Chapter 34

Burn Bright

Some are lost in fire, others are forged in it…

The Stars had given Yongsun nothing. In truth, they had nothing to give. Their power was to bring forth light. That was all. They belonged to the sky, that was their place, the same way a queen belonged atop a throne, a plane belonged in the air, a boat belonged in the water, and the sun belonged in the sky with all of the stars, and the clouds, and even the moon.

They should not be denied, of course not, the Stars were powerful, but only in the sense that humans had given them that power. They should not be forgotten, they were an important part of the Making of the Beginning, but they should not be worshipped.

There existed so much in the World, yet this place was cruel. In a forest, a wolf sunk its canines into a struggling sheep. In the desert, a snake eyed its prey, then struck, devouring a mouse whole.

Trees grew large, casting great shadows upon the moors. Rivers ran, water against rocks, filing them down. A fire raged, wild, tearing down houses. There was darkness and there was Light. There was death and there was Life, living.

They existed. Together. And where there was sanity there was also insanity.

Archangel Solji had been driven mad by the countless deaths she had seen. Angels had fallen, killed by bullets, their lives taken from them at the hands of soldiers. There was blood, there was war. There was grief and anger, revenge and punishment. Most of them were dead. Gone, but not forgotten. Like Stars.

Exactly.

They existed, perhaps beyond the World of Arah now that their souls were no longer a part of it. Even though they did not draw breath any longer, and could not stand, walk, think or speak, still, they existed.

Yongsun had never felt that way.

She existed in the sense that she was still alive, that there was breath in her lungs, blood flowing in her veins. But the life she had been given was not hers.

Yongsun longed to exist in the sense that she could travel where she wanted without being stopped. That she could choose a path without being questioned whether or not that was the right one to walk upon. That she could, one day, choose to do nothing and nothing would be the right thing to do.

She needed to exist beyond the words of others. She needed to feel, truly feel: Flames at her skin, fire filling her lungs, wind in her hair, the Stars above her, the ground beneath her.

Yongsun needed to soar, to fly. She needed to burn.

To burn was to exist —it was to be alive.

Yongsun lay on her back, staring into the dark. Moonbyul laid beside her, asleep, but not asleep. How could one sleep, knowing what was about to come, Yongsun wondered.

She turned and saw Moonbyul’s face. She reached out and traced a line from Moonbyul’s eye to her jaw. Yongsun was struck by how beautiful and handsome Moonbyul was. There was a heaviness in her heart then, for Yongsun could not imagine what it was like to live without Moonbyul. 

Life had been too short for them. Or perhaps not. Yongsun was not certain yet. She would know, though, soon it would all fall into place. At least they had not wasted the time they had been given. The years they shared together in Port was a blessing sent from the Stars.

Yongsun leaned in close and placed a sweet kiss upon Moonbyul’s lips. A promise.

«I must leave.» She whispered.

Moonbyul stirred, her eyes opened. She had heard her.

«Just you? Yongsun you promised— »

«It’s not what you think.» Yongsun replied sharply, then she felt regretful and gave Moonbyul another kiss.

«Do you have to leave now?» Moonbyul sunk back down into the cot, arms under her head. «Sun won’t be up for a while.»

«I need to do something.»

Yongsun dressed, putting on her Angel uniform one last time.

Moonbyul shifted on the cot, leaning forwards. «Do you need me with you?» She asked.

«It’s all right. I’ll come back for you.»

«Promise?»

«I promise.»

Yongsun left, scurrying out of the tent, making sure she was not followed. The soldiers were asleep, the campfires had died, and the early morning was still dark.

The guards were asleep, and Yongsun slipped into the tent where they held the Altairian spies captive. The tent reeked of old and dried blood. The grass was still wet and slippery beneath Yongsun’s feet. And so she was careful as she approached Jihyo, the Altairian spy.

Jihyo lifted her head. «Are you going to kill us now?» She asked. Her voice was empty, and so were her eyes.

Yongsun’s eyes dropped to the scarf around Jihyo’s neck. «That’s not my job.» Yongsun uttered, eyes still on the scarf.

«Yeah, you’re an Angel.»

«They have Angels in Altair?» Yongsun tilted her head, suddenly curious.

«Of course we have them.»

«What are they like?»

Jihyo frowned. «Please do not take offence, but you have some really stupid questions. Aren’t Angels supposed to be smart? The ones I knew back home were the cleverest in all of Altair. I guess they have different standards in Couronne…» Jihyo muttered, smirking.

Yongsun frowned, unimpressed. «Who gave you this scarf?» Yongsun pointed at Jihyo.

Jihyo tensed, as if reminded of something when she would rather not be. «It belonged to a good friend of mine.» She bit out.

«What happened to them?»

«She was shot out of the sky by one of our own. Or at least that’s how the story goes. I believe one of our planes was hijacked.»

«Is she gone?» Yongsun asked, biting down on her trembling bottom lip.

«She disappeared.» Jihyo said aloud, not to Yongsun specifically. «Then she came back. But she’s different. The scarf’s hers but she gave it to me to remember her by.»

«Why?»

«Because she’s going to commit treason. And she told me she was going to run away after that.»

«Give me the scarf and I’ll make sure it reaches her.»

Jihyo shook her head, smiling, but in pain. «No. But I will offer you a trade.» Jihyo nodded at the small vial on Yongsun’s hip. «Two drops. Not just for me, but for my entire squadron.»

Yongsun gripped the vial tightly, caught off-guard by Jihyo’s request. Yongsun took a deep breath, thinking. Her hands were cold, she had begun to shake.

«They’re going to kill us eventually, so what does it matter if it happens now? That Lieutenant Colonel of yours is crazy, I see it in her eyes, I wouldn’t be surprised if she started turning on her own… Do you know what she’s been doing to me? To us? To my comrades?»

Yongsun took the lid off the vial. Jihyo’s eyes lit up.

«You want me to…» Yongsun’s voice faded.

«A merciful death.» Jihyo whispered. «Isn’t that the highest thing an Angel can grant a person, regardless of status?»

Yongsun’s eyes dropped to Jihyo’s scarf. Yongsun knew she would give Jihyo the two drops, the scarf she had seen in her vision had been the proof of it.

It was time, Yongsun thought, that she lived up to the name the soldiers had given her, because it would be the last time she used it.

Yongsun gave the other spies two drops first and when she knew they were dead, she returned to Jihyo who seemed happy, at peace with herself. She was smiling again, but with joy.

«Thanks.» Jihyo murmured as Yongsun placed the vial against Jihyo’s lips making sure that only two drops made it onto her tongue. She carefully slipped the scarf from around Jihyo’s neck and held it against her chest.

«What’s her name?» Yongsun asked as she waited for Jihyo to die.

Jihyo leaned back, staring up at the empty tent ceiling. She spoke, but not to Yongsun. Jihyo talked as if no one was there. And that was fine by Yongsun, because all she had to do was listen.

«She has many names, many titles. Some in Sul-fur-zaar call her the Beast Tamer, others refer to her as the sandwalker with half a heart. She survived the fighting pits and won the empress’ favour, during that time she was known as the White Sandwalker. But I’ve always known her as Dahyun. Kim Dahyun. My friend.»

Jihyo died not long after. Yongsun stood, her legs shook slightly, but she would be all right. She just needed to get out of here, quickly, before someone found her.

She ran back to the Head Angel’s tent where she found Moonbyul awake and dressed, waiting for her.

«Where’d you get the scarf?» Moonbyul asked.

«From an Altairian spy. I made a promise. One that might prove useful.» Yongsun said, then went to the basin, filled it with water and began to scrub the blood out of the scarf.

«It’s time.» Moonbyul said. Her eyes were sad, but her smile was kind, comforting.

Yongsun nodded. She dried the scarf quickly, wrapped it around her neck, then she hugged Moonbyul tightly, afraid to let go.

«I love you.» Yongsun whispered, and Moonbyul said it back with as much sincerity as Yongsun had.

They left the camp, following a path up along the mountainside. The forest was colder, there were more shadows here and less light. A river ran in the distance, Yongsun saw a deer peering at her, then it fled between some trees.

Moonbyul walked stiffly beside her, eyes trained on the path in front of them. She seemed calm, or as calm as one could be given the circumstances.

«Aren’t you afraid?» Yongsun asked.

«I am.» Moonbyul said without looking at Yongsun.

«You don’t look it.»

«Feel my heart beat then, if you don’t believe me.» Moonbyul gave a small smile and held Yongsun’s hand.

They continued onwards. The sky changed, the early morning turned into dawn, and the sun was waking. The first light was pale, as if a Star was shining too close, but soon the sky would be yellow and orange, and the air would be warm.

Ironside was glorious. At the top, Yongsun saw Ironsmith before her. If she looked north she saw nothing but forests of green. But soon those green forests would disappear into a bloody battlefield. If she looked south she saw the rest of the mountain range and imagined Wheein and Hyejin walking along it, making their journey to Sul-fur-zaar.

If Yongsun looked west, she saw the Land of Altair. It was not unlike Couronne. Green fields stretched far and wide, she saw a tiny village, smoke puffing from a chimney. She saw a small lake with flowers around it, and it reminded Yongsun of her father’s study house out on the Plateau.

Yongsun took a deep breath. She felt light, as if she was about to soar. Moonbyul stood beside her, still holding her hand. They looked at each other without saying a word, because they both knew.

Moonbyul leaned in closer, pressing her lips tenderly t