Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“I’m starting to see why some folks call the aboveground ‘the sun’s pits,’” Gem huffs as we climb up a steep incline that’s more sand than grass, forcing all of us to slow to keep a steady footing.
“It’s obscenely hot,” Demi pants in agreement.
Yvonne holds up a middle finger at the sky.
Our black leathers absorb the sun like a sponge.
And while I could do without the chafing film of sweat between leather and skin, I don’t mind how the warm compression of the bodysuit presses firmly into my tense muscles—a minor relief that soothes rather than expunges the budding flare-up.
Plus, the blisters stretching along my thighs and down the backs of my ankles give me something else to focus on beyond the increasing pressure beneath my skull that’s sharpened from a dull ache to a pulsating stab.
I presume I’m alone in that gratitude as Yvonne pivots her middle finger towards the camera in Demi’s helmet. “This is for whoever had the brilliant idea to clothe us in skintight full-body black leathers. Why couldn’t you choose a white, breathable cotton or linen?”
“They had to protect us from sun exposure,” Demi reminds her friend. “The double-lined leather is less porous than other loosely woven fabrics like cotton or linen.”
Yvonne mutters under her breath. Something about stuffing loosely woven fabrics up someone’s ass, I think, though it’s hard to tell over the ringing in my ears harmonizing with the muted, ebbing roar of what must be the nearing ocean.
Demi pulls out a rudimentary map marked with red circles, similar to the one stuffed into my own knapsack. She eyes it studiously for a moment.
“Maybe we should head that way.” She points to her left, where the cluster of trees is slightly denser than the sparser foliage along the forest’s edge.
“There should be a smaller nest not too far from here to the west. If we stay on the ridgeline, we should still be able to see if we pass by the others, or if any Sols are lurking out on the dunes.”
Kalden pauses atop the hill’s crest without commenting on Demi’s suggestion.
“Hellooo?” Yvonne snaps her fingers as she finishes her ascent and strides up to Kalden. “What do ya say about heading over—
Shadows’ mercy!”
Hand flying to her chest, she takes a shaky step back.
Demi drops the map. “What? What’s wrong? Is it your wounds?”
Yvonne shakes her head, then gestures to something in the distance. Gem and I stumble up the rest of the way to join them.
As soon as I reach Kalden’s side, I see it.
Several dozen yards to our right, glittering blue water spills into white-capped waves that stretch and retreat across the sand.
When I’d glimpsed it earlier this morning, the ocean was little more than a far-off streak on the horizon.
Now I’m close enough to hear its rolling melody.
And when I breathe, I catch a whiff of the salty moisture Demi’s aunt warned her not to drink.
But as impressive and endless as the ocean is, it isn’t what sends me to my knees.
A mile or so down the coast, raised domed glass structures supported by stone columns jut out from the sand and continue into the tumultuous waves.
A spectrum of colors tints the semi-transparent glass of the outermost domes.
Fiery citrine. Sparkling peridot. Pearlescent rose.
Winding elevated pathways weave throughout the structures, connecting them to one another and to the central dome that stands proudly at the heart of it all, its glimmering glass as clear as crystal.
My eyes blink rapidly, as if to test whether it’s all an illusion induced by the migraine aura clouding the edges of my vision. Surely, there’s no way something this resplendent could exist up here, where the only life-forms are animals and mutated former humans.
The world becomes a tumultuous, spinning thing as I spot the tiny specks of luminescent moving figures roaming in and out of the structures and across the pathways. I squint harder. “Are those Sols?”
“They can’t be. Sols are selfish creatures. They travel alone or in very small numbers,” Gem says, reciting what we’ve all been taught. “Commander Guffian said the most they’ve seen together is a group of five.”
“And Sols lose their ability to communicate and think critically the moment the sun poisoning corrupts their minds, so they wouldn’t be capable of creating all of that.” Demi gestures at what seems to be a small village.
“Maybe they’re humans, then?” Yvonne suggests.
Gem waves a gloved hand toward the figures in question. “But they’re glowing.”
Little does she know that I am, too.
Are those people down there like us—humans who have found a way to harness small amounts of exposure to the sun without sacrificing their humanity? My head swivels towards Kalden, wishing we were alone so I could speak my thoughts aloud.
Demi retrieves her map, dusting off the grains of sand. “Well, whatever they are, if we can see them, they can probably see us. So maybe we should head back towards the trees.”
Kalden shakes his head. “Not yet.”
“What do you mean, not yet?” Gem mocks his intentionally obtuse response. “What are we waiting on?”
Kalden’s quiet for several beats, then turns around to face the direction we came from. “Them.”
There’s not a cloud in the sky as a chillingly familiar thunder rumbles through leaves and sand. The skin along my spine crawls as more reverberations come in quick succession. Too quick. Too many. Like they’re coming from more than one source.
My suspicion is confirmed when five black-and-gold forms leap out from the forest across the southern dunes, heading directly towards us. I push myself up to standing, clutching at my plummeting stomach.
Gem whirls on Kalden. “You knew they were coming?”
He unsheathes his knives. “I figured our scent of humanity would lure them in at some point.”
Gem grabs onto the hilt of her poniard. “We’re supposed to fight them all?”
“Five against five. I suppose the odds could be worse.” Yvonne laughs dully.
Two more creatures emerge from the tree line, and we each mutter a curse.
Kalden sighs, straightening his posture. “I was hoping to hold off on this, but I promise I’ll explain later.”
It’s the last warning we get before he twists off his helmet and drops it into the sand, where it begins to roll down the hill.
“What are you doing?!” Gem screams as she lunges to snatch up the helmet. She shoves the headgear into Kalden’s chest, but it’s too late.
Luminous gold streaks across his face and neck, brightening the dimming marks of his prior exposure.
The twin suns of his eyes roll back, and I sense the ecstasy of his surging power as if it’s my own.
He doesn’t leave it at that, though. A pulsing aura ignites around Kalden’s body, morphing into flames that engulf the top half of his leather bodysuit.
The material incinerates within seconds.
Radiant light races from the veins around his throat down his freshly exposed chest and abdomen.
I’d be impressed with how cleanly he’s preserved the bottom half of his attire if I weren’t in complete slack-jawed shock.
How did he do that? The speed and accuracy .
. . like he’s done it countless times. Just how much sun exposure has Kalden had?
How close has he gotten to the edge of his humanity?
My arm tightens around my roiling abdomen.
Gem grabs hold of my wrist to lug me away from the gleaming figure beside us. “We need to go. Now.”
Demi and Yvonne are already scrambling down the hill.
Kalden opens his eyes, those otherworldly irises finding mine as he latches onto my other arm.
“Don’t touch her!” Gem bites out, pulling me closer to her.
His grip doesn’t budge.
“There are more coming. At least three. Over there.” His gaze slides to the stretch of trees on the opposite side of the hill—the same direction that the others are running towards. “I can’t handle both groups at once.”
Understanding what he’s asking of me, I hang my head. “I might not be much help, especially right now.”
The warm hand encircling my arm tightens. “Look at me, Orelle. You have more fight in you than most will ever have. Forget about comparing your abilities to theirs and focus on wielding your own strength. Just like we practiced.”
My heavy eyes glance between his, drawing from the steadiness I see in them. Perhaps this is the reason Kalden focused most of our training with me on my back—as if he’d known there’d come a time when agility would fail me.
Stiffly, I dip my chin. “I’ll do what I can.”
His fingers trail down my forearm as they release their grip, and a wave of energy collides against the tingling, magnetic presence of power in my mind and palms.
It’s gone before I can blink, as is Kalden.
“Just like you practiced?” Gem asks sharply, letting go of my wrist.
I shake my head, wishing I had more time to fill her in on everything. But a new set of thundering echoes breaks through the tree line ahead. Demi and Yvonne slide to a halt, heads turning wildly, searching for which way to go next.
Wincing with every footfall, I stumble my way past the frozen duo while releasing my blade cuffs and trusting that Gem will follow.
She does, and I shout, “All I need to do is get my hands on them. It should be enough to incapacitate them, but I’ll need help finishing the job. Once they’re down, that’s when you strike.”
“What are y—”
A screech drowns out the rest of Gem’s words.
Towering tree trunks snap like twigs as four Sols barrel through the forest, using flares of raw power to boost them forward at an impossibly fast pace. They switch to a regular sprint when they spot me, likely to avoid frying the ripe human before they get their fill.
Three creatures aim straight for me, duking it out for dibs on the first snack, while the fourth splits off towards Demi and Yvonne as they scurry towards the ocean.
The tallest of the bunch, a Sol with long legs to rival Kalden’s, takes the lead. As the distance between us dwindles, its blackened tongue lashes out. Instead of dodging, I throw my hands forward, wrapping my fingers around the base of all six pincers as the creature slams its body into mine.
Stars explode across my vision as we crash into the ground, splintering the polarized lens of my helmet.
Fresh pain lances through my already throbbing brain, but it isn’t alone.
The heat coursing through my veins intensifies, demanding to be used.
I grit my teeth and release the vibrating energy, sending it into the Sol’s writhing, splintered tongue.
Hot saliva drenches my cracked helmet and leathers as it wails in agony, then falls silent.
Before I can catch my breath, the creature is hoisted off me by its greedy kin. Talons rip past my leathers into my throat, heaving me off the ground by my neck. The burnt flesh around its mouth stretches open.
I shove my right hand onto its wrist. The tips of my nightstone blades graze the creature’s skin while broiling power pours from my palms.
The Sol flinches away with a shriek, dropping me to the sand and collapsing at my side.
This time, my knees take the brunt of the impact, yet my head is still swimming from the first collision.
Legs trembling, I try to stand, but the world tilts off its axis.
Or is that me? It’s hard to tell up from down as the ground falls out from beneath me, and I buckle onto my stomach.
Streaks of crimson drip from my throat, soiling the sand.
Blood whooshes in my addled brain, and my body feels so damn heavy.
It takes all my focus to roll onto my back and prepare for the next attack.
The third Sol hesitates. Though I’m immobile, it must be catching on that I’m not the easy prey I appear to be.
Its burning bloodthirsty eyes shift towards Gem, who’s too preoccupied with piercing her blade into the heart of the first Sol to notice the third leaning into its haunches a few feet away.
My breath catches, a scream forming at the base of my marred throat.
I won’t be able to send a solar flare without direct contact. I plead with my useless limbs to get up and move, but it’s like gravity itself is pinning me down.
“Gem!” I try to call her name, to warn her, but it comes out too slurred and soft.
By some small mercy, she hears me and tugs on the hilt of her poniard, yanking it from the first Sol’s chest.
The third creature pounces.
Gem rolls to the side, narrowly escaping the Sol’s outstretched arms. While it’s course-correcting, she makes a run for it.
With only three steps between them, it strikes again.
Everything stops. My pulse. My breaths. Time itself elongates to a crawl as charred arms wrap around Gem’s waist and back. The Sol lifts her off her feet, mouth parting.
Whatever it takes.
I may be broken, but I am not weak—and I will not let her die.
That single thought silences all others as power surges from my body.
An aura of golden flames explodes across sand and grass. The line of fire barrels forward like a wave, engulfing the two limp forms of the fallen Sols before crashing into the third creature’s legs. Its bare, charred skin takes to the flames like primed kindling.
Though the golden embers roiling across the ground fizzle out before Gem falls, the blaze surrounding the Sol burns brighter. The creature drops to the glassy sand, rolling to extinguish the flames.
Instead of running for cover, Gem crawls over to the thrashing body and buries her blade in its neck. The Sol shudders one last time, then abruptly stills.
Head slumping in relief, my heavy eyelids fall shut.
Gem is alive, if not safe.
I can finally give into the clawing blackness.