Page 109 of The Starlight Savior

Cecilia’s body swayed, her head slamming against the wet ground. “Y-You said I’d be queen.” Her voice was a broken sob. “I did what you asked.”

King Tyrus’s laugh was dry and bitter. “For as long as a starlight-wielder lives, Opela is unbalanced. The wards could be reignited. You were always meant to break alongside them.”

From where Saige stood, she saw blood fill Cecilia’s mouth. The starlight witch raised her hand, a small tendril of magic reaching from her palm towards Tyrus’s chest. He tried to swat it away, expel it with water, but it burrowed itself inside him and twisted with a wet crack. It shot out of his back, trailing up his neck. Blood poured from the wounds in his chest as Cecila’s magic constricted around his neck. Saige gasped as the king fell beside Cecilia, their eyes void of all life.

Saige’s body was lurched in the air, her stomach flipping inside her. It was apparent that the wards were shed as the ground shook below. In the distance, tsunamis rose from the sea, pummeling Opela. Around Saige, lightning and hail splintered the sky. Sandstorms overtook the dunes of Nasala, choking and suffocating the fire-wielders. Opela was rebelling, unprotected and raw.

Her heart ached from everything she had been shown. Did this mean the mist was a creation of starlight-wielders or Sydera? Saige wished so badly to return to Priestess Domina’s private library, to share this experience with someone.

Finally, her body landed back onto the ground, returning to the water kingdom’s stone room. A girl, younger than Saige, stood in the open room with a crown upon her golden head. The amulet rested against her chest. Bodies laid around her, the girl’s hands slick with blood.

“Anya,” said a voice from behind, “what have you done?”

The girl turned around, facing a handful of warlocks in armor. “You may address me as Queen Anya,” the girl said coolly, hooded eyes lowering.“I’ve eliminated my competition.”

Saige watched in horror as the bodies were dragged from the room, their blood staining the ground. An older woman and two younger boys.

The world around her moved quickly.

Queen Anya spoke to magic-wielders of preparing armies to overtake Opela. Their first goal was Etrane, their land rich with magic. Yet the evening before their departure, a soldier barreled into the space.

“My Queen,” the soldier said, bowing to the ground, “we have news from the east.”

“Speak,” Queen Anya barked.

“T-the land is dying. A mist rises from the eastern islands. What do we do—”

The world shifted again, Saige’s stomach lurching. Queen Anya stood upon the black-sanded beach where the ground kissed the ocean. “What is that?” she whispered under her breath, pulling out a monocular. Saige’s own eyes adjusted to what Anya saw.

Coming from Astra Islands, a strange mist was emerging where the last of the starlight witches were executed. As the mist flew over the ocean, strange creatures surfaced from the water. Their scales glistened in the light as tentacles reached for the sky. Fish with razor sharp teeth snapped at the water. Venom oozed from pores and gills. Once the mist hit land, plants shriveled and turned to dust. Animals distorted into something unimaginable. Bones cracked and splintered as fur and skin melted upon their body.

Queen Anya’s voice was distant in Saige’s ear. “We have a problem. Halt the armies, we must march east—”

Saige’s body hit the ground as the teacup shattered before her.

Vomiting onto the rug, she arched her back. It was disorienting, returning to her surroundings. She’d felt outside of her body, drifting through the pages. But being back in the library, her mind reeled with despair. In none of her readings was there mention of starlight-wielders being a part of the wards breaking. Every account said it was at the hands of King Tyrus utilizing ancient magic.

Of course Opela failed to restore the land and wards. Starlight magic had stripped its power away.

But who took fault for the mist? Saige wondered if it had been the starlight witches’ last declaration or a consequence of the wards breaking down. The latter didn’t make sense. The mist started in the eastern islands, rising from the blood stains of the slain.

The door opened from behind, startling her. Priestess Domina stepped in, holding rags and a wooden bucket of water.

“Welcome back,” Domina said quietly. Bending down, she helped Saige back into the chair. The water dipped rag scrubbed at the bile.

“W-What was that?” Saige quivered.

“Old magic, forged with blood,” Domina said without looking up. “Ancestors used it in their diaries. Someone from the same bloodline could experience things that couldn’t be written down.”

“Same bloodline?” Saige said. “Does that mean…”

Priestess Domina turned to her. “I told you there were minimal ways of testing starlight magic. This”—she pointed towards the book resting on the ground—“is my only beacon to such an affinity.”

Saige shook her head. “I couldn’t just, y’know”—she waved her hands in front of her—“used starlight magic outside or something?”

“How would one know if you’re drawing from the stars if you don’t even know what that means? You needed to see it. To experience it. Now that you know what it looks like, you need to wield it.”

“How? Will you be training me?” Saige’s voice was small, her body drained of energy.