Bong! Bong! Bong!
The bell's roar crashes through the tower, sending a sharp ache straight to my skull. I slap my hands over my ears, groaning as the vibrations settle deep into my bones. Midday already. That's later than yesterday. I force myself upright, the dull sunlight filtering through the single boarded-up window above the door making me wince. It's been like this for a month—sleeping longer, waking up more drained than the day before. Ever since my fight with Ash, it's been this endless spiral.
I still see his memories. Getting prodded with needles, cut open, and experimented on. All of that just to have to kill the friends he made along the way. The tears of joy that his grandmother cried when he returned home all but made up for it, I guess. The other members of Hawk's Inner Circle went through similar experiences. They were the best group of bounty hunters the tower had ever seen… until we killed them.
I glance at the cracked mirror leaning against the stairs to the clock tower's upper floor. A dirty blanket hangs over part of it, but I don't need a full view. My reflection's absence is enough. Another reminder that I'm no longer the same person. In a single day, I killed more people than I ever did as a White Knight. Something I hadn't done since I fought my cousin. Something I would prefer not to remember.
"Ren!" A small voice calls from outside, high and cheery. "You awake? I snuck some food out from the kitchen for you!"
Glimmer. I stumble to my feet, throwing my cloak over my head and pulling the door open just enough to peek out. There he is, grinning ear to ear, a red knapsack in one hand with steam wafting off it. He waves, the picture of innocence.
"Get in here." I shush him, stepping aside. "And stop yelling. Are you trying to wake the whole neighborhood?"
"What are you so jumpy about?" He asks. He places the knapsack on the table cluttered with melted candles. "It's the middle of the day, nobody's awake. Plus, nobody lives around here. That's the only reason Elder Zion's letting you stay in this old clock tower."
"Remind me to thank him tonight." I drag a stool over, letting the sarcasm bleed through my tone as I slump into it.
"It sucks that Goldenclaw can't stay for the ceremony." Glimmer unties the knapsack. "Maybe he's homesick or something."
The bag falls open, revealing a mix of pastries still warm from the oven: Jimble Jams, Sniffwifers, and Butter Cocon bread. The smell hits me like a punch, sharp and sickly sweet, twisted into something foul, like rotting flesh. My stomach churns, and I gag, clasping a hand over my nose.
"That bad?" Glimmer frowns.
"It smells like you dumped a half-decayed corpse on the table." I pick up a pastry smeared with strawberry jelly.
I force a bite, willing the nausea to pass, but the taste of mold and acid floods my mouth. My body rejects it, and I lurch toward a nearby bucket, retching. Water, bile, and fragments of meals Glimmer's pushed on me this past month spill out.
"Shouldn't you just, y'know… drink some blood?" Glimmer asks hesitantly, his voice quieter than before. "That's what vampires are supposed to eat, right?"
I freeze mid-wipe of my mouth, my breathing sharp. Blood. My eyes instinctively shoot to Glimmer's neck. In one instantaneous motion, I begin to leap at him. I manage to stop just in time, throwing myself back into my seat.
"I'm never drinking blood again!" I snap. "It's just… a side effect. Too much power at once. I'll recover in a few days."
"You've been saying that for weeks, Ren, but it doesn't look that way." Glimmer ties the knapsack shut, his voice steady but unusually firm. "You're getting worse. I see it because I'm here every day, but the others? They haven't heard a word from you since my dad's funeral."
He's wrong. I haven't been hiding. Whisperclaw, Ironvine, Goldenclaw— they all distanced themselves. Even when I awoke in the hospital, their relief felt... hollow. No one made eye contact with me but Glimmer. Not even when he told me Hawk was dead.
I touch the scars beneath my shirt, trailing from my belly button to my shoulder, jagged and cruel. Ash left his mark with the X he carved into my chest, but the other ten are a complete mystery. What happened after I lost consciousness? My mind flickers back to Ash—his mocking smile, the tower's sun glinting off his sword, the sweet taste of his blood. Rich and powerful, like fire and darkness rolled into one. My fingers tremble, and I clench them into a fist.
"Everybody misses you," Glimmer places a hand on my shoulder. "Especially Whisper. She doesn't say it, but I can tell. She stares at the sky with her ears drooping when she thinks no one's paying attention. She just… hasn't been the same."
"Dammit." My chest tightens.
"Seriously, Ren?" Glimmer laughs, shaking his head. "You miss her, too. I see it in your eyes, even though you won't admit it. What's up with you two anyway? I always meant to ask, I just never got around to it."
"What do you mean?" I stare at him blankly. "She's a friend… and my teammate, like the rest of you."
"I know that already." Glimmer rolls his eyes. "Ironvine and I met each other, and you two on the same day. I noticed when we were all sitting in the Guild office that you and Whisper already knew each other."
"Oh, that." I'm not sure if I should tell him about my time in the Vertalara prisons.
"That's it? That's all I get?" Glimmer asks, offended. "I've been coming to see you every day for a whole month, and that's all I get? Oh, that?"
"I've… never really talked about this stuff." I straighten up slightly. "To put it simply, Whisperclaw and I were... cellmates for a few months. When Vesper showed up, she came for Whisperclaw. Said something about needing her to find somebody."
"Blackthorn."
"Yeah. I didn't think anything of it back then. I knew Whisperclaw was an assassin and thought Vesper might have wanted her expertise." I sigh.
"So, how did you end up tagging along?" Glimmer asks, the curiosity in his eyes growing.
"Whisperclaw wouldn't leave without me..." I avoid eye contact. "... so Vesper got us both out. She got our gear back and introduced us to you and Ironvine. The rest you already know."
"Wow." Glimmer smirks. "So you do love each other."
It's for the best if he doesn't know everything, I think to myself. I feel like this was the most normal conversation I've had in a while. For a moment, I'm able to forget about the deep rumbling in the pit of my stomach.
"Well, we'd better get going if we're gonna see Goldenclaw off with the others." Glimmer stands and stretches.
"We?" I'm taken aback. "Glimmer, I can't go into the sunlight. It burns my skin."
Glimmer flashes a wide smile at me. He reaches out his hand and holds out a black pearl necklace. I stare at it for a moment, unsure of what he wants me to do with it.
"Take it." He commands, excited.
"What is it?" I ask, taking the necklace with caution.
"A little something the elders whipped up." Glimmer beams proudly. "It's a necklace that'll let you walk in the daylight. Oh, but only for today. The enchantment they placed on it only lasts for twelve hours. It should help suppress your cravings, too."
"Why did you start with the pastries instead of this?" I ask, but internally I'm grateful for the gesture.
"Are you coming or not?" Glimmer's smile has yet to fade.
I see that there's no changing his mind. I sigh, place the black pearl necklace around my neck, and stand up. Immediately, the rumbling in my stomach subsides. My muscles are filled with renewed strength, and the sunlight beaming through the window no longer hurts to look at.
"I don't have a choice. Let's be off, before we miss our chance to say goodbye." I give Glimmer a smirk.
We leave the clock tower and head towards the first ring. It's the first time I've seen the city since Hawk's funeral. The destruction caused by the Inner Circle's rebellion was mainly focused within the third and fourth rings of the city. The palace remained untouched. Probably because Vanhiel assumed he would get a chance to live in it. As we pass through the third ring and into the second, I can see how the community has come together to begin rebuilding.
People give us strange looks when we walk past. Eyes mixed with wonder and terror. I learned a few days after awakening that our entire fight in the colosseum was broadcast live. Some refused to watch, but others couldn't take their eyes off their magiscreens. The whole city saw me go berserk. They saw me kill Ash. I was told they saw everything up until the moment the colosseum floor collapsed. Whatever that means.
The people in the city seem to admire Glimmer. It surprises me at first, the way the men come up to shake his hand, some even bowing down before him. The way the women get flustered and quickly turn away, some even fainting at the sight of him walking by. Then I remember what else they told me when I awoke. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to do what nobody else could. Glimmer killed Vanhiel. Something that troubles me more is that Liaz said he did it with ease.
We walk for almost an hour before we see the outer gates of the first ring. The gates leading out of the safety of Denzen's walls and into the dangers of the first floor. Two guards stand posted on either side of the gate in makeshift leather armor. Each of them holds a spear and a wooden shield. Both look too young to be doing the job they have been given. A large group of figures gathers just outside the open gate. Within the mix of armored bodies, I see the flick of a familiar tail. Whisperclaw.
"Captain Loleo! Goldenclaw!" Glimmer shouts out. "It looks like we made it just in time!"
"It would seem so!" Goldenclaw breaches the crowd, a large black knapsack over his shoulder. "You managed to bring Renald? That's a surprise I wasn't expecting. I thought with, y'know… your condition and everything, you wouldn't be coming. I've got to say, it's good to see you, even if it's to say goodbye for now."
Goldenclaw reaches out to clasp arms with me. I hesitate for a second, but eventually allow the clasp. He takes the opportunity to pull me in and whisper in my ear.
"If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, don't hesitate to contact me." He releases my arm and kneels at Glimmer's feet. "It has been an honor to work with you, Prince… no, King Glimmer."
Goldenclaw rises and looks around at everyone. He smirks and puts his hand in the air. Loleo makes a strange hooting noise, and all the sellsword knights begin to fall out in marching order, with Goldenclaw taking the lead. Most likely acting as their guide home.
"Until we next meet!" He shouts a final goodbye.
When the last of the knights has gone, I see Whisperclaw staring at me. I had been looking for her, but she was hidden within the multitude of people. I also saw Liaz and Ironvine having a personal conversation off to the side.
"Hey…" Before I can get a statement out, she turns her back on me and walks over to Liaz and Ironvine.
I feel my face turn bright red. I can't remember the last time I felt this embarrassed. I knew I shouldn't have come. She's scared of me, they all are. I bare my fangs until I can taste my blood in my mouth. It's bitter and inedible, like liquid steel.
"Fine!" I shout, storming back into the first ring.
"Ren?" Glimmer rushes after me. "Ren! Come on, don't be like that!"
It's too late to turn back now. I've already gone too far. I keep walking, as far as I can, until I look around and realize I'm lost. I must have been moving faster than I realized. I hear the sound of feet closing in behind me and see Glimmer, breathing heavily.
"Go back, Glimmer. It's obvious they don't want me around." I snap. "I don't need your pity. I've been in worse situations before, and I'll figure it out. So stop trailing behind me like some lost puppy!"
"Ok... ok. Look, maybe it was too early for you to see Whisper." Glimmer says after catching his breath.
"You think?"
"Just give it some time, Renald. She hasn't seen you in a little over a month. You can't expect her to leap into your arms the first time she sees you again." Glimmer pokes his finger into my chest. "Plus, you didn't even speak to Liaz and Ironvine. I get you were embarrassed, but at least speak before rushing off. They've been worried sick about you."
"You know what…" I go to snap at him again, but catch myself. "...Argh! You're right! I fucked up big time."
"Sheesh... don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone has their moments. I'm sure Whisperclaw is feeling the same way you are right now." Glimmer grabs my arm and starts pulling me down the street. "Come on. I think I know how I can get you two to make up."
"Wait, Glimmer-" I try to resist, but something presses against my back, pushing me after him. I have no choice but to follow.