CHAPTER FORTY The ReturnThe battle below held no further interest for me. I knelt on the ramparts with Sorrel’s body clutched in my arms. His blood seeped into my clothes until we unified to a single, gaudy hue. My knees ached beneath me, but the freezing temperatures ensured the dull thud diminished to a blessed numbness. I rested my cheek against Sorrel’s forehead and rocked him, imagining him soothed by the outpouring of raw emotion though I knew his soul felt nothing. I shed no tears for my fallen friend, but not because I didn’t want to. Grief swirled inside me like a tornado, though my closed eyes remained dry and vacant. My mind became consumed by the element of waste and injustice; a child lost in the throes of becoming a man and a fully-fledged drone honeybee. I ached for the loss
