Burning Star

Amelia never considered how much time it took to make a perfect swirl. With the orchid, it was fairly easy to draw the outlines as no flower was alike another. However, for this project she had to get it perfect. If she made just one wrong swirl, or misplaced a dot by just an inch, it wouldn’t work.

Drawing was hard work, and Amelia never had much patience when it came to lines. She found them to be stupid. It wouldn’t even work until she managed to place them together.

“You’re slacking,” Orianna said. “The swirl ends in a longer bow.”

The oracle spent most of her time watching over Amelia, even though Amelia didn’t know how. Her eyes were freaky, and Orianna had explained that the cost for her powers were her eyesight. The little girl could see more of the world than any other person could see through their eyes, yet Orianna was blind to her surroundings.

“I’m trying,” Amelia defended herself. “It’s not easy to recreate all of these.”

Orianna smiled. “I never said it would be easy.”

The answer made Amelia grumpy. When they asked her to do this, she hadn’t predicted the manifesting and rewriting of a book to be this difficult; she hadn’t counted on any of this being so hard. Of course, she knew it wouldn’t be an easy task. If it were easy in any way, then they wouldn’t need her. But this—this was idiotic. She had a book filled with symbols she had to memorize in order to manifest the book, and she’d been practicing for over 30 hours already with no results. Amelia was behind on her sleep schedule. The darkness prevented her from guessing the time, and Thomas was a heavy sleeper who snores like a chainsaw.

“Amelia,” Orianna said, interrupting her train of thoughts. “Look at my hand.”

Turning her head, Amelia obliged. The oracle reached out a thin, pale and fragile hand, her index finger extended. She made a small circle, keeping her hand steady.

“You need to see the symbol; you can’t count on the papers, to always be there in front of you, whenever you need them.” Orianna’s hand moved from the circle and up in a long swirl. “Envision the form, and make it.”

A sense of stubbornness rose within Amelia. If a blind little girl could do it, then she could too. She closed her mouth shut, keeping her lips in a firm line and concentrated. She was practicing the centrum, a simple circle, which spread out as a flower. It was almost like the core of an orchid. This shouldn’t be too hard; the hardest part would be to put all of the symbols together to form the book.

She stared at the symbol one last time, then closed her eyes, trying to envision the form in her mind. Her finger followed the lines, and she made sure to breathe steadily all through the drawing. She couldn’t make any mistakes. When she finished the last swirl, she opened her eyes to see a crystal form dropping to the ground. It landed in her lap, and Amelia reached out to inspect it.

“You did it!” Orianna said. “The form was perfect.”

Amelia stared at the little crystal. “B-but how? Why is it a crystal?”

Orianna shrugged. “It’s not an actual thing. It’s only a part of the product, and even with your touch, it won’t keep its solid form. It turns to crystal.”

“Why crystal?” Amelia frowned. The first time her orchid turned to crystal, she’d been wondering why.

“I can’t tell you that.” Orianna turned her head away. “But Thomas can.”

“Thomas?”

“Yes. He was once a guardian of magic, you know.” Orianna grinned. “Not like your friends, in any way. He was a scholar whom the Stars sought for help. He knows about things that I do not.”

“Orianna?” Amelia asked when something occurred to her. “Why do you speak so strangely?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t speak like someone your age,” Amelia explained. “You speak like an adult—an old adult.”

This made Orianna laugh. “You’re fun. I like that.”

Her reaction didn’t help Amelia’s confusion. She wanted to ask further questions, but felt it would be inappropriate. Instead, she gave the oracle some peace and continued with her studies. There wasn’t much time, but now that she’d found the secret to her concentration, she started making small crystal figures of the memorized symbols.

The project was almost finished when Orianna spoke again. “Nothing is truly what it appear to be, Amelia.” Orianna reached out and held Amelia’s hand. “You know that better than anyone. You don’t act the age you appear either, am I correct?”

Amelia gave a small nod. The oracle was correct. Even though she sat here in a fully-grown body, she didn’t have the social skill, or the mindset, to act maturely. Part of her simply wanted to lay down, cross her arms, and pout until Eric came to pick her up.

“Thomas…” Orianna called. “I request your aid, please.”

The gigantic man stepped out; his scar lit up by the spare light that surrounded Amelia. “Yes, Oracle,” he said.

“I wish for you to explain something to Amelia,” Orianna said.

Thomas cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head, waiting for Amelia to speak.

“I…” she struggled to locate her voice. “I wish to know about the crystal.” She held up the small symbol.

“It’s not known by many, but the crystal you see there, is what becomes of dying stars,” he said.

“Dying?” His word scared her, and she stared at him with wide eyes.

“When a Star dies, its magic is released into the universe. It is bound by a set of symbol, provided to us by Solem herself.” Thomas crossed his arms. “If it’s not bound, it will turn to crystal.”

“So this is a dead Star?” Amelia asked and turned the crystal-symbol in her hands.

“Dead magic is more like it, in my opinion. A Star never truly dies, but its magic is released into the world.” Thomas pointed to the crystal. “That is just a fragment of the magic. When turned to crystal, it releases a part of the magic again.”

“What is it you want me to do with the book then?” Amelia asked. “If a star never dies, the magic wouldn’t die either, would it?”

“You’re right. The magic wouldn’t ‘die’ as you call it,” he said, air quoting his words. “However, it would cease to exist in our world. If the magic isn’t bound, it can’t be controlled—it’ll be lost to the universe, and we’d have no way to recover it.”

“That’s sounds terribly complicated.” Amelia frowned.

This made Thomas laugh: a deep rumbling chuckle, which seemed to vibrate the entire room. “You can say that.”

Amelia turned her attention to the symbols again. At least this time, there wouldn’t be any need to panic over it not working. She could do it. That much she knew; she just needed time.

“You’re almost finished with the center,” Orianna said. “That’s a great progress.”

Amelia couldn’t explain how the oracle knew, and she stopped trying to figure it out. The confusion would only give her a headache. It wouldn’t do anything else. She stared at the several crystals, which she placed in front of her. An idea sprung to mind, and she flipped through the last two symbols of the center, hurrying to make the crystals.

“Orianna?” she asked when she had all of them. “I have an idea…”

The girl turned her head. “Yeah?”

“Maybe, if you can help me, I can recreate the center of the book, to see the pattern in its unity.” Amelia fumbled with the centerpiece. “Would that be possible?”

“I like how you think,” Orianna said. “Okay, I’ll help you; just do as I say…”

Amelia nodded, and listened carefully to what Orianna explained. For every explanation, she placed a piece according to Orianna’s directions. It didn’t take long before Amelia thought she could recognize some of the patterns from Kurhah’s book.

Something was odd about the form. She rubbed her eyes. The faint light made it hard on her eyes, but she grinned when she realized what she was looking at.

“I guess you’ve seen it now?” Orianna asked.

“It’s amazing and beautiful,” Amelia said. She leaned back and admired the piece of art in front of her. The six small dots were places strategically around the swirls, making the constellation of Lyra.

“It’s called The Tome of Lyra, for a reason, dear,” Orianna said.

Amelia didn’t bother replying. She was too engrossed in the sight to care. All the weariness from studying disappeared in an instant, simply by looking at the small replica of the famous constellation. Her very existence was because of these Stars. She stared at the biggest of the dots.

Vega…

She never understood Eric and Joshua when they explained their undying love for her, but she knew that Vega deserved it. The star had single-handed saved all of Astron, and taken out one of the most dangerous Black Holes. The dark king didn’t cause terror any longer. In its place was hope for a better future. But only if Amelia could re-write the book, otherwise the citizens of Astron would be left to fend themselves against the remaining Black Holes.

“So, I’m supposed to be able to recreate this, right?” Amelia asked.

“And the outline of the book, yes,” Thomas replied.

Amelia squealed; she hadn’t realized that he was still listening in. “This room is way too dark.” She clutched her shirt, trying to steady her racing heart. “You scared me!”

“My apologies, Amelia Star Daughter,” he said and once more stepped out into the light. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“It’s all right,” she muttered. Her chest rose beneath her hand, and her fingers grazed something. Looking down, she realized she was still wearing the green pendant. She held it between two fingers and stared at it: the pendant was so vivid in colors—almost casting light on its own.

“Careful,” Thomas said. “People have been known to go crazy from staring into magic like that.”

“They have?” Amelia didn’t take her eyes away.

“Not in such small portions,” he admitted. “But yes. The Star magic isn’t for everyone to see.”

“Why’d you give it to me?” Amelia finally tore her eyes from the pendant and met his. “It’s a powerful weapon if used right.”

“Because,” Thomas said. “It’s a powerful weapon if used wrong, as well. I would rather see it in the hands of someone with the power to do well, rather than in the hands of an enemy.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Amelie muttered. “But why me, though? What am I supposed to do with it?”

“That’s something you have to find out on you own,” Orianna said. “We can only give you the tools, but we can’t do the work for you.”

She looked at the pendant and caressed the smooth surface. It was beautiful. A small part of her wanted to smile and run to tell Eric and Joshua about this. Yet, she knew they wouldn’t be as thrilled as she was. Actually, the chances that they’d tear the pendant away from her were more likely.

“Will everything be okay?” she asked. “Will we win?”

Orianna grew silent, causing a sense of dread to spread inside Amelia. “Say something,” Amelia begged.

“I don’t know the answer,” Orianna said. “There are too many paths to choose now. If we pick a wrong path, we will be defeated. However, if we chose wisely; we will be victorious.”

“Let’s hope we chose wisely, then,” Amelia said and resumed her studies. The sooner she could rewrite the book, the sooner she’d be able to go home. And hopefully, Eric and Joshua would follow.

“… vicious people, I tell ya’,” Tom said.

Eric stared at the man, surveying the wild gestures. The passion inside Tom didn’t sit right. A man in mourning wouldn’t look so excited for vengeance. Even if he simply wanted revenge, there was something off about the man. Nevertheless, Tom was the only lead they had, and Eric couldn’t afford any more setbacks.

Amelia needs me—she needs us, he thought. So why am I following this fool, instead of searching for her?

Of course, Eric knew why he was following Tom. It wasn’t because the man had any security for his plan; it was because he had a plan. Eric could easily abandon Tom—he wouldn’t even look back with any remorse. But the fact that neither of the Guardians had found a link to Amelia, made Tom’s plan the only sensible choice.

I’m so screwed. Eric cursed.

‘Easy there. We’ll find her,’ Joshua’s voice reverberated inside Eric’s head.

He didn’t answer. In Eric’s mind, there was no need to. They both knew that Tom was ridiculous to watch out for, and that wasn’t even because they didn’t like the man. Tom seemed to be a righteous man, but there was a hint of something else there. Eric just couldn’t place his finger on what it was.

“Tom?” Eric yelled.

The man turned around with a grin. “Yes, Guardian?”

“Where is it that you’re taking us?” he asked.

“I have some friends, they will help us.” Tom gestured to the treetops. “They’re up there.”

Instantly, Eric placed his hand on his sword. “Joshua…” he said.

“I know…” Joshua answered. They moved back-to-back, spinning in a circle, ready to attack if needed.

“Oh, Guardians,” Tom said. “You have no need for fear. These men will only aid, not harm us. I promise.”

Eric narrowed his eyes at the scrawny man, and then watched as Tom whistled a loud tone. Four men dropped from the trees, and Eric unsheathed his sword. “Stay back,” he yelled.

The men dropped to their knees as a sign of respect for the Guardians. All while Tom grinned back at Eric. “Told ya’,” he said.

’I don’t trust them,” Eric thought to Joshua.

‘What choice do we have, Eric?’ Joshua answered. ’Even with our combined powers, these men know the woods better than us; our strength won’t win against them.”

Eric stared at them for a while longer. “Who are you?” he asked.

One of the black-cladded men rose. “We are but humble men who live in the forest. We heard of Tom’s loss, and—“

“What?” Eric glanced at Tom. “How’d you find out? The murder of his brother happened yesterday.”

The man on his feet gasped. “David is dead?” He turned to stare at Tom, who stared at the ground.

Eric was confused. “You didn’t know?”

The man shook his head. “No.”

“What loss were you talking about then?” Joshua asked.

“Tom’s cottage was burnt down the other night. We’ve been tracking him and David ever since we found out.” The man spat on the ground and shrugged. “Figured we could help them get on top again. We wood men are loyal like that.”

‘I’m confused,’ Eric thought to Joshua. ‘I don’t know what to make of them.’

‘Did Tom say anything about his home?’ Joshua asked.

‘Nope… I got the idea that he was a wanderer.’

Eric glanced between the men who were now offering their condolences to Tom. All of them patted the guy on the back, and told him to stay strong—they’d help find the culprit.

“It was the cave rogues—them and their little oracle,” Tom said. “I knew there was something up with them. All the times we’ve been polite to them.”

“David was a good man,” one of the men said. Eric noticed he was a buff, but a small man who seemed to be a little too fond of sweets—if that was possible out here.

Clearing his throat, Eric gathered the men’s attention. “I take it you’re all convinced these cave rogues did it?” he asked.

Tom nodded. “Who else? They hated sharing the area with any of us. Never once they shared their meal, and their traps around the forest prevented the rest of us from eating.”

The group of men all agreed with his words, and Eric found himself staring at Joshua for help. This was a mess, and there were too few soldiers to fight them away. Their only option was to trust these men, and Eric didn’t like it one bit.

‘I guess that settles it, then,’ Joshua’s voice said inside his head.

‘I guess so—but I don’t like it at all.’ Eric placed his sword back into the sheath.

‘Me neither.’

“All right. It’s decided then,” Joshua said. “Tomorrow at noon we will strike these cave men, I trust you to provide us with directions?”

The men nodded and started speaking over each other. Eric held up a hand to silence them, and then turned to soldiers. “Pack up, we’re leaving.”

Solem, he hoped this was the right thing to do.