tower that called for help. Both Castor and Leaf stay by my side, standing wordlessly on either side of me like two walls, protecting me from the outside world. But what they don’t understand is that I’ll never be able to unsee the horrors I’ve witnessed. That danger lurks within us as much as it does outside.
Around me, others continue to pack their belongings for the ride back to the Watch, but I need to process. I need to get out of here. I need to returnhome.
I can barely breathe, but I manage to mask my panic with a smooth voice. “I need to be alone for a moment. Please.”
They exchange looks, agreeing to something without words.
“We understand,” Leaf says finally. “Take the time you need. We are riding near the front. Look for Tiny and Lux. We should be able to get back in two days before classes resume.” They leave me and join the rest of the cadets that are preparing for the ride back.
I walk back toward one of the abandoned townhouses and sit on the wooden porch. No longer able to stomach the sight of blood on my clothes, I close my eyes for a minute and try to make sense of everything. The minute passes, quickly turning into more.
I did what I could.
Three minutes go by.I helped this village, made a difference.
