“I think… I think need some time alone.”
Jyn tugs at the sleeve of my robes. “No, please—”
“Just stay here.” I don’t recognize my own voice. It’s devoid of emotion, flat and cold. “I’ll return to the village and grab supplies for our travels. Remain out of sight.”
And with that, I stalk off. Shattered.
I march back to the village, stomping on twigs and whipping branches out of my way. A part of me wants to rip my own heart out to be free of this misery. I want to kick and scream and cry. How could my Fated One have even attempted such a terrible thing? Jyn says it would have been a mercy, but to whom?
And yet the more I think about it, the more I place myself in her shoes, the less I can bring myself to blame her. If our positions were reversed, could I stand to watch her die again and again over the course of millennia? My answer is quick and sure—absolutely not.
My love for this dragon transcends lifetimes, transcends our corporeal forms. I would choose her for all eternity over a seat in Heaven. If I had been in her shoes, I, too, would have lost my mind.
By the time evening falls, the first few tents of the village come into view. I’ve finally made it back. Taking a deep breath, I advance. There will be no time for conversation. I’m here to gather food and water for the road, no more.
But I make it no farther than five paces before I realize something is wrong. The village, usually alive with a cacophony of sound and activity, is eerily still. There are no children playing, no villagers out and about. It’s as though the whole place has been abandoned. Alarmed, I make my way to the center in search of a fellow soul.
When I round the corner, my body seizes in shock. Huddled together in the village square are its residents, bound and gagged. They are surrounded by Imperial soldiers, swords to their throats.Even the children have been taken hostage, unable to cling to their mothers now that their hands are tied behind their backs.
The sharp caw of a crow above sends a chill down my spine. I don’t have to look to know it has red eyes and three legs. I know that he is here, as well. I can smell him on the wind’s breath—the bastard whose greed led to so much tragedy.
“A pleasure to see you again,” the emperor says, stepping out of a nearby tent. It’s the biggest in the village, belonging to the village elder. The tent’s flap pulls back far enough for me to glimpse the village elder’s bloodied body just inside. His eyes are open, but they are lifeless.
“Let these people go,” I demand.
“And why should I do such a thing?”
“They’re innocent.”
“And who are you to tell me what to do?” the emperor scoffs. “I should cut your tongue out for such insolence.”
“Will you do it yourself this time, I wonder?”
I don’t appreciate the smile and glint in his dark eyes as he asks, “You remember?”
“I do.” I blink to clear the flashback of a soldier taking a blade to my mouth, to stop hearing my own screams. “You’ll pay for everything you’ve done.”
“Last I checked, I’m the one with the army.”
Before I can get another word out, someone grabs me from behind and presses the sharp edge of a knife to my throat. It’s no soldier, but a woman I know.
“Sorry ’bout this, Leaf Water,” the huntress says against my ear. “Don’t move, ye idiot. You’ll bleed out faster than ye can blink.”
“What are you doing?” I gasp, struggling to find my balance. Warm blood trickles down my throat, her blade breaking skin.
“Earnin’ my keep, of course. I’m gonna be paid an emperor’s ransom. Now, tell me where that bitch is hiding.”
I can barely hear anything over the rush of blood past my ears. “You’re making a mistake, Feng. Your hatred is misplaced. She wasn’t the one who killed your parents.”
“Shut up,” Feng snaps.
“It’s the truth. It was a pack of fei that did your parents in. She was trying tosavethem.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Panic grips me. I can explain things to the huntress until my face turns blue, but it doesn’t matter if she’s unwilling to listen.
The emperor chuckles. “My dear boy, have you already forgotten? One word from me, and I will have this entire village executed. Surely that isn’t what you want?”
