Burn With Me (Legend of the Sun Whisperers) (5 page)

Though the air was filled with the sounds of people working, little or nothing was actually said by anyone. The Raknorg frowned upon socializing when they had an agenda, it seemed. Even so, Maddelyn would always try to sneak in a few words with her friend
Lena, who worked by her side. Lena’s mother had been growing weaker the past few days. The sickness took loved ones from everyone.

“
How’s your mother?” Maddelyn whispered and glanced over her shoulder as the soldier moved away from their area briefly.

Lena
’s green eyes brimmed with tears as she met Maddelyn’s gaze and shook her head.  Maddelyn’s heart broke for the woman. Death was a permanent resident here.

Maddelyn dropped the knife she had been holding to slice hunks of bread for the rations, covered
Lena’s hand with hers and squeezed. Lena’s shoulders shook with silent sobs.  Maddelyn felt helpless to ease her friend’s pain. So many lives had been lost, here. It wasn’t right.

The muzzle of a gun hit the wooden surface of the table in front of them. Maddelyn jumped as all the items on the table clattered with the force of the blow. Her head snapped up to find the Raknorg soldier directly in front of her, his ruby eyes blazing as a thick vein throbbed under the thin skin that covered his skull.
“Work, human. Do not stop unless you are told to.”

Maddelyn
’s heart lurched to her throat even as anger festered in her gut. She released Lena’s hand and took up the knife again. Her hand trembled ever so slightly, which only made her angrier. Satisfied, the soldier plodded away.

After a few minutes of silence, Maddelyn dared a few words again.
“I’m sorry, Lena.  I wish I could do something.”

Lena
nodded as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I like to think she’s in a better place. I’m even a bit jealous.”

“
You don’t mean that.” Maddelyn fought to control the volume of her voice. She didn’t need to be singled out for reprimand again. But hearing the despair in her friend’s voice was almost too much. No one should feel that death would be a welcome escape from life.

Lena
shrugged as she carved bits of meat from a large hunk for the other workers to sort.  “I’m tired, Maddelyn. Tired of merely existing in this life. Tired of dwelling in fear of these demons from space that wrecked our home. I’d just buried my mother and they sent a soldier to question me about some anomaly in the sky last night. Can you believe that? Not to mention telling me that I’d be assigned a position in the mining facility tomorrow.” Her voice cracked as she chanced a pained glance at Maddelyn.

Maddelyn
’s mouth went completely dry. This meant everyone had been questioned about last night. Even if no one had seen anything, suspicions would be up and everyone would be on high alert. That meant she and Serra could be in even more danger than she originally thought.

The systematic pacing of the Raknorg soldier gave Maddelyn a few moments to gather her thoughts. When he stepped away again, she continued her conversation with
Lena. “What’s this about an anomaly?”

Lena
sighed as she turned the hunk of meat at a better angle to cut. “I’m not even sure, but the beast seemed overly concerned about something that might or might not have blazed through the sky. As if I had any urge to be outside at night.”

Maddelyn sliced a large piece of bread and passed it down the line for sorting. They were going to have to be extra careful keeping Draco hidden. It would almost serve her better to turn him in to gain favor. But she couldn
’t do that. He obviously needed their help, and she just wasn’t that callous. Besides, even though she didn’t really know him, there was this little thought that nagged her deep down that he was here to save her in some way. It didn’t make sense, but it was there anyhow.

“
I know sometimes you let Serra go outside for a little bit at night. Did you see anything last night?”

Lena
’s question caught her by surprise. “What?  Um…no. I didn’t see anything. Besides, Serra is just getting way too sick to spend any extra time outdoors anymore.”
Wow.  Way to sound convincing.

Lena
cocked an eyebrow as she went back to her work. Maddelyn spent the rest of the time in silence. Wind tore at the tarps that covered the tents where they worked, threatening to rip the place to shreds. The sheer lack of hope permeated the air even more every day, making it heavy and tense. These people barely kept it together. And despite the fact that the Raknorg were to blame for everything going to hell, it was also true that if they left them right now, Ternos, and all who lived here, would shrivel up and die. Necessary evil. That was the Raknorg in a nutshell. A big, ugly, rotten nutshell.

Still lost in thought, Maddelyn barely acknowledged anyone else as she grabbed the rations set aside for her and Serra. Time hardly had meaning anymore, but she figured it usually took a couple of hours for the rations to be sorted. Used to be a process that took the entire day. Hopefully, Serra had taken a nap. The kid needed the rest.

After chancing an understanding nod in Lena’s direction one last time, Maddelyn hurried down the dusty street back to the shack that served as her home. She clutched a small hunk of bread and dried meat in her hand. The rations today had been meager. In truth, they had been growing sparser each day. A telling reminder of how little the Raknorg cared about the dwindling population. When the inhabitants finally outgrew their usefulness, Maddelyn had no doubt the Raknorg would leave those left to fend for themselves. Which basically meant the population would die as the alien beasts moved on to terrorize another planet in their endless pursuit of war.

Her gait quickened as she neared the door to her house. Leaving Serra alone with Draco hadn
’t been on the agenda, but her gut instinct told her that the child would be in no danger. In fact, she imagined Serra had probably talked Draco’s ears off in her absence. The girl seemed completely taken by their unannounced guest, and Maddelyn couldn’t deny her own intrigue from him and his story. Still, she was eager to lay eyes on them again for reassurance.

That thought caused a little chuckle as Maddelyn softly opened the door and stepped inside the small space. Draco sat stiffly at the table, a stone sentry that waited for her return.  Maddelyn opened her mouth to speak, but he lifted a finger to his lips, indicating she should be silent. His head tilted to the side slightly, and she noticed Serra asleep in her bed.

Head bobbing in understanding, Maddelyn deposited the provisions on the table and walked quietly behind the filmy curtain near the back of the room. She beckoned with her hand for Draco to follow and tentatively sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. When he poked his head around the edge of the cloth, Maddelyn patted the space on the bed beside her, indicating he should sit.  

With a wary glance, he moved to sit beside her, his added weight on the bed causing Maddelyn to lean into him a little. Immediately, she was struck with the heat emanating from his body.
Of course he would be warm, given what he was.
But the pure fantasy of that realization caused Maddelyn to seize control of her rambling thoughts.

“How did you get her to take a nap?” Maddelyn asked softly, with a curt nod in Serra’
s direction.

“I told the young one a story in exchange for a nap.”  Draco studied Maddelyn intently, his amber eyes almost glowing in the dim interior of the shack. Those eyes, lit from within with an almost predatory light, unlike anything she’
d ever seen. Eyes that seemed to look right through her, illuminating all the dark parts of her soul.

Focus, Maddelyn.
“A story, huh?  What about?”

“About suns, and myths, and galaxies—
all things that children tend to dream about.”

Draco
’s gaze remained focused on Maddelyn as he spoke, the intensity causing her throat to suddenly go dry. She swallowed hard before she spoke again. “So, you told her about yourself?”

A blond eyebrow arched at her comment.
“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

Maddelyn inhaled deeply.
Here goes
. “What I mean, Draco Taralundar, is that I know what and who you must be, even if it is a complete impossibility for it to be true.”

“Is that so?” Draco’
s words were ripe with skepticism.

Maddelyn nodded, her breath coming faster as she stayed mesmerized by his amber gaze.

“Then say it, Maddelyn Sowers. Say what you believe me to be—this paradox of impossibility that you are convinced I am.” He tilted his head to the side, his blond hair brushing his shoulder as he waited for her to accept his challenge.

Maddelyn felt her heart quicken with his dare, thumping wildly in her chest. Suddenly, she felt utterly foolish for thinking she knew this man
’s story, being confronted with the reality of it. She shook her head from side to side, unwilling to follow through with her suspicions. “Never mind.  I was mistaken.”

She moved to stand, but Draco caught her wrist and pulled her back to sit on the bed. His fingers were gentle, but firm, as they encircled her wrist. And the heat from his touch was even more intense than it had been last night. A ring of heat that made her hand tingle, the sensation spreading throughout her body, leaving her breathless and aroused.

“I want to hear you say it.” His voice had grown low and seductive, gliding along her skin like a caress. His eyes glowed even more brightly as Maddelyn searched frantically for her own voice, the sparks going off all along her skin quite the distraction.

“Sun Whisperer.” The words came out as a low rasp, so faint Maddelyn wasn’
t even sure she had spoken aloud at all.

Draco dropped her hand and closed his eyes with a sigh, his chin sinking into his chest.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You mean I’m right? I can’t be right!” Her voice went up a bit at the end, which made Serra stir briefly. Maddelyn caught herself and took a bracing breath.
Stay calm.

Draco opened his eyes and gazed at her again.
“And why is it so difficult for you to believe what I am?”

“Because Sun Whisperers don’
t exist! They are a fairy tale, told to children to get them to sleep peacefully. A myth, a legend, and not someone that can sit on my bed and stare at me like I’m nuts!”

Draco
’s forehead creased deeply in confusion. “I do not understand this expression.  How is it that you think I am looking at you like you are a…nut?”

Maddelyn couldn
’t keep the laughter from escaping. The complete absurdity of the situation didn’t help either. “I mean, you’re looking at me like I’m a crazy person,” she managed in between chuckles.

The lines in Draco
’s forehead relaxed. “Oh. I just don’t understand why you find my existence such an anomaly.”

Maddelyn wiped her eyes as her breathing returned to normal.
“I’m sorry. I just…I can’t wrap my head around the fact that a story I’ve heard from childhood is sitting beside me. A Sun Whisperer is next to me on the bed. How am I supposed to reconcile that with reality?”

Draco nodded briefly.
“I can see your point. But stories and fairy tales are usually grounded somewhere in reality. I just happen to
be
that reality.”

“But how can that be? All of the Sun Whisperers legends I have heard say that your people come from a piece of the sun itself, that you are immortal, almost as old as the universe, and you command the attributes of fire. That your soul ‘
burns with the fire of the sun.’ Is any of that true?”

Draco held out his hand, palm up, between them. The image of the sun etched into his skin glowed reddish orange, then spiraled into a small column of flame. Maddelyn watched, her mouth falling open in awe and disbelief as the flame danced in the middle of Draco
’s hand without burning him. Then his fingers closed and the image disappeared completely in a small puff of smoke.

It was a moment before Maddelyn could speak after that.
“And what about the immortality? Am I also to believe you are thousands of years old?”

Draco ran a hand through his golden blond hair, which also seemed a lot lighter than she remembered it being last night.  Actually, it was even more golden than just a few hours ago.
I have to be losing my mind…

“My people enjoy a very long and healthy life span. Some of us have been around for more years than can be counted.”

More years than can be counted?
“And you? How old are you, Draco?”

Draco shook his head and rubbed a finger along his temple with a sigh.
“Does it really matter? My age, as well as the true name of my people, was lost millennia ago. When you live so long, time really has no importance anymore.”

Maddelyn
’s mind raced with this information, almost making her dizzy. “What do you mean the true name of your people was lost?”

Draco shifted his weight on the bed.
“Sun Whisperers are a name that was given to us.  Our true name is said to be unfathomable by the standards of most other life forms, so it fell to disuse and became as unimportant as counting the years of our existence.”