Page 106 of The Sunlit Man

“My spren. A…quantum of power, Investiture, come to life.”

“And where did that being come from?”

From…a Shard of Adonalsium. Storms.

Well, a part of him still believed in Yaezir and the emperor, despite all that had happened. He told himself that he’d never seen them as infallible, and that was the difference that kept him from being a blind zealot compared to many religious people he met. But then, that might just be rationalization.

He nodded to Contemplation as the dome’s floor finished near his exit.

“They took Rebeke,” Contemplation said. “And Elegy.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” Contemplation said. “I know you don’t want the title I tried to give you. But today you came to us when we needed it most. By choice. Thank you, Zellion. Sunlit Man.”

“It is time to start moving forward again,” he said, standing up straight. “Teach everyone how to recharge sunhearts. Make sure the news spreads.”

“We will,” she said. “Unless the Cinder King stops us.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Zellion said. “I’ll deal with him.”

He took off running for the ship as Solemnity Divine flew it overfor him. A few moments later, he zipped out—leaving the dome sealed behind him, hoping it would maintain life support inside—and flew toward Union.

Sunlight enveloped the dome, respecting Auxiliary’s last wish as he literally became the wall that held back destruction from the Beaconites. There was nothing else Zellion could do for them directly, but they did still need him. Not for salvation, but for something he knew far more intimately.

Killing.

Elegy helped asthe Charred pulled the weapon into place. A large gun, taken from one of the Beaconite ships for the Cinder King’s engineers to study. Instead they now settled the huge weapon down on the rim of his floating city, and a few engineers buzzed about, powering it with a sunheart.

The Cinder King barked in annoyance at them as he climbed up beside the weapon, taking a control device from a nearby official. The engineers were mostly worried about recoil, and had piled a great deal of cushioning behind the weapon—which was wedged against a wall. From the way they spoke, Elegy was hoping she’d get to see the Cinder King thrown overboard as it shook. Perhaps he would get mashed beneath it, which would be amusing.

Sadly the gun fired without difficulty—delivering a ball of glowing energy into the distant dome. It bounced off, but it proved thatthe system worked. He had them move it to point at Zellion’s approaching ship.

Elegy felt a surge of excitement. She’d hoped for something like this.

She shot Rebeke, held captive by a nearby Charred, a grin. Rebeke, in turn, seemed shocked. Had she believed Elegy’s fakery too? That gave her evenmoreof a thrill.

This next part would be extra fun. Before the Cinder King could fire his weapon at Zellion, Elegy attacked. Not him, but the other Charred.

She started with the one holding Rebeke. Slipping the little fragment of sunheart from her waistband, Elegy lunged and pressed it against the cinderheart of the nearby Charred, then spoke Zellion’s incantation. Immediately the Charred dropped Rebeke, and his cinderheart’s color lightened. He stumbled back, gasping, his link to the Cinder King disrupted.

Elegy pulled Rebeke away as that Charred—suddenly allowed to do whatever he wanted—chose the next Charred in line and immediately attacked. Elegy grinned wider and freed a second Charred, then leaped back as that woman went into a frenzy and started laying about with her cudgel.

Elegy only had time to free one more before the Cinder King realized what she was doing. “Treason most foul!” he shouted, shoving aside a freed Charred who tried to attack him. “What is this? How…”

Then he focused again on Zellion’s ship. Cursing, the Cinder King fired—but he’d hesitated just long enough. The shots hit behind theDawnchaser, which maintained a steady pace towardUnion. It was remarkable, she thought, what that little vessel had survived.

“Kill that one!” he shouted, pointing at Elegy.

The three remaining Charred went for her, but the three she had loosed were causing chaos, attacking officials and civilians who had gathered to watch. The Cinder King was forced to pull two Charred away from attacking Elegy to protect himself.

Others came running to the scene, and soon she struggled gloriously against four opponents. She lost track of Rebeke in the chaos, and was forced backward toward the edge of the city as she defended herself.

She did…fine. The others had a frenzy that she understood, but she’d been learning to think, and that served her well. She backed away strategically and put the large gun between herself and the others. As they scrambled around it, she was able to spring up and climb over it, dropping down so she could briefly engage one of the Charred alone.

She broke his leg with her cudgel, then was fiddling with her sunheart fragment when a voice called out from behind her. “You are able to think for yourself?” the Cinder King asked. “Do youremember? Does ithurtif you hear this?”

Rebeke screamed.

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