Chapter 51
51
Sonny
I stand at the edge of the woods, Raze to my left with his shadows snaking around our feet, and Poppy's apparition to my right. We’re gazing out into the heart of Nocturne Valley, where the Syndicate has overtaken the crumbling cobblestone streets, the black strains of their power spreading like cancer stealing the life force of the town. The once bustling marketplace now resembles a war zone, fires flickering against the darkening sky as the sun sets, and blood staining the streets.
We waited all day to attack, allowing as much time as possible for rebellion members to make their way into town if they wanted to fight.
The frigid air crackles with raw power—earth trembling, shadows shifting, time distorting.
My eyes trace the ocean of people standing in the clearing between me and the town’s center, organized by bloodline. I can see the silhouettes of the ten rebellion members still hanging across the square, and I feel the collective rage that’s building up as others notice them, too.
Everyone’s faces are concealed by large hoods and full face masks to mitigate the risk of being recognized by someone from the Syndicate. Raze explained that it’s to prevent them from being identified as a Null, or allowing certain gifts to manipulate them as he put my mask on this afternoon.
“It has the added benefit of hiding you from view,” he added as he pulled my hood over my head and tucked my ponytail into the back.
There must be hundreds of them, of all shapes and sizes. From all walks of life, here in one spot, fighting one common enemy.
This is the rebellion of Nocturne Valley.
The brave souls who have risked their lives to go against the Midnight Syndicate. The ones who have been out here, fighting for what my ancestors swore to protect far before I stepped foot in this town. Before I ever had a chance to get upset over a few stolen journals.
This is the movement my parents organized from nothing more than tragedy and a dream.
Ava, Beatrix, and Jonah stand a few feet away with their families behind them. They had their heartfelt reunions back at the safe house and haven’t strayed far from each other since.
My parents are standing off to the right beside Aunt Divina and Uncle Graysen. They have no idea that their daughter’s spirit is only a few feet away from them, looking down with nothing but pride in her eyes. They’re all huddled in a circle with a group of people who Raze said have been helping lead the rebellion—a council of sorts. Their heads are tucked down as they all partake in a last-minute planning discussion.
My heart swells in my chest. When I was reading Finley’s journals alone in my dorm room, I cursed this town and all the people who stayed complicit while the Midnight Syndicate planned their hostile takeover. It felt hopeless and frustrating, thinking such evil was allowed to thrive and feed off those who were willing to trust that they had a better future in mind.
I wish I had known then how wrong I was.
All that time I spent holed up in my parent’s safe house while every single one of these people has been taking blows from the Supremes. I was the one being complicit. I was the coward, hiding in the shadows.
“No,” Raze immediately argues the thought. I should have known better than to keep my mental shields down around him. “They were holding out until you were strong enough to fight beside them.”
I shake my head. “I can’t take any credit for this.”
“Why not?” He turns to face me, grabbing my hands in his. “You went over a decade without your parents, so they could build this. You risked everything to come to Ravenshurst and steal those journals. You nearly died in a prison cell and when you were given your escape, you risked your life to set your friends free, too. You’ve earned your spot here. You deserve their respect, and they want to give it to you.”
“None of my struggles are worse than anyone else’s. Especially yours..” I pause, nodding my head toward him. “You deserve their respect more than I do.”
“That’s the thing about the rebellion, Little Nightmare. We each respect each other equally.”
I wouldn’t have believed him if he tried to tell me that before—when the only people I had spoken to were his mother and Theo. But over these past few weeks, as I’ve witnessed the way they’ve all been there to provide support and resources to me and my friends while we calibrated to going from prisoners to soldiers, I’ve felt nothing but respect. From Griffin dedicating hours to our training, to the nameless healers who have provided us with tonics to accelerate our progress. Even Quinn was generous, in her own odd way.
This is a movement of people working toward one common goal that will benefit them as a whole. Not a group of elites that use their constituents as stepping stones to feed their own wealth or power. And regardless of the outcome of this day, I believe we’re already on the winning side. Even if the rebellion loses this time, we’ll continue to fight. We’ll continue to rally for the people who don’t have the power or resources to do it for themselves. We’ll continue to search for ways to return the power back to the people.
Because no matter how ruthless a leader you are, you can't kill off the spirit of community. There will always be more of us than there are of them, and it’s about time they realize that.
My parents break from their huddle, several people breaking off in different directions to relay whatever information they just discussed. They walk up to me and Raze, unable to see Poppy’s apparition standing beside me.
“Are you ready?” My father asks me. He looks like he’s aged years in a matter of hours. Worry lines crease his forehead, his mouth turned down in a permanent frown.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” My hands hang loosely at my sides, brushing against the sheaths I strapped to my thighs this morning.
Griffin gifted them to all four of us a couple of days ago, along with an arsenal of knives to strap into them and new leather pants and jackets that move easily with our bodies.
“Stay back until we give you the signal,” my mom reminds me for the millionth time. I nod my agreement.
The energy of the crowd plummets, every single person spinning on their heels. My chest quakes with the shiftfrom nervous anticipation to unadulterated fear, pulling our attention back to Nocturne Valley.
It’s so quiet that when the gates of Ravenshurst University slowly open, we can hear the groaning iron echo off the buildings and street signs standing between us.
We collectively inhale a breath, then hold it as the gates fall to the side and reveal the sea of faces standing behind it.
The Midnight Syndicate.
Their numbers are smaller, but we aren’t fooled by that. They’ve ensured their gifts are far more potent.
I’m not sure if I’m capable of carrying the weight of their expectations for me. If what Raze says is true, and all those people believe I’m their greatest threat, I don’t know how I’ll be able to fight them off.
“You’ve got this,” Poppy whispers at my side, likely sensing my doubt. “You’re going to survive this day and save millions of lives in the process.”
The gates reach their limit, bouncing off the stone pillars holding them in place. As if they’re one unit, the Midnight Syndicate takes their first step toward us.