It was as if he’d known I wanted to hear more, I thought bitterly.
“We should be coming up on Lady Time soon.”
I looked over to see Elysian had quietly returned. “Oh, you’re back now,” I said. “Did you enjoy the sights?”
“There’s no need to be short with me, kid,” Elysian muttered back. His own sharp tone made me look twice at him.
“Are you okay?” I asked, noticing he had gone quiet and contemplative, something I knew Elysian was not, unless he was thinking of something important.
“If you must know,” he bit back, “I was looking for my brother.”
“Oh.” I briefly recalled that Elysian had mentioned his brother, and even other changeling dragons, before. “Did you find him?”
“No.”
There was a large amount of feeling behind the answer; I knew there would be an even larger story. I wisely said nothing.
We stared out into everything for some time before Aleia came up to us. “I haven’t been sailing with St. Brendan in a long time,” she said. “I’ve forgotten how fun it can be.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What’s wrong?” Aleia asked. “Are you still wondering about Starry Knight?” When I didn’t say anything, Aleia sighed. “You know, you really shouldn’t worry about her. She didn’t come tonight, even though I know she wanted to.”
“Why not?” I asked. “She and St. Brendan seem to get along well enough.” There was a bitterness to my tone I didn’t really want to explain to Aleia, but there was nothing I could do about it.
“She has her reasons for staying away, even as much as she wanted to come,” Aleia explained gently. “She and St. Brendan go a long way back. They’ve always been friends.”
Friends with a charming space captain, but not her co-defender.
I didn’t say anything. I just huffed and shrugged my shoulder, trying to look indifferent.
Aleia changed the subject. “We’ll be passing through the Field of Lights soon,” she said. “It’s one of the most beautiful sights in all the realms.”
Inside, I debated with myself about commenting. Finally, I decided it was no time to alienate Aleia, who was charged with teaching me. So I figured I would suck up my bad mood and play along with her for now. “What’s in the Field of Lights?” I asked.
“It’s where human souls are allowed to reside before they are called down to Earth.” She tugged on my arm. “Come and see with me.”
I followed her to the edge of the deck and leaned over, following her lead. We were sailing into a large, nebulous web of light and power.
“Look at them. They’re so beautiful.” Aleia pointed to a baby-like figure as it slept inside one of the seemingly infinite gelatinous bubbles blossoming up from the heart of the light. I watched as the baby tucked itself into a ball with a fist in its mouth.
“Reminds me of Adam, when Cheryl was pregnant,” I said. “Or pictures of tadpole eggs.”
“They begin to take form down in here, in the time pods, as their physical bodies are being created. But look over there. You see those figures moving?”
I saw the enlightened flashes of childish figures. Some had long hair, some had short hair, and some were taller or shorter. Some were pudgy, and others were lanky. They were just beings of light, but even from where I was, I could see their smiles, hear their laughter, and see their joy.
“Look at that one. It’s about to go into its time pod.” Seeing my confused look, she further explained, “The egg-like bubble housing the babies.”
The child of light she’d pointed out edged close to a bubble. I could see it was a boy, with a love of climbing and curiosity set deeply inside of him. As I watched, his light slipped inside of the pod, and took the shape of a human baby. At first I didn’t see how the light was going to survive inside of it, but then it not only settled in, but I saw it grow brighter. His face turned toward me, and I saw he’d begun to smile and squirm like a human baby, too excited to stay still.
Even though I was not chummy with children like Gwen was, I grinned. “He’s going to be a handful for his mother.”
Aleia smiled. “They wait in the pod until their bodies are ready. And then, of course, they are inserted completely into time and they are born.”
“So the baby in the womb is not a full person until birth?” I asked.
“They are a full soul, with personality, temperament, even preferences,” Aleia explained, “and their spirits are knitted into their physical bodies, while they are being prepared. Life inside the womb is preparing them for life outside the womb, just as your life on Earth is preparing you for life beyond Earth.”
“What do you mean by that?” I sure was asking that a lot tonight, I mused. I hope I didn’t come across as stupid.
She grinned at me. “Think about it. Eyes that do not need to see, lungs that have no access to air, and arms and feet with nowhere to yet go. Can you imagine what life is like outside of your body now?”
I thought about Elektra’s attempt to take my power, my inner light. My vision had expanded all the way around me, and I was able to see things I never could see with my human eyes. “I guess so. Makes sense,” I agreed.
A pair of what looked like sisters playfully danced past us, and I saw another baby leap headfirst into his own time pod.
“What’s that one over there doing?” I asked, pointing to a baby in a pod who was, in his baby form, starting to crawl out. “Is he being born on Earth?”
Aleia following my direction. We watched as a being, no doubt some kind of Nanny Star, suddenly appeared beside the boy and took him away.
“Looks like the lad will be staying here,” St. Brendan spoke.
I almost jumped at his sudden appearance. “What do you mean?”
“The baby died in the womb, Hamilton,” Aleia whispered.
I glanced back, an irreconcilable sadness suddenly piercing my heart. “What’s going to happen to him? Will he go into some other pod?”
“No,” Aleia said. “Every individual soul is unique. While he did not get a chance to live on Earth, he will still get to reside here. Most of the ones who do not get born remain behind, taking care of the others.”
“Will he be a new Star then?” I asked.
“No, those are human souls that play there; while other Stars are created, they reside elsewhere. Though they will often visit here to play,” St. Brendan explained. “But don’t worry about the babe. He’ll hear from Gabe soon.”
“Who’s Gabe?”
“He delivers messages around here, such as that.”
“He will be given a new assignment and purpose,” Aleia said. “You know how the Prince is fond of second beginnings.”
While I don’t think she meant it as an insult, second chances were still a bit of a sore point with me. I didn’t like to think about my own learning experience in regard to that particular lesson. It was enough to have learned it; I didn’t want to be reminded of it anytime soon. “Does everyone have a purpose?” I asked, a little skeptical at this point.
St. Brendan laughed. “That’s like asking if everyone has love.” His brilliant eyes glittered. “Some are born with it, some find it, some make theirs, and some see it in others. The point is not that we have one, or make one, but that we are all part of a larger movement.”
I watched as some creatures approached the Field of Lights. I was surprised to see a winged horse among them, and a pair of cat-like creatures with heads like eagles. It was more than enough to distract me. “Mythological creatures are here, too?”
Elysian coughed behind me. “Ugh, you already knew that, kid.”
“Oh. Right.” I’d forgotten about Elysian. (Imagine that.)
We passed through the Field of Lights, wandered by heavenly meadows, and sailed through seas bound by no land or gravity. I saw trees with no roots, their circulating branches interlaced with other spirits and creatures; I saw clouds stretching across galaxies, netting together different nebulas as they grasped e
ach other with friendship. I saw wonders too bright and too beautiful; many of them passed through my memory as one sight after another sent a wave of awe and respect through me.
And all of this, I thought, was still within Time’s power.
Which did make me wonder. Would I see Adonaias, the Prince of Stars, on this trip?
I felt the swirl of the ship as it began to slow to a stop—at a huge castle in the sky, no less. I was amazed to see it was not flat, like it was on earth, but spherical, built out of gemlike stone. There was a cloudy mist of a moat surrounding the palace, a slim stream of nebulous flotsam making Time’s residence look more like a strangely-built Saturn than anything else.
“There’s the end of the River Veil,” St. Brendan said.
I turned toward him, watching as the ship pulled up closer to the edge of my universe.
“Along with the River Guardian, the Serpent.” He pointed to the small ring around the castle, the one I’d thought was a small moat. Stepping back, I saw it; rather than being a river or a stream, the white waves were the discarded, scaly skin of a snake-like creature, bound up in a stasis of time, almost as if it had been crushed between moments and seconds.
Before I could ask, Aleia tugged my arm excitedly. “We’re here.”
☼12☼
Lady Time
It was hard to say what kind of expectations I had for meeting the person responsible for slowing time down during my English classes.
Knowing her power and knowing her sister created conflicting pictures in my mind’s eye. Aleia, from my short interactions with her, I knew to be kind, patient, and friendly. She was beautiful in a way that emphasized her strength and her desire for good. I did not know time on Earth to be so kind or patient, and definitely not user-friendly.
Despite that, Lady Time blew my expectations away.
The instant I saw her waiting for us on a small landing platform, I knew she was a Star of great power. I could also tell she was Aleia’s sister.
The same brilliant, piercing green eyes caught my gaze, looking not at me but through me, while the celestial torrents added a graceful wind to her ebony locks. A scepter was in her hand, shaped in a way that reminded me of the hand of a clock. A bit cliché, I decided, but she was entitled.
Elysian grumbled behind me, but I ignored him, more out of spite. What could he be upset about here? I wondered. There was too much to be dazzled by to be grumbling. And it said something that I was the one saying that.
“See the clouds above the castle?” St. Brendan pointed to the full, fluffy clouds, pure white in their appearance. They looked like the whipped icing on a cupcake made of glass and light. “That is where Time’s power ends and the eternal kingdom begins. This is one of the few places on my map where there is a portal that one can go through either way.”
Aleia stepped forward as St. Brendan brought us into safe harbor. I watched as she greeted the other Star, and saw the laughter and joy in their faces as they hugged. There had to be a comfort in having a sister, I thought at the sight of them.
Thinking of Adam, I supposed it helped Aleia to have one so close in age and experience. And interest, too. While Adam was my brother, I had never felt particularly close with him; protective, sure, maybe, but not close.
Elysian still had a disgruntled look on his face. I turned to St. Brendan instead. “So what will you do while I’m here?” I asked.
“My crew and I will sit out a spell, relax in the Gardens of Time here no doubt,” he said. “But if you’re up for it, when you return, I’ll show you how to surf.” He smiled. “No point in just coming up here for the learning when there is plenty of fun to be had.”
“What about your job?” I asked. “Mapping out the universes and stuff?”
“Work is my pleasure,” he agreed. “But pleasure is a pleasure, too.” He laughed at his own cleverness, before he added, “All aside, people are the true pleasures in life, and it is good to get to spend time with them, in both work and pleasure.”
“Did you used to hang out with Starry Knight?” I asked.
“Starry Knight? Oh, you mean Lady Justice. Aye, and even you, before you fell. Which is why I’m thinking you’ll get the hang of nebula surfing up here right quick.”
“Hamilton, come down here,” Aleia called as I disembarked on Elysian’s back and felt the lightness in the air of space between time and timelessness. “This is my sister, Alora, the Guardian Star of Time, one of the Manorayashon, and a First Light Warrior of the Prince.”
“Hello.” My tongue was thick in my mouth as I reached out my hand in greeting. After all those special dinners with Cheryl’s coworkers and colleagues, I knew how to behave when meeting someone. But I had to admit, I was nervous and impressed for the first time in a long time. Well, since meeting Stefano, anyway.
Alora clasped my hand, and I could feel the power inside of her. Her skin was darker than Aleia’s—a warm, golden color that made me smile, thinking of how much she remained in the sunlight of her own star. “Welcome to my home.” She indicated the sea of clouds around us. “My sister tells me you have many questions.”
“Yes, I do,” I said.
She looked at me carefully, and said, “Your heart has been softened since you began fighting the Sinisters on Earth.”
“My heart?”
“And your ego,” Alora said. “The people who won’t learn are those who will volitionally hold on to their own views, and those who think they do not need to learn anything more.”
“I will agree with you that I wouldn’t have wanted this several months ago, maybe wouldn’t have cared even a few months ago. Elysian can tell you—” I glanced behind me to see Elysian had returned to St. Brendan on the Meallán. He was still staring at the flimsy clouds and scaly snakeskin moat. “Elysian! Are you coming?”
He shook his head. “Not now.”
I narrowed my gaze at him. He’d been so excited, I thought. Why was he faltering? I would never understand him. “Okay; suit yourself.”
I turned back to Alora as we entered in through an archway. There were gardens of flowers, with some I recognized and others I didn’t. There were smooth walkways, and so much purity and goodness about the air I swear the power of it propelled the road itself to leap up and meet my steps. There was a glassy, marble sheen to the place, and I saw Alora’s castle was made of a fine, crystalline glass.
“It’s gold.”
“Huh?” I glanced over at her.
“My home is made of gold,” she explained, answering my unspoken question. “While you have gold on Earth, most do not realize that gold, in its purest state, is transparent.”
I awed over it, and the next few hundred things I saw, as Alora showed me around her home. She talked with me, chatted with me about the weather (because even up in outer space they have weather, I guess), and about her role as the Timekeeper for Earth and its habitat. I barely heard her, but I more or less could see it for myself. I found out she lived on Polaris, the North Star, and no one on Earth was the wiser. Her world, and the world around mine, was a realm only some could see, and others could experience. Others, she told me, did not want to see it.
“Who would want to miss out on this?” I wondered aloud. I was half-glad when she didn’t answer me, but rather turned inside of the heart of her home.
Following her, my eyes met a wide-open atrium, with a large blue bubble floating in the middle of it, like it was center stage in a large auditorium. Looking closer, I saw the big blue spherical pool, which held a projection of Earth. All around it, I saw other sparkles of lights, like little specks of glitter stuck to a computer screen.
“The lights show the different Stars, which surround and protect your world,” Alora explained as I asked. “Stars were given a unique job at the beginning of creation. We were to give off light during the night, as rest is good for humans. When evil entered the world through humanity, the Stars who were born after continued to shine, but there were some who were given additional tasks.
“There are a large variety, each differing with personality, power, and purpose. But there are a lot of similarities. Each Star was allowed to choose to do his duty, and each one was granted the right to a wish.”
“So wishing on a star is a valid fairy tale?” I asked, immediately wishing I hadn’t used the term “fairy tale.”
“Possibly,” Alora said with a small smirk. “If the Star wishes the same wish as the human who wishes on it. That’s one of the things which differ for us and humans.”
“I remember meeting a Star last Christmas. She gave me a wish.”
Alora shook her head. “Lady Hope, Elpece, has often wandered down to Earth. Especially for that time of year. She loves the holidays.” Alora indicated a bright pinprick on the pool. “She’s currently in what you know as the Orion Constellation. There’s a batch of starlings there that she never fails to go and watch as they play.”
“Sounds about right.” When I last saw her, she had tons of little starling fairies dancing around her that night.
“But she would not have given you a wish. She would have given you a gift, such as fulfilling one of your wishes.”
“What’s the difference?”
“A wish is something that you alone can determine, while your gifts are innate.” Alora pointed her staff at Orion’s constellation. “Lady Hope is able to do many things, but first and foremost, she finds a way to give hope to those who need it.”
I thought about how I could see emotions as they fluttered through a person, and how I could enter into the Realm of the Heart if I leaned in. “I’m not sure how being able to discern emotions is going to help me.”
“You are the Star of Mercy,” Alora told me. “Understanding how someone feels is central to sympathy, empathy, and compassion. Reading emotions might seem inconsequential, but the littlest things can make the biggest differences in the end.”
So I was the Star of Mercy, and Starry Knight was the Star of Justice, and we’d been friends, apparently argumentative friends, on the other side of Time before I’d fallen—before we’d fallen.
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