Prologue

"Listen up! Our assignment is to clear out the Wretched living in Sunsail Anchorage!" Master Gorinas yells from the prow of the ship. The two combined regiments- the Rabbits and the Tortoises- stand around on deck, listening to the man running the operation. I stand next to Tristan and Caelian.

"Sunstar, Hornstriker, Redblade, Gerrin, Starscreamer, you will be acting as lookouts. Farstrider Ferrymin, you will be in charge of aerial reconnaissance. Seastepper, Coilstrong..." Master Gorinas continues giving out orders.

"... Dawnjust, and Brazeblade will be taking the tower," he announces.

"Good luck," I say to Tristan- the Dawnjust named (my Dawnjust)- who stands next to me.

"Luck? Ha! I need no luck!" He replies sarcastically. Then he kisses my temple. "Thanks anyways." I laugh at my love.

"Larenis, Dawnglow, Farstep, Lightblade- You four will watch the ship," is what the Master ends with. I can't help but sigh.

"At least we're stuck on this boat together," Caelian- the mentioned Larenis- says to me quietly.

"True, very true... You've got the deck of cards, right?"

-----

I grunt as a Wretched jumps at me, knocking me down and my sword from my hand. A few yards away, Caelian blasts at one after another with Fireballs.

"Cae!" I yell over the din. The Wretched kneels on my chest, and I gasp for air.

"What's yours is mine..." it whispers hideously, grabbing at my neck- my arteries. I hit at it with the arm it isn't pinning down, and try to roll away. It seems like time is slowing down.

"And what's mine is, well, mine," it chuckles, clutching at my throat.

"Tristan..." I whisper as my vision starts to go dark. Then it lets go for a second, and I get a gasp of air, as weak as I am.

Light, think, Soryne! I fumble with the pouch at my hip, then throw a good handful of the powder in the Wretched's face. It stumbles back, falls over. Tristan- where the fel did he come out of?- puts his boot down on its chest and slits its throat. It thuds back against the deck, dark blood spilling slow and sticky.

Tristan drags me up by my hand, and catches me as I stumble. My legs feel like noodles.

"Light, Soryne. How long did it have a hold of you?" he asks.

"I... I dunno. Six, seven sec'n's?" I trip again.

"Stop trying to walk, silly. Come on." Tristan guides me down the steps to the hold. "You're lucky it didn't kill you. Seven or eight seconds is long enough with them."

"Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm," I agree. What am I agreeing to? My head feels light, and I'm dizzy, and my eyes are burning, burning. Tristan backs me up to a support beam, which I slide down to sit on the ground- floor- deck. Ugh.

"What're you two doing?" Caelian asks as she pounds down the steps.

"I'm helping Soryne, who just had a close encounter with a Wretched. I'm pretty sure Soryne's asleep," Tristan replies, rummaging through someone's bags. I think they're mine.

"Not 'sleep," I mumble, closing my eyes.

"Soryne." I jump when Tristan whispers in my ear. "Soryne, where do you keep your crystal?"

"No," I say, glaring at him, suddenly awake. "Don't need it, don't want it. I'll be fine."

"Soryne..." he grumbles.

"No. Just lemme sleep it off," I tell him.

"We're leaving soon. You want a hand to your stuff?" I offer my hand, but he grabs me and carries me the few steps over to my bags.

"You're odd," I comment when he puts me down.

"I know," he grins.

((Aren't they cute?))