Heartfelt Sounds (16 page)
When I make it to the stairs, the heat is deafening.
Someone grabs a hold of my robe. “We need to be the last.” Hana tells me. She shoves a metal object towards me. It's cold in my hand. It resembles the mark upon my arm. “If I don't come out, give that to one of Hinata's retainers. They'll know what to do.”
I nod, my lips a grim line. I think to ask if I can stay—if I can help by sticking close to her. But I know the answer. I know the answer and I nod as I pocket the emblem.
She smiles. Hardens her face and pushes me. “Go on, then, Kokoros. I'll find you when everyone's out.”
And I move down the stairs, following the crowd towards those big double doors at the castle's large entrance. When my slippers touch marble and I'm close enough to spot the morning sky, smoke parades through my nostrils. Constricting my chest. Making me cough. I turn to see it rolling from a large room towards the castle's heart. A group of guardsmen approach the fog of smoke, throwing off their iron chest-plates and other pieces of armor as they move towards it.
When one man throws a look over his shoulder, I immediately recognize Badger. I bite my lip and look towards the sky before rushing towards him. Ignoring Hana's training, I sprint.
The heat is worse here. Licking at me. The concealed flame inside breathing as if we were approaching the mouth of a monstrous dragon.
“
Badger.”
Badger jumps. His angular face is free of his scarf and drenched in sweat. “What, runt? I'm trying to work here! Would you—,”
An explosion rocks the castle, the smoky mouth of the castle's heart spewing a monstrous wooden rafter that spirals towards us as I bring my hands over my head. Badger throws himself on top of me and I feel the weight of him pressing down on me. I hear him grunt as he presses himself up and I'm free just as a thousand voices cry out. Screaming. Rushing—running. Millions of feet scramble just as flaming debris rams itself into the stairs near the entrance. Voices erupt into a collection of explosive cries as the wooden rafter slams into the marble of the floor, the debris splintering with a massive
crack
that reverberates through everyone like the shattering of a giant's bone.
“You need to go—leave!” Badger spits at me as he pushes himself up and offers a hand to me.
I don't take it. I push myself up. “Someone started this fire.” I tell him.
“Well no shit. They're still in there and we're trying to get 'em out!”
“Can I—,”
“Unless you're resistant to fucking
fire,
I suggest you go
that way.”
and he points towards the exit. Towards the sky.
Just as another ball of flaming wooden debris flies our way and slams into Badger's three other companions. Badger shields me—throws me towards the left wall just as more wood explodes. Hitting him. Jutting through his chest as his other companions are hit. Burned. Scarred with smoking wood. With orange flame that reaches from the great hall with gnarled fingers before it retreats back into the room.
Those were timed. Those explosions were
timed!
I'm at Badger's side as he bleeds. As he holds the splintered wood that juts through his chest like it belongs there. Like it's a part of him and he doesn't want it to move. “You need to get him,” Badger wheezes. Blood erupts from his mouth and he coughs. “he wouldn't hurt you, Kokoros. He wouldn't hurt—,” and he's coughing again. I press my hand to his back and I can feel the blood pooling from him. Dripping from him as if his body were crying through that hole the wood made. My eyes burn as smoke makes me cough and Badger smiles, the twisted scar upon his face swirling with the movement of his lips. With his free hand, he swipes a scarf from the floor. He presses it to my chest. “Go get him, Kokoros. I'll be right here.”
And he presses it to me. Shoves it to me and I nod. I blink away tears as I tie the scarf around my face and stalk towards the smoke. It billows and I want to look back—to make sure Badger's eyes are still on me—but something tells me not to. Something tells me to keep my eyes centered—fixed. Looking ahead of me in case more flaming wood is thrown. Just in case the arson wants to impale me as well.
He wouldn't hurt you, Kokoros.
Grey becomes my vision. Black swirls dangerously at its edges and I look around the large room. I walk slowly, keenly. I hear flame bite at my ears before me, but it's dying. It's going away as I come closer.
“He'll never return. He won't be able to come back now.”
A familiar voice. It comes from the very back of the room and I follow it. Firelight dies around me as smoke extends it's suffocating arms and grows stronger.
“He'll have nothing to return to. Nothing. I'll bring this whole castle down. All of it!”
“Please!” I call out—the voice pauses. Takes a breath. “Don't do that—thousands live here! Would you ruin their home because of one man?”
A snort. “He'd ruin the world for one territory. One plot of land. What's a castle? Hm? A home?”
“The livelihoods of the innocent!”
And fire roars in my ears. Rises like a crashing wave around me—but opens a path. Guides me towards the voice at the back of the room as it hisses. As it sizzles and roars like an injured animal. My skin burns. I narrow my eyes and cough as I continue on—as I throw my gaze over my shoulder and see flame broiling behind me. Waiting for me to step back. To turn and run.
I cannot be a coward now.
“None of them are innocent.” the voice is deadpan. Monotonous. “You of all people…”
The fire dies. Falls with embers floating and darkness covers all.
Hue approaches me from the shadows. His arms on fire.
And for a moment, I see that battlefield the soul showed me from so long ago. Slick with blood. Blackened by flame.
A man on fire.
I step away. “Are you—,”
“I'm not going to hurt you, Kokoros.” his smile is a taunt as one arm extinguishes.
“But will you stop this? Stop trying to hurt these people?”
Hue sighs. Frowns and shakes his head. “You still don't
get it,
Kokoros! You don't! No—,” his extinguished hand is hot when it touches my shoulder. When it grabs me. “my father disowned me. The Dawnlord threw me to his most savage general—but I know why now. I know
why.”
“Hue—
Hue, please…”
“I know what you are to them. I
know.
And I'll be nice—I'll do as you ask. I won't destroy Tsubame, I'm going to destroy
him,”
and his arm snakes to my throat. Tightens and hooks me—just as fire erupts around his clenched fist. Inches from my face—from my hair. “and you're going to help me.”
I am helpless when Hue shoves me through the smoking room, fire swallowing the hand of the arm that hooks me. That forces me forward as his captive. The darkness swells, bubbles and bursts as we enter the wide room of marble that serves as the castle's exit. Smoking debris litters shiny floors, as do the blackened and charred bodies of Badger's companions. Blood sits beneath some, staining the slick marble beneath them as the large splinters of wooden rafters double as pikes—jutting from their chests and faces. I turn to look for Badger, but hiss when Hue's burning hand almost burns a hole through my face.
A hand clasps my ankle. “
Hue…?”
Badger's voice and I look down. I whimper at the amount of blood that's drained from him. He looks ashen. Pale. Like a ghost. “
Hue…this isn't how it was supposed to happen…”
Hue does not pause. He shoves me forward. Mumbles: “I couldn't trust you.”
“But—but Hue…”
and Badger wheezes when we move past him. He's fighting for breath as I hear heels slowly clack upon the marble. “…I could bring this whole castle down, Hue…right on top of us…”
Behind me, Hue tenses. Freezes and I feel him turn his head.
“Goodnight, starling.”
I feel the ground tremble. Marble
cracks
as tiny fissures erupt through the ground at my feet. “You have lost the right to say that.” Badger hisses and the cracks upon the ground widen as Hue roars—flame blazing from his opposite arm. Marble mirrors a dangerous dance of scarlet and orange as Hue flings the raging fire towards Badger.
Who screams. Who quiets as the world dies around us.
Starling?
Hue shoves me forward when Badger's body thumps onto the marble. When the smell of burnt skin and singed hair wafts towards us, I clench my jaw. My whole body tenses when Hue forces me away. And as we come closer to the exit, my heart surges into my throat. The gathering crowd of Tsubame's residents are scattered upon the grass. Their panic gone as they watch movement from down the road. As they listen to a soft cadence sung upon the morning wind—and I think the tune sounds familiar. Eerily familiar.
A morning sky opens up as Hue's hand extinguishes and he leads me towards the grass. Towards the murmuring crowd and a purple sky tinged with a harrowing brightness. The sun's coming. As, farther down the rolling golden hills, a large palanquin rocks with the swaying movement of armored men marching as they hold the monstrous vehicle on strong shoulders. Behind the swaying palanquin, I notice a figure swathed in creeping shadows.
“There she is.” Hue murmurs into my ear. Lets go of me as he comes to my side, but holds me there. His rough hand curling around my forearm. Choking my wrist. “What's your real name?”
I swallow. “What is a Starling?”
His nails bite into my wrist and I wince. “We've known about you for months, Kokoros. She wants you—badly enough to tell
everyone.
All of us were kept on the look out—but I was lucky enough to
hear you sing—,”
I try to snatch my wrist away, but he holds me there—heat sizzles from his palm and burns me. “What's your real name, Kokoros?
Tell me.”
And the heat sears me. White smoke wafts up and I think I'm going to scream—going to—
“Kokoros!”
Hana's voice as feet come rushing towards me. Thumping through the dead grass. The castellan's missing his cap and feather when he comes to stand in front of Hue. His robes are singed. Tinged with black as he crosses his arms and sneers. “Scullion—you know bet—,”
“Sahin.”
Hana hisses as she presses her hands to my shoulders. “Do you see who is on the horizon?”
And the elder pauses. Turns.
Just as flames ripple down Hue's right arm and he whips his wrist towards the elder as heads in the crowd turn at the sudden smell of smoke and flame. As Hana
screams
and my hand slips from Hue's grasp and Sahin
shrieks
as fire swallows his face. As red flames grow and rocket up towards the sky—the roars of the fire choking the elder until he's silent. Until he thumps to the grass and wreathes upon the ground in an uncontrollable dance of red hot agony that is eventually overcome by black death.
Hana pulls me away—sprints and I'm forced to follow. Forced to tumble after her as her grip becomes a choke-hold on my hand.
“Hana—he's going to hurt you—let me go!”
She looks back—tears flying from her face as I hear Hue
roar.
“I told you I'd protect you—I told you I'd—,”
“Do you even
understand
what you're
doing?!” Hue
screams
as an angry ball of fire soars over our heads, the light sweltering as it brings searing heat. I hear screams and panicked feet as the murmuring crowd devolves into one spurned by fear. Spurned by a churning need to
get away.
Hana pauses and I rush into her. We tumble to the ground and skid to a stop in the yellow grass. I'm on my back when I hear feet rushing. When I watch a league of pumping legs rush by and a body pauses near me. A head appears over my own. Hovering.
“A voice—,” Hana's voice and she lies to my left. She's choking and panting. Crying as her fingers find mine in the grass. “—a voice made me
stop.
I—I can't
move—,”
I open my mouth, but no sound comes. My fingers flex—they freeze. It's like I'm a prisoner in my own body as my gaze glues itself to the brightening sky above. It's like the world has paused. It's like the world's inhaling—inhaling slowly—as everything comes to a crushing
halt.
Wide black eyes look down into my own. A young face, tapered by long chestnut hair that slides over thin shoulders. The shoulders of a dancer.
Overhead, Rin stares down at me. Smiles.
As I watch him become two. His person splitting as the man who stands over me becomes translucent. A pale body. A face that I could see through—like a ghost. A spirit. His solid body wanders away. Towards where the fire came from. Where the rushing feet and screams originated.
He was never your friend.
Rin's voice. His lips do not move as he stares.
None of us are.
He moves. Disappears as my toes twitch and I propel myself to sitting. I move in the grass—looking for Hue—as Hana grabs my arm. Pulls me down towards her and quick fingers strike out for my throat and pull. She forces my head into her chest and combs her fingers through my hair and I feel her whole body tremble. She holds me when I hear a wet gurgle. My eyes snap open and I try to shove her away—I try to push myself away but she only murmurs deeply and strengthens her hold on me. She forces my gaze into her chest. Into her embrace.
“Goodnight starling.”
Rin's voice. I freeze.
There's a cry. A shout.
As a body falls into the grass—lifeless.
And the ground rocks as something heavy is thumped into the grass.
The people of Tsubame cheer. A thousand knees hit the grass as Hana throws me to the ground and shoves her own forehead onto the grass.
“Lord Hinata,”
I hear her murmur as I hide my face—following her. Trembling. As another body lies down beside me, giving thanks.
“
May night skies keep black birds.”
Rin's voice. Rin's prayer.
I shiver.
My forehead merges with the dead grass beneath me as bodies move around me.
I hear Hana gasp. “Rin? Rin—where have you gone?”
Feet rush through the grass, crunching blades. “Sir?”
