The Lighter That Shone Like A Star (Story of The South)

by Dan Cash

  The person responded with her name, confirming to Lornea that she had found Russell.

  “Hi Russell,” she muttered back. Her friend seemed to be weightless in her arms as she lifted him with ease until they were floating nearer to the ceiling. “Just keep hold of my hand, yeah?”

  “Yeah, this is mental!” he exclaimed.

  “I know. We’ve lost everyone, we have to try and find them!”

  “It’s impossible,” sighed Russell. “It’s too dark.”

  “What do you think is going on?” she wondered aloud, not expecting a real answer. Russell shocked her with his reply.

  “They’re after Max.”

  Freddie

  Freddie sprinted towards where he thought his twin might be. He had heard her scream, albeit faintly from across the room, but he had heard it.

  Freddie had not intentionally used his magic but his heightened sense of fear appeared to have triggered it. He did not even know that he had the ability to see through darkness, but he could clearly see the chaos as he reached the mass of people trying to escape.

  Everyone was barging into each other, stepping on each others’ feet and thinking only about their own safety.

  “MOVE!” he shouted, but his voice was lost among all the other shouts and screams. He began to push people aside. He was certain that Sofia was in trouble, he simply knew it. As he pushed past a boy he vaguely recognised from school, he could make out a patch of red on the floor a few metres away, amidst a dense group of people.

  “MOVE OUT THE WAY!” Freddie screamed again, barging shoulder first into the crowd, but to no avail. He continued to push and shout and scream, getting more and more frustrated. He didn’t know what to do.

  There was no way around. He was completely blocked in the centre of hundreds of other people desperately searching for the doors. His fear and anger grew as his sense of hope was gradually diminishing. He could feel a ball of rage building up in his gut.

  Suddenly, and without warning, Freddie flung his arms out powerfully, roared loudly and erupted in flames. His entire body, from head to toe, was covered in fire.

  People screamed and jumped away from the flaming man as he rushed forward, finding his sister lying in a heap on the floor. He knelt down and slid his still burning arms underneath her, knowing that his magical flames wouldn’t harm his twin.

  Gingerly he lifted her limp body and cradled his sister in his arms, walking forwards towards the exit. Everyone stepped aside in fear, not knowing if this flaming boy was an enemy or ally.

  As he approached the heavy wooden doors that nobody had yet managed to break through, he expulsed a huge flaming ball and watched as the wooden barriers burst open, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.

  He carried Sofia outside into the fresh air, placing her bruised body gently on the soft earth. His flames flickered out as he fell to his knees next to his unconscious sister. He placed his ear close to Sofia’s mouth.

  A breath. A sign of life. A sigh of relief.

  Max

  As the hall was plunged into darkness, Max had only one thought: to find Sofia.

  But before he could move, the five boys with him on stage had surrounded him in a circle of security. Jimmie whispered in his ear to stay calm and trust them and Max did, allowing himself to be shuffled off stage by the musicians. Light on the Landing led the younger boy to the music room where they stopped and waited. For what, Max did not know.

  Haze’s deep voice filled the dark room, “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. Should we wait here?” There was a hint of panic in Jayke’s voice.

  “We’ll wait for a minute and see if she comes,” asserted Jimmie.

  Screams from the auditorium echoed through the otherwise silent music room. Max could only hope that none of them belonged to Sofia or his friends. He was beginning to regret making the decision to blindly trust the musicians he did not truly know. Although he was not completely sure he had made that decision.

  Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to find Sofia and the others, yet he had allowed himself to leave the hall with a group of boys with whom he had spent no longer than an hour. Now he was standing in a pitch black room with these celebrities doing absolutely nothing. Waiting.

  Waiting for what?

  “Why are we in here? What are we waiting for?” Max demanded. But before any of the others could answer, a dim light appeared in the far corner of the room.

  The light gradually seeped through the empty space, eventually reaching the six bewildered men. A dark figure stood, barely visible, at the opposite end of the room from where the light had originated.

  All six of the anxious boys fixed their gaze on the silhouette as it floated smoothly towards them, stopping in front of Haze. Max could see that the mystery person was wearing a dark green robe with a large hood, shadowing their face. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman who stood in front of the group until a raspy, female voice broke the silence.

  “Thank you, Light on the Landing. I will take it from here,” she said, before whispering one more word. “Run.”

  And they did.

  “Max Myers, come with me. We must hurry.” The lady in green started towards the door but noticed that Max was not following. “Come,” she said, softly. Max obeyed.

  The young man followed the mystery woman out of the school gates, around the building, onto the yellow meadow, past the park and over the bridge crossing to the field of flowers. The lady stopped abruptly and turned around. Max mimicked her and, as he did, saw a flash of bright white light appear in the near distance.

  “They are coming, run!” the stranger urged Max, grabbing his wrist and pulling him further across the field of flowers.

  “What’s going on?” Max demanded, running as fast as he could to keep up with his guide. She did not answer. “Where are we going?” No reply. “Where are my friends?” He was met by more silence. “ANSWER ME!” he yelled, stopping in his tracks. The woman turned back on herself and approached Max.

  “I will answer you, just not here. Not now. Please, come. You are not safe.” Max thought he recognised her voice but before he could work out who it belonged to, the lady had begun to pull him forcefully by his forearm until he was running again.

  Eventually, the woman came to a halt. She was standing in front of an immense rock that Max realised was part of the Stone Circle.

  “What are we doing here?” he asked.

  “Max,” the lady replied, “Here are some answers. You first question was what’s going on? Quite simply, I’m saving your life. Next, you asked, where are we going? Well, we have reached our destination, although your journey will continue. Finally – your friends. They are in the school still, I think.”

  “You think?” Frustration, fear and panic filled his voice.

  The lady sighed regretfully. “They were meant to be coming with us but…” A burst of light caught both of their attention from the corner of their eyes. “There is no time. Just know this, Max. I have watched you grow up. I have been preparing for this moment for sixteen years. And now it is here, I am sorry. You were never meant to be leaving alone but now it appears as though there is no alternative. I promise you that you will not be on your own for long. Your friends will reach you; I will make sure of it.”

  Max noted the sadness in this stranger’s voice, although he was unsure if she was truly a stranger. He could not place the woman’s voice in his mind; all he knew was that he had heard it before.

  “Who are -” he began to wonder aloud, but the woman cut him off.

  “Max, listen to me. Make the right decisions. Never lose sight of who you are. And, most importantly, stay strong. If you ever need me, just scribble.”

  The woman retrieved Max’s ScribblePad from inside her cloak and handed it to him.

  “How will I know who to scribble to?” he asked. The woman slowly removed her hood, revealing her identity.

  “Jill!”

  He was astoni
shed to see the café owner standing in front of him.

  “Take care, Max. I will see you again. Soon, hopefully. Although not too soon.”

  Max reached out and took hold of Jill’s hand. He looked into her sorrowful eyes. “Please, Jill. Please explain.”

  A yell filled the air. “There they are!” The deep, angry voice sounded too close for comfort. Max peered into the darkness but could not see where the voice had come from.

  “Max, look at me.” Max met Jill’s penetrative gaze. “I wish I could explain, but you will know very soon. Go, now. This is the beginning.”

  Before he could ask any more questions, Jill grabbed Max by his waist and threw him effortlessly into the centre of the circle. He did not hit the ground, however. A green mist appeared over the Stone Circle and Max felt his body float upwards until he was engulfed in the fog. A bright green light surrounded him forcing him to shut his eyes. When he opened them, he was lying face down on a blanket of grass.

  Max rose slowly to his feet, blinking in the dazzling sunlight. He looked around to see that he was standing in the midst of hundreds of trees, all stretching high into the cloudless blue sky. His ScribblePad lay a few feet away in the light shadows of a towering wall.

  Max knew where he was but his mind refused to believe it, even as his frightened fingers gently caressed the wall about which he had read so much. Engraved in the great wooden barrier were markings; words that he did not understand. The young man bent down and picked up his ScribblePad only to find that it was not working.

  He was well and truly lost. Lost in an immense wood and lost in his situation. All he could do was walk. In which direction exactly, he was not sure. So, he turned his back to the looming wall and began to make his way forward through the seemingly never-ending forest in the hope that he would soon reach the open air.

  But as the forest became more and more dense and the sunlight struggled to burst through the bed of branches and leaves overhead, the silence around him began to break. The trees creaked, twigs snapped, and leaves rustled. The noise grew and Max’s vision blurred. Trees blocked his path and closed in around him. Roots tore through the ground. Max stumbled and tripped to his hands and knees as he attempted to force his way forward through the powerful obstacles blocking his way.

  The tree roots began to snake around his ankles and wrists, pinning his writhing body to the floor. Max tried to struggle free but he was immensely overpowered. He was too weak to fight back. Frustration built up inside him, from the tips of his toes to the ends of his feathery blond hair.

  There was nowhere for him to go. No room for him to wriggle free. He could feel pressure build on his neck and the small of his back, pushing him deeper and deeper into the forest floor. The more he resisted, the more pressure seemed to be exerted on his body. Breathing became difficult. Air struggled to fill Max’s lungs.

  He gave up. His body went limp. His eyes closed.

  Suddenly the forest was filled with a blinding violet light. The trees that ensnared Max began to move, releasing his body. Oxygen filled Max’s lungs and his eyes flew open. An old face was looking over the boy. It belonged to a man with dark grey hair, a round nose, the brightest green eyes, and a wide grin.

  He was not alone. Another man, who looked a lot like his elder only younger and with jet black hair, was by his side. He offered Max a hand, helping the Hurburtan to his feet.

  “Okay,” Max began. “Somebody needs to tell me what’s going on. Right now.” He was surprised by the authority in his voice but he was confused, upset, angry, and tired.

  The blonde haired teenager looked at the two men standing before him. They dropped to one knee, heads bowed.

  “Max,” said the older man, lifting his head to address the young man. “My name is Joz Domen. This is my son, Luc. We have come to welcome you home.”

  “Home?” asked Max, stunned.

  “Yes. Welcome to Naegis, my King.”

  “Welcome to… Naegis..? K… King?” Max stammered.

  Am I dreaming?

  “You’re not dreaming,” Joz replied to Max’s thoughts. “Let us explain.”

  “Okay, but can’t you stand up first? It’s making me feel uncomfortable, you kneeling on the ground like that.”

  “Ah, of course, my King.”

  “And don’t call me that. I’m not a king,” Max retorted, realising he sounded like a confused child.

  “No,” Luc said, his voice soft and timid. “You are a Clemari.”

  “A what?”

  “Clemari. It is Naegean for ‘king’.”

  “Okay, right. Joz and Luc, right?” The two men nodded. Max reeled off questions without pausing for breath, “Start from the beginning. Why am I here? Where am I really? Who are you? What’s going on? Wh -”

  Joz interrupted. “Okay, you want to know everything from the beginning?”

  “Yes. Please,” Max sighed exasperated.

  “Fine. You have read the Naegean fairytales. You know that the final story written explained the way in which the New King created a wall, separating the East from the West. You know that the New King then divided magical powers unto the other lands. Well, the New King, the New Clemari, was me.”

  “But, that happened centuries ago!” Max exclaimed.

  “Yes, almost three hundred years ago. I am three hundred and seventy six years old. At that time, I made a decision that not many people agreed with. It caused even more fights and a second war threatened to break out. I did what I knew was right. I went ahead with my decision and, to prevent the war, I exiled those who were against me to the West. The wall was created to keep the peace.”

  Max looked towards Luc, who appeared to be shaking his head ever so slightly. Joz continued, “Everything was going so well. We rebuilt the East of Naegis. We rebuilt The South. Each land was given equal power. Even Naegis. You see, the reason people were so against my decision was that it meant taking power away from our people.

  “We had to sacrifice our magic in order to make The South a better place. A world of equality. And it worked. Until recently. Over the last few decades, the West has become restless. Their leader, Eimaj, has heard similar prophecies about you and she is fast becoming restless. And now, the East’s Clemari is dying.”

  Joz paused and Luc looked solemnly at his father. Max suddenly understood.

  “But that means you’re dying! And… I’m the New Clemari?” Max wondered aloud.

  “Yes, Max. You are here to take my throne. When I took away magic from Naegis, it remained only within me and my wife. I thought we would pass on our power to our son, but we did not.” Luc was staring at the ground. He didn’t look bitter or resentful, but more ashamed or disappointed. Max couldn’t tell which.

  “For centuries I remained the only man able to sit on the throne of Naegis. But then sixteen years ago you were born. Prophecies had been made about you but nobody dared believe them. My wife went to Pipton when similar prophecies began to come true. She became a well-loved member of the community. She learnt how to be a true Hurburtan. And then Kerry Myers fell pregnant, marking the beginning of a new era.”

  “But my parents are from Hurburt. So were their parents, and their parents’ parents!”

  “Yes, they were. But blood does not seem to matter where magic is concerned.” He glanced at Luc, as if exemplifying his point. “Something happened. We do not know what, but it was special. Magical. You were born and it soon became clear that you were our New King. Our New Clemari. You are Naegean, Max.”

  Max stood in a stunned silence. Not a word was spoken. The only sound that could be heard was a gentle summer breeze rustling leaves on trees. He could not believe it. It was ridiculous. It was ludicrous. It was impossible.

  “So what now?” Max asked, nervous to hear the answer.

  Luc replied, his father now struggling to remain standing, supporting himself on his dark mahogany walking stick. “Now, we are in trouble. The West wanted you, and they made a good attempt to capture you, but we
found you first. They will not let this happen so easily.

  Naegis, Hurburt, Terexe, Salmont and Rysked are all in grave danger. Today, you must rest. We will take you to the castle where you can get settled, ask any questions you have, and sleep. Tomorrow, we shall officially announce your arrival.”

  “Right. And what about my friends? My girlfriend? My family?”

  “My mother will take care of them all,” Luc answered confidently.

  “She is only one woman.”

  “Yes. But my mother is the most powerful person in The South. She is even more powerful than my father.” Luc glanced at Joz and smirked, his father seemed to be in too much discomfort to retort.

  “Then why isn’t she the Clemari?”

  “Because she is a woman.”

  “And women aren’t good enough to rule?” asked Max, appalled by Luc’s response.

  “No, Clemari, that is not the reason at all. Now come, my father needs to rest and so do you.”

  Joz held out his walking stick and Luc placed his hand on top of his father’s. The black haired man gestured for Max to do the same. As he felt Luc’s warm skin on his own, the three men were plunged into a void of darkness.

  Freddie

  Everything seemed to happen so quickly after the concert and all of a sudden, it seemed, Freddie was standing at his sister’s side while his parents were speaking to a doctor.

  The hospital ward was unusually busy, filled with others who were injured at the concert. Most had a few nasty scrapes and bruises, some were concussed after being knocked to the ground, a few had bone fractures and one boy from Freddie’s art class had nasty-looking burns covering his left arm. Freddie had been over to apologise, but his classmate thanked him for providing an escape from the chaotic hall.

  Sofia had suffered the worst injuries. She was unconscious, hooked up to beeping machines and wearing an oxygen mask. The doctors had said that she would be okay, there would be no lasting damage, and yet Freddie was still frightened.