Dancing In The Ashes

Chapter Six

Chapter Six | Dawn
- - -

"My unit has been dispatched to Prime Quarter. We're going to the Marshes. Tell us of any developments. Over," Drew Saunders said into his comms, gripping it tightly. He slammed it onto the table with unnerving force, glaring at the floor.

Eight hours.

Eight calls, eight hours. Yet not one reply. Thalia Ladon clenched her jaw, her brother Thaddeus chewing at his lip.

Jhana stood next to the twins, her mind straying to new heights. The few snippets of conversation she had scrounged up did not garner a concrete conclusion on her part. Here she lay, about to tread into the unknown, armed with nothing but her wits and power, oblivious to what was happening-not something she'd generally prefer, but one she'd come to expect.

After all, why would they trust you? A snide inner voice asked. You have nothing to offer. Nothing to prove.

No. And if she were completely honest, she'd feel guilty if they did trust her. It was better this way.

Better not to be trusted than to be branded as a traitor, the voice coaxed, fading with a hiss as another sound broke through.

"...change of plans. We're going to search for it. Thalia, come with me, I need to show you something. Thaddeus, can you take down the beds? Jhana-"

Leo's eyes drifted to her, and Jhana felt a jolt as she looked into his eyes.

"-stay with Major Saunders."

She nodded, furling her fingers at the missing weight on them. Glancing around, she wondered whether there was something she could do-if only to get rid of the restlessness.

As the others left to manage their tasks, Jhana walked over to the the major, running a hand over the steel bedframe. Her fingers arched, touching the cold metal. Withdrawing her touch, she shivered at the freezing bite they issued.

"Hey, you alright?" Drew's voice came, concern flickering over his features. She glanced up, handing him a practiced smile.

"Depends on which answer you'd want to hear." She shrugged, feeling an ever-growing hole gnawing at her heart. A chasm that couldn't be filled, yet was flooded with hollowness.

Drew threw his head back in a laugh that didn't quite meet his eyes. "You're homesick."

Not a question.

Her shoulders slumped, eyes dulling. The major deemed it answer enough.

"Don't worry," he muttered, gazing at the sun rising in the distance. "I feel it too."

She scoffed, "You have your own family to think about."

Drew smiled in understanding. No derision lay behind their words-just plain, mutual longing for something far away.

"You can help me pack my things," he suggested, taking her hand in his. Her fingers were soft against his rough calluses, and she let herself be led to his temporary haven, a couple steps deeper into the building - bypassing the half-bent framework of the open door.

Resting a hand on the wooden desk, she bit back her remark at the sight of a familiar emblem, hanging on a chain that looked very, very familiar. Her fingers itched to reach forward — to grab it and hold it tight.

With some effort, she reined it in.

Forced herself to forget as she rebuffed her inquisitive expression, adding in an austere touch.

Her necklace hung off the bunk shoved up against the wall. Guessing from the apparent age and peeling paint, the building had once been a warehouse, abandoned among its last years. Likely hadn't closed down and just lay there in natural disarray, the decor leading her to believe it had been formerly inhabited. Looking around for something to remark on, her eyes landed on the desk.