by J. A. Comley
“No,” he said, eyes serious as he continued, “I'd prefer you to be somewhere the Baron's people are not watching you. I have some friends I'd like to introduce you to today. If you like them, and if you want, they have a small annexe on their property where you could stay.”
So much for asking after that human family. Maybe later.
Starla thought over what he said, watching the hope in his eyes dwindle. She had come to notice that his eyes had never been cold, or heartless. They would seem that way if you didn't know him, but it was just the way he hid himself from showing how the people's fear and hatred hurt him.
“You're right. I don't like being where she can just come in at any moment,” she agreed, watching relief flood his face, “and I would love to meet more of your friends,” she added, smiling despite the nervous fluttering in her tummy.
Larkel flashed his rare, dazzling smile. “Excellent. I've organized for us to spend the day here at the lake. They will meet us around ten.”
***
“What is that building?” Starla asked as they sat in the park.
“It an aviary. All the birds of Trianon have a representation there. It is open only to the higher nobility, or by their invitation.”
He and Starla were lounging on the deep, sea-green grass beside the lake. The High Lord had begun to tell a tale of how he had learned to swim in that very lake when a booming voice interrupted him.
“Larkel!” the voice cried.
“Markis!” he laughed, bounding to his feet and grasping hands with the incredibly tall, muscular man in front of him. “It has been too long, old friend.” Turning to the lady beside him, Larkel gave a light bow. “Shaneulia, wonderful to see you too.”
Starla got to her feet and waited nervously behind him. The man, Markis, seemed almost impossibly tall, with light-blonde hair and blue eyes like sapphires. If the stories of giants had any basis in reality, this man was surely why. His muscles strained the deep-blue fabric of his smock. The woman, Shaneulia, had the beautiful red-toned skin of the natives of the Americas on Earth and her eyes glittered a soft brown, complementing the pattern on her elaborate jade tunic. Both wore belts of deep-purple.
“Everyone, I would like you to meet Starla,” Larkel said, smiling down at her, looking happier than she had ever seen him. “Starla, meet Duke Markis and his wife, Duchess Shaneulia, the only other humans on Galatia. Well, them and their little horde of children.”
Starla's eyes whipped up to him as he finished.
“Surprise,” he said, flashing his roughish smile and winking at her.
Starla smiled, curls swaying as she shook her head, flashing red and gold.
“It's a pleasure to meet you both,” she said, bowing.
“The pleasure is ours,” Shaneulia said, smiling at Starla. “It will be interesting to hear how our old home is doing,” she added, pulling out a blanket from the bag over her shoulder, her plait of black hair falling over her shoulder.
Larkel bent to whisper in Starla's ear as Markis and Shaneulia laid the picnic blanket. “You'll enjoy their stories. Markis is an alchemist. And very old.”
He pulled away, grinning at Starla's wide eyes.
Suddenly a child of about five scampered into their midst, a blue ball in her hand. Laughing hysterically, she dodged between them as a boy a few years older chased her.
“Give that back!” he yelled, chasing her away from them again.
“Those were our youngest children, Elthea and Ephien,” Markis chortled, still watching them scamper about.
As they all settled on the large blanket, Starla offered to help Shaneulia unpack the picnic food, Larkel and Markis happily chatting away.
“You can just call me Lia,” she said, handing Starla a tray of tea sandwiches. “Tell me, how is Earth these days?”
“I never really travelled anywhere,” Starla began, but then starting telling her of the trips Antonio and Pierre had been on and all the interesting things he and his cousin had brought back from India and the Far East.
“How long have you and Markis lived here?” Starla asked, carefully setting up the drinks tray.
“Hmm, it would have been about 800 BC according to your Gregorian calender. About two thousand years ago in Galatian time.” She laughed at the incredulity on Starla's face. “There was no war back then. The Light Meadows still shone. The worlds were in balance.”
“What is it like, living for so long?” Starla asked, suddenly hoping that she wasn't being impolite.
Lia smiled conspiratorially. “Interesting. There is always much to learn and see. But I don't know if we would have been quite so happy if we'd remained on Earth. Such is life when you fall in love with an alchemist,” she sighed, lost in some memory.
“How did you get here?” Starla asked, suddenly hopeful for some other explanation for her own travelling that didn't involve potentially deadly amulets.
“When Markis first appeared in the forest near my village, I thought he was a spirit. No one I knew had ever seen his kind before. He took to living in a cave nearby. Slowly, over time, we found a way to communicate and soon he began to tell me of his work, of alchemy. I was amazed and frightened by his story of a drink that stops the body's ageing, never letting it get sick or old. The Elixir of Life, he called it. He believed in other worlds out among the stars and had a desire to travel to them, just as he'd managed to traverse the Earth and end up in my homeland.”
“So he did it. He discovered a way to travel to other planets,” Starla said, sounding slightly awed.
“Don't let my husband hear you giving him so much credit, it'll all go to his head,” she laughed. “No, he didn't discover the secret. One summer, we were hiding in the forests of what would become England. Because we were no longer ageing and no longer knew anyone living, we stayed hidden, living in seclusion, always moving, the elixir preventing us from having any children.” Her voice held the strain that lifestyle had caused. “One night, while we were charting the stars in a nearby field, we saw a falling star, but instead of crossing the sky and fading, it's light grew brighter and brighter, and it changed direction, landing at the far end of the field.”
Starla almost dropped the platter of sweet cakes she was holding. Could it be possible that they had a Star too?
Lia continued, not noticing Starla's reaction as she glanced over at her playing children. “Markis thought it must be a rock from the stars and insisted we hurry to investigate. When we got there, a woman with hair as bright as flames was standing in the fading light. She told us she was from Galatia, and a Soreiaphin, a Starborn. She had come to Earth on the orders of someone very powerful in her homeland to track down a lost relic. We offered her shelter with us while she searched, in vain it turned out. When she left a week later, she offered to take us with her. A gift, to thank us for our kindness and help.”
“And we've never had cause to look back since,” Markis finished, kissing his wife lightly on the lips. “Of course, we visited Earth as often as we could before the war, to show the children, but even then Galatia had become our true home.”
“Would you like some juice?” Larkel asked, sitting close beside Starla, holding up a glass of shocking pink liquid.
Accepting the glass, Starla's fingers trailed along his, electrifying her skin. She felt the knot building in her belly as his eyes never left hers.
Trying to make sense of the tangle of emotions, Starla settled back to enjoy the picnic.
“You said the elixir prevented you from having children,” Starla began, hoping she wasn't being rude as they ate.
“The Makhi here have helped us find a way around that. It leaves me very weak, but it is worth it.” she smiled at her children, now sticky with food.
Starla smiled too. Would Galatia really give her everything she had wanted?
“Lia?” Starla asked a while later, while the men went to round up the children. “Did any other humans ever come here? Or to Cosmaltia?”
Shaneulia raised one ar
ched eyebrow. “A couple of our elder children found partners from Earth and brought them back. But total strangers? Not until you, I'm afraid. At least, as far as I am aware. Queen Astria may know more. Or the Head Clerk at the Royal Library. Why do you ask?”
Starla nodded, disappointment still there even though she had expected the answer.
“I have reason to believe my family was either here or on Cosmaltia at the start of the war.”
Lia's face became thoughtful as the men rounded the lake, missing children in tow.
“Ask Larkel. He can gain access to the Royal Library.”
“I will. Thank you.”
***
Starla waved goodbye as her new friends and hosts left the park, carrying two very tired children.
“Did you enjoy the day?” Larkel asked, taking her hand and leading her back down towards the water.
“I did,” she smiled, noting how his casual touch didn't make her uncomfortable the way Raoul's had always done, how it seemed to make her blood boil instead.
“Would you like to go and fetch your things from the inn?”
“No, not yet,” she said, steeling herself for his reaction. She had waited too long. “Larkel, would it be possible for you to help me see the Queen?”
Larkel froze. The whole day had been wonderful. Starla and his old friends had got on as if they had known each other all their lives. She hadn't wanted to ruin it, but it seemed like the Guardians had been right and no one else had the answers she sought.
Sighing he looked down at her, his eyes tightening. “I can't, Starla. I'm sorry.”
“Larkel, please. It is important I see her. You need to trust me,” she said, her eyes beseeching.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Despite your secrets, you know I trust you. But I really can't do what you ask.”
He held up a hand, forestalling her protest. “Not here,” his eyes darted to the other people strolling by the lake. “Come with me.”
Hand-in-hand, they walked down to the docks, where the High Lord rented out a small row boat. Once they were alone in the middle of the lake, he put the oars to rest.
“Starla, I can't take you to the Queen because she isn't here. She's missing.”
“Missing?” Starla gasped, all her carefully planned counter-arguments vanishing.
“We have kept it a secret. Only five people know. Well, six, now, I guess,” he said, eyes intense. “Of course, there are many rumours going around.”
“Why keep it a secret? Perhaps someone has seen her, or has information that could help.”
“No, Starla, that would cause a massive panic. Astria is more than just the Queen of Galatia. She is a very powerful Inagium and a symbol of hope to the people. The main belief among the people is that she is training, preparing to confront Kyron. They believe she can defeat him.” He stopped, shaking his head.
Starla began to reach out her hand, then stopped. His voice had taken on such a hopeless tone.
“But she can't. She never could have defeated him. Over a month ago, she left in secret to go to the village of Timiol in the north. There was a rumour of a certain scroll there. Linked to research she was doing into Starborn or, more specifically, their amulets.”
Starla was grateful he was looking into the water. She hadn't quite been able to keep the recognition of the terms from showing.
“She didn't return after it fell.” His hands balled into fists. “I have taken over the research, but with all my other duties, I cannot leave as she did. And so Galatia stands weaker against Kyron, and our King struggles to keep his mind free of the grief consuming his heart.” Larkel's voice was filled with bitterness as he began to row them back to shore. “We cannot take away their hope. It is the only thing these people have left.”
As they reached the dock, Starla struggled to come up with some way to comfort him, to erase that terrible anger glittering in his eyes. Her worries and questions all became secondary to the deep pain the anger couldn't hide.
Her words turned into a muffled scream as a scroll suddenly burst into existence in front of them. Sighing as if only vaguely annoyed by the strange occurrence, the High Lord snatched the scroll from the air and read quickly.
“Can you find your way back to the inn from here? I have to go to the towers but I should be back within the hour. If you are packed by then, we can leave for the Rothers' annexe,” he said, voice matter-of-fact, empty and cold once more.
Starla nodded. She bit her tongue against the urge to tell him all about the Star, to give him his hope for Galatia back. As she watched him stride away, she wondered what to do. Without the Queen, who else would the Sacrileons have trusted? She was sure she trusted him and he had the research now, but she needed to be equally sure it wasn't only because she had fallen in love with him.
***
Back at the inn, Starla made quick work of folding her tunics and shifts, adding them to the top of the two freshly-laundered shifts already folded on the bed. With nothing to pack the garments into, Starla waited for the High Lord to arrive.
“May I come in?”
Starla spun away from the window where she had been watching two little blue birds hopping about in the garden below.
“Of course,” she said, smiling as Larkel entered the room, looking at him from under her lashes and trying to see if the ice from earlier was still there. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, just normal Makhi Order issues.” But his face turned menacing, eyes lost in thought. “Here, I thought you might need this,” he added, handing her a bag big enough for her things. Some of the darkness cleared as he looked at her.
She laid the bag on the bed and took his hand in both of hers. “Are you all right?”
His eyes traced her hands, then slowly moved up to her face. He turned half-way to the door and murmured a spell against eavesdropping.
“There was another attempt to collapse the Shield,” he said, his face filled with dark triumph, “but it failed.”
She held his gaze a moment but decided this inn wasn't the best place to push him.
“Thank you,” she said, packing everything quickly.
His strong hands took the bag as soon as she had finished.
As they entered the street, the High Lord reached out with his free hand for hers. With her heart beating erratically, she slid her hand into his waiting one. Hand-in-hand, they walked into the Imperial Circle and he led her past the opulent mansions, already beginning to glow faintly in the early evening light.
A sweet-smelling aroma wafted out of the darkness as they neared a turn in the path. She inhaled deeply, only a small pang of longing marring the moment as she remembered the flower boxes she had helped Mia make some years ago.
“Jasmine,” she smiled, as he looked down at her.
His mouth curved up on one side as they rounded the corner.
“Here we are.” He gestured at the grand mansion before them. Starla laughed beside him, delighted by the sculpted familiar Earth creatures adorning his friends' home. “Your annexe is just over there.” He pointed to a side path.
Starla followed, waiting for the tell-tale glow of glass to appear. When, instead, they arrived before a log-built cottage, Starla ran her hand unconsciously along the rough, brown bark.
“These trees, are they from Earth?”
“Yes. Markis built this place himself. That was before his alchemy work caught the King's eye and he became a Duke. This land used to be my family's. My father gave it to them when they wanted to stay.” Larkel said, carefully lighting some lamps that Starla hadn't noticed before, the stones in his staff glowing faintly. “This is magic fire. It will go out at every sunrise and burn again at every sunset.” His staff vanished as he lit the last lamp.
Starla unlocked the door and dropped the bag just inside. Looking back outside, she held her breath as the stars appeared. They were all different from the ones she saw on Earth, but just as beautiful. Briefly, she wondered which direction Earth lay before she
lowered her gaze once more.
“Do you like it?” Larkel asked, seeming worried she wouldn't.
“It is perfect,” Starla said, joining him in the glow of one of the magic lamps. “I wanted to thank you for today, I didn't think I'd be spending this birthday with any humans, but, thanks to you, I did.” Starla smile.
Her eyes followed the line of his crescent scar and then she smiled again and, going on her tiptoes, she kissed him lightly on the cheek, breathing in his summer-rainfall scent
The High Lord seemed to fight for control as her kiss sent everything in his eyes into a wonderful sort of chaos. His hands twitched at his side as if straining not to hold her in his arms.
“Today was your birthday?” he managed. “Why didn't you tell me? I could have—” He stopped at the look of amusement on her face.
“The day couldn't have been better for me, Larkel.” she laughed. “I only wish yours hadn't been marred by the attack on the Shield.”
He sighed, the dancing emotions in his eyes going out like snuffed candles.
Starla cursed herself. “I'm sorry.”
He heaved a deep sigh. “I should have been expecting it. Three Makhi went down defending the Shield. Four civilians got caught up in the simultaneous Corruption attack.”
Starla's eyes widened in horror. “I thought the attack was distant. Are they—?”
Larkel consoled her with a smile, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Everyone is fine, or will be,” he said, before leaning back on the logs to explain, “When we use our magic, it draws energy from our bodies. We need to be careful how much power we use. The Makhi in question exhausted themselves. In other circumstances, they could have died or become ill, but Redkin was there, too.”
“So why do you look so—” Starla wasn't sure what the emotion was that haunted his eyes.
“I had them actively fortifying the bonds between the Sacred Stones and my Shield without warning them about a potential attack. I shouldn't have endangered them like that, potential spies be damned. I've asked Redkin to select a small group to be told the truth and set on guard duty to keep the bonds safe.”
