Starsinger

Grey Dawn

The trial, if it could even be called that, was quick and brutal. A dozen witnesses testified to seeing the young woman, Delia Redwood, perform an act of magic, in violation of a law long since dead. One man served as both judge and jailer, and he deemed the evidence irrefutable. Delia was gagged and forbidden from speaking in her own defense. A pyre would be built in the morning. The mage would burn at dawn.

"Heathens," Raelyn spat. She sat on the edge of Aaron's bed, shaking with rage, their team arrayed around her. "I've never seen anyone use magic that powerful, not one of the Conservatory's Apprentices. Don't these villagers know how valuable a mage can be?"

"They probably know how dangerous a mage can be." Jace leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "They've grown up on stories from the Division, the horrors of the Sorcerers' War. They have a right to be afraid."

"A right?" Raelyn exploded. "A few old ghost stories, and you think these people have the right to start reviving the Stone Daggers' purges by fire?"

Jace flinched. "Don't look at me like that. I understand where they're coming from, that doesn't mean I'm signing up. Purges have been forbidden since magic was legalized. Killing the girl is murder, no matter how you paint it. I'm just saying I understand the fear."

"Fear doesn't justify this," said Raelyn. "She's a mage, not a serpent. She's a person, starborn, just like us."

"Look, I don't care if she's a godsblessed unicorn. We need to get out of here, and this is our chance."

"Jace," Aaron said.

The striker read the question in his eyes and winced. He shook his head once, brutally. "We can't."

"The square will be crowded tomorrow," Sapphire said softly. "For the purge. It'll give us cover."

Aaron stared at the scout until she looked away. "We're going to use her death as a distraction."

Raelyn bristled. "Absolutely not. This is our fault, godsdamn it. We're the ones who tore a hole in the Canopy, we're the reason that boy broke his leg—"

"We have no choice," Jace said. He locked eyes with Aaron. "You know that."

He knew. He could see the board as clearly as Jace. They didn't know the girl, and rescues were messy. Too many variables they couldn't control. The mission came first, and that meant protecting Raelyn at any cost. That's what we do.

So we let the girl die. Aaron tried to force down the queasy feeling in his stomach. Collateral damage. Regrettable but inevitable. You've done worse before. She's just another unintended casualty of these damn wars. Another ghost to populate the nightmares. He only wished he didn't know her name.

Jace shot Aaron a pained look. He knew about the nightmares. He was plagued by his own. This was just another regret they'd each have to learn to live with.

"When do we leave?" Aaron asked quietly.

"The purge is at sunrise," Sapphire murmured. "The crowd will gather before dawn. That's our chance."

"I can't accept this." Raelyn was adamant. "Purges are illegal and immoral. This village is about to violate the laws of Zareyma and humanity. They must be stopped, mission be damned."

"The mission is your life." Jace slammed his palm against the dresser, forcing Raelyn to look at him. "Don't forget that. When you return to the palace after the war, write a new decree, send out messengers, arrest the mob who did this. But today you are not a princess. You are on the run." His hand slipped from the dresser, limp. "Today, we are powerless."