Page 98 of The Song of Sunrise
“Yes,” she whispers, barely audibly if not for my heightened sense of hearing.
“Then we have to keep this a secret between you and I. Starwatchers are already rare, but they are notoriously hunted for their abilities to recall memories from the stars.”
Akemi stills.
“The stars see all, my Sunrise, though their light may take years or a decade to reach us. Starwatchers can transfer that light into living memories of those that came before.”
“So I can… see the past?” she asks, voice breathless.
“Yes,” I urge. “Many leaders, you’ll find, do not wish to have their past secrets aired and will go to great lengths to see those memories kept in the past. Some have tried to control the Starwatchers as a spy of sorts for gathering intel about their enemies. All instances have ended in death. Safer to keep secrets buried with the dead than face the truth.”
“How do you know all of this?”
I hesitate, not sure how much I should share. Having monitored the repairs of Redrock from the shadows, and now Goldenpine, I know she must be exhausted, deflated. And I’ll be damned to be the reason to cause her more pain or confusion, but she deserves the truth. “I met a Starwatcher once, a while ago. He didn’t stay in the Underworld long, but he shared many things with me, techniques, and skills.”
Akemi closes her jaw. Twice she begins to start saying something, then stops herself. I can feel her emotions like a wave cresting over jagged rocks until slowly retreating back with the tide. Eventually she stills, her face a smooth resolve. “Teach me.”
34
Starwatcher
The late afternoon sun glistens in the snow, scattering light in tiny, blinding pieces. I squint my eyes and bring down my ax on the stump, releasing my pent up energy on the piece of wood.
Swing, chop, separate.
Since Atlys left last night, I’ve had nothing but time to digest that I’m a Starwatcher. Once my initial shock wore off, it started to make sense.
At least a little.
I had written off my vision of the two Watchers as a daydream until Atlys mentioned that Starwatchers can see the past. From what I recall, one of the boys was a guard of sorts and the other one… was a Starwatcher! I just know it. A Starwatcher that lost something important to him.
Swing, chop, separate.
The details of the memory are hazy, but I remember the key points. They lost a moon stone. One that Lord Clayoq of the Forest Tribe had offered as the Summit’s prize that year. Whywas that stone so important to the Starwatcher that he needed to win it back?
Swing, chop, separate.
What did Elder Markus say about Starwatchers again?
Swing, chop, separate.
I grunt in frustration and throw the ax aside, plopping down into the snow. For a memory as fantastic as mine, it’s absolutely baffling how easily I can write off information I don’t deem as important at the time. The memory of yesterday’s vision, however, is still burned on the inside of my eyelids.
Row, I hope that you are alive.
I needed more than ever to learn the ways of the Watchers, learn how to master my abilities, especially now that I know what I actually am. Even though I have no idea what this means for me, something deep within feels… right. Like I had been previously using the wrong key, unable to open the door to my true self.
I need to get back to the Watch and research Starwatcher abilities, talk with Ramona, or maybe even ask Professor Novak. Surely he would be able to train me or at least point me in the right direction.
I pick up a few pieces of wood and throw them in a pile on the side of the cabin where Heru is currently curled. She looks at me from the sides of her eyes.
“Could you sense the Source within me?” I ask.
Heru just puffs her feathers up, somehow managing to make the gesture of confirmation.Yes.
I jolt at the velvety female voice in my head. “You can talk?”
Clearly, Starheart, she says.Rocs can mind-speak to their Riders and others, should we choose them worthy.
