Page 9

The Weeping Sun

Grace

We reach the humble inn as the sun lowers, the golden rays angling through the oak trees. The shadows stretch across the land like long fingers, aching to touch their lover. We walk to our room in silence, the mood solemn as we reach the door. Fallon sets me down on the flat bed and slips off my patched boots, massaging my tired feet.

“We’ll try again, alright, kid? It was just a fluke. He was an angry, bitter man and took it out on you. I think maybe we should stick to children for now, at least until we get our bearings. Ok?” He examines me with sad eyes. “Are you hungry?”

I shake my head slowly, feeling exhausted: emotionally, mentally, physically. “I just want a nap right now, please.”

“Alright, Gracie.” His concerned eyes look me up and down. I can tell my brother wants to say more, do more. Fallon gazes at me longingly, one more time before he leaves the room.

Evie gives me a small smile and leaves with him.

My head sinks into the cool pillow, and the warm breeze tickles my face. I don’t have time to dwell on what happened. Sleep takes me quickly, beckoning me into its quiet darkness.

I feel cold wisps touching my face, and I open my eyes groggily. Black shadows surround me, touching and prodding my skin. I startle, but I’m not afraid. I feel welcomed by the dark mist, and I reach my hand out, swaying my fingers through the icy air.

My feet start moving, carrying me through the shadows with a smile on my face. They push me forward, encouraging me to keep going. What is this place? My gaze explores around me, but I see nothing, only black. It feels so magical. I laugh excitedly, twirling and feeling the cold clouds through my open fingers. This place feels familiar, yet undiscovered. Have I been here before?

A loud earthquake suddenly throws me onto the ground, the rumbling making me scream. Another hits immediately after, followed by another in quick succession.

A growl roars through the air, filling my chest with fear. There is something else in here. I glue myself to the floor, keeping low as I hide in the shadows. The beast bellows as I recognize the earthquakes as its footsteps. Until finally, it’s deadly quiet. The only sounds, my rapid breaths and thundering heart.

A deep male voice purrs into the night. “You are not supposed to be here.”

I jerk up suddenly, panting and sweating, looking around frantically to see darkness encompassed the room. Fallon sleeps peacefully next to me, snoring loudly. The moon shines her light through the window, illuminating the door. I slow my breathing, placing a hand to my wet chest. I must have had a nightmare. I don’t even remember sleeping; I must have been exhausted. My stomach cramps and growls loudly into the quiet room. I wonder if they are still serving dinner downstairs.

I turn to Fallon and shake his shoulder. “Fal, where’s Evie?”

He mumbles sleepily, “Own room.”

Oh, she got herself a room. The guards must be gone. That’s good news at least. “I’m gonna get some food,” I tell him.

He mumbles incoherently .

I climb out of bed, and my body is still sore. My legs are a little shaky, but I’m standing without help. My back muscles are aching, and I definitely need to do some stretches later, but right now, I’m starving. I put on my boots and venture downstairs. It’s quiet and only a couple of lanterns are lit. I guess that means no dinner service. I huff, looking around the plain room. The flame in the lanterns dance, creating flickering shadows. I watch the calmness of the show, the effect making my chest feel light. My stomach grumbles, ordering me to move on. I’ll try and sneak into our supply pack and grab something from there. I walk outside and a warm breeze hits me. It’s so much nicer this far inland than at home. The coastal weather and breezes make our village feel so much colder than it is.

I stare into the dark silhouette of the forest, the moonlight only breaching the top layer of the trees. I can’t believe how things went earlier today with Mr. Weaver. I was nervous this was how they would react. It is a Gods’ gift after all, and Gods are forbidden. Even being associated with it would get you hung, swiftly and without trial. It was quick thinking on Fallon’s part to warn Mr. Weaver that he would be swinging with the rest of us if he reported us. Except, now Fallon wants to try again. What will change?

We got lucky with Anna, her parents didn’t report us, but others aren’t going to feel the same way. I don’t want to threaten everyone we heal. I don’t want to be looked at in disgust every time I give a piece of my soul away. I don’t want Fallon and Evie to get hurt. If it was just me, would I do it? I could run now and get to Halla on my own. If I got caught, they wouldn’t have Evie and Fallon, they would be safe. I would swing on my own. I’ve lived through a death already, what’s one more? I have embraced it into my soul. In fact, I don’t think the darkness ever really left when I emerged from the ocean that night.

That cold, cold night.

How can I subject them to something like that? How can I aid in sending them to the darkness? Shivers run up my back in memory of the helplessness I felt in that murk. No. I cannot risk their lives. I can take care of myself in Halla, I can handle the rejection. Even if it destroys my soul. I will heal others at the risk of my own broken heart.

I eye the tree line, my feet slowly start shuffling against the dirt road. The trees call to me, extending their shadowed hands, reaching for me with angst. I reach back. My decision is final. I will do this on my own. They may miss me, but it’s for the best.

“Where exactly do you think you’re going, little Gracie?” Evie’s voice startles me out of my trance. She’s standing there, off to the side of the inn, hiding in the dark shadows.

I shriek and clutch my heart, it’s pounding faster than a drum. “You scared me half to death, Evie!”

“Where. Were. You. Going,” she demands, coming out of the shadows and stalking toward me.

“Nowhere. For a walk,” I lie, my breathing heavy.

“So, is it nowhere, or for a walk?” She stares at me angrily. I stay quiet. “Alright, walk it is; let’s go.” Evie grabs my arm in an iron grip and forces me to walk with her. Gods, she’s strong.

We stroll in silence for a while, my stomach grumbling is the only sound I hear. The night is full of shadows, there is barely any light out. How can she see where we’re going? I look at her silhouette, moonlight dimly lights her face. Her thin brows are furrowed, and she has a slight scowl set. Blazes, she’s even pretty when she’s angry. I look forward again, trying to come up with an excuse.

“You’ve never asked me what my name was,” she says suddenly.

“What? Your name is Evie,” I reply, confused.

“Evie is a just nickname, Grace. My real name is Evangeline … Princess Evangeline.” Her voice is barely a whisper as she reveals her secret.

I dig my heels into the ground and stop. I throw myself toward her as she clamps a hand over my mouth, just in time for me to scream.

“What! Princess? You’re a princess?” It comes out muffled under her porcelain hand.

“Stop screaming. It’s a secret, you idiot,” Evie whispers angrily.

I stop and stare at her with wide eyes, my breathing coming out in pants against her delicate fingers. She’s a fucking princess ? “Where?” It’s still muffled.

She looks at me like I’m stupid. “Uh, Thelios? Duh?”

I pry her hand off my mouth. “Why are you down here?” I ask. She looks away from me, staring into the ground. Her eyes glaze over with a faraway look.

“I ran away,” Evie speaks quietly. Suddenly, her gaze cuts back to me fiercely. “Which is what you were just about to do, wasn’t it? How could you? Do you know what that would have done to your brother? To me? We both lost you once already, Grace, you promised me you wouldn’t leave again.” She’s angry again, no, Evie is furious.

I did promise her, didn’t I? “It’s just … I’m putting you both in danger,” I say .

“We decided to do this, all of us, together. It’s not just you. You don’t get to decide to do it by yourself and leave us. We know the danger we are putting ourselves in. I know the risk, Grace. But we believe in this, it’s greater than just you. This is a start to something big. If this is going to work, we need to do it together,” she whispers to me sternly. “No running away, Grace. Whatever we face, we face head on. Together. Say it.”

“Together,” I whisper as I gaze into her fierce eyes.

She stares at me for a long while before deciding my promise is enough. Evie roughly turns me and walks me back to the inn.

“Are you gonna tell me why you ran away?”

She shrugs. “Parents wanted a life for me that I didn’t want.”

I know there’s more she’s not saying, but I’m not gonna push her. I can’t believe Evie’s been keeping that a secret. She’s the lost Fae princess of Thelios; she’s been gone for decades. Mom read about her in one of my bedtime stories when I was a child. Except, in the book, they said she was stolen by a human, not that she ran away.

We get back to the chipped wooden door, and Evie stops me. She heads to the stable and returns with some jerky, cheese, and bread. “I heard your stomach growling,” she says to me.

I smile my thanks and head back inside, stopping at the door. “Are you coming in?” I ask her.

“I’ll be up in a bit,” Evie replies, walking back to the shadow I found her in earlier.

I make my way back to my room and eat my snacks. Fallon is still passed out in bed, none the wiser I almost left.

I awake suddenly to the feeling of my face hitting the solid ground as I’m forced out of bed. My body protests in pain as it registers that we are now on the floor. I grunt in pain. “What the blazes?” I mutter, confused.

“Time to wake up, sleepyhead,” Fallon shouts from the bed. “We’re getting breakfast today and then we’re going back to Halla!”

My face aches as my leg throbs in pain. “Did you kick me out of the bed?” I ask incredulously.

“Yup!” Fallon’s cheery face pops up over the edge of the bed. “Evie told me this morning that you were gonna run away, so I had to decide between kicking or punching you. I chose kicking.” He saunters over to me, crouching down to my level, his voice going wicked. “You ever try that shit again, Gracie, I will call the Gods themselves down to punish you.” He stands with a smile, strolling up and out the door while whistling a song.

I lie there on the ground, in shock. That asshole told .

Frustrated, I pull myself off of the cold floor and stomp out of the room to meet the two assholes downstairs. I see them sitting at a table with fresh food, waiting for me. I sit heavily, shaking the tipsy table, glowering from my seat. There are fresh eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and toast. It smells delicious, making my mouth water. I angrily take a bite of bacon and moan. Oh Gods, that’s delicious.

“Please, never make that sound again,” Fallon pleads, eyeing me with disgust.

I glare at him, sticking out my tongue with chewed food on it. It’s been days since I’ve actually eaten a meal. “So, I heard something interesting last night,” I say and look at Evie pointedly. I feel a hard kick on my calf under the table. I narrow my eyes at Evie furiously while she continues to eat her breakfast nonchalantly.

“You know, there is a no-telling rule in this family, Evie.” My voice hinting to last night.

She just shrugs in reply.

“Really. That is all you have to say for yourself?”

“Fallon needed to know, Grace. We’re a team,” Evie replies, taking a sip of her steaming mug, her dark chocolate eyes staring at me.

I glare at her some more and shove another bite of eggs into my mouth, not taking my eyes off of her.

Fallon clears his throat. “So—”

“Butt out!” I shriek, not breaking eye contact with Evie.

“Grace. You’re being a child,” she says to me.

“You’re being a princess ,” I purr.

She inhales dramatically, staring at me with wide eyes and mouth agape.

“Oh shit, I should’ve been calling you princess to get on your nerves, apparently.” Fallon chuckles .

“Try it and I’ll gut you,” she growls, slamming a knife into the oak table.

Fallon gulps loudly. “I think I’m gonna go eat my breakfast over here.” He grabs his plate in a rush and hurries away.

“I cannot believe you,” Evie whispers.

“Me? I can’t believe you!” I raise my voice at her.

“I’m done eating,” she says, dropping her fork on her plate with a clank and getting up from the table.

“Me too.” We get up, glaring at each other as we stomp outside.

Fallon runs up behind us. “Oh, we’re leaving now? Yeah, that’s cool, I was done eating anyways.” And then we start to walk down the dirt road toward Halla and not another word was said.

We hike through the trees and into the farmlands once more, and it’s still just as depressing. Broken-down barns litter the farms, and farmers here are too poor to own many animals, so it’s rare to see them. It’s a whole lot of nothing, and I’m still fuming at Evie. I trail far behind them, not wanting to be anywhere near them. I stare at the red dirt ground as I mutter to myself. I thought we were close, why would she tell my brother? She told me her secret about running away. I would keep it forever. But the moment I have a minute of doubt, she blabs on me? I cannot believe her. Why is it ok for her to run away, but not me? I mean, really, she did it, why can’t I? I bet she’s broken some promises to people she’s loved, so I can too.

The wind is absent today; her whistling silent. There is no air to run through the grasses; the rustling missing. The crickets aren’t playing their tunes; there will be no songs today. I look up into the sky and find no black bird to keep me company today. I stare up anyways.

She’s broken promises to people she loved. She ran away from her family, and I don’t think she’s ever been back. How many of those people did she have promises toward? Her friends, her siblings, her parents? Does she regret running away? Is she trying to keep our promise now to make up for her past broken ones? Or is simply that she knows how it feels to break it to a loved one? Maybe she told Fallon so I could feel how terrible it felt.

“Grace!” Fallon yells in the distance, breaking me out of my thoughts. My eyes pull forward and see him racing toward me. “Grace!” Fallon screams again, his voice urgent as he sprints faster than I’ve ever seen before, coming closer to me.

What’s going on? Where’s Evie? I try to peer behind him, but Fallon’s urgency pulls my attention back to him .

“Grace, run!” he shouts at me. “Go!”

My eyes spot movement behind him, and I see them now. There are guards in the distance, and they are chasing Fallon. Except, I don’t see Evie. Where is Evie? Oh Gods. I start running toward him. I don’t care if they get me; I have to help Evie.

“No, Grace, run! Please !” Fallon screams in a desperate plea.

“Evie!” I wail, my heart feeling like it might leap out of my body as I sprint toward him. Time slows as I feel each boot scuff in the red dirt. I take in everything around me, the heat of the sun, the dry air whooshing in my lungs, the terrified expression on my brother’s face. This isn’t happening, please tell me this isn’t real. They can’t have her.

Fallon meets me in the middle and catches me around the waist. “No!” He locks onto me like a steel clamp, preventing me from going on any further.

“Evie! I have to get her! Please !” I’m desperately trying to get out of his arms, clawing at his hands. I watch as the white-armored guards rush us, getting closer with every passing second. I don’t register the impending danger, I need to rescue my best friend.

Fallon throws me backward, giving me a shove, before grabbing my shoulders and shaking me hard. “We have to run, Grace, someone reported us. It was an ambush. They were waiting for us. Evie bought us time, but we must go! Now!” My brother grips my face, making me stare into his frightened eyes. “She’s gone. We have to go, now.”

I stare at him, his words sinking in as the tears start running down my face.

“Let’s go.” Fallon grips my hand and pulls me into a run.

I see the Moon Guards clearly now; they are close behind us. I can see the details of their armor, the silver moon emblem clear on their chest. I see each of their faces, determination and malice striking through their eyes. Realization sets in. There are so many guards, there is no way Evie survived. I cry harder. We fly down the path, and Fallon pulls me to the side into the tall golden grass. “In here!” We jump into the grass, running deeper within. “Get down. Stay quiet,” Fallon orders urgently, keeping a sweaty grip on my hand.

“They went in the grass!” yells a guard.

“Search it,” an authoritative voice booms.

I hear multiple guards marching through the grass, rustling the long blades as they search. A sharp sound cuts through, each swipe getting closer to us. I look at my brother, silently crying and whisper, “They’re cutting the grass, Fal, they’re gonna kill us. ”

Fallon’s lost gaze locks on me with tears in his eyes. He brings a hand up to caress my wet cheek. “I love you, Gracie Bear.” I let out a small sob as he pulls me in for an embrace before giving me a long kiss on top of my head.

We are going to die. I let the tears run down my face, falling off my cheeks and into the dirt below us. I focus my eyes on his throat, watching his pulse beat under his golden skin. I center myself, breathing in my brother’s scent. There is the distinct smell of sweat, but underneath is his usual fresh ocean water smell. I cover his rough hand with my own, relishing the last moments I have with him.

Fallon slowly pulls away and gives me a small nod. His hands linger on my wet cheeks, the sorrow in his eyes now filled with fire and determination. “My death will be warm.”

And then he runs.

Fallon ! Oh Gods, what did he just do?

I hear him shouting and running, trying to get the guards’ attention away from me.

“There! Grab him!” demands a guard. He’s the one giving orders to the others. He must be their captain. “After him!”

I shake violently as I try to come up with a plan. My breathing hiccups as my eyes blur. I look for something, anything to help. My hands touch the ground frantically, palming the dirt, looking for some kind of weapon. A sob breaks through my mouth as there is nothing here. I need to get help. Yes, someone will help me. I start moving, jogging through the grass, crouching low. The tall blades scratch my wet face, tickling my arms as I navigate through it.

The guards keep chasing after Fallon, and it’s silent for a while. I keep crouched low, sobbing as I run. How did this happen? Who turned us in? I bet it was Mr. Weaver, that asshole; he’s killed us all. I need to stay silent, but my brother is running for his life. Please, run fast Fallon.

“It’s just a boy, there’s no girl!” shouts a guard, much farther away.

“You three, keep looking for the girl. Priest said she has white hair, find her!” orders the Guard Captain.

I’m crying so hard, holding my hand over my nose and mouth to stay quiet. I rustle through the grass in silence. They have Fallon, they caught him. My brother sacrificed himself for me. I need to think of a plan, I need to save him. I can’t let them have him.

“Come on out, sweetheart, we got your brother. We’ll take mercy on him if you come out now,” demands the Guard Captain. “If you don’t, well, we don’t need him alive. And there is a lot you can do to a body and still keep them alive.” He chuckles darkly.

Oh no, they’re gonna torture him. I freeze in my tracks as my breathing stops, my heart dropping into my stomach.

“Don’t listen to them, Grace—” Fallon’s voice is cut off with a pained grunt.

“Come on, sweetheart, make this easy on your brother!” implores the guard.

Another pained grunt from my brother echoes into the air.

They aren’t going to stop. They’ll torture him until he’s dead. But maybe if I come out, we have a chance to explain. I don’t waste any more time. “Stop!” I shout. “Don’t touch him!” I stand from the grasses and look at Fallon.

“Grace!” Fallon roars in anguish and thrashes in the guards’ grips. “No!”

The Guard Captain smiles at me. “Grab her. Kill the boy.”

No . “Fallon!” I scream from my lungs as the decorated guard pulls out his shining sword. My brother’s eyes are full of despair, watching me intently. The guard acts quickly, running the sharp steel tip through his stomach. It cuts through muscle, piercing his organs and breaches his back, the blade gleaming with thick blood. Fallon grunts in pain, but keeps his sweet honey eyes on me.

“Run,” he wheezes, crimson blood pouring from his mouth.

I scream and race toward him, throwing myself over the tall grass; I need to get to him; I need to heal him. A guard storms me and catches me around the waist. “No! Let go of me! Fallon!” I scream and watch, helpless as the guard retracts his sword from his stomach. Fallon’s slumped body falls to the ground. I struggle to breathe. Get up . I stare at his body with bated breath, waiting for a sign of life, but blood continues to flow from his stomach. It pours into the dirt path beneath him, creating a puddle of deep red liquid. He doesn’t move.

Fury washes over me, and I attack the guard holding me back in a blind rage. I kick and thrash and claw at his face. I scratch into his face with such violent anger that I leave deep gashes into his cheeks, trying to claw out his eyes.

“Stop it, you little bitch!” he shouts, trying desperately to stop my furious hands.

Another guard walks up, chuckling at us. “Come on, man, you can’t control this tiny bitch? This is how it’s done.” He hits me once in the head with the hilt of his dagger, sending the world into darkness.