by J. A. Comley
Starla squeezed her eyes shut.
This is ridiculous. Even if a place like this existed, how did I get here?
“Look, Aimee, how did we get here? You're hurt and burned and—” Starla looked down at her night dress for the first time since waking. The material was charred and torn. Her left leg was exposed up to just above the knee. Her arms and legs bore black marks as if she had been rubbing charcoal over herself. Even her leather boots were burned through in places. Yet her skin only bore the cuts and bruises from the night before.
Aimee had nestled down into the grass, her breathing turning shallow. Starla felt her heart twist and decided to put reason to one side.
“You're right. Dream or no dream, insanity aside, I need to get you help.” Starla followed a char-line along the hem of her dress and tore off a long piece of material. Fashioning it like a sling over one shoulder, she gently lifted Aimee into the resulting pouch.
A glinting light blinded Starla momentarily as she turned to choose a direction. There was something glowing in the grass.
“The star!” Starla exclaimed picking it up. It looked duller now, but it still pulsed with a rhythmic light. “I—” Starla spun in a circle, taking in her surroundings with new eyes. “My wish. I think my wish brought us here.”
Could my mother have meant a literal star?
“What? You made a wish to get us lost?” Aimee asked weakly, barely conscious.
“No, of course not. I wished to find my family, to find the answers no one else has. I asked the stars to bring me home.” Starla gave a shaky laugh, clutching the warm star tighter. “Besides, do you have a better explanation?”
“Just one problem with your delusions. If you asked for that, then shouldn't there be someone here? I can't hear anything except very small creatures.”
True, Starla thought, taking in the empty forest. “Maybe I can ask for help.” She lifted the star. It was still pulsing in her hand.
“And help shall magically appear,” Aimee muttered.
“You need to save your strength. Besides, I don't think it any more strange than my having a conversation with you.
“Please, we need help. For Aimee,” Starla whispered to the star.
The light pulsed brightly once more and then the star went dark.
“Wonderful!” screeched Aimee weakly. “Spectacular! Encore!”
“All right. Rest now,” laughed Starla, glancing around the still empty forest. “Who'd have guessed that you were so cynical.”
Starla felt a stab of disappointment as she held the star up. It looked like ordinary metal now. Not glowing at all, only reflecting the sun's light as it filtered down through the golden leaves. But at least she could make out its shape clearly. It looked like a compass cross, with four long points and smaller ones in between and it fit comfortably in the palm of her hand. Again, she was struck by the feeling of familiarity, as if the star were an old friend finally returned from a long journey.
“Hmm. There's a hole. Look, a piece in the centre is missing. I'm sure it wasn't like this last night,” Starla said, sticking her finger through the round gap. “See anything shiny?”
“Nothing shiny. Except the trees,” Aimee muttered, nestling deeper into her makeshift sling, her voice growing softer.
Starla cast about her for any glinting or glowing objects. She really didn't want to just wander around. What if there were predators? She had always feared death, having never really believed in Father Joe's afterlife. The idea of endless nothingness was terrifying.
“Ahh!” Starla shook her hand violently. “Sorry, Aimee. Felt like an insect crawling on—” Starla looked at the star in amazement. A thin silver chain was growing from its topmost point. “It … it changed. It has a long chain now. Like a necklace.”
Slowly Starla put the star around her neck. It rested comfortably just beneath her breasts.
A loud chiming sound sent Starla jumping a foot into the air and Aimee screeching in pain.
“What was that? It sort of sounded like wind chimes, but really nearby. Maybe there is someone here. A house at least?”
The sound came again.
“That is coming from you.” Aimee said, her eyes half shut.
Starla was already eyeing the star, holding it away from her chest. Bewitched, Starla watched the star. A blue light pulsed out from the empty centre and raced around the star's points. Slowly the light faded until only one point was illuminated. Starla nearly dropped it as it chimed again.
The smaller, illuminated point aimed between two black boulders off to Starla's right, towards what would have been south east on a compass. Spinning so that they were to her left, Starla waited.
“What are you doing?” Aimee complained as she was jolted by the sudden movement.
“Sorry. I'm testing a theory.”
The light vanished from the point and pulsed out from the centre again. Once again it raced around the star until only one point was illuminated. This time, it pointed off to Starla's left, still straight between the two black boulders. It chimed again.
“It's acting like a compass!” Starla laughed triumphantly, resisting the urge to jump up and down.
“And you're just going to go where it says?”
“Better than blundering around here in circles until night fall,” Starla said, ignoring Aimee's sarcasm and setting off in the direction the star indicated.
***
As the sunlight filtering through the golden leaves grew dimmer, the shimmering bark of the trees grew brighter. Starla felt exhausted as she stumbled into a clearing, the scent of damp soil mixing with sweet floral smells she couldn't identify. Glancing about for any obvious signs of human life or even a game trail, Starla sighed. Still nothing. But the star had been changing their course regularly. Starla held it up, waiting for new directions. The light faded, pulsed and then vanished, leaving the star dark.
Shaking her head, Starla moved a few steps forward. “Hello?” Sighing, she let the star fall to hang about her neck. “I don't get it. Why lead us here?”
Starla flopped down on one of the black rocks covered with spongy pink moss. Aimee was still sleeping, still breathing.
“I really don't want to spend the night out here.”
She shuddered, thinking of the wolves back in France. Again she went through her knowledge of different places she had read about, or heard about from Pierre Salso. Nothing she had ever heard described colour-shifting trees.
How far from France am I?
Without warning, Starla was bucked off the rock. She landed painfully, using her arms to protect Aimee rather than herself. Her already bruised ribs took another hit and a breath escaped through Starla's teeth. The rock rolled over twice. Starla scrambled backwards, transfixed, as she watched the rock tremble and begin to crack.
From it, emerged four fat, olive-green paws, followed by a round, green head with a flat, white snout. As the creature shook itself out, the pink moss slid off to either side to form long ears. Sections of the black, rocky body cracked and shifted into one another until the creature's body remotely resembled the scale armour of an armadillo. The creature opened its too-big, blue eyes and fixed them on Starla.
Starla felt the star burn hot against her skin, then cool. Her head suddenly felt crammed, as if she had just sat through one of Father Joe's very long mathematics lectures.
“Why did you sit on me?”
Its voice was a rumble deep in its throat, sounding like a distant rockslide.
It took Starla a moment to remember how to speak but even then, her voice was horribly high-pitched.
“I … I thought you were a rock,” she stammered. “I am terribly sorry.”
“You were not invited to my clearing,” he rumbled. “How did you find it without an invitation?”
“I came looking for help,” Starla said, bringing herself under control. Talking rock or no, Aimee needed help fast. “Please, my friend here is hurt and we are both lost. I found you with this. Can you help
us?” she said, holding up the star briefly. It was still glowing faintly.
The creatures eyes widened, then he turned and shambled off to a tree near where it had been sleeping. “Strangers in the forest. Lost, she says. And hurt. But how did she get that? How?”
Starla wasn't sure if the creature was still talking to her as it ran at the tree, head-butting it five times. Starla noted that the tree in question seemed to be made from several trees intertwined and that it did not shimmer or glitter but remained stark white.
The creature turned back to face her. “Who are you? What are you?” he added, eyeing her clothes and makeshift sling askance.
Starla rose to her feet. She was getting the feeling that leaving might be the best option after all.
“I'm Starla. A … uh … human. This is Aimee. She's a sparrowhawk.” Starla tried a smile as she took a casual step towards the tree line. “And you?”
“Strange. Human? No,” it said shaking its head in denial before seeming to shrug. “I am a snabble. We are the oldest creatures of this forest. My given name, however, is Heny.” His eyes narrowed as Starla moved another step. “You cannot leave, stranger. The glade is sealed, now.”
Starla felt herself beginning to panic again as she reached out for the tree line and met an invisible barrier.
What is this place?
“No need to worry,” Heny said, smelling the stranger's fear. “I have sent for the help you wanted.” He glanced back at the tree. “They will be here soon. Why don't you tell me what has brought you to Galatia?”
All the thoughts of magic and escape whirring through Starla's head stopped dead.
“What did you say? Where are we?” Starla asked, trying to calm her thundering heart.
The creature gave her a long, probing look before answering. “You are in Galatia, stranger. It is the first of the three planets making up the Trianon System, centre of the Unlia Galaxy.”
Starla dropped heavily to the ground and Aimee gave a pitiful screech.
Galatia is a planet? Trianon System? Images of studying the stars with Father Joe flashed through her mind. The possibility of other galaxies, of other life. He had suffered a lot of persecution for his curiosity.
“Now, tell me what brought you here stranger?” Heny asked, looking slightly concerned. This stranger didn't seem particularly lucid. No surprise, really. By all accounts, it should be dead.
Starla barely heard him over Father Joe's voice as it looped around in her head. 'No one anywhere in the known world could identify your parents, or make sense of those words.'
Is Cosmaltia a planet too?
“Cosmaltia.” She wasn't sure if she had said it out loud but the creature's eyes widened and then it hung its head.
“Is that where you had meant to go? That planet is no longer able to sustain life.”
Starla thought she nodded then rested her head upon her knees as the world seemed to swirl and tilt around her.
“You seem to be changing colour. Is this normal?” Heny asked, taking two cautious steps towards Starla.
“I'm fine,” Starla breathed, desperately trying to gather her scattered thoughts into some semblance of sense.
Aimee. Focus on Aimee.
“Right. Well, good,” he said, shambling back to his position in front of the tree. “Excellent, help is here, stranger.”
Still not entirely aware of the world around her, Starla let her eyes rise to the white tree. It was beginning to shimmer yellow, with a brighter light swirling out from the centre forming a glowing spiral. A humanoid shadow seemed to be moving within the glowing light, coming closer.
Focusing on her breathing, Starla wrenched herself back to the immediate situation. She mentally prepared herself to meet the unknown stranger as best she could. Aimee needed help and if they really were in, or on, Galatia, if Galatia and Cosmaltia were planets, then she was one step closer to finding her family. She held on to that thought.
A sudden 'pop' made Starla jump, her eyes snapping back to the tree. The spiralling yellow light was fading quickly back into the tree, its bark losing its shimmer. Starla slowly got to her feet as the new arrival took a step into the glade. She couldn't help but stare. Her pulse began to race as her body released more adrenaline into her blood stream.
The creature was female and tall. Taller than Raoul, Starla guessed. Her body was jet black and looked as hard as obsidian. Along it were stencilled delicate red suns, each catching the sunlight as she moved, as if they were made of some kind of metal. Her clothes shimmered softly, too. They were bright yellow, a short skirt cut into points at the bottom and a sleeveless top cut the same way that covered little more than her bust.
“Rya! Excellent, although I did ask Gaby to come first,” Heny rumbled, seeming faintly disappointed.
The newcomer's large eyes took Starla in from head to toe. They had nearly no whites, but the irises were shocking violet with diamond shaped pupils of black. Long white lashes framed them, making a stark contrast against her black skin as she eyed Starla.
“Who is this?” her voice tinkled musically. She glanced over her shoulder once more before turning to Heny again.
“The reason I called,” Heny said, nodding, his rock body making scraping sounds with the movement.
“Gaby and the others are on their way” She turned back to the tree. Sure enough it had begun to shimmer again, a warm, sunset orange.
Starla had to pull herself together again, ignoring her empty belly and throbbing head. She needed to be calm and focused. She turned her mind to cataloguing the creature before her as if it were an interesting lesson Father Joe had put before her.
Aside from her near non-existent clothing, the female wore yellow boots which stopped just short of her knees and yellow, fingerless gloves, attached at the middle finger, that extended to just below her elbows. Her hair was cut asymmetrically, from very short on her left to chin-length on the right. It shone bright silver, with her long, pointed ears poking through. An earring consisting of three yellow and three red beads hung from the point of each ear.
Starla took a hesitant step forward. The creature turned to face her. In her hands she held a bundle of sienna fur and wine-red scales.
“It is never hot enough here, even in summer,” the bundle said, stretching languidly, its scaled wings opening then closing. It shivered and hissed at the air.
The bundle looked vaguely cat-like, but with an extra-long tail, and wings. Starla couldn't help but gasp as she noted the three eyes, two in the expected place for a cat and a third in the centre of its forehead. Along its back ran a double row of scaled spikes.
Just catalogue it. It's no weirder than the duck-billed platypus.
The woman took a step toward Starla.
“I am Rya. Don't be frightened. I am a Sacrileon and one of the Head Guardians of this System. I have read a lot about Earth and have some familiarity with your ways and customs. I am glad to welcome you to Galatia. We are here to help.” She smiled, though her over-long canines and sharp teeth made it seem less warm. The glowing orange spiral already held an approaching shadow. “This is Litzie,” Rya said, gesturing to the bundle she held in her arms, “Please, forgive her grumpiness. Cargons generally live in very arid areas and she feels the cold easily.”
Starla's tongue felt dry as she opened her mouth to introduce herself when another loud 'pop' echoed around the glade, swiftly followed by a flash of orange that circled Starla twice then stopped, stock-still, in front of her.
The creature before her was about as tall as a doe, but with bright-orange fur and a distinctly canine cast to its body. It swung its two bushy, black tails lazily as its four green eyes took Starla in. A blue feather wobbled about between two small yellow horns on the top of its head. The creature's head and teeth resembled that of a wolf's.
“Is it dangerous?” Starla asked, unsure whether she should stand still or run. “What is it?”
“'It' can understand you,” a new voice answered. “Spindlers won't
hurt you.”
The owner of the new voice turned back to Rya, her white shoulder-length curls shimmering and swinging as she moved. They took a few steps away and began whispering together.
This latest Sacrileon wore a straight cut, orange skirt also stopping well short of her knees, with lighter orange ribbons hanging down one side. Her top was also orange and tied around her neck, again covering little more than her bust. Like Rya, she was jet black but the glittering stencils on her body were blue droplets. Her boots stopped at her ankles, while her gloves reached almost to her shoulder.
Determined to master the situation, Starla stepped forward with more confidence than she felt.
“I am Starla,” she curtsied. “This is Aimee. She is badly hurt and needs help.”
Both Sacrileons turned to face her, their violet eyes unblinking.
“I am Alli. One of the head Guardians here. My domain was the Cosmaltian Coral Lagoons.” Her voice also held a melodic quality, tinged with a deep sadness.
“Why does she bow to us?” asked a strange one-legged creature, hopping out from behind Alli.
“She does a lot of strange things.” Heny's deep voice sounded like laughing thunder.
“This is Kal.” Alli indicated the one-legged creature that had captured Starla's attention. “He is a raddle, an amphibious creature native to Cosmaltia.”
The raddle's single round foot was webbed, his scales were green and purple and a yellow bobble hung from the end of his short, curved tail.
The tree began to shimmer again, two glowing lights spiralling outward this time. One green, the other pink.
Starla felt a headache coming on. Raddle? Spindler? Cargon? She shook her head, as if that would help settle the information. Just catalogue. Don't try and make it fit.
Shutting her eyes momentarily, she tried to focus on the one thing she was sure of. “Look, I really need help. Aimee needs you. This—”
The orange creature suddenly leapt a foot in the air as Starla held up the star. It pulsed once in her hand.
“TheothersarehereThisisamazingCan'tbelieveaStarbornhascomehome!” it cried, racing around the glade in a blur.
