Page 11 of Born of Starlight
“There must be switchbacks in the canyon walls…” I mused to Van, not that he could piece together what was happening. By all shows of his intelligence, he was canine.
The horses pulled large carts stacked with crates—supplies? Weapons? The Lynx began to lead the Wasteland escapees east. I breathed a sigh of relief. The Lynx didn’t seem intent on traveling back the way they’d come.
My heart was pounding as I gave Vangard his next command.
“Stay put until they’ve left. Then slip away and run back.”
There was no explanation that made sense for why Lynx would be collecting Wasteland exiles and leading them east.Are they headed to the Brennac ruins?
More importantly,how much longer could I hide away from whatever trouble was brewing in the realm?
Chapter6
Asterie
After my soak, I entered my study in nothing more than a bathrobe and found a loose piece of parchment. My hand shook as the pen hit the page.
This was punishable.
I could be cast out of the Sisterhood for inking the words onto that page. Cast out to the Wastelands. But I needed to understand what the prophecy wanted from me meeting the Central Queen.
To My Queen Sybilla Wymark of Luz,
Do handle this letter discreetly. I write not as your High Enchantress but as a hopeful ally in difficult times ahead. I was delivered a prophecy that spells ruin for the Corridors as we know them.
I witnessed the fall of Luz. I have yet to find a path to stop it, but I see no clear one. So I warn you to be wary of the other rulers in the realm, as I do not know how the war will begin—only that it will.
The prophecy came with an instruction to seek you out. I do not know why. It also asked that I not share my visions with my Sisters, hence my request for your secrecy. I need your formal request to leave this tower. That is what I ask of you—please request my presence in your court if you see fit to heed my warning.
I will do everything I can to protect the city and its people once there. I make no promises that we can stop the war ahead, but it feels imperative that we should try. Together.
Writing this letter is the only thing that may bring me to sleep tonight. It also could condemn me to a fate too wicked to fear. I am at the mercy of what you choose for me.
Accept the assurances of my highest regards,
Asterie
I rolled the parchment quickly and hastily tied a ribbon around it to secure it. The faster its contents were concealed, the easier it would be to forget the traitorous message within. Then, stepping to the window, I whispered a Phynnic charm to draw the attention of a nearby hawk.
When it landed, the predator eyed me carefully.
“No biting,” I warned as I tied the parchment to its taloned foot.
“You will take this to Queen Sybilla Wymark of Luz. Please, make haste.”
Its wings pounded the air as it carried my message away to the capital city of the Central Corridor. With every flap of its wings, the raging power within me quieted.This was the right path…it had to be.
* * *
In the weekthat followed that terrible prophecy, my stone facade was cracking. My nerves and emotions were resulting in inconvenient side effects.
During this week’s Sisterhood meeting, I’d barely been able to hide the blue flames ebbing from my palms that refused to be snuffed out. My magic was acting out in ways I’d never felt before. The charged blue light threatened to burn anything that I touched while in the presence of my Sisters. So I clenched my fists at my sides during our meeting.
Amara seemed to sense something was still wrong. I felt terrible for withholding the truth from her. I had reached out to Queen Sybilla Wymark; I had broken so many of the rules in doing so.
Yet the worst thing to hide from my Sisters was that the moonstone no longer responded to me. No matter what I tried, the stone remained cold. No paths, no images, no whispers. Since hearing that prophetic voice in my foyer, it seemed my gift as an Oracle had beengone.I’d read once that an Oracle’s power could wane if their fate was tied too closely to a prophecy. Given what that voice had told me, that seemed likely.
I thanked the Sources that the discussion centered on who would take Mattock’s seat as ruler in the North, and my gifts hadn’t been required. Yet.
