by J. A. Comley
“This way.”
She turned from the Makhi who were working at the walk-ins section of the ward and followed Larkel deeper into the huge building.
“High Lord,” Starla said, remembering his request to use his title at all times within the Makhi District, “I cannot see how I can be of any help here. What we just witnessed … They surely have no need of me.”
“No, Starla, they have a great deal of need,” Redkin said, shaking his head.
Larkel's fingers brushed her hand, his presence blossoming in her mind.
Those were injuries that require immediate attention, but never forget that we could be mere moments from an attack, day or night.
Starla felt the cold, dark of memories that he hid too well for her to see, but got enough of a sense that they were about previous attacks, along with his desire to not ruin anyone's mood by discussing such laden things out loud.
As such, my Makhi must always be ready. In the case of those that have trained as Healers, that means being especially aware of how much magic they are expending.
Starla strove to keep her face clear as they passed several Makhi, all bowing to Larkel.
But I thought your magic regenerated?
Larkel returned their greetings then continued. It does, but it takes time and usually requires the Makhi in question to sleep. If we are attacked, and most of our Makhi are only at half strength, we will fair far worse than if they did as they do now. Every Makhi is different, their thresholds higher or lower depending on how strong their gift is. But each of us knows where our power levels are at and so no Makhi is allowed to use more than the bare minimum unless it is against an attack.
Starla nodded. I see. So you have non-magical healers too?
Larkel smiled. Yes. The Jensolir Tribe on Aurelia has learned many herbal remedies. There was also a Guild on Cosmaltia that held much knowledge.
She felt a brief flash of horror, of loss, as a whole world was destroyed, but he pushed it away with a skill she was beginning to envy. His lips twitched, and she sighed.
So I'll be helping them? The non-magical healers?
Larkel's presence seemed to fill with a mischievous light. Yes. It seems the special person I want to introduce you to is just through here. Ready?
Why is he special?
You’ll see.
Starla felt her curiosity peak as he broke off the connection and held a door open for her. The scents pouring through tickled her nose, too many herbs and plants, their scents all blending. She took two steps in and felt herself freeze.
All around her grew plants she knew. Peppermint, Roman Camomile, psyllium, valerian, and so many more.
“But these, these are all—”
Larkel came up behind her and placed both hands on her shoulders as someone spoke from behind a clump of rosemary bushes.
“They're all from Earth.”
“Good morning, Eben.”
A tall, heavily muscled man with light brown skin and piercing, honey eyes stepped around the plants, his long sheet of black hair plaited, half tied up in a high tail. Like the other non-Makhi she had seen here, he wore a light-grey smock, shirt, and trousers, with a lavender belt of seven stars.
“Good morning, High Lord. Is this the guest you mentioned the other day?” he asked, rising from his bow and flashing brilliant white teeth at Starla.
“She is. Starla, meet Eben.” He bent low so that his breath tickled her ear. “He's human.”
Eben rolled his eyes at Larkel's tone of voice and play-punched him in the arm.
Starla felt her eyes going round. “Human?”
Eben chuckled, and Redkin shook his head. Larkel turned her towards him, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Surprise.”
She felt a laugh bubble in her chest. “So this is how you knew what lamb tasted like? And what you've been hiding from me?”
She sensed the two men behind her tense, even Larkel's face tightened slightly, but when he spoke his voice was light and clear.
“Eben and I were born a week apart. We have grown up together. His family has been friends with mine for a very long time. Will you be happy to help him here while I work?”
Starla grinned, ignoring the dark edge to his thoughts. “Of course.” It was clear that he still had a secret, but she had little doubt that he would tell her, when he was ready.
Larkel stroked her cheek then pulled away. “I am going to Bind you to the building. It means you won't be able to leave the Healing Ward, but it also means that I need not set a Makhi to trailing you and Eben.”
Starla felt her heart swell, hearing in his voice how much he wanted her to enjoy the day.
She glanced back at Eben, and he gave her an easy smile, with a hint of mischief playing around the edges. Something in it made her think of Pierre, and she found herself smiling back.
She gave Larkel a nod as Redkin moved back to the door and Eben turned back to his plants.
He smiled, eyes mirroring the happiness in hers, and stepped in closer, his staff flashing to life in his left hand. The crystals began to glow, and he raised it over her head, a shower of multicoloured sparks falling around her.
“Done,” he said, staff vanishing. “I will see you later.”
Starla held his hand as he made to turn away, and before her resolve could falter, she raised herself up on tip-toes and gave him a soft kiss just below his ear.
“Thank you, Larkel.”
A bark of laughter broke through the moment as Eben turned, catching the stunned look on the High Lord's face.
“Ha! Wait until Niden hears about his.”
Larkel tried to throw the man a glare, but couldn't quite manage to get the smile off his face.
“You wouldn't dare.”
“Challenge accepted.”
Larkel narrowed his eyes, and Redkin cleared his throat.
“High Lord, the Council of Elders is waiting.”
Redkin's voice was also tinged with amusement, but he did a far better job of not letting it show.
Starla felt her cheeks heating but had not even a moment of regret. If anything, she wanted more. Swiftly, she let go of his hand and moved to Eben's side, where the man was still trying to reign in his amusement.
Larkel shook his head, took a deep breath, and left, seeming so much like every step cost him an immense amount of effort that Starla had to hold back her own chuckle.
***
“Who is Niden?” Starla asked as she and Eben settled down to lunch in his study, as they couldn't take advantage of the tables outside. The morning had flown by, preparing tinctures and salves. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she wasn't managing to place it.
Eben raised an eyebrow. “He's the Crown Prince of Galatia.”
Starla choked on her food. Of course. He had been at her trial.
Eben thumped her back. “Don't die on me, okay? One, the High Lord would skin me alive, and two, I am having too much fun watching your reactions to everything.”
Starla felt her cheeks warm even as she laughed with him. He really was a lot like Pierre, full of strange tales and inappropriate jokes, and possessing a keen mind coupled with a kind heart.
“So you're friends with the Crown Prince, too?”
Eben tilted his head to the side. “I see Larkel has really told you absolutely nothing about us.”
Starla shook her head.
“Back just after the Breaking, and long before I was born, my father started up a relationship with an Aurelian called Mukori.”
Starla leaned in. “Wait, the Mukori of the Unseen Hand?”
Eben nodded. “You know the story?”
“Kind of. I have been getting bits and pieces, from the Sacrileons and Makhi Horato.” Something else they had said clicked. “Wait, the Breaking? Wasn't that nearly two thousand years ago?”
Eben laughed. “Yep.”
“But you said your father … Is he not human?”
Was that even possible?
Eben chuckled
. “No, my father is human, as is my mother. The people of Trianon can't interbreed with humans, even with magical aid.”
Starla nodded, trying to remind herself that she couldn't have children anyway, and at least this way, Larkel would already have been expecting none.
“My father is, for lack of a better term, an alchemist. He discovered a way to live forever, an elixir of sorts. My parents have lived on Galatia for a little over two thousand years.”
Starla felt her jaw drop but managed a small nod as Eben continued.
“So anyway, after that whole business with Mukori, my father tried to right the problems he had helped cause, and my mother's remedy work caught King Eldos' eye. After Astria nearly died giving birth to their youngest, Princess Ashia, and she saved her life, they were raised to nobles. Niden is Ashia's son. He's about fifty years older than me. Part of Galatia's training for its royals means that they must serve at the school here. Larkel and I both had him as a tutor, but when you live such a long life-span, age doesn't matter so much, and relationships often change. Niden is one of my closest friends, one of Larkel's, too. He volunteers here fairly often. In fact, he was supposed to be here today.”
“But I got held up, and it seems I missed the big reveal.”
Starla felt her throat go dry, her mind in a sudden spin. She didn't know any etiquette for meeting royalty.
His eyes were a light blue and danced with amusement as she raised hers.
“Hello again. From what I hear, you have been fitting in perfectly since your trial.”
Starla managed to get to her feet and mimicked Eben as he gave the Crown Prince a low bow.
“And let that be the end of the formalities, okay?”
She managed a nod, and Eben chuckled. “Come on, he's really not that scary.”
Niden rolled his eyes at his friend. Something about him seemed almost familiar, though Starla couldn't place the feeling.
She shook herself. He was just a man, certainly far less scary than the High Lord, and he seemed genuinely friendly.
“It is nice to meet you Cr—”
“Just Niden. No more formalities, remember?” He gave her a sly wink.
“Niden, then.” She smiled
“Likewise, Starla. But please, finish your lunch.”
Eben chuckled, a light coming into his eyes. “Oh, wait until I tell you exactly what you missed this morning when Larkel dropped Starla off.”
Starla felt her cheeks beginning to burn, but ended up laughing along with Eben's exaggerated retelling, too. Any tension she had been feeling faded away as Niden laughed freely, flopping down on the floor beside their impromptu picnic and took mercy on Starla, ribbing Eben about why he never seemed to have a date and taking the focus off her and Larkel.
***
Starla glanced around the tower's room. She had spent most of the day in the Healer's Ward again and had met Eben’s elder sister, Eltara, who had proved friendly but seemed very distracted. Eben had hinted that it was lovers' issues and had received the task of cleaning out soiled linen in return.
She smiled at the memory of her new friends and let her eyes travel over Larkel's office. He had asked her to wait there while he attended to one last unforeseen event. Apart from an enormous desk, covered in scrolls, bits of paper, maps, and graphs, was a wall lined with think tomes and a rack of staves behind a protective sheet of glass. These had all once belonged to High Lords or Ladies of the past. Larkel had explained that when a novice Makhi was deemed ready, their graduation was heralded with their creating their own, unique staff. Those, unlike the training staffs, would only ever aid the Makhi who made it. She spotted a label beneath the nearest staff and felt the room grow colder.
High Lord Jari.
Starla felt her heart tighten painfully. She had guessed, from their links and the way other people spoke, that Larkel's father had died, but seeing his staff encased here made it more real.
She felt a wave of sympathy for Larkel. What must it be like to have such an obvious reminder of your loss, staring you in the face every time you come to work?
She let out a sad sigh, turning away from the macabre display.
In the corner, a small chest stood open. The books inside looked very old, and Starla's love of books drew her to them. Her Pareon was greatly improved, and she desperately wanted to give it a test run.
On the cover of the topmost book, which also seemed less old than its fellows, she had made out the word Soreiaphin. Immediately, the Guardians' voices echoed in her head. That is what they thought the Star was: a Soreiaphin amulet. Lua had said her blood had activated the 'key'.
Intrigued Starla pulled the book out, listening for footfalls on the stairs even as she turned her mind to deciphering the letters of the neat, curling writing.
Soreiaphin, or Starborn, are gifted with a unique and extremely powerful magic. Unlike other magical beings, their magic does not have a locatable source. It is part of their very make-up and is present, though latent, from birth. Soreiaphin are birthed from at least two different, intertwined magical strains. The result of this mixing means many do not make it to birth or past infancy.
Many Soreiaphin can use their latent magic with guidance or in tandem with one with whom they share a magical strain, but the true power of a Soreiaphin can only be unlocked by their Star, which they will summon to themselves. Each Star becomes an amulet and takes a unique form. Once the amulet touches the skin of its Soreiaphin, it may be touched by no other. The magical bond formed cannot be broken by loss or theft. Engraved on the amulet is a unique key for its activation.
Starla stopped there, her heart thudding disjointedly, seeming at odds with the repetitive exercises taking place in a courtyard below.
Could Lua have been right? She seemed able to use magic with Larkel, but he and the Guardians had been unable to locate a source. The Star had seemed to come when she had called. The writing appeared with her blood. If it was true, then that must mean that she wasn't human, her magic being made of at least two of Trianon's magical strains.
Feeling a fragile hope rise, she continued reading.
These keys will refer to a sacrifice the Soreiaphin must make in order to achieve their full powers. A Soreiaphin may choose never to accept this price, leaving their powers latent until death.
All keys are unique, but studies have found some common motifs throughout.
Words like “light” are common and will be linked to words like “sight”, “birth”, and “life.”
Another common motif is the idea of being “transformed” or “made whole”.
Most sacrifices involve the giving up of one of the senses, or reproductive capabilities. Sometimes the sacrifice can be more severe, usually if the Soreiaphin holds more than two strains of magic. The death of the Soreiaphin may be required. “Relinquished”, “remade” or other such words usually refer to such a sacrifice. If the Soreiaphin is returned from death, they are usually insubstantial, a creature of pure magic, all they were before burned away.
Starla had snapped the book shut in horror, the hope that had been forming shattered, turning into a sword, poised to strike her down. She grabbed the amulet, pulling it out from under her dress, fighting the urge to cast it from her.
“'Within … heart of fire, light … relinquished, and through sel … forged'.” Her voice echoed the words carved into the Star as her eyes traced them. She wished more than ever that she had the missing piece to complete the key.
The Sacrileons’ hushed conversation came to her mind, refusing to be dislodged.
Soreiaphin magic, born of all four magic strains in Trianon, would have the potential to rival the finite Demilain magic both Kyron and Ezira now wielded.
Which might mean I have the power to stop this war, to save everyone.
Starla shied away from the thought, shoving the amulet back under her dress, where it bounced always ice cold against her warm skin.
Death, the endless nothing, caused fear to flood her veins, and
now that she had the possibility of a future with Larkel, she couldn't think of a worse fate.
If Lua was right, and this was hers, she may have to die for her powers to be activated. Footsteps sounded, and Starla only just managed to pull herself to her feet and remove the look of horror from her face before Larkel re-entered his office.
“How would you feel about moving into the annexe on the property of Eben's family? I don't like you being alone at the Inn, now that I know how much influence the Baron's people seem to have there.”
Starla felt her pasted smile turn into a real one. “That sounds like a wonderful plan.”
7
Happy Birthday
Through his bedroom window, Larkel watched the sun's light finally reach the sea. He had been awake and ready for more than an hour, unable to sleep for thoughts of Starla and worries over all the things she didn't know. They had grown closer with each day they had spent together, him rushing through his duties as fast as possible so that they could spend time together. Yesterday had not gone as planned, and he had seen her briefly for lunch and then only again at supper. Yet no matter the amount of time together, he always felt buoyed by her unrestrained joy at life. They had linked minds so often now that he felt he had known her for many years. He felt an emotional tie to humans he had never met, simply for their importance to her in her mind.
He felt heat rush through his body, remembering her gentle kiss after he'd introduced her to Eben. He had wanted to give in to the fire within him the previous night but knew he couldn't, not yet, not until she knew everything. He knew what taking that step would mean to her, and it would not be fair to do it before she had all the information. He had to tell her his secret, but the thought iced over his heart and made the warm sunshine feel like a breath of winter.
And her secret? his mind prodded him. The ice in his chest deepened further, freezing his blood.
He made to push away the thought and another took its place. Larkel's eyebrows furrowed as he remembered re-entering his office and finding a very guilty-looking Starla beside the chest of Soreiaphin histories. One of the books was open on the floor beside her, handwritten research covering what he had been trying hard to deny.
