ONE
TIME WAS RUNNING OUT.
Claye stood between his parents trying to muster the devotion he had always held for Kessoku. It took more effort every day.
The fight had been going on too long. Nearly every soldier within Kessoku’s ranks was losing resolve. They needed a quick and decisive end to the war, or the soldiers might be too defeated to ever fight again.
From atop a balcony inside Kessoku’s main base, Claye could see how soldiers in the crowd before him stood with hunched shoulders. Their vigor had been lost over the summer and fall as the emperor slowly took out the last of their other bases. Now they only had the main base left.
They only had one chance to defeat the emperor. If they lost again, every member of Kessoku would lose hope in their cause.
“We’re so glad you’re here with us, Claye.” His mother squeezed his hand before glancing out at the crowd again.
They dutifully stood behind their new leader, Lucian Sato, as he gave a speech meant to inspire.
So far, the man failed to accomplish his goal.
On Claye’s other side, his father nudged him with his shoulder. His father’s eyes brightened with a smile. “This is where you belong. With Kessoku.”
Even through their vague whispers, Claye knew what message his parents really wanted to convey. They were glad he wasn’t with Talise anymore. They were glad she no longer had influence over his thoughts and life.
His parents had not been happy with him when he showed up at their home by the Vine Gate with the princess by his side. Even once he convinced them how much Kessoku needed her to help them win the war, they only barely agreed to let her stay. Since his entire family had always been Kessoku, it had been difficult to hide their affiliation from Talise and her friends during their stay by the Vine Gate. His parents rejoiced when Talise escaped Kessoku’s base, and their son was finally living amongst Kessoku once again.
Too bad for them, they didn’t know about the secret meeting between Lucian and Talise that had taken place only a week before. His parents didn’t know how Claye, and even River, would soon enter the Storm to train with the amulet. They didn’t know he would start seeing Talise regularly. And they definitely didn’t know how much Claye looked forward to it.
Learning how to properly use the amulet was supposed to help Kessoku win the war. But these days, Claye really only cared about seeing Talise again. About changing her mind. If she just understood how important Kessoku was to him—to his family—maybe she’d forgive him.
Lucian raised both arms high above his head as he addressed the crowd. “We are more powerful than we have ever been. It doesn’t matter if the emperor took out our other bases. Now that we are all together as one, we are far too strong for him to defeat. Now it is our turn to defeat him.”
Nods and short murmurs went out through the crowd. Some soldiers opened their mouths to shout in agreement, but their eyes would dull before the words came out. When other soldiers raised their own fists into the air, the attempts were only half-hearted.
They really had to win this war soon.
When Lucian dropped his hands to his sides, his spine straightened.
Even from behind, Claye recognized the mannerism as one Lucian’s son would have made. Claye’s nose scrunched at the thought.
His parents had been founding members of Kessoku over twenty years ago. As the son of such important members, Claye had often met Lucian over the years. For most of those years, the mysterious man was only ever referred to as General.
When Claye met Aaden at the elite academy, he had no idea the elusive general was Aaden’s father. Now that Claye knew the connection, he couldn’t stop seeing similar mannerisms from Lucian in everything he did. And every single time, it made Claye clench his fist.
Why did Aaden have to show up at the elite academy anyway? Everything would have been much easier if he had never become Master Shaper.
Lucian’s voice deepened as it simultaneously got louder. That meant the speech was nearing its end. Lucian raised his hands into the air once more.
“Tomorrow we will celebrate Water Festival. We will laugh and relax and enjoy ourselves. But once it ends, we will do nothing but work. I vow to you that this war will end soon. By the time Earth Festival arrives in the spring, we will defeat the emperor. We will have unity for Kamdaria.” He pumped both hands into the air. “We will win.”
A cheer went through the crowd at the end of the words. It lacked the vigor that had existed in their ranks during the summer, but at least they attempted to be excited.
While the crowd continued to cheer, Lucian stepped off the wooden box he had been standing on and turned to face Claye and the others. While stroking his goatee with one hand, Lucian used the other to gesture toward the room from which the balcony came.
On the floor below, the soldiers dispersed throughout the base.
Claye filed into the room with the others around him. The group consisted of a dozen people, mostly made up of those who had been members of Kessoku for many years. Now that Claye had betrayed Talise, the others seemed to think he was worthy to join them. He was the youngest among them by far.
His age showed when he took a seat at the farthest end of the oval table. Velvet drapes hung over the windows. The others talked amongst themselves about battle strategies, economics, and about getting the soldiers excited about their cause again.
If Talise had been the one giving the speech, she probably could have motivated everyone within minutes.
While conversations continued, a man wearing a worn burlap tunic came in carrying a plate of crackers and some smoked meat.
The smell drifted into Claye’s nose reminding him of when they visited Wendy’s home by the Smoke Gate. He had already been betraying his friends at the time, but somehow, he felt more a part of that group than he did with Kessoku now.
The man in the burlap tunic pushed the tray toward Claye with an urgency about him. Claye chose a few crispy crackers but only one piece of smoked meat. He gave a short nod and said, “Thank you.”
A jolt went through the tray when the man took a step back. He blinked at Claye while his jaw hung open. “What?” the man whispered, but it came out so quiet it almost wasn’t audible.
It took more effort to swallow after such a reaction. Claye set his face and spoke more deliberately. “Thank you for bringing in the food.”
The man stared back even more bewildered than before. After a few moments, he nodded and hurried over to the others. Claye’s stomach sank when he noticed everyone else—even his own parents—took the food without a single glance toward the man in the burlap clothes.
Lucian even glared when the man let out a tiny cough.
The man immediately scurried out of the room after that.
A cracker crumbled in Claye’s fist before he remembered it was still in his hand. He brushed the crumbs away while the thickening in his throat only worsened.
Slave.
The word sat at the front of Claye’s mind where he tried to swipe it away. Several servants worked inside Kessoku’s main base. The number of them had grown significantly over the past few years.
They all came from the Storm.
No one was allowed to call them slaves though. They were servants. And they were lucky. They had been saved from the torment of living in the Storm. Now they had jobs and a chance to earn money. It didn’t matter if they were treated badly. Anything would be better than what they had to endure in the Storm.