My answer comes in a teeth rattling pulse that somehow comes from beneath the ground and from me at the same time. Everyone around the camp drops to the ground screaming. Poles and tents collapse. I can’t rip my eyes from Soleil, standing across the camp from me, bleeding and terrified. The shaking stops, and every soldier on the plateau is staring at me and Soleil.
A Resonation. No. I’m not supposed to Soul Find until I’m 21. I’m suddenly filled with anger at the situation the two of us have been thrust into. I had to find a Soulmate eventually, but this was never in the cards for her. And the thought of taking her back to my family… I can still remember the white hot pain that crisscrossed its way across my back, time after time: the hot blood running across my skin, peeling off the shirt after the blood dried to it… I cannot, will not allow her to enter this world of toxicity and manipulation. For a brief moment I consider pretending it was someone else, anybody but me, that caused the Resonation. It’s too late now though. The entire camp has seen.
General Fazenda of Geochroma walks over from a group of his sergeants, looking as shocked as everyone else. “My brothers and sisters,” he announces to the camp, “Tonight, not only will we celebrate our victory over Thalassi, but it is my honor to introduce to you the Gifteds found on this battleground: please raise your voices in honor of Geochroma’s Private Soleil Fiore and Mont Tien’s Crown Prince Icarus!”
Damn it. I had forgotten for a moment that Soleil didn’t know who I really am. That seemed to send her over the edge. She looks pale and betrayed. Her shoulder is bleeding badly. Her eyes roll back into her head and she sags to the ground. The General looks down in surprise. Juniper sprints over to her still form.
“SOL! SOL, WAKE UP!” she screams as she drops to her knees next to her, tears rolling down her white face.
My wits return to me, and I run over to Soleil. I can hear Wren behind me yelling for a medic. I fall down on the side of her body unoccupied by Juniper, who has her hands folded over Soleil’s wounded shoulder. God, she’s so pale. Without thinking, I take her cold face in my hands and press my forehead against hers.
“Please, Soleil,” I whisper, “Please, I’ll get you out of this. Please, just wake up, angel.” I can feel her breath against my lips, and I’m reminded of how my lips were on hers earlier that same day in an alarmingly similar situation.
A medic finally makes it over to her and starts treating her wound, so I pull back. I don’t let go of her hand, though. I look across her body to meet Juniper’s panicked eyes with panic of my own. When the medic sanitizes Soleil’s wound, a small moan escapes her lips. Juniper grips her one hand tighter, and I use my free hand to caress her cheek. Her eyelids flutter open, and her green eyes find me.
“It hurts,” she whimpers.
The medic gives her a shot of pain medication. “This is gonna knock her out in just a minute, so don’t panic when she falls asleep,” he warns us. Juniper and I nod and look back down at Soleil.
“Hey, hey, it's ok, angel,” I murmur, “I won’t let this happen, we will get out of this,” I promise.
Her green eyes fill with tears and she stares at me with a pain that breaks my heart. “You… don’t… want… me…” and with that, she loses consciousness. All I can do is stare at her. I am utterly speechless as they carry her off to the hospital tent. Oh my god. She doesn’t understand that I’m trying to protect her. Juniper stands there with me, watching her friend go. She’s shaking and her hands are covered in her friend’s blood. Then the small redhead takes a deep breath and turns to me.
“You have a lot of explaining to do, Your Highness.”
Chapter 12
Soleil
It’s a fight to break through the black behind my eyes and face the world. Not that I really want to. I must have slept on my shoulder wrong because it hurts. However, sunlight is trying to fight its way through my eyelids. Sigh. Fine. I force my eyes open and look around. This isn’t my bunk. Where…?
Then it all comes flooding back: the battle, the knife wound, The Resonation. Reese. I shoot up into a sitting position and instantly regret it. The wound, the medicine, the needles, and the absolute chaos in my mind has my stomach reeling. I look around in a panic for a bucket or something, then small white hands are thrusting a bag in my face. I hurl whatever remains in my stomach. I let the tears roll down my cheeks, and I vomit until there is nothing left. I pull the bag away from my face, and meet the concerned brown eyes of Juniper.
“Yup, saw that coming,” Juniper says in a forced joking tone, “Honestly, I’d be shocked if you didn’t hurl. Hell, I want to hurl after the day you had.”
I groan and rub my eyes. “So that was all real? No chance it was a drug-induced dream?”
“Nope,” she pops obnoxiously.
I fall back on the bed of the hospital tent and wince at the jarring movement. “How long have I been asleep? Is Reese- I mean, Prince Icarus still here?”
“You have had a nice, long, 18 hour nap,” she says.
“18 hours?!” I croak. Holy crap.
“And as for Reese, he is still here. As is his hot friend Wren. They stayed with you for a while, but I kicked them out. I decided that you would need some space when you woke up,” Juniper explains, “Actually, the condition of them scramming is that I have to get them the second you wake up. So, I’m technically breaking direct orders from the future king of Mont Tien. That's how much I love you.” She gives me a weak smile. That’s when I get a good look at her: she looks exhausted. Her hair is a matted mess, she has tear stains down her face, and her uniform is still covered in dried blood from the battle.
“I’m not gonna lie to you, Junie: you look almost as bad as I do,” I tried to tease.
With that observation, she bursts into tears. She sinks onto the edge of my bed. I sit back up and scooch closer to her. I’m still not fully comfortable with touching, but I still reach the hand on my good side and hold her shoulder. She reaches up and grasps my hand hard.
“I was so scared, Sol,” she cried, “The Thalassian soldier, there was the knife, then the stray bullet, which turned into a Resonation, and there was so much blood, and you wouldn’t wake up…” Juniper descended back into tears. Screw it. I carefully shuffled my body over to her and wrapped my good arm around her. I let her sob into the crook of my neck, and I let some tears stream down my face. I hold her for a few minutes until she wipes her nose on her sleeve and sits back up.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” she reassures me. I release her and she helps me move back into a lying position.
“So, Reese told me everything: about the pool, the willow, everything,” Juniper whispers, “That man is crazy about you.”
I cringe at the mention of him. “He doesn’t even want me,” I whisper back, “I wish we could just leave: just pack up the camp and go before he even knows we’re gone.”
“Little too late now, Sol. The whole world knows by now that the Crown Prince of Mont Tien found his Soulmate in a Geochroman soldier,” Juniper says regretfully.
“The whole world?!” I half shout. She nods, and I just close my eyes and groan.
“Obviously, you need a minute to process this. And everything else. I’m going to grab you some food before they clean up dinner. Sit tight,” She says as she hops off the bed.
I nod and wave as she leaves the hospital tent. For a few minutes, I lay in silence and contemplate everything that has happened. I close my eyes and consider taking a little nap, but then I hear footsteps approaching.
“Oh thank god you’re back, I’m starv-” I stop dead when I look up, expecting to see Juniper with a tray of food, but instead, I’m looking into the deep gray eyes of Reese.
Chapter 13
Icarus
“You have a lot of explaining to do, Your Highness,” the little redhead says to me. I can’t tell if she’s more angry at what happened or scared for her friend, but honestly, I’m right there with her. How do I even explain what I don’t understand?
I l
ook Juniper in the eyes to try to convey the truth behind my words. “I don’t even know what to tell you, Juniper,” I say earnestly, “There is so much that’s happened, but I don’t understand how.”
Juniper glares at me a moment longer, then sighs defeatedly. “Come on,” she says, “I have a feeling this is going to take a while, and I want to be with Soleil. You know, your Soulmate, apparently.” She heads into the hospital tent after her friend. I pause for a moment, then follow her.
Inside the tent, the cots are half full with minor injuries from the battle. I’m reminded again of how lucky we were that our strategy worked and nobody was killed. In the very back of the tent, several medics surround an unconscious Soleil. All thoughts of the battle fade to concern for the woman before me. God, she lost a lot of blood. Her uniform is soaked.
I grab one of the medics running back and forth between Soleil and the supply cart. “How is she?” I ask.
The medic looks alarmed for a second at the Mont Tien prince addressing her, but then she reenters professional mode. “It looks like the knife went in below the clavicle and nicked the subclavian artery, hence the blood loss,” she explains, “The doctor is stitching the artery, then we will staple the wound closed. She will need a blood transfusion for sure. The muscle is damaged and the clavicle and first rib were both hit by the knife as well, so she will have her left arm in a sling for a good six weeks.”
I’ve seen the worst of injuries on the battlefield, and I’ve become numb to most injuries. However, I can’t help but cringe at the medic’s words. “Anything she needs, you inform me immediately,” I tell the medic. She nods, and goes back to work. I look over at Juniper and she’s pale at the medic’s words. “Come on,” I gesture to the door, “Let’s give them space to work, and you and I can talk.” She nods mutely, and we leave the hospital tent.
We walk out into the night, which is still fully lit by the camp’s floodlights. Wren is speaking with General Dumont and General Fazenda a few feet away, and stops when he sees us. Soldiers from Geochroma and Mont Tien are huddled together and working to clean up the camp. When Juniper and I are spotted, everyone falls silent and stares at us. Wren excuses himself from the generals and heads to the mess hall. Following Wren’s lead, I put my hand on Juniper’s back for support, and we walked together into the empty hall. Wren is inside and ushers us to a table in the middle of the tent. We all sit down, me on one side, Wren and Juniper on the other. The two look at me in expectant silence, and I take a breath.
I spend the next hour describing in detail all the events of the previous day. They stayed quiet through the entire recount, even when I got emotional talking about seeing her in that pool, thinking she was dead. I flinch and keep my eyes on the table when I admit that I didn’t tell Soleil I was a prince, and how guilty I was when General Fazenda announced me as the prince before I could tell her. Finally, I look up at the two sitting across from me. Wren’s face is scrunched up in concern, and Juniper’s eyes are puffy.
“Okay, so that explains a lot,” Juniper croaks out, “but it doesn’t explain why you told Soleil that you didn’t want her before she passed out.”
“You told your Soulmate WHAT?!” Wren bursts out.
“I didn’t say that specifically,” I insist, “I told her that I would get her out of this!”
“Oh, well that’s fine then,” Wren says sarcastically.
I let out a huff of exasperation. “Listen guys, I don’t know how to explain this in a way you’ll understand.”
“We’ll try to keep up,” Juniper retorts snidely. I can see the team mentality forming between Wren and Juniper and I already hate it.
“Fine,” I give in, “As you guys know, every royal has to go on their Soul Finding when they turn 21. For me, that’s just a couple months out, or at least it was before tonight.” The two nod in acknowledgement, and I continue. “I never had a choice. It doesn’t matter what I want or who I want. It was just another freedom being taken from me. Soleil had that freedom.” I look at Juniper. “I know how Geochroman enlistment works, and the unlikelihood of your soldiers living to the end of their service. You already have so few freedoms, so few things to look forward to.” Juniper looks down at the table, and I reach my hand out and clasp hers, forcing her to look back at me. “Who you love is one freedom you do have, though. You can still meet someone, fall in love, have a relationship. Maybe even a family. And I just ripped that freedom from Soleil, one of the last freedoms she had.” I release Juniper’s hand and look over to Wren. “And Wren, you of all people understand what my parents are like, what it means to endure the palace.” He flinches. Wren has helped clean my back and nurse me back into fighting shape too many times to forget. “How can I possibly let her be a part of that?” I choke out.
“Look, man,” Wren says softly, “I get where you’re coming from. I do. But you don’t have any choice now. I was just speaking with the generals, and Dumont has already sent a message to the palace and they’ve made the formal announcement. Fazenda did the same to Geochroma. There is no coming back from this.”
Damn it, he’s right. If the generals really have notified the royals, then any chance of getting her out is over. I put my head in my hands and try to steady my mind as it spirals into darkness. I don’t even notice Wren getting up and coming to sit beside me until he puts an arm around my shoulders.
“We will get her through this, and we will get you through this. Never forget you have me, and that you have each other. You guys are in the same boat. Lean on each other. You need her, and she needs you,” he whispers.
I take a deep breath and look up from my hands.
“Uh, for what it’s worth, you have me too,” Juniper offers up, “There’s no way I’m letting Soleil go into this without her best and only friend, and seeing as her happiness is now contingent on your happiness, I guess we are now best friends too.”
“Okay, slow down, Red. I’m Reese’s best friend. Let's make that clear right now,” Wren butts in.
“For now,” she smiles devilishly.
I smile gratefully at my two friends. Okay. I can do this. We can do this. I launch into planning mode in my mind. Going through my new to-do list mentally, I look to Juniper.
“So, speaking of being there for us,” I start, “Juniper will be allowed to bring one lady-in-waiting with her to the palace. Any interest?”
“Oh my god, ummm, YES!” Juniper squeals.
I laugh. “Yeah, I thought so. Wren and I will speak with General Fazenda about an early release so you can join us when we leave for the palace.”
“So, when will that be exactly?” Juniper asks.
“Well, there’s a lot to work out between Geochroma and Mont Tien. It will take about a day to get everything situated, then we have to wait for Soleil to be cleared for travel,” I explain, “Wren, do you mind getting started for me with the generals?”
Wren jumps up and leaves the tent to make the preparations. Juniper is looking much better now that we’ve taken the time to clear some things up.
“Want to go see our girl?” I ask her.
Chapter 14
Icarus
Juniper nods and we stand to head to the hospital. So much time has passed since the beginning of our discussion, that the camp has fallen quiet, save for the few soldiers still milling about. Relieved that we don’t have to deal with the stares and gossip, we head into the hospital tent and walk straight to the back where Soleil is fast asleep. I grab a medic, who confirms that she is stable and the transfusion was successful. I spot some chairs toward the door, and pull a couple over for me and Juniper and share the medic’s update. We settle in and sit in silence for a few moments, just watching her rest.
“Will you tell me about her?” I ask quietly.
Juniper sighs. “I don’t know how much I can tell you, to be honest,” she replies, “We met about a year ago in a Geochroman safe house. We were both in human trafficking rings for illegal Soul Findings. Not the same one, but around the
same time.” I nod in understanding. “You don’t look surprised,” she notes.
“I kind of figured it out after I saw her scars and heard the name Fiore,” I explain, “I’ve worked with local police in the past to bust some rings as part of my royal training regiment.”
She nods and continues, “Once we were in the safe house, she refused to heal. Her room was next to mine, and I could hear the nurses talking in the hall. All I know about her ring is that it was one of the best and worst the soldiers had seen: best because it was meant for the wealthiest buyers, so the girls had a top notch education, had vitamins, got fertility checks, etc. It was also the worst because these wealthy buyers didn’t really want to find a Soulmate. I mean, who would have met their Soulmate in a place like that? So the buyers basically indulged their deepest physical desires. You can imagine what that means. You’ve seen her skin. My ring was nothing like that. It really was just cold cots and finger pricks. Bare minimum education.
“Anyways, after two weeks in the safe house, I could hear the nurses talking about her lack of progress. She still wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t turn the lights on or open the curtains, and she would just hide whenever anyone came in. They thought they may have to transfer her to a long term facility. From what they said, those facilities are horrific. It made me sad to hear about someone who lived her whole life in pain and captivity just being passed off to a different kind of pain and captivity. So, that night, I snuck into her room. I told her that we were survivors now, and she needed to act like it. After that, I made sure she ate, kept up on therapy, let the doctors check her, and basically, just recovered. Then, we were cleared for duty.
“She really has made a ton of progress. She's still shy and kind of awkward in social situations, and then there’s the touch thing, but-”
Souls & Spectres: The Spectral Chronicles: Book 1 Page 6