Page 112 of In Between Darkness

“Asha is different!” His voice is stern. “Show them.” His eyes meet mine encouragingly, and I know he wants me to flaunt my gifts.

I shuffle in my stance awkwardly as silence rolls over each member of the audience.

I gulp as the attention turns to me and stare back as their faces gleam with anger and resentment, waiting for a villain to project it onto. Ryder gives me a reassuring look and stands by me like a bodyguard. I bite the bullet and ignite my Gifts, not knowing how the crowd will respond. The anger and resentment quickly contort into shock and disbelief as they gawk at my palms, a shadow in one hand and a fiery orb in the other.

“My mother was a Sun and my father was a Moon… I have no sides. I just want to do what’s right.”

The chatter arises among the Moons as Ryder steps forward again.

“But that’s impossible!” a small voice breaks through the stunned crowd.

“That’s what the Sunkind wants you to believe,” I interrupt, looking around the room at the sea of open-mouthed faces. “You and I have a common enemy. The Sunkind wiped out my race thousands of years ago and then made everyone forget.”

The room falls silent.

“But that was then, and I have been around them long enough to see that they aren’t all bad.” I smile at River, who forces a smile back at me, keeping his head high to not show weakness.

“Ryder and I staked out the place. Moons are involved in this too.”

Another gasp waves through the sea of people.

“Anyone have anything to say now?!” Ryder’s voice bellows as he crosses his arms. Not a noise ripples through the room. “That’s what I thought.”

He paces the stage before addressing the crowd again. “I have alerted my father to the plan, we already have an army, with or without you.”

His eyes narrow on the crowd. “Who is going to join us?”

***

I toast my hands in front of the fire and find myself getting lost in the flames, the faint crackle swallowed by the ambient noise of Moons sharpening their swords, checking their straps and lacing their boots to prepare for battle. The Moons possessing the Gift of Xoro, masters of weaponry and skill, have been turning mere sticks and leaves into the sharpest, shiniest blades and weapons I have ever seen as if by magic. We set up camp for the night in the forest at the bottom of the mountain. The road is only a few miles out, and the Shadowers have their hawks on watch for the van to alert us when it makes an appearance.

The heat from the fire fights the cold air and barely warms my skin. My stomach hasn’t settled. Images of the red-veined creature keep biting at my brain with needle-sharp teeth, and I can’t help but feel at a disadvantage. The Moons surround me, gearing up for a battle they may lose. My eyes dissect them. At first glance, they look unbothered, laughing amongst each other, telling dirty jokes and play-fighting. But an eerie stillness follows their conversations, hanging on the edge of their lips, just waiting for a pause to reveal itself, a seed of doubt sprouting through the cracks of their words, and I know they feel it too. The calm before the storm.

“What are you thinking about?” River interrupts my thoughts as he begins tightening the laces of his boots.

I sigh. “I just can’t help thinking we are in way over our heads,” I whisper, looking at Ryder, who is talking with a tall blonde boy on the other side of camp.

“Who are you and what have you done with Asha?” River smirks as he wraps his laces into a small bow. “The Asha I know is absolutely fearless.”

He laughs, and I can’t help the slight smile that rises on my lips. A brief silence encumbers us.

“If anyone should be scared, it’s them,” he says in all seriousness. “Because they don’t have you.” He smiles and shuffles closer to me, and for the first time this evening, my shoulders relax a little.

“Thanks.” I smile and prod the flames. “Thanks for wanting to help me.”

“Always.” He smiles back and begins ripping the fabric of his shirt with his teeth. I stare back at him, confused for a minute, and then chuckle. “A very smart girl once showed me how to do this,” he jokes and wraps the material around his knife.

“Oh, really?! She must be a genius,” I banter back, laughing out loud for the first time today.

“She’s really something.” He smiles a genuine smile and gazes soulfully into my eyes, my cheeks flush pink, and I clear my throat to interrupt this moment.

Ryder’s heavy footsteps barge in, and he squeezes himself between us.

“You okay?” Ryder asks as he cups my face in his hand. I ease into his touch and watch River walk away.

“Did you really have to do that?” I reply, brushing his hand away from my cheek.

“Do what?” Ryder shuffles back, looking confused, and I stare at him for a moment.