Chapter 34: Eclipse

Eclipse tenderly touched the side of her head, the small bump slowly starting to go down. That damned guard had managed to knock her out back at the Legion’s base, and she had woken up to a sudden loyalty change and a few bruises to add to her growing count. She brushed her loose hair back over it.

The blond guard with the eyeglasses—Orion—had led them out of the base from an underground tunnel the night before, conveniently emerging into the side of the forest where their horses had grazed for the time being. Eclipse remembered how Arcturus had ridden with her on Phantom, how broken and tired and beat up he had become. Leaving the Ash Guard building with its ringing alarm bells had been a relief, and they had ridden all night to get back to their campsite.

She now rested by the dead campfire with her blade in her hand. The sun was at its highest point, and despite the little sleep they had gotten, everyone had risen up at the bright sunlight. Around her were the others, including Orion, who they had stripped of his weapons and tied his hands together as soon as they had arrived. Red lines circled along his wrists, marking where the binds had been before they were cut off.

Arcturus approaching the group, heading across from Eclipse towards Cassiopeia. He sat down stiffly as she held his arm to help him down. Something twisted inside Eclipse’s stomach, but she brushed it off.

“Great, we’re all awake now,” started Astrid, digging through a sack in her hands. “Time to figure out what to do with our guest. We’re lucky enough he didn’t run off in the night.”

“I already told you, I—” Orion attempted.

“Shut it, Soldier Man. You’re outnumbered here, so I recommended you listen. I am not in the mood after only a few hours of sleep.”

“Excuse me, what?” Antares interrupted, leaning forward in his seat to stare at her. “You’re calling him the man?”

Eclipse turned to him incredulously. “Now is not the time!”

He sat back, a slightly annoyed look on his face. Eclipse turned away with a roll of her eyes to see Astrid pull out a spool of clean bandages. She gently held Andromeda’s wrist as she unraveled the white cloth.

“You said you would help us so that you would have a chance to ‘escape,’ correct?” began Cassiopeia, her elbows resting on her knees.

Orion nodded, scanning Astrid with his forest green eyes. He seemed a little older than the rest of them, with shortly cropped hair and a square jawline. Stubbles of hair lay across his face, outlining a thin beard. His black-rimmed eyeglasses sat on the bridge of his broad nose. “That’s right.”

“And you turned against your own partner to risk that chance with us?” Antares asked.

A shrug. “It was a chance I was willing to take. I never liked Piere anyway.”

“Neither did I,” muttered Arcturus, his legs stretching out in front of him. Eclipse could see a dark bruise on his neck sticking out under the collar of his shirt. She gritted her teeth.

I should’ve killed the bastard when I had the chance.

“We saw your little friend the night of the solstice,” explained Cassiopeia. “Him and someone else, trying to get him to join those terrorists.”

Orion’s eyebrows furrowed, and he stared at Cassiopeia in confusion. “The night of the solstice? In Aldebaran?”

“…Yes?” Cassiopeia replied quizzically.

“I knew someone would have heard us,” Orion muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was that other soldier with him.”

The solstice?

“What are we talking about?” interrupted Eclipse.

Arcturus turned to her. “On the night of the solstice, Cass and I saw two Ash guards in an empty alleyway. Piere was threatening his partner with a blade to his neck to join the Legion.” He glanced back at Orion. “And now that I think about it, I’m fairly sure Orion here fits my memory of him.”

“Me too,” added Cassiopeia. “Maybe his story is really genuine.”

Astrid tied a final knot around Andromeda’s wrist, tightly securing it. “It should heal within the week, maybe two, okay?” Eclipse heard her murmur.

Andromeda nodded, before facing Orion. “If that’s true, how were you forced to be part of the Legion?”

He hesitated before speaking. “I am—was—an Ash Court guard. Piere was one of my fellow guards…someone I used to consider a friend. For a while now, I’ve noticed a lot of suspicious activity within the Guard, but I never thought much of it. Not until Piere told me all about their secret Legion only a few weeks ago. That’s when I found out almost everyone I knew was involved. My fellow guards, my friends, even my own father. And then Piere threatened to kill me if I didn’t join. I didn’t have a choice.”

“So you didn’t join them voluntarily?” Andromeda concluded.

Orion nodded. “I swear to you, I would never blindly support a group that kills innocents for power.”

There was a brief moment of silence, until Astrid began to clap.

“That’s saddening, really, let’s all shed a tear,” she interrupted with a twinge of sarcasm. “But I couldn’t care less. My concern right now is whether to actually trust you or not. So you say you don’t support them, but how do we know that this isn’t a whole ruse to get us caught and killed?”

“I think he’s telling the truth. We have proof he was threatened by Piere,” offered Cassiopeia. “And he did help us escape. Plus, I’m not sure what he has to gain by lying to us.”

“Listen, are you willing to help us, Orion?” asked Antares.

Astrid frowned. “Wait, let’s not get any ideas—”

“Help you with what?”

“Hang on, Soldier Boy. Don’t just—”

“Taking down the Ember Legion. All of it. Oberon, his schemes, whatever plans he has for his Silmorite. We’re putting an end to it all.”

Orion thought about it for a moment. “It sounds like an impossible task, to be honest,” he responded. “But I couldn’t go back to the Legion even if I wanted to. There’s nothing for me there, and I’ll most likely be killed for deserting. I suppose the best option for me would be to help you stop them. Layouts, plans, tactics, anything I know, I’ll tell you. I can’t even call myself a guard anymore.”

“You and me both,” Antares replied.

Orion straightened as he studied him. “You know, your face is oddly familiar.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’m an ex-guard as well.”

Oh look, they’re bonding already, Eclipse thought idly.

“As much as I am opposed to this,” Astrid said, tiredly rubbing her face, “I guess it's settled then. You are going to help us, Orion. But be warned: make one wrong move, or try to betray us, and I’ll slit your throat myself.”

He shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“Wonderful,” she said as she stood on her feet. “I am starving, so I am going to set up our very late breakfast. Orion, you come with me. You can start with those layouts you mentioned. Let’s see if we can make use of you yet.”

Astrid walked off, Orion following. Eclipse watched Antares stand up and stretch, muttering something about checking on the horses. Arcturus took a breath and started to push himself to his feet, and Cassiopeia immediately stood up to help him.

“Let’s get you some more medicine, Arc,” she said in an oddly sweet voice.

Again, Eclipse felt something in her twinge unpleasantly, a frown forming across her lips.

But before he could walk off, she called to him. “Hey, Arcturus” she mumbled, trying to mask his nervousness. “Would you like to spar with me?”

He blinked at her, and Cassiopeia gave her an odd expression beside him.

She didn’t know what had prompted her to say that, but she didn’t appreciate the uncomfortable attention. Arcturus opened his mouth to reply. “Well…”

“I don’t think he’d be able to stand for that long,” Cassiopeia remarked with a smirk, gesturing to his leg. Eclipse’s eyes widened and she felt heat creep up her neck.

No shit, Eclipse.

“But I’m up for it,” the Reader continued, looking to Eclipse expectantly. A small ripple of uncertainty went through her at the proposal, a strange sort of paranoia she couldn’t quite explain. Cassiopeia’s face was clear, however, waiting for an answer.

Hmmm…even better.

“Uh…sure. Why not.” Eclipse rose from her seat, giving her a curt nod.

She left them there and went for her sword near their discarded cloaks and masks, resting on top of them without a sheath. It had a reddish tint in the sun, and she swallowed the lump in her throat as she grabbed it. She snatched a wet cloth from nearby and wiped off the unsettling stain.

Holding her twisted spear, Cassiopeia was waiting by their training area, the small patch of land they had cleared for sparring. The grass was worn and flat, having been stepped on countless times by the group. She slowly positioned himself in front of Eclipse, holding her weapon diagonally across her body and hands placed in their spots along the metal rod.

The underlying feel of uneasiness still remained, blown wider as Arcturus settled on the log to watch with an eager expression. Her companions had watched each other countless times for strategy and mistakes, all without scrutiny or obvious judgement. Yet now she felt the urge to prove herself, to test her skills.

It’s just practice. That’s all.

Eclipse held her unsheathed sword in her hand, its point facing the ground as she stepped into her familiar defensive guard.

“Just general defense and offense?” Cassiopeia asked.

Eclipse nodded again, exhaling sharply. Her opponent tilted the head of her spear forward, subtly signaling the start of their spar.

Immediately, without taking into account her possible moves, Eclipse leapt forward and to the left, aiming the flat side of her blade near Cassiopeia’s hip. It cost her the first move, as her opponent easily deflected it and spun to the right to Eclipse’s exposed right side. The familiar hiss of metal grated her ears, and she swung around to face Cassiopeia once more.

Okay...stupid move.

Her opponent towered, both literally and figuratively. Cassiopeia was a good few hands taller than Eclipse, her weapon almost matching her height and therefore providing a wider range of defense to her. Her eyes were calculating, watching Eclipse as they slowly circled one another, bringing Arcturus into her peripheral view.

“Right!” Cassiopeia suddenly yelled, kicking Eclipse’s mind to follow the supposed warning. Instead, her opponent shot right and brushed her spear low to sweep Eclipse off her feet. It was a practice ploy Astrid and Antares had shown the group, a mind trick to mess with them a little bit.

Jumping at the last second realization, Eclipse rushed forward and almost stumbled to her knees. Strands of hair fell around her face as she sucked in a breath and whipped around, extending her sword with her arm. It was more an instinctive move, leaving virtually most of her body vulnerable. The tip of her blade almost grazed Cassiopeia’s spearhead pointed at her as she faced her again, the pair standing between their weapons. A flash of triumph shot through Eclipse at Cassiopeia's surprised look as she halted in her steps to get her to yield.

Can’t pin me so easily yet.

Arcturus let out a short whistle, leaning back in his seat. “That was a good save, Eclipse.”

“And what? I get nothing?” Cassiopeia responded with a mock look of disbelief, her pale cheeks flushed pink.

Eclipse, however, didn’t fully hear the compliment, her mind zeroed on Cassioepa’s stance. Gritting her teeth, she didn’t let out any warning as she violently knocked her opponent’s weapon away, catching her off-guard. Leaving her right side exposed, Eclipse charged forward and landed a blow right into Cassiopeia’s arm, right by the shoulder.

A hit that landed much harder than Eclipse consciously meant.

The taller girl almost pitched completely to the floor, letting out a yelp of pain as she flipped her weapon around to bury its sharp end into the ground. The rather slick move halted her fall and she landed on one knee, grasping her spear.

“Woah, Cass, you alright?” Arcturus called out, stiffly rising to his feet.

Eclipse felt her eyes widen and her tight grip loosened on her hilt, her wound up energy depleting.

“I—Cassiopeia, I’m sorry. I…I didn’t mean to hit so hard,” she stammered, reaching forward.

It was the most blatant lie to slip through her lips. It was clear the hit had been deliberate and aimed for her.

Cassiopeia rubbed her arm, shooting Eclipse a tight smile and freezing her in her spot. “Ah...it’s fine. Really. I think that’s enough for me today.’

“I…” Eclipse trailed off, watching her get to her feet and jerk her spear out from the ground. Arcturus still stood near the log, watching with a concerned expression.

“Are you sure your arm is okay, Cass?” he asked, glancing between the two girls. He finally limped after Cassiopeia, reaching out to check.

Eclipse swallowed hard and slowly backed away, still holding her blade. Cassiopeia gave her one more unreadable glance before stalking off with Arcturus, mumbling something to him about medicine. They left Eclipse with a raging battle of emotions, pride at her victory and shame at its outcome warring within her.

✦✦✦

The next day, Astrid didn’t make them train, but instead insisted that they wash their dirty laundry. They were sitting around one another, minus Andromeda and Cassiopeia who had gone to a distant town on an errand.

Eclipse pulled her shirt out of the water, the soaked fabric heavy and darkened by the soapy mixture. Her fingers twisted it tightly, straining the liquid into the barrel like a cloudy waterfall.

A thin rope was hung up between two nearby trees, where the others had already begun to hang their clothing in the summer sun. Small droplets dripped from them into the grass as Astrid threw another piece of fabric over their makeshift clothesline.

Eclipse quickly found out that she didn’t enjoy hand washing her clothes. She always had her servants do it for her, after all. Why would she even need to worry about it?

But she was not in the Ash Court anymore, surrounded by the luxuries of her old home. Now things were different, and no matter how tedious it was, she would just have to deal with wearing the same white shirt every day.

Of course, it wasn’t the same shirt, but copies of the same kind. Astrid had bought a bundle of them, thin and colorless as they were the cheapest ones in the marketplace.

I guess that makes sense, considering there’s so many of us.

All of them shared the same clothing—any garment they could fit into, they used. It didn’t really bother her to know this, yet she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of longing. She missed her old home, having her own clothes to wear and her own room to change in. She knew it was selfish…but she couldn’t help it.

Her clothes had racked up quite a bit of dirt over the last few days, especially after that infiltration mission. There had been drops of blood stained on her shirt, and who knows what stuck to her cloak. They were all scrubbed out by now, but the images of running blood failed to leave her mind.

With a final tug of the fabric, she stretched out her plain shirt, shaking out the final drops of water. She stood up and headed over to the clothesline, placing the damp shirt next to a pair of pants to dry.

The pounding of hooves interrupted the serene quiet, and Eclipse turned to the small crack of the forest. Bella and Clover emerged into the clearing, Andromeda and Cassiopeia riding on their backs.

Despite the tightness Cassiopeia had shown after their spar that morning, Eclipse allowed herself to smile as she approached them, curious to see what they had brought from the outlying marketplace. She noticed Orion approaching them from her left.

Andromeda carefully dropped down from the horse’s back, and reached into the lone sack at Bella’s side. “Here you are, Orion.” She handed him the tied bundle, and he quickly started to pull it apart.

“It might be a little big…we weren’t really sure of your size,” Cassiopeia said as he studied his new shirts and trousers. “Not to worry, though. If it’s too big of a problem, I can easily alter it.”

Of course she can… Eclipse thought with a roll of her eyes.

“Now onto a more important matter…” Cassiopeia declared as she landed on her feet, her tone shifting. “Astrid, we have a problem. A large one.”

“What is it?” Astrid asked as she stood up from her laundry. The others looked up and joined them.

What problem could they possibly have gathered from a marketplace?

Cassiopeia released a sigh, pausing as she collected her thoughts. “Stars, where do I start?”

“For one thing,” began Andromeda. “You were right, Orion. They are searching for you. They say one of the Ash guards has deserted, and that he must be met with punishment.”

“Really? How did they find out so quickly?” Eclipse wondered. It hadn’t even been a full day since he ran away.

“I’ve tried to tell you. The Legion knows everything,” Orion said somberly, his lips pursed.

“But that’s not all,” Cassiopeia said. “Astrid, a councilman has been murdered. Councilman Nash of the Ash Court.”

The news struck Eclipse like an arrow. Everyone around her erupted into a frantic buzz, yet Eclipse’s eyes only widened as she stood there, speechless.

“What?” Astrid exclaimed. “How?”

“Apparently it was one of the Terris Court guards, though I’m not sure who.”

Eclipse didn’t know what to think. Nash was dead? The one possible ally they had, the only one who was willing to speak of Oberon’s treachery. A person who Oberon had threatened—repeatedly—with his life.

It can’t be a coincidence.

He had opposed Oberon and his plans, and now he had paid the final price.

“It was Oberon,” Eclipse blurted, all eyes turning to her.

“No,” said Cassiopeia. “Didn’t you hear me? It was a Terris Court guard.”

“Says who?” Eclipse retorted.

“All of the papers, everyone in Ealis, the messengers, announcers in the streets, the entire Ash Court.”

“Well, they’re wrong,” Eclipse declared firmly, her arms folding. “It was Oberon. It has to be. Maybe he had sent someone else to do his dirty work, but I swear he is behind his death.”

“How can you be so sure?” Antares cut in.

Eclipse took a moment, thinking of what to say.

“I’ve seen Nash. I’ve seen what he does, heard what he says. Before I wasn’t so sure of his allegiances, but now it all makes sense. He must have truly opposed the Legion. It’s simple—he had divulged all of Oberon’s plans to the other Councilman, did all sorts of things to subtly undermine them, so that made him too much of an obstacle to keep alive. Oberon killed him, just so he could silence him.”

“Then why would they so confidently pin this on the Terris Court?” said Astrid.

“We did see a few Terris guards that night,” Arcturus murmured .

“Oberon must have framed them! Somehow…” she trailed off. “There’s no way the Terris Court would take a single risky move in their politics as of now, let alone murder a Councilman. There’s too much tension right now for them to even consider it.”

“But that’s not all,” said Cassiopeia. She turned directly to Eclipse this time, her eyes shifting uneasily. “There’s been some other changes in the Ash Court as well.”

“Like what?” Eclipse probed, not bothering to mask her annoyance.

Cassiopeia didn’t speak, still uncertain and not meeting her eyes.

Andromeda said it for her. “Councilman Soleil—”

Her heart started to pound. “What?”

Father…

“What happened to him?” she demanded.

“He has resigned from the Ash Court Council,” Cassiopeia answered. “As of now, I’m not sure why, but it was decided after a meeting that took place earlier today, after Nash’s death. Word got around incredibly fast. This is all we know.”

Eclipse didn’t know what to think.

Resigned? That’s impossible. The Council was his life! All day, every day, all he did was work, and he loved his work. How could he have resigned?

Eclipse shook her head, mostly to herself.

At least it was better than him being killed.

“This reminds me,” Orion said, “Oberon always told us that he would conquer the Ash Court, that was his goal after all. But in order to do that, wouldn’t the Legion have to take control of the Council? So that they could control the leadership?”

“None of the other councilmen have resigned, correct?” Arcturus asked Cassiopeia.

“None of the councilmen have, but the Captain of the Guard has been replaced as well.”

“Captain Reiher?” said Eclipse. She didn’t know the captain very well, but he always seemed slightly more amiable than the others in the Ash Court, slightly less corrupt. “What do you mean replaced? Did he resign or…?”

Andromeda shook her head. “We don’t know. All everyone would talk about is that he was replaced.”

“By who?” asked Antares.

“We don’t know that either.”

“He’s done it then,” Eclipse said grimly. “Oberon has control of the Council. The other councilmen are on his side, and I’m willing to bet that new captain is too.”

“We don’t know that for sure, Princess,” Astrid argued.

“But we have to be prepared for it. If he has taken control of the Ash Court, you know he’s now capable of hell of a lot more.”

“She’s right,” Orion said with a nod. “He would not only control the politics, the lawmaking, but also the entire Guard, even the ones who aren’t loyal to the Ember Legion.”

“So what do we do?” asked Andromeda.

Astrid sighed. “I guess we train. We plan. We get ready for it.”

“Ready for what?” Antares said.

She took in a solemn breath.

“Anything.”