The Scars of Summer

"Kiki, c'mon! You're going to miss it!" Kirana heard her brother call from the roof of the thatched hut their family called home. This deep into the Sulfaari Expanse, the heat of the sun beat down relentlessly, and few people were sad to see it go in favor of the cool break of autumn, as evidenced by the quiet streets and closed shutters. But for Kirana's family, summer was an auspicious time. Their parents had met at a celebration on the solstice, and she and Ruperne had been born during this hottest of seasons. Kirana much-preferred winter, but she didn't have the heart to tell her family, so she joined their silly little ritual of watching the last sunset of the summer together. At the very least, it was a good excuse to clear their schedules every year and focus on each other. Looping an arm around a basket of dried fruits purchased at the market that afternoon, she climbed the ladder leading up through the skylight. Her mother and little Rup were already seated at the edge, staring at the sun, already starting its gradual army crawl across the sky. Prying her eyes away from the fiery orb for just a moment, Kirana squinted into the distance. She wondered how many soldiers were crawling across the battlefield and whether her father was among them. Sun's Reach and Moowatch had been enemies for ages, and wars broke out rather frequently, almost as if each kingdom was waiting for their supplies to build up just enough to throw another war declaration at the other. Like many fathers across Sun's Reach, Kirana's had been called to the battlefront to confront Moonwatch in this most recent spat. His skills as a mage were top-notch, so his help was needed to keep the frightening army of Lunies at bay. Sometimes, when she squinted hard enough, Kirana thought she could see dust clouds in the distance kicked up by soldiers fighting and dying to protect them. Reports claimed the battle was going well, and the King expected a surrender any day now. Kirana hoped so. School would start again soon, and she desperately wanted her father to support her again this year. Magic was a rare and wonderful gift, father always said, but the other kids at school thought otherwise. Too young to have control of her gifts, Kirana had caused several minor calamities on school grounds, and the other kids mocked her ceaselessly for it. The headmaster refused to do anything about it. Or at least, he had until Kirana's father had stormed into the office and demanded he intervene. The man finally relented and gave a speech at the monthly assembly, talking about how special magic was and how it wasn't right to treat people differently due to innate tendencies. That had stopped most of the outward jeering, though some of her most savage bullies still had their fun. If Father was still around, they wouldn't dare. They respect him, no matter how much they say all mages deserve torment. Kirana could face anything with Father at her back. Sighing, the young elf settled down on the roof's edge and let Rup climb into her lap as Mother wrapped a loving arm around her shoulders. Kirana poked Ruperne's head. "You're almost as big as me. You won't be able to do this too much longer. Who knows, I might be the one sitting in your lap next summer."

"Hey! I'm not that old!" Rup protested, pushing his shoulder blades against his sister's chest.

"Bonnas hit his growth spurt just this spring, remember? He grew half a foot."

"Yeah? Well, he's like three years older than me! He's your age, so maybe you'll grow huge. Then I can sit in your lap forever!"

Kirana shrugged, and a small smile played across her lips. "Anything's possible, little monkey." She tousled his ruddy red curls, then wrapped her fingers around his head and shook him back and forth. Mother tapped Kirana's shoulder and gave them both her signature soft smile. "Careful, you two. Don't want you falling off and hurting yourselves."

 The sun's crawl had brought it right to the tip of the mountain. Kirana had always been impressed with the punctuality of the great ball of fire, better even than some of her teachers. When it came time each evening, the sun always started its descent and followed its set course to shepherd in the moon. Once again, Kirana was reminded of a soldier marching in cadence. Those sounds still echoed in her ears from the previous year when the army marched around town, commanders drafting men as their warriors tramped through the savanna, hoisting banners and blades high to the beats of their hearts. Dad had been taken away then. At the start, he'd sent a deluge of letters, ensuring them he'd be home soon. But, recently, the flood had become a trickle, and a full month had passed since his last correspondence. Kirana grew more worried by the day. Mom was afraid, too, but Kirana knew she was holding it back for their sake. She'd seen the red-rimmed eyes, like the growing redness around the sun as it sank ever lower, and the dripping tears, like the dew that would scatter the grasses on the morrow. They both knew that when a soldier stopped sending letters, there were only a few likely outcomes, and Father wasn't renowned for his ability to shrug off wounds, only his powerful magic. 

Kirana shook her head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such negative thoughts. She leaned her head against her mother's shoulder and hugged her brother tight. If only this day would never end. The change of perspective revealed something strange on the horizon, and Kirana squinted to get a better look. Pinned against the blushes of orange, red, and pink that signaled imminent nightfall, several specks were displayed, like the shadowy forms of flying birds, but they didn't seem to be moving closer or further away. Seeing her family enraptured by the sinking sun, Kirana didn't want to ruin the moment, but she couldn't be there with them. Her eyes locked onto the five figures; somehow, she knew there were five of them and refused to move away. Then, a scream split the air. A horrid keen of pain, like a banshee's cry. In her periphery, Kirana saw Mother and Ruperne staring at her, mouths agape and realized the scream was coming from her. Half hidden behind the mountain, the sun halted, standing still as a knight awaiting orders. Kirana's voice grew ragged, and her throat filled with burrs, but she kept screaming and didn't know why. Then the pain hit. Lion's claws dragged through the core of her very being, agony spreading through her whole body as she stared up at the five specks she instinctively knew were the cause. She tried to lift her hand to point at them, but they didn't respond to her mind's commands.

"Kiki?" Ruperne whispered, the fear in his voice breaking her heart. "What's wrong, Kiki? Please..." Her brother tugged on her hands, but they wouldn't budge, locked around his body like an insect's mandibles around their prey. Hot tears streamed from Kirana's eyes, pulling a trail down her cheeks and chin. Some droplets entered her open mouth, and Kirana tasted an iron tang. Not tears, blood. I'm bleeding from my eyes and screaming, and I don't know why! Her whole body suddenly lifted from the thatch roof, wild convulsions rocking her and Ruperne. Dried apricots and figs scattered across the ground ten feet below, mingling with blood that just kept flowing. "Sister! Kiki, let me go!" She couldn't.

Oh, how she wanted to put her brother down, to ruffle his hair and tell him it was just a prank. But soon, his voice was drowned out as Kirana saw smoke and burning tingle work its way across her skin. Her scream was joined by a thousand others, a symphony of fear and suffering only she could hear. She and every other mage in Sun's Reach now experiencing the same horrible end. Kirana knew she was dying. What else could this be? The pain reached levels Kirana didn't know were possible, every nerve jumping and shaking. She watched as the sun moved backward in the sky, appearing behind the five figures. It stopped at the mountain peak and hung there. Kirana heard a triumphant laugh from a voice that seemed to rapidly age, and then her body dropped, striking the unpaved road. She felt blissful nothingness as her life force was snuffed like a candle, her soul torn from her body. Kirana, like all mages on Celestiira, was no more.