All is instantly calm.
Dean runs over to me, clutching my arm. "Are you okay?"
I nod, but notice my mother is still on the ground, unmoving, her body shuddering with wounds that look poisonous. She's still breathing, but barely.
"We can't remove the shard from the pillar," I say, my voice hoarse. "The pieces have to be put together on the pillar. Give them to me!"
Levi, predictably, shoves me out of the way and into Dean's arms, as he stalks to the remaining shard. "You think I'm going to let you have the power for yourself. Stupid girl." His eyes glow with malice as he unlatches the pieces from his belt and clicks them into place. As each piece is returned, it fuses with the others, until all four are together at last.
The Fallen Star of Nirandel is beautiful. Breathtaking. It's an egg shaped orb that glows with so much power it's nearly blinding, and it calls to me. Sings to me in an ancient song that fills my soul with something new and unexpected.
Levi smiles, jubilant at his success. "Finally I shall be restored to my proper power. I will take over Inferna, claim my rightful place, and use the blood of the Unseen Lord to wipe away the sun and give vampires the rule of all the worlds at last!"
Just add a throaty "mwahahah" at the end of that and you have a proper cartoon villain speech, I swear to god. This guy is ridiculous.
Levi lifts the Star off the pedestal, and Dean braces for battle, but the zombie children do not come back to life. I knew they wouldn't.
Just like I know what's going to happen next.
But why spoil the surprise?
Levi does what any villain would do who has been granted all the superpowers he ever wanted. He channels that power and proceeds to kill us all.
Bad guys win.
The End.
Ha! Just kidding! I wouldn't leave you hanging like that.
But he does try to kill us all. He sucks in the power and points it at us. Dean looks at me and, noticing how chill I am, relaxes. I realize his trust in me runs deep. This makes me a bit glowey inside, but I still have a bad guy to defeat and my mom to check on, so I'm going to have to wait on exploring those feelings.
"Any last words before I disintegrate you all?" Levi asks.
And I'm actually touched he's giving us this. It's considerate, for a supervillain.
"Nah, I'm good." I turn to Dean. "You?"
Dean shakes his head. "I think we're okay here. Fire away, brother. Do what you've always wanted to do."
Levi cocks his head at that, a little confused, but so confident in his next move he doesn't pause to consider it.
His bad.
Because when he tries to use the power of the Star, his face turns ashen, his body shakes and spasms, and he falls to the ground, growing weaker rather than stronger. "What did you do?" he asks as the Star falls out of his hand and rolls over to me.
I pick it up and stroke it, feeling the warmth of the power flow into me. "Oops, my bad. There was one little detail I forgot to tell you. This," I say, holding up the egg, "was never the Fallen Star. It's a price of the power. It drains life, but it can't give it. You wanted to power up, but you actually just sucked your own life-force right out."
"What are you talking about?" he asks, his voice weak, his breath shallow. "If that's not the Star, what is?"
I see the moment realization dawns on Dean's face. He's a smart boy, that one.
"I've been the Fallen Star of Nirandel all along, asshole. And next time you see me, you'll be in chains."
Alex Stone
I know. Massive plot twist for everyone. Myself included.
My bravado fades as Levi passes out. "Secure him," I shout to Dean before running over to my mother, the egg I was born in still clutched in my hand.
I drop to my knees and cradle her in my arms, tears flowing freely down my face. "Mom. Are you okay?"
The night she died flashes through my mind, the blood, the agony of my heart breaking. It's all happening again.
I can't bear it. Can't bear to lose her again. Not like this. Not when she risked her life to save mine.
I don't care that she has done awful things. I know her. I know who she is. I know she was just trying to protect me.
Her eyes open, but they are stained with red lines, and blood trickles out of them instead of tears. "My darling. You finally know the truth," she says in gasps.
"How? How did I end up with you and dad? Why did you never tell me?"
She takes my hand and places it on her forehead, and with a start I fall into a memory.
My mother, looking younger than I remember her, is on a dig. My father is with her, which isn't the norm, but he did sometimes join her for a time between movies. They look like a movie star couple on set, playing the part of archeologists rather than actually doing the work of them. My mother is exploring a crater created by something the locals said fell from the sky the night before.
Early reports called it a meteor shower that unearthed ancient remains, which intrigued the university my mother worked for, and so they sent her to investigate.
But she found something she never expected deep within the caves created by the shower. A shard of something full of power. Of magic she didn't believe in. Her scientific mind struggled to align itself with this new reality. My father, ever more open-minded and whimsical, embraced the idea of it being something from another world. My mother didn't believe it until she heard a noise. Digging through dirt, they found the source.
A baby.
Me.
Glowing white, like a star fallen from the sky. Like the shard in her hand.
They couldn't explain the existence of a magical baby any more than they could explain the magic in the shard, and so my father smuggled me and the piece out of the dig site, and my mother stayed to create a cover story and give instructions for the team to continue without her.
My mother faked a pregnancy and welcomed me into the world officially several months later. My father had connections and was able to get me fake papers to solidify my identity as their daughter. They hid the shard, raised me, and never told a soul the truth. The other pieces were assumed to have split during the descent, scattered across the world.
Through this connection I can feel the love my mother felt for me, and still feels. I was always hers and my father's. No question.
Levi was the one who figured out she had the shard, but never suspected the truth about me. And so, to protect me and my secret, she did his bidding and became his slave. He abused her, and stalked me to show how susceptible I was to his wrath. She had no choice. At least, she didn't believe so.
I pull my hand away from her head and lean into her, holding her close to me. "I wish you'd told me. I wish you'd come to me. I could have helped you."
"I wanted you to live your life, my love. I thought, maybe I could even bring your father back. Make us a family again."
I look at the egg glowing next to me. Dark thoughts fill my mind. The life I lived in the Mirror of Idis. "I still could," I whisper, hating myself for what I'm saying. "With this, I could save you and bring dad back. But…"
I shake my head, and she slowly reaches her arm up and places her hand on my face. "But it would require you to steal from the lives of others. And you cannot do that. That's not who you are. Not who we raised you to be."
Her eyes flicker, and I know the spider venom is killing her too quickly. "Can you drink my blood? Dean's blood? He saved me from near death. Maybe he can save you."
She shakes her head, her eyes struggling to stay open. "I have done too much I regret in this life. You are my one redemption. It's my time. It was my time all those years ago when your father died. I should have died then. Let me be with him now. He's waiting for me. I can almost see him. Just behind the light. His hand is reaching for me. I'm coming, my love. I'm almost there."
And with those final words, her eyes close and her last breath leaves her. My heart breaks as I watch my mother die for a second—and last—time.
Alex St
one
I'm frozen in time, paused in this moment of life and death, of choices that can make or break us.
My eyes seek Dean's, and he comes to me, wrapping his arms around me as I sob into his shoulders. We stay there longer than we should, as I mourn.
I hold the egg, stroking it, feeling the connection to my power. Light pours of it, surrounding my mother's body. At first I fear I am using the power to revive her, killing the innocent to quench my grief, but then I realize that's not the case.
From ashes to ashes. From dust to dust. The magic is taking back what my mother and Levi stole from it, and in the process, my mother's body is turned to dust, dissolving into nothing even as I clutch at what remains.
All I am left holding is the egg, now satisfied that its debt has been repaid. "This isn't safe, not in this world or my own. Not even with me. You don't know how close I came to using this power to save her."
He strokes my head. "You wouldn't have. I know you. I know your heart. You would always make the right choice."
"If she had begged. If she had pleaded for her life? I don't know."
He tilts my chin up to look him in the eyes. "I do. I know. I know you, Alex Stone."
"Still," I say, sighing. "We have to destroy it. And I finally know how."
He raises an eyebrow at that. "How then?"
"Let's get out of here and I'll tell you."
It's messy work, but I find us a shortcut and we exit the cave and make our way back to the fountain. Dean effortlessly carries Levi, taking great pleasure in 'accidentally' knocking his head against every hard surface he can.
Night has fallen in Nirandel, and three moons at different phases shine in the sky, illuminating a trio of dragons in silhouette. We're a few paces from the fountain, when the water splashes, and a burst of light shines out of it.
Dean drops Levi and pulls out his sword. I stand at the ready with my axe.
We both drop our guard in relief when Iris emerges, daggers drawn, kitten on her shoulder, ready to rumble. She looks disappointed to realize there's no one left to fight. "So you managed without me, then?" she asks, sheathing her weapons.
I tuck my axe back into my pants and rush over to hug my friend. "You really can come back from the dead!"
She laughs. "Oh yeah, I knew I was forgetting to tell you something!"
"Well, I have a few things to tell you too," I confess. "Get ready for a night of heavy drinking."
"I'm ready when you are."
She looks at Dean and takes in the scene before her. "So bad guy caught, but mom didn't make it?"
I nod, my eyes leaking again.
"I'm so sorry," she says. "That's truly awful."
Then she walks over to Levi's unconscious form and proceeds the vampire—hard—in the balls. Ouch.
That's going to hurt when he wakes up, and I don't care one bit.
"He'll have a new home in the dungeons of the Black Lotus," Iris says smugly.
"Is it secure?" I ask. I would hate to have to catch this asshole all over again.
Iris nods. "The most secure in the Nine Worlds. No one has ever escaped."
Dean clears his throat, and Iris laughs. "Well, okay, that's not entirely true anymore, but my escape was orchestrated, and Elias escaped because he planned to get caught."
"Wait, you and Elias were prisoners in the Black Lotus? And escaped?"
"Yeah, remember a while back when I went MIA and told you I'd had a spa vacation with no internet?"
"Yes…" I say, recalling how worried I was when I couldn't reach her.
"Well, I exaggerated the spa part a bit. But the no internet was true enough."
"My lord, woman," I say, exasperated.
Overhead the sound of flapping distracts us as a giant dragon descends from the above and lands near the fountain before us. Upon the dragon are a man and woman, both wearing crowns and dressed in silver and red.
"Oh, I should have said, I called for backup," Iris says, smiling, as the two slide off the magnificent beast and walk towards us.
"You might want to curtsy," Iris whispers, doing her best to take her own advice.
I mimic her movements and see Dean bowing deeply. "Your Majesties, it's an honor to see you again after so long."
The woman smiles, her eyes as dark as her hair, her skin pale. "Please, let us not stand on formalities. We received word our help was needed, that a Fallen Star of Nirandel was in danger. But I see the Star is safe."
She looks at me with a knowing gaze. "I am Queen Sky, ruler of these lands. This is my husband, King Kaden. And you are the Fallen Star of Nirandel."
"I am," I say. "My name is Alex."
She dips her head in acknowledgment. "It is an honor to meet a Star in person. They are so very rare in recent history. Now, Alex, how may we be of service?"
Dean steps forward. "We're sorry to have disturbed you, but it seems the crisis is over. We will be taking my brother back to the Black Lotus for his sentencing."
The queen nods. "I was once from your world," she says to me. "And I too was thrust into another world, into powers I didn't understand, into a life that was new. Know that you have allies in us. This is your world, more than it is mine, even."
"Thank you," I say. "But I do have one request." I hold up the egg. "This can only be destroyed by dragon fire. Would your dragon be willing to destroy it?"
She raises an eyebrow at that. "What you ask comes with a price. Do you understand?"
I nod. "I do. I'm willing to pay it."
"Whoa, wait a minute. What price?" Dean asks, stepping towards me.
"It's nothing. It's fine. This power can't exist. It's too dangerous. Too easily abused. This must be done."
"But you'll be fine, right?"
I share a glance with the queen, then return my gaze to him. "Yes, I'll be fine."
"Alex, what's the price?"
I touch his cheek and kiss him softly on the lips. "Nothing you yourself wouldn't pay if you had to."
With that, I step away from him.
The queen lays a hand on her dragon. "This is Umi. He has agreed to do this for you. But you must hold the egg yourself."
I nod. I knew that would be required. I saw this in my vision. Amongst so many other things. Things I'll never be able to unsee. Things I might have, could have, done with this power were it to remain in me.
Dean and Iris look nervous, but the queen is calm as she places me safely away from the others and her dragon gets into position.
I take one last look at the world around me, savoring the layers of meaning and connection I see with my gift. Then I close my eyes, clutching the egg, and wait.
Umi breathes in a deep breath and then releases his flames. They do not burn as I imagine, but rather feel white hot, like ice and fire mixed together. It tears into my skin, through muscle and bone, through my very soul, until I feel myself turning to dust, losing myself entirely.
Everything within me is released. I float away on the wind, become one with the particles of air, dance happily through space and time, until I hear Dean call out, his anguish real, his pain raw and angry. He calls me back to form, to body, to the corporeal world. I fall into myself hard, heavy, new pains coursing through my body.
The dragon's fire is spent.
The egg I once held is gone.
I am naked, undone and remade, shivering in the chill of the cool night air, and the world is different.
Flatter.
Denser.
It no longer speaks to me.
Dean runs forward, pulling me into his arms. "What was the cost?" he asks again.
"My power. The cost was all my power."
Alex Stone
"What does that mean?" Dean asks, though I can tell he has an idea.
"I can no longer sense artifacts, or see into the world around me. I'm normal." But it feels worse than normal. It feels hollow. Empty. This has always been a part of me. It's shaped my world. My work. Given me an edge. I don't know who I am without it.
<
br /> Dean seems to read my mind as emotions flit across my face. "Whatever you are, you are far from normal. You're extraordinary, and you don't need a magical connection to be a badass archaeologist or whatever you choose to do."
I can't find the words to respond, and then, I feel a burning on my arm, pulsing beneath my skin.
I suck in my breath, tears filling my eyes as I scratch at the spot.
"What's wrong?"
He looks to the queen. "What's happening to her?"
Queen Sky smiles gently. "She gave up her gift, but the dragons, through Umi, have given her another, to thank her for her self-sacrifice. And to honor the Fallen Star of Nirandel."
The burning dulls, and in its place, a dragon mark wraps around my forearm. "What does it mean?" I ask, feeling something alight within my core.
Dean helps me stand, and the queen offers me her silver cape to wrap around my shoulders. I accept it gratefully.
"You will discover over time what gift they have given you," she says. "But I do know that as a Star, you are immortal, and that has remained. Whatever else might grow within you, only time will tell."
With heartfelt goodbyes, the king and queen mount Umi and take off into the sky. I am shaken, exhausted, and stunned by all that has taken place. Dean studies my arm in wonder. "You were born for great things, Dr. Stone."
"Right now I'd settle for a long bath and an even longer sleep."
Iris takes Levi back to the Black Lotus with promises that he'll be kept under lock and key, and Dean and I follow.
When we arrive, I pull Dean aside. "There's something else I have to tell you. I had another vision while holding the egg." I take a deep breath. "Levi has a prisoner being held in a secret cave of his old kingdom. It's the king. Your brother, Fen. Levi's been feeding off of him to maintain his strength while he hunted for the Fallen Star."
"Do you know where this cave is?" Dean asks.
I nod, then sway on my feet, the room around me spinning.
Dean catches me and settles me onto the couch. "I think I can find it, if you can get us close enough."
Vampire Girl 7: Fallen Star Page 9
