Shadows

6.

The gentle slope of the hills and the pale blue light of the sky made the landscape seem less threatening than it was. It looked like a place you might see in a painting hanging on the walls of the Sun Palace, something pretty to appease the eyes. But just beyond the edges of the smooth green mountaintop, I could see it. That first tinge of gray. The Crossing. If Alex made it to the front lines, he would be sent here when he finished his training. He would have to fight until his legs couldn't hold him up anymore and then he would be sent home. Depending on what progress was made, he would be sent back. If he wasn't already dead, he would be sent back again and again until he couldn't fight any longer.

It was where I was being sent today. This was where we had been headed, why soldiers had trailed behind me rather than flamethrowers. We were going to fight. I was exhausted from walking and I hadn't slept in several hours, but if the order was given, we would fight. I would fight, despite my inexperience using my power.

"How many people have died here?" I asked upon hearing the Little Emperor's approach.

"They're not as invincible as you might think. And we're not as fragile as you might think."

"I know they're not invincible. If they were, we'd all be dead. Probably will be soon anyways." I mumbled.

"Don't think such pessimistic thoughts." he commanded.

"Pessimistic thoughts are realistic thoughts that no one wants to admit."

He gave me a sharp look and I immediately regretted saying something like that to the Empress's second. If he wanted to, he could lop off my head and no one would be able to act out against him. And I would be too headless to argue.

"Realize this Adira. One way or another, you will take part in this war. Whether it's on a battlefield or a laboratory is your choice."

XXX

From a distance, the grayness seemed like a faraway ominous presence. Something to worry over, but not to fear. But now, up close, the horrors were made real. There was a sharp, distinguished boundary, dividing us from them. There was the side of the world that was bright and illuminated by the setting sun, where my golden uniform glinted under the remaining rays of light. And then there was the side that seemed to have been leached of colour. There was nothing but varying shades of black and gray. The land was all dead, the broken branches of the trees jutting out at sharp, unnatural angles. There wasn't even the slightest tinge of green in the grass. And deeper in, sheathed by the blanket of darkness, the hissing of monsters could be heard. The wrongness of it made my skin crawl.

I knew that whatever campaign the Little Emperor had planned, it was big. The sheer number of bodies, soldiers marching to their deaths, astounded me. I even saw a flash of the Empress's fiery hair. The image of Alexsei, standing in formation, a grim look on his face and a gun strapped to his back came to mind. I suddenly though how foolish they all were to consider wearing black to be an honour. It was practically a death sentence.

"What are we waiting for?" I asked the soldier on my left.

"Nightfall. It's the only time they can come out."

I frowned. "Wouldn't it make more sense to ambush them? Force them out into the light?"

He laughed humourlessly. "You think we haven't tried that? Look why don't you leave the strategizing to the real soldiers?"

"Strategizing isn't done by the soldiers," I snapped, losing whatever was left of my calm, "it's done by the commanding officers. The important ones. I'm risking my life the same as you are. But that means nothing. We're just the pawns they're using to fight a war that can't be won. When today is over, how many children will be left without parents?"