Comet Rising

by MarcyKate Connolly

  I shudder, but Lucas frowns. “You’re a liar and a coward. We don’t need to take your advice on anything.”

  But Dar doesn’t respond. Instead she gazes past him, horror-struck. She begins to shake, her mouth flapping open and shut like a bird trying to take flight. I glance in the direction she stares and see a new figure in a long, dark green cloak. It is clearly not a soldier.

  “It’s her,” Dar finally manages to whisper.

  My head snaps back to Dar. “What?”

  “Lady Aisling. She’s here.”

  Every nerve freezes, washing my body in cold.

  Dar begs with renewed vigor. “You have to run, Emmeline. Or let me out. I’ll take her on for you. Yes, that would be even better.” She shakes again, this time transforming into a tiny version of her favorite monster shape.

  “Absolutely not,” I say.

  “Then run,” Dar says. “You can’t risk it.”

  “But what about my parents?” Lucas says. They both give me pleading eyes. I cannot see Lady Aisling’s face, but she seems to float eerily over the ground with a presence that commands respect.

  Indecision freezes me to the ground. Soldiers approach, and two figures are dropped at the Lady’s feet: Miranda and Alfred, hands tied behind their backs.

  “No,” Lucas whispers, his shoulders slumping.

  We have no choice now but to save ourselves. They risked themselves to give us time to get away, and we’ve been wasting it. I get to my feet and put Dar back in my bag.

  “Come on, Lucas,” I say softly. “I’m sorry. We have to go. Right now.”

  His eyes water, but he gets to his feet. Together we run, guiltily leaving behind the only people who have ever protected us to face the wrath of Lady Aisling alone.

  Chapter Five

  The sound of braying horses in the distance follows us as we flee to the local village. We have a head start at the very least. But this time, I do not have Dar watching my back. A tiny part of me can see how useful she might be if we let her out, but it isn’t worth the risk.

  There’s no telling the havoc she might wreak.

  When we reach the village gates, we slip through unnoticed thanks to my shadows. And we stay hidden all the way to the back door of the blue building we saw Miranda and Alfred use earlier today. Tonight the building is cloaked in shadows just like we are, almost like it’s hiding. I take a deep breath, then I release my shadows and knock.

  It takes a few moments—long enough to make me wonder if we should just run—but the door finally creaks open. A tall woman—Alsa, presumably—with pale hair and big round glasses gazes down at us as she pulls her robe more tightly against the chilly night air.

  “If you need an elixir, come back in the morning. And use the front entrance. We’re closed now.” She begins to shut the door.

  “Wait! Please,” I say. “Miranda and Alfred told us to come here for help.” I lower my voice. “They’ve been taken by Lady Aisling.”

  The woman’s expression changes, and she opens the door wide. “Get inside before anyone else sees you.” She locks the door behind her.

  Alsa leads us into a warm kitchen in the living quarters behind her storefront and directs us to take a seat at the table. The place is homey and neat, like she had just finished cleaning up for the night when we knocked. “Tell me everything,” she says.

  Lucas has grown quiet beside me, so I quickly relay the events of the past hour. Her scowl deepens with every word. When I finish, she gets to her feet and begins rifling through a nearby cabinet.

  “Lady Aisling has been causing trouble for a very long time.” She clicks her tongue disapprovingly. “Most folks without talents just assume she’s an eccentric noblewoman from another territory. They have no idea that she steals children, because she’s gotten craftier over the years. She’s careful to cover her tracks. But to abduct your parents when they don’t have talents? Well, that’s just spiteful, now isn’t it?”

  “How long, exactly, has she been doing this?” I ask. “Do you know?” This is a thing I have long wondered. Dar isn’t sure how old she really is, or how long she spent as a shadow. Time passes differently in the shadow world, apparently.

  Alsa raises her eyebrows. “Now that is a mighty good question. Longer than any normal person has a right to live, that’s for certain. The first record we have of her stealing a talent is one hundred years ago.”

  I gasp. “How is that possible?” My mind reels from the revelation of how old Lady Aisling—and Dar—must be. I can’t even imagine it. She has had decades to perfect her talent; how can we hope to win against her?

  “A lot is possible when you have any talent you desire. At some point, she must have acquired a life bringer. Someone who can heal others and bring them back from the brink of death. And to stay young, she must have a youth keeper too. Her garden is full of the most coveted talents. The sheer size of it was enough to impress the Zinnian nobles and convince them she’s a noble herself. She wasn’t born high, mind you. Her title of Lady is just airs she puts on, aided by her trove of magic.” Alsa sighs. “You can spend the night here in my safe room. But you’ll want to leave at dawn. The village will be the first place the hunters search for you.”

  I frown. “But where should we go? Miranda and Alfred told us we should stay here and wait.”

  “That, my dear, was before they got caught. This changes everything.” She places an old book on the table between us and flips through until she lands on the section she wants. The writing is in a tiny hand, and the ink is faded on the yellowing pages.

  “I met with Miranda and Alfred yesterday. They told me about the comet returning early. A sky shaker is the only reasonable explanation.”

  “Lady Aisling must have stolen their talent.”

  Alsa gives me a shrewd glance. “Aye. It’s been a long time since a sky shaker has been around. They are among the rarest of talents. And dangerous. It is troubling for Lady Aisling to have one, let alone have the gall to use their magic.”

  “How are they dangerous?” I ask.

  “They can move anything in the sky wherever they want it. The sun, the moon, the stars, or in this case, comets.”

  “But why is that so dangerous?”

  “Think of it this way: Everything in the heavens is already in perfect alignment. The sun shines when we need it to, the moon comes out to light our way at night, the stars twinkle when they should. And that comet flies by every twenty-five years. Now, move one of those things out of its regular path, and it might get in the way of the others. It could throw the skies above completely off-kilter.”

  I’m still not clear why this is terrible, and it must show on my face. Alsa sighs, but, before she can respond, Lucas speaks. “If the sun doesn’t shine when it should, plants won’t grow. If they don’t grow, we won’t have food.”

  “Precisely. Also, there are other celestial bodies like meteors that can be thrown off course too, which means they might fall and damage our lands. Without careful planning and consideration, a new sky shaker could be dangerous.” She points to the book in front of her. “One such event was recorded in our histories here. A sky shaker fell in love with a noblewoman and wanted to prove his devotion. He moved several stars into a new constellation just for her, making navigation difficult for those who relied on the stars to guide them. Then, she rejected him for another suitor.” Alsa closes the book and leans back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. “The sun didn’t shine for two weeks until his closest friend managed to talk some sense into him and got him to put the skies back into their proper alignment.”

  Lucas’s eyes are wide, horror-struck at the prospect of no sunlight for that long. But I can only think of how much I’d love to be safe in the darkness for more than just a few precious hours each day.

  “That’s horrible,” Lucas says.

  “It is,” agree
s Alsa. “Which is why we need to find the sky shaker.”

  “But if Lady Aisling has captured them, she isn’t just going to let them go,” I say.

  A grim expression crosses Alsa’s face. “No, she’s not. She brought the comet around early to have more talents to harvest. The older generations of talented folks have all disappeared, either long dead or planted in her garden. They didn’t have the network to warn and hide them like we do now. She certainly isn’t going to just release a newly acquired talent. We’ll have to find a way to free them so that they can set the heavens right again before it’s too late.”

  “How do you know all this?” I ask, feeling bolder than usual.

  Alsa cracks a smile. “Have Miranda and Alfred told you much about the network?”

  We nod, neglecting to mention they haven’t told us very much at all. We don’t want to risk her clamming up.

  “I’m the historian. That’s why they came to me. We haven’t seen a sky shaker in ages, and they wanted to be sure they understood the ramifications. I was going to leave in the morning in search of a talent that could help.”

  I sit up straighter. “We could come with you. Maybe we could help?”

  Alsa considers, scratching her chin. “Well, I’m not as young as I used to be. And I don’t have a talent. My daughter was the talented one.”

  “Was?” Lucas says.

  Alsa’s face darkens. “Yes. Until Lady Aisling stole her. At least, I believe she did. It was years ago that she went missing. That’s when I joined the network. I don’t want any other parents to have to suffer the same fate.” She stands up. “But without magic, I might be a liability. I know about your talents—Miranda and Alfred told me—and they’re formidable.” She leans over to peer in our faces. “Are you brave?”

  An odd feeling passes over me, something like an electric chill. I take Lucas’s hand and squeeze it. “Yes. We are.”

  “Then perhaps you could come with me. With your talents you’ll be better equipped to get other talented folks to help too.”

  Lucas seems like he’s coming alive again. Having a purpose like this helps.

  “We’ll do it,” I say. “But where do we start?”

  Alsa grins. She presses the book into my hands. “This is a history of talented folks which contains the only known records on sky shakers. Look for signs and commonalities. Also, you’ll want help from those involved in the network—”

  Before she can finish her sentence, someone pounds on her front door. She pales and ushers us into a back room, then presses a hidden button that reveals a sliding panel and small chamber beyond. “Stay here,” she says, nudging us inside. Then the panel slides back, and she’s gone from view.

  On the inside of the chamber are two buttons, one to open and one to close, but we don’t dare press either without permission. The shadows deepen around us. Wide-eyed, we sit in the dark room and wait and listen. Dar is still and quiet inside my bag; I hope she understands the importance of remaining silent.

  We can’t make out words, but we hear the bang of the door being shoved open. Alsa shouts, but it gradually gets softer, as though she’s being dragged away. Then more noises—beds and tables being upended, cabinets and drawers emptied, bookshelves tipped over. With every clang and bang our pulses spike.

  But no one finds our hiding spot. And Alsa does not return, even when the noises fade and the door to the shop slams shut.

  We wait, shivering, for one more hour before we dare to open the panel. Then we venture out into the ransacked house.

  Chapter Six

  We flee the village and walk all night, cloaked in my shadows, praying that Lady Aisling’s hunters are not too close behind. By the time dawn stretches across the sky, we are far from the village and deep in the Abbachon territory. The terrain shifts from rock and sand to the outskirts of old-growth woods. Tall, leafy trees tower over our heads and long, clinging vines brush our shoulders and muss up Lucas’s hair. Moss coats the thick tree trunks, and bits of pollen wander through the air, making me sneeze.

  The shadows cast by the foliage are dark and deep, and I pull a few with me from the undergrowth as we pass. They swirl around my fingers in greeting. Lucas’s parents opted to skirt this forest when we made our way to the ocean cottage, but it will be easier to lose the hunters here than on the road.

  When the sun is fully risen, we stop to rest our aching legs and eat. I have some bread and cheese in my satchel, and Lucas has apples and jerky in his. He also has some coins stashed away in the bottom, put there by his parents when we first moved to Abbacho, just in case.

  Lucas stretches his legs in front of him and yawns as he hums, toasting a piece of bread for us to split. The edges crisp to a perfect golden brown under his direction. We have been quiet through most of our flight from the village, but there is much to say and decide.

  He breaks the bread in half and hands me a piece. His face is drawn and pale, even more so than the previous night, with shadows painting the hollows under his eyes. We must find a place to sleep for a couple hours.

  “I’m sorry,” I say quietly. Lucas keeps his eyes cast down, toeing a fallen stick with one shoe.

  “Me too,” he says.

  “We’ll find your parents. And then we can free that sky shaker too.”

  He snorts. “How? Trying to save them will mean our own capture. We were supposed to be safe with Alsa and even she got caught.” He kicks the stick, and it bounces off a nearby tree.

  I swallow the last of my toast, then begin to rifle through my bag. “We need help.”

  The familiar light of curiosity and hope gleams in Lucas’s eyes. “Help from whom?”

  “The network, of course.” I hold up the scroll from his parents proudly. “Have your parents ever shown you this?”

  Lucas frowns and shakes his head.

  “It’s a list of all the known talented folks born in the last two hundred years.” I unravel the scroll, showing him how far back it goes and the names that have been crossed out. “And it has the last known location as well. Which means, if we can find all the talented left who live here in Abbacho before Lady Aisling’s men do, we might be able to rally them against her. At the very least, they may be able to point us to whoever leads the network, and then we can hand over the task to them. I’m sure they’d know what to do and the best way to go about freeing your parents.”

  Lucas’s face brightens cautiously. “But this is a big territory. Some of them may be hard to find.”

  “That’s true. But we also have all these files from your parents, remember?” I pull out a couple of the papers they stashed in my bag last night. “I haven’t looked at them yet, but if your parents were so keen that Lady Aisling not know the contents, I think it’s a safe bet that they will help us.”

  A smile finally crosses Lucas’s face, and it’s like the sun rising a second time. “Brilliant,” he says. “I bet the Rodans’ new location is in here somewhere. We should find them first. They’ll help us.”

  I’m sure they’d be delighted to see Lucas, but not me. The last time I saw them, I inadvertently brought Lady Aisling’s men down on our heads, and they were none too happy.

  He begins digging through the papers in his bag, and I do the same with mine, starting with the ones on top. The first few are deeds to properties, but the names don’t seem to match the ones on the scroll. Puzzled, I set them aside.

  A small voice whines from inside my bag. “Emmeline, I’m hungry. It has been hours since I’ve eaten anything.”

  I pull out Dar’s cage and quickly shove a small chunk of bread and cheese through the bars. She eyes the papers on my lap shrewdly while she chews.

  “What are you up to?” she asks.

  “Never you mind,” I say.

  “If it has anything to do with Lady Aisling, let me help.” She moves closer to the bars. “Please, I want to hel
p!”

  Lucas sighs and turns his back to us.

  “No, Dar, we can’t trust you yet. You know that. And this has nothing to do with Lady Aisling. If we need your help, we’ll ask you, I promise.”

  “But—”

  “I’m sorry, but I think it’s time you went back.” I return her cage to my bag, but her angry objections still sound in my ears.

  Lucas leans against a tree trunk, vines dangling just above his head. He valiantly tries to remain awake to examine the papers, but nods off every few seconds. I put a hand on his arm.

  “Rest. I’ll take the first watch.”

  He smiles gratefully and closes his eyes. I do my best to stay alert for any hunters or dangerous animals that may approach. At first, the papers help, but soon the words begin to blur together. Finally I put them away and practice twirling shadows instead to keep me occupied. But before long, sleep falls over me and carries me away.

  * * *

  In my dreams, we are being pursued by Lady Aisling and her men. They chase us over the hills and through the woods. And then they catch us. We are yanked off our feet, my own shadow ropes somehow turned against me as Lady Aisling consumes my power. I can only whimper and wish Dar was here, free to do as she pleased to her evil sister.

  As if she can hear my thoughts, Dar begins to scream from my bag a few feet away, startling me awake.

  “Emmeline! Emmeline! Where are you? Have you abandoned me?” she screeches. Her muffled sobs echo louder than I would have thought possible.

  I snatch up my bag and open it as Lucas begins to wake. “Dar!” I scold. “Be quiet. Or you’ll alert every predator in the forest to our presence. And Lady Aisling’s men for good measure.”

  She immediately quiets down to sulk. “How would I know where we are? It’s stuffy and I can’t see anything in here. You weren’t answering, and I thought you’d tired of me at last.”