The Ashen Rebellion

03 | A pulsating green glow

NYSSA FOUND HERSELF UNABLE to respond, the silence stretching painfully between them. She knew she wasn't one of the FF, but the thought of admitting it to him, to anyone, made her wary. What if he was trying to get her to confess just to turn her in? But then again, why kill other enforcers if he was working for them? It made no sense. Slowly, he released her from his tight hold, taking a few steps back, his eyes never leaving hers. Despite priding herself in her usual talent for reading people, she found that she couldn't decipher his expression. His face was like a harsh barrier, impenetrable and unyielding.

Their tense standoff was interrupted by the sound of footsteps echoing through the corridor. Nyssa turned to see a group of rebels rushing towards them. They were in rough shape, some injured, others covered in blood that wasn't their own. A bronze-skinned girl with her hair pushed back in a low ponytail spoke urgently.

"Kael, we have to go! Tarry got hurt!" She said, her voice tight with worry.

Nyssa noted the limping boy they were dragging along. He had a delicate face, freckles, and glasses slipping down his small nose, one of the lenses cracked and smeared with a bloody fingerprint. He let out low noises of pain with every step.

An Indian boy with a buzzcut, assisting in holding Tarry up, quipped, "Yeah, like, how does a medic get hurt?"

Tarry groaned. "I'm a medic, not indestructible, idiot."

The girl with the ponytail spotted Nyssa standing before Kael and immediately pulled out her axe, ready to attack. Kael stopped her with a hand on her weapon. "Careful, Lyra. She's not one of them."

"Then why the hell is she dressed like the FF?" Lyra demanded, though she obliged and dropped her weapon.

They all looked to Nyssa for the answer, including Kael, who had just finished slipping his mask back onto his face. Nyssa scanned their faces, wondering if she could trust them. Coming back slightly pleased by what she found, she sighed and said, "Think about it. Enforcers only target prisoners. They wouldn't attack their own people, would they?"

The group shared a look of disbelief and a hint of shame.

"How come we didn't think about that?" the Indian boy broke the silence, prompting a chorus of "Shut up, Arjun!" from the others.

Suddenly, a squad of enforcers stormed into the room.

"Halt!"

"This way!" Lyra pointed, and she and Arjun picked up the pace, supporting Tarry as they moved. Nyssa followed closely, her senses on high alert.

"Where's Finn?" Kael called to the group.

"I told him to take the others to safety and not wait up for us," Lyra responded as they moved.

"By himself?" Kael's voice was filled with disbelief.

Lyra rolled her eyes. "He's ten, not six."

The group sprinted down the corridor, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the walls. Nyssa's heart pounded in her chest as she glanced over her shoulder, seeing the enforcers gaining on them.

They rounded a corner only to be confronted by four enforcers, swords drawn. The enforcers formed a menacing wall, their eyes cold and unyielding.

"You three! Take Tarry and get out of here! I'll hold them off!" Kael commanded, pulling out his sword and launching himself at the first enforcer.

Arjun and Lyra nodded, hauling Tarry in another direction. Nyssa found herself tackled by one of the enforcers. She rolled her body out from underneath him, quickly getting back on her feet. The guard was heavier and slower, giving her a slight advantage. She dodged his swings and sent back punches and kicks, all of which he managed to deflect.

A familiar heat coursed through Nyssa, and she knew what to do next. As the enforcer swung his sword again, she caught the blade between her hands. Blood dripped down her arms from the contact, and she hissed at the sting. But she pushed all her energy into her hands, the weapon glowing an eerie green that pulsed with color.

The enforcer dropped the sword in pain, and Nyssa gained control of it. She swung it a few times until she felt comfortable, then stabbed him with it. The weapon hummed with power, revitalizing her. Swords were harder to drain, because she fed of their energy.

Just as she was about to take off, she saw Kael fighting off two enforcers, failing to notice a third approaching with a raised sword. Acting on instinct, she deflected the blow with a fierce clank of her sword. The light exploded, sending the enforcers crashing into the walls, unconscious. The building went dark, the only glow coming from her sword. Nyssa looked down at it in shock; this had never happened before.

She glanced over at Kael and found him already staring at her. More urgent footsteps echoed, and they knew they had to move.

When he noticed she was going in the opposite direction, he stopped, realization dawning on him.

"You're going back?" He asked, his voice laced with judgment.

Nyssa almost stayed silent, but she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I have to find my brother. He got taken too, and I think he might be here."

Instead of telling her outright that her plan was foolish like she thought he would, he said, "Alright, and what happens after you find him? By then, the FF would have already brought reinforcements and shot you both down."

"Okay then, what do you suggest I do, Mr. I-know-everything?" She replied sarcastically.

"Come back for him," He said, as if expecting this. "Come back for him when you're not injured and not outnumbered."

Just then, something whizzed past their heads. Nyssa glanced at the wall where it had hit, eyes widening at the sight of a needle pointing out.

"Darts."

"Halt!"

"But he's my brother, and I know he'd do the same for me," She said, panic rising.

"And just like you'd be worried if he risked his life trying to save you, it's the same for him," Kael said.

Nyssa hated that he was right. She shut her eyes tightly, looking back at the facility and saying a little prayer for her brother. Then, she nodded at Kael. "Lead the way."

He nodded and took off in a direction, and she followed.

I'll come back for you, Jaxon. I promise, she thought as they disappeared into the night.