“Agni.”
“Yeah.”
“What’s in the dark?” She said, scared to let go of the warmth in her palms. “Well, what do you think?”
“Secrets. Things. All sorts. You’re in the dark Agni, I wish I could see you.” And the warmth rose, but it was heavy, so the shadow boy brought his hands under hers to help her hold the spark as it grew.
“Do you know why it’s dark?”
“Catch light, someone needs to catch light.” And the warmth flickered and rose and breathed and it was orange like the sky. She could see her hands now, his too just under them, and she could see the outline of his face.
“And how do you catch light?”
“You need wind.” She answered, marvelling at how the flame flickered and fought to light the world.
“But what if there’s no wind?” She wondered, watching how the breeze played with the fire to make secrets like her hands, Agni’s shoulders, the dusty ground and the amber air clear. “Then you sprint.” He answered. “Do you know how to sprint?”
“Believe.”
“That’s right, you believe.”
“I believe.” She said as the ember grew to a torch. She smiled as it danced and warmed her face. She was sure the fire would wait for the sun, that’s why the night was so full of lights, because torches rose to search the world for the sun, until she woke up again. She wondered if she’d wake up tonight too. “But what if you can’t believe?”
“Then have faith.” He said and took his hands back. For a moment she was frightened she couldn’t hold the torch without him, but even as its dance slowed, it shimmered yellow and turned the curious dust into stars. She wondered if God was watching, as the black began to dim into deep pink and shadows were cast all about. Shadows were clues, she was sure, clues to amazing things which danced and hoped they were found, till the sun woke up and made them clear. But it was scary, she never knew what a shadow belonged to.
“But what if you can’t have faith.” She asked him.
“Then be brave.” He said and watched as her trembling hands tried to be still. “What if someone’s too scared?” She asked.
“Then catch light.” And all the world aglimmer in deep violet turned and flooded in swaths of sunlight, deep orange water and scarlet wind streaming with emerald stars as the sun stirred the secrets buried deep in amazing shadows. And Asem sat up from the sacred night and let the daybreak hit her back. She turned to the window and the warmth hurt her bruised face. It made her eyes open wide, and she saw the truth in the light. The sun still woke. She reached over to the chair where she kept her candle, placed her palm around the flame and took it. She slid to her feet which pushed dust into the air. Trembling, she reached for the door and opened with all her might. And somehow still believing, Asem stepped into the world.
Last Hope Chapter One: Asem
War had come as we set prayers alight and paint songs onto the streets, hoping flowers would bloom in scarlet where she ran. And she runs, she sprints and leaps, hurtles through the air, through the burning saffron of the sky, she falls and catches light on songfire and tumbles forward- crashes down across a building and kicks and pushes and throws herself into the dust- she rises and rises as the sun washes across her in swaths of aureate winds which burn away the cruelty of all things.
And as she catches light and rose sparks flare across her vision she slipstreams and explodes into infinity, the air bursting into flames as she streaks into the blinding saffron.
She came in too fast, she’s unprepared as the prayers and thoughts and feelings hit her at once as she touches down on the grass. She would come to Koro before the anniversary, she loved it there, it was peaceful, it was merciful, she loved the adan and the bells and the songs and lights and smells. It was a kind place of colour and life, a place she didn’t feel so alone. She could never go during the anniversary, the prayers would tear her apart. She grabs her ears and hurls over to her knees as people’s words and songs fill her heart and mind; she wants to expel bile and acid as the sorrow and hope of strangers force their way into her. She tries to breathe, she touches the grass and flowers bloom. Wildflowers bloom and she can breathe again as the pain subsides and she stands, the buds blossom as the copper-bronze young woman with luminous mountain coloured eyes rises to her feet.
“WOW!” A little girl with a camellia in her hair cried out. Copper-bronze turned, breathing heavily, stunned. Someone had seen her. “Are you a fragment too? You made flowers grow! Just like the guardian!” Copper-bronze said nothing. “What’s wrong? Sorry did I scare you? It’s just that I don’t have any fragment friends- I’m Ashti, what’s your name?” Copper-bronze said nothing. Ahsti waited for a moment before smiling, taking the camellia and grasping it in her palm. “Here!” She said smiling and opened her palms to reveal a pink bird, roosting in her hands.
Timidly, Copper-bronze held out her hand. The bird fluttered and jumped into her palm. It was warm. She found it hard not smile before the rosebird fluttered and flew off. The scent of camellias behind it. She followed its trajectory into the clouds. “You see, I’m a fragment too.” Ahsti rushed up to Copper-bronze and as she ran through the wildflowers, they opened more and blossomed into butterflies which beat their wings, scattered and soared in all-colour. She took Copper-bronze’s hand and blushed at how warm she was. “Would you like to go pray with me and papa?” She asked, pointing to the machine with kind, blue eyes standing not far away, wearing a jalabiya. Ashti waited for an answer, full of pink joy and amber hope.
“I…” Copper-bronze wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m sorry, I can’t…” Ashti’s eyes grew wide with sorrow. Copper-bronze had to look away, only to see something new in the sky. Ashti and papa turned to follow her gaze. There in the saffron, was something emerald and sapphire, it shone like the moon, shimmering like a ghost, covered in rain. Ahsti turned back in shock as heat overwhelmed her hand. Copper-bronze was gone, only butterflies which were once flowers to prove she had been there. Heart-broken, she went to pray.
It was the anniversary when the lightcatching wars began. In the one place it shouldn’t have happened, but that was the point, Iconoclast, Nofaith brought war to Polis Earth because it was inconceivable, because it represented all we aspired to be and all we could hope for, so the Great Secret Keeper sent the Muharej here and it began to rain. There are Raindancers all over the world, but for all we may do and even though we do not believe, we did not want war, that’s why people came to Polis Earth. We had all had enough of the fighting, Deepak and Julian fought the last battle for us. They killed each other for us. That was supposed to be the end, for Orion, for the Raindance, for everyone. But then the Great Secret Keeper appeared, stole the Raindance from us and turned it into Muharej, murdering and eating everything alive. All we had built, all the lights
we had lit, all the stories we told. And from the Muharej, she came, the girl from a world we had abandoned and now she’s declared war on us all. Iconoclast, Nofaith. She’s vowed to put out all the lights and silence all our songs.
Muharej you would start seeing it burnt, marked on the side of buildings and graffitied on the temples and holy places of all faiths. I don’t know what would possess people to do that, maybe they were just losing hope, maybe they’d just given up, maybe they were trying to reach Sem.
What else were people supposed to do, she wasn’t listening to prayers anymore.
The great ghost, the rain moon appeared one day before the anniversary, it was beautiful. It came with rain and shone silver, a cold incandescence, without lies or mercy in a sky it turned emerald and sapphire. We’d all heard the stories, I’d even seen it before, aboard the city ships, but we weren’t afraid, because it was the anniversary of Amazing. And as always, the Deepa Wali led the way, even though Iconoclast attacked the UN and made her declaration of war, they led the way and went to the parks and flew kites and lit lamps at night for them to catch light on, people stayed up late to meet at cafes and play on guitars and ouds and sing songs, people went to the mosques and churches, synagogues and temples, longhouses and mandir and lit candles in their homes and performed secret keeps, prepared dusk honey and autumn leaf tea on star charcoal while their children played football. Because they were alive and it was the anniversary. People sprinted after lights and secrets and we were alive. Even as a creature the likes of which we had never seen before swore to crush everything we held dear and we heard it in every tongue, she was sparing no one, there would be no escape from this rain…
“The stars, drenched by rain shall fall and light the Earth... I am Iconoclast of the Raindance. Your Secretary General has surrendered, he lies at my feet. Pandef has been disbanded. All UN Peacekeepers will swear allegiance to me or be condemned to the realm of secrets. The New World, Middle Kingdom and Rossiya have already tried to rescue you, but as I speak we’re sinking their warships and burning their planes out of the sky. The nations of power have subjugated the Earth for centuries, but no more. No more lies, no more wars. We are free and we will not be denied. They will send me their diplomats to speak with me, I will send back their heads. We have destroyed all gates off of Pangaea and as I’m sure you can see the island is now the eye of a nephilim. No one is coming to help and there is no escape. You are ours. And to the rest of the world, you have until I put out the last torch in the city to recognise the Raindance as the new Administration of the Rain Earth Confederacy. This is the end of your world, it’s time to come to terms with that humans. Your guardian has failed you and you have failed your world, so I am taking it. Raindancers around the Earth, abandon your frail humanity and take back your planet, and to all fragments, I promise you freedom on Rain Earth, I urge you to become Raindancers and rise up, declare your power before our adversaries, you are more than human, use your awesome gifts, seize your destiny, the human way has failed, the Orion Alliance failed. It is our turn.
Humans I’ve seen what your cultures, your religions, your countries, your stories have done to the world- and I swear on my life to all of you who hang on to your faiths, your traditions, your music, your nations, I swear I’ll kill it all. There’s no such thing as angels or miracles and your heroes were never real, you conceived of them to coddle your own inequity. No God will save you, no angels will comfort you, no songs or stories will prove that you were here, no flag will protect you and no one will hear your prayers, there is nothing you can teach your children that will help them now! There is no amount of love you can show anyone that will save them now! It’s all too late! So keep clinging and despair, because I’m coming for it all… I'm going to save you all...”
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