bring her back.
Ian’s hand lay on the small of her back, the pain on his face so stark I couldn’t bear to look at it. Garreth, Aubrey’s gardinel, stood beside them, his craggy face solemn, eyes hollow. His hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly by his side.
I exited, needing to breathe fresh air. No matter how far you run, the stench of death never really leaves.
I’d seen Aubrey glow with anger. I’d seen her pale with shock and worry, I’d seen her explode with fierce loyalty and burn with love.
But I’d never seen her cry.
I would’ve given anything to have never seen her cry.
An intense ache clamped down on my body as if a building had landed on my chest.
The Shadow has always made this personal.
I’d known the moment I saw her in that cafeteria.
There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that Merbais had been targeted because of Noelle. He’d hurt Aubrey to get to me.
So much death, so much pain, to make a single point.
Where are you?
On the left, a huge barn sat in front of the entrance to the woods. Almost two stories high, it eerily towered over the other buildings. The wood was worn, long strips of paint peeling off like tears.
“What’s that?” I asked a passing chevalier.
“Academy’s training center.”
The place looked like it should be condemned, not a facility for the next generation of chevaliers. Comparing it to Lumiere’s state of the art concrete and steel Training Center was like comparing my Datsun to Aubrey’s Lexus.
I slid open the door and entered. Moonlight spilled through the windows, bathing the insides in a soft glow.
Bars and ropes hung from the ceiling. A balance beam took up one corner of the room. A few old mats lined the center, enough to handle a dozen students at a time. One of the stalls used to hold horses had been converted into a makeshift weight room.
The equipment was decent, but outdated. Certainly not enough to support the level of training necessary for producing top tier chevaliers.
“What a dump.” Julian joined me, his sharp eyes quickly assessing the space. “It’s like parkour meet small town horror ala Stephen King.”
“This is what you were talking about.”
“I knew about it because of Gabe,” he said. “He told me a few of his ideas for updating chevalier training programs. He and Marcella were trying to convince the Council but were having a difficult time.”
“Why?”
“Because the Council only cares about what they see in front of them,” he said bluntly. “Do you think the Rosamunds or Blanchards give a shit about what happens in Merbais? They want the best in Haverleau because that’s where they live. They have no desire to fund or advocate change unless it supports their self-interests.”
“You could do it.” I turned to him. “You’re Head Chevalier. I’ll give you every support you need to —“
“Things won’t change.” Julian hopped up and sat on the balance beam. “Sometimes, you have to accept that things are the way they are.”
Aubrey’s stricken expression flashed before me. “I can’t do that.”
“Because you still believe in the impossible. Like ending this war.”
And he didn’t. “You don’t believe I’m the sondaleur . You don’t think I can end this.”
“It has nothing to do with you. You could be the most over-qualified brilliant warrior on the planet and I still wouldn’t believe you’re the sondaleur .”
“Why?”
“Because that prophecy is a pipe-dream. It’s Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy. It’s what they sell to convince us of the moral superiority of our actions, the lie of a different future. The sondaleur doesn’t exist. One person can’t stop the tide of crap that’s fueled this war for so long.”
He jumped down. “The others are meeting up at the town center. You might want to check-in before Cam decides to kick Bernard’s ass.”
He left, his words lingering in the night air with the stench of death and blood.
By the time I
Ian’s hand lay on the small of her back, the pain on his face so stark I couldn’t bear to look at it. Garreth, Aubrey’s gardinel, stood beside them, his craggy face solemn, eyes hollow. His hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly by his side.
I exited, needing to breathe fresh air. No matter how far you run, the stench of death never really leaves.
I’d seen Aubrey glow with anger. I’d seen her pale with shock and worry, I’d seen her explode with fierce loyalty and burn with love.
But I’d never seen her cry.
I would’ve given anything to have never seen her cry.
An intense ache clamped down on my body as if a building had landed on my chest.
The Shadow has always made this personal.
I’d known the moment I saw her in that cafeteria.
There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that Merbais had been targeted because of Noelle. He’d hurt Aubrey to get to me.
So much death, so much pain, to make a single point.
Where are you?
On the left, a huge barn sat in front of the entrance to the woods. Almost two stories high, it eerily towered over the other buildings. The wood was worn, long strips of paint peeling off like tears.
“What’s that?” I asked a passing chevalier.
“Academy’s training center.”
The place looked like it should be condemned, not a facility for the next generation of chevaliers. Comparing it to Lumiere’s state of the art concrete and steel Training Center was like comparing my Datsun to Aubrey’s Lexus.
I slid open the door and entered. Moonlight spilled through the windows, bathing the insides in a soft glow.
Bars and ropes hung from the ceiling. A balance beam took up one corner of the room. A few old mats lined the center, enough to handle a dozen students at a time. One of the stalls used to hold horses had been converted into a makeshift weight room.
The equipment was decent, but outdated. Certainly not enough to support the level of training necessary for producing top tier chevaliers.
“What a dump.” Julian joined me, his sharp eyes quickly assessing the space. “It’s like parkour meet small town horror ala Stephen King.”
“This is what you were talking about.”
“I knew about it because of Gabe,” he said. “He told me a few of his ideas for updating chevalier training programs. He and Marcella were trying to convince the Council but were having a difficult time.”
“Why?”
“Because the Council only cares about what they see in front of them,” he said bluntly. “Do you think the Rosamunds or Blanchards give a shit about what happens in Merbais? They want the best in Haverleau because that’s where they live. They have no desire to fund or advocate change unless it supports their self-interests.”
“You could do it.” I turned to him. “You’re Head Chevalier. I’ll give you every support you need to —“
“Things won’t change.” Julian hopped up and sat on the balance beam. “Sometimes, you have to accept that things are the way they are.”
Aubrey’s stricken expression flashed before me. “I can’t do that.”
“Because you still believe in the impossible. Like ending this war.”
And he didn’t. “You don’t believe I’m the sondaleur . You don’t think I can end this.”
“It has nothing to do with you. You could be the most over-qualified brilliant warrior on the planet and I still wouldn’t believe you’re the sondaleur .”
“Why?”
“Because that prophecy is a pipe-dream. It’s Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy. It’s what they sell to convince us of the moral superiority of our actions, the lie of a different future. The sondaleur doesn’t exist. One person can’t stop the tide of crap that’s fueled this war for so long.”
He jumped down. “The others are meeting up at the town center. You might want to check-in before Cam decides to kick Bernard’s ass.”
He left, his words lingering in the night air with the stench of death and blood.
By the time I
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