Page 112 of The Sunlit Man

And hoped it would be enough.

Most towns andcities on Canticle had a central command—where the whole community could be steered when locked together—but not all of them had the restrictions Union did. Rebeke explained to Elegy as they arrived: People weren’t free on Union. They couldn’t unlock their ships without permission.

The door into the command bridge was guarded by five Charred…who simply let Elegy and Rebeke pass. It felt wrong to have them behind her—Elegy almost engaged them on principle, but refrained. Inside the main command room, they found a group of men and women in white coats in front of an array of monitors with security footage, watching Zellion and the Cinder King fight on a screen. The two had fallen to the grass and mud, and the camera was zoomed in, tracking their movements.

At Elegy and Rebeke’s entrance, several of the people reached for guns. Elegy moved to attack, but Rebeke took her arm. “We can’t fight them all.”

Elegy couldabsolutelyfight them all. She just probably wouldn’t win.

“You’re from Beacon,” one of the officers said. “You’re the sister of…” He focused on Elegy, then paled. “Of her.”

“I’ve brought her to you,” Rebeke said. “To speak and persuade you.”

Wait.

What?

“Rebeke,” Elegy said, taking the younger woman by the arm and whispering. “I can’t do that.”

“You said you were remembering,” Rebeke said, with what she probably thought was an encouraging smile. “Dig deep. You’re still in there, Elegy.”

Shades. “No. I’m not, Rebeke. I’mreallynot.”

“Then…”

“You need to do it,” Elegy said. “Say what I cannot.”

Rebeke turned to the others in the room, who were regarding them with confusion—but with guns still raised at the ready.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Rebeke said. “We’re not going toattack you. I just want you to listen.” She nodded toward the monitor they’d been watching. “Did the offworlder knock them down, off the city?”

The room was silent for a moment, then one woman—sitting at a control station—nodded.

“He’s trying to show you,” Rebeke said, “that the Cinder King is weak.” She paused then, cocking her head. Because Zellion wasnotgiving a good showing in the fight. He kept getting knocked down. What had happened to his skill?

“The Cinder King is cheating, isn’t he?” Rebeke asked.

Again, the room was silent. Elegy would almost rather have gone the “fight them all and probably die” route. This silence was annoying.

“Yes,” a different operator finally said. “He usually does something like this. Makes it seem like he’s unstoppable.”

“He fights Charred sometimes,” another said. “But they’re always weakened first.”

“Thinks nobody knows,” another added. “But we all do. I mean, it’s obvious.”

“This is your chance,” Rebeke said, stepping forward. Then she stepped back again, raising her hands as their grips tightened on their weapons. “Look! He’s off the ship, and the sun is rising. All we need to do is fly. Leave him behind.”

“His Charred will kill us!” one of the operators said.

“The Charred who didn’t stop us from coming in here?” Rebeke said. “Things are changing. Everything is changing. Listen. We have learned how torechargesunhearts.”

“What?” one of the men with a gun said, lowering it. “You lie.”

“No,” she said. “No more sacrifices. No more lotteries. No moreimmolating our parents.” Tears leaked down her cheeks as she stepped forward again, this time uncaring of the reaction. “I left my mother for the sun. I watched my sister be taken, and my brother die to the Cinder King’s own weapon. Haven’t we sacrificed enough?”

“He’s too strong!” one of the women said.

Rebeke waved to the monitor, where the Cinder King was forced to keep knocking Zellion down. “Does helookstrong?”

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