From the Ashes

PROLOGUE

Altair raced through the jungle trees. His heart pounded so hard against his ribs it hurt and his legs threatened to give out. Every breath he took was strained, but he forced himself forward. He only had a little ways to go.

The edge of the jungle came into view and he charged out into the open. White Tarnoshian marble buildings surrounded the courtyard. They towered over him like giants.

A bell rang and students rushed into the courtyard. Altair made his way through the crowd to the fountain in the center. The setting sun made the water look gold.

Altair touched the cool stone of the fountain and stopped to catch his breath. As his opponent ran into view, he smiled.

"I won!" he cried.

"Only because you're two years older," Liam protested between gasps. "I bet you weren't as fast as me when you were six."

Altair giggled. "I was way faster."

Liam kicked at a rock on the ground. "I'll beat you in something, someday."

Altair took a seat on the side of the fountain. "Good luck with that."

He dipped his fingers in the cool water and twirled it around, watching it twist into a tiny whirlpool.

"Shouldn't we get back to the dorms?" Liam asked.

Altair shook his head. "I have to wait for Jaina."

"Oh, right. Shouldn't she be here by now? She usually gets here first."

A starship flew overhead with a thunderous roar and the two boys looked up in awe. Altair wondered if he'd ever be able to fly something like that.

"I dunno. Maybe I should go look for her," Altair replied as the ship passed out of their view.

Liam took a step back. "Well, I should be going to the dorms. See ya tomorrow." At that, he left Altair alone.

Altair waited at the fountain feeling the cool water run over his hands. As time dragged on, he began to worry. Where was Jaina?

His stomach churned. She'd never been this late before. Being the same age as Liam, she got out of class at the same time. It wasn't a very long walk from her classroom. His muscles felt tight and suddenly it was difficult to breathe. The cool water felt ice cold to his touch and somehow, he knew she was in trouble.

He bolted to her classroom. He stood on his tiptoes, trying to see through the window on the door. Though tall for his age, he wasn't tall enough.

Master Nara glided out of the room, and Altair's heart skipped a beat. Everyone was supposed to be headed to the dorms now. He didn't want to get in trouble for this. He jumped behind a bunch of bushes to his left and waited for her to pass. She paid no attention to the soft shuffling of leaves and wandered into the courtyard with a silverscreen in her hand.

He moved quickly to the open doorway when she was nowhere in sight and took a tentative step inside.

The black desks sat empty. The walls and floor of the classroom were made of standard, silvery Galla steel. All the holographic projectors and lights were off leaving him mostly in darkness.

Roshiva Korr stood tall next to Ana Sonn near a locked supply closet in the back of the room. The two were known troublemakers. Altair's hands felt cold and clammy at the sight of them. They looked at Altair as he took a step closer and their devilish grins faltered.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked.

The two looked at each other like they didn't fully understand. A soft whimpering came from behind the door and his body went cold.

"Who's in the closet?" he demanded.

Korr flashed him a toothy smile, then pointed to the closed door. "She punched me!" He tapped against the metal.

Ana Sonn twirled her black hair in her fingers and turned toward the door. "Not so tough now, are you Jaina!"

"Please, let me out!" Jaina begged through her sobs. "I-I won't do it again! I'm s-sorry!"

Altair's heart felt heavy in his chest, yet it pounded faster now than when he was running. He knew better than anyone how afraid she was of the dark. Jaina was so small and innocent...how could they do this to her?

He grabbed Roshiva's shoulders and pushed him backward. "Open the door or I'm telling Master Nara."

"Master Nara," Korr spat, "said it was okay. She didn't care."

Cold darkness raged in Altair's blood. No longer afraid, he clamped his hand around Korr's arm and shoved him to the ground. A strange energy filled him and he focused on Korr. The boy on the ground began to scream and writhe in agony, flailing his arms and clutching his throat as if someone were choking him.

Ana shrieked and brought Altair out of his concentration. He jumped back from Korr.

Korr stopped screaming and gasped for breath. His grey eyes were filled with tears, and dark rings lined them as if he'd been awake for days.

"What did you do to me?" Korr cried.

Altair had no idea what had just happened either, but he said, "Unlock the door or I'll do it again!"

Korr stood, unlocked the closet, then bolted for the door with Ana close behind him.

Altair opened the closet, letting what little light there was fall over the tiny girl huddled in the corner. Jaina hugged her knees to her chest. She looked up at him. Her trembling slowed, but she didn't move.

He stepped inside, took her hand, and pulled her into his arms.

Tears streamed down her round face, and sobs wracked her fragile body. She wiped her dark brown eyes, but it did no good. She couldn't stop crying.

Altair's chest felt tight. He was supposed to protect her. Prevent things like this from happening. It was his job to keep her safe. How could he have let this happen?

"I'm sorry," he said. Each tear that fell made him feel more like a failure. "I'm sorry, I should've come sooner. Why would they do that to you?"

"Th-they said I ins-sulted them in front of the class," she managed between choked breaths. "But I d-didn't do anything, I promise! I said I had to meet you at the fountain but they didn't believe me. I'm sorry I couldn't-"

"Where was Master Nara?"

She didn't answer at first.

"Jay," he said, softer this time. "Where was Master Nara?"

Jaina shook her head and wiped away her tears. "She said I had to be strong and if I was too weak, I'd get what I deserve. I'm so weak, Altair. And it was so dark..."

"It's okay," he reassured her. "You're not weak. One day, you'll be one of the strongest fighters here."

Her tears began to slow, and she smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He squeezed her tight. "Don't worry. I'll always be here for you."

"Promise?"

Altair nodded. "I promise."