As we travelled through the sky, through the clouds that sent misty chills through my body as they brushed the shield, I began to realize how tiny I truly was, and how vast the universe was in comparison. And yet, I felt so big. With so much responsibility, I felt like the keeper of everyone's fate. Fear, anxiety, and adrenaline raced through my veins all at once.
As we left the Earth's atmosphere, Irma increased her speed.
"You're going to feel sluggish, but try to keep the shield together,” Irma urged, her wings beating hard. I felt the chill creeping in a little, but my shield continued to control the temperature within. It was like a warm, toasty blanket around us.
The moon illuminated everything—all the empty space and the golden lanterns. They all seemed so far away. I felt my mind slow down, and I struggled to think straight. It was like someone had spilt tar everywhere and my thoughts had become trapped.
Shield, my mind kept saying. Shield, shield, shield.
It was all I could do to keep my focus.
"Nearly there,” Irma promised. We were approaching a lantern, and it was growing bigger every second. I knew we were flying faster than the speed of light—I could feel the pressure suffocating my insides, my mind—and yet everything seemed to move so slowly. But the lantern grew bigger, and bigger, far bigger than the celestial lantern.
As we approached, the temperature changed, cooling the air around us until it was again a pleasant, in-between temperature.
And then, we were hovering beside it. It towered in size. Irma moved her hand down so it was stretched outright, not upright, against the shield. It hissed once more, but she ignored it, feeling the pulse of the lantern.
"I need you to loosen this area just enough for me to slip the tip of this sword through. I'll be able to draw the lantern's energy out, and you can channel it through me into the sword. But we can't take too much. We'll only be able to retract enough starlight to transform two people."
I nodded and concentrated on the shield and what I was asking of it. I could feel the shield's strength loosen where Irma's hand was. With every star particle I killed, I could feel the pressure building on the shield. I couldn't push it too far, or it would shatter.
"That's perfect,” Irma said finally, just when I thought I couldn't go any further. The strength of the pressure was now so tight, so strong, I thought my insides were going to burst.
She carefully drew the sword from her belt and pressed the tip ever so slightly against the weak spot. I wrapped my hand around her hand, where she held the sword, and concentrated as I felt the warm energy pass through her into me. It felt like liquid honey, warm and silky. It caressed every finger before ebbing into the sword. I could see the energy appear on the tip of the silver metal, slowly spreading and growing as it channelled into it.
"And… that should do it,” Irma said, pulling back. She sheathed the sword again. A huge smile had formed on her lips, and she turned to me. "You're doing great—and we might really stand a chance now!"
Everything was pulsing, pushing, pounding inside of me. Like the pressure was trying to break me, and the shield's magic was draining me. Of my energy… of my life…
My eyes fluttered, and the shield's light pulsed like a flickering light surging, about to go out—
"Lucy!” Irma gasped, reaching out to grab me. Immediately, I felt a jolt of energy. My eyes snapped open, and Irma winced. She staggered, and I realized she'd transferred her own power into me somehow.
"We have to get back,” she said firmly. "You can't hold out much longer, and I don't have enough essence to help you."
Her wings flapped again, powerful and forceful once more. I pressed into the shield, giving it all of my strength, fighting the sensations rippling through my body, threatening to tear it apart…
But we had the starlight sword. We had a chance.
The journey back seemed to take longer, but maybe that was just my aching body begging for relief. Between the slurred thoughts, the demanding pressure of the shield, and my tired limbs, it was hard to focus on much else other than getting back to the ground.
Maybe that's why we didn't see the attack coming.
The force smacked into the shield, physically jolting me. I gritted my teeth, trying my hardest to keep the shield intact against whatever had hit us. We neared the Earth's atmosphere, and then I saw it again. Dark, smoking rocks, hurtling toward us. Trying to break us apart.
"Hold on!” Irma said, steering us out of the way as another one came flying.
"What is that?” I gasped, my mind starting to catch up once more. Irma's eyes glittered like golden slits.
"It's illusion magic,” she warned me. "The Shadeows must be around… trying to weaken you. Those rocks aren't real—they can't hurt you—but you'll still feel the impact of them. If you break your focus—"
Smack!
I cried out, feeling my focus slip for just a moment, and a crack appeared in the shield. Irma swore, and we propelled forward.
Gravity latched onto us, pulling us down hard. We shot forward, gaining speed. Red hot waves began to appear outside the shield, and Irma began to push on the opposite side of the shield to ease our speed.
"We're nearly there!” she promised, and I could see the sweat pooling on her temple.
"Look out!” I cried, seeing another rock hurtling towards us. I leapt to the right, steering us out of its path.
We tore towards the ground, tiny specks of colour growing into trees and houses and roads before our eyes. And then, an ear-shattering explosion, followed by a massive tremble as thick air rumbled against the shield. Something bright and fiery erupted below, swallowing up the hill we were headed for.
I gasped, my eyes bulging from my sockets. It was the observatory—it had exploded! And now, in its place, there was only black smoke and orange flames eating their way out.
Andrew! Walter!
My heart pounded and my chest tightened at the thought of what might have happened to them. We continued to fall, heading straight toward the flames. It was approaching fast, coming at me faster than my heart could take. My anxiety heightened at the sight of it, and every muscle tensed, screaming, You're going to die! You're going to die! You're going to die!
Something inside of me gave out, and my confidence slipped away. That was all it took, and the shield shattered around us.
And just like that, we were free-falling.
"Damn it!” Irma cried, reaching out to grasp me. She caught my wrist, tugging too hard. A sharp, white-hot pain erupted in my bone, and I screamed in agony.
Everything was too fast and too much. I was losing my grip. And the smoke rocks were still coming at us, grazing at our skin as we sped towards certain death.
My wrist, now bent at a weird angle, slipped through her fingers, and I tumbled away.
This was it. This was how it ended. Not with me getting decapitated, but with me falling to my death, into a pit of flames.
I shut my eyes, bracing for impact.
And then something grasped me. Something warm and secure. It wrapped around me, holding me tightly. My eyes shot open, and I looked up at Andrew's face.
Warm relief washed over me, followed by an ice-cold shock as my body sagged from the tension it had just been under. Even with a broken wing, he was managing to hover, but we still staggered downwards in the air. His expression was filled with pain, and now that my sheer terror had subsided, the pain in my wrist was even more noticeable.
But we somehow made it to the ground, to a small paddock not far from the burning observatory. As soon as my feet touched down, my knees gave out. I collapsed, feeling the panic and the adrenaline and the relief overwhelm me all at once. My stomach heaved, and I vomited all over the grass, half-kneeling in it because of my broken wrist.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I'd just experienced.
Irma touched down beside us a moment later, with all the grace and beauty an angel could project. She rushed to my side, helping to keep me upright.<
br />
"She's going to pass out,” Irma told Andrew. "We need to get her away from the Shadeows."
"Neither of us are in any state to fly,” Andrew said, wincing as his wings brushed against the ground. "The observatory got ambushed while you were gone; it won't be safe to go back there, even with the security in place."
"Walter should take her to safety,” Irma said.
"He's still up there trying to salvage what he can."
"I'll fetch him—it will be faster,” Irma insisted. She raced up the hill into the trees that led back to the observatory, leaving us to defend ourselves. I was woozy, and hardly able to keep my eyes open.
"Andrew,” I breathed, my voice barely audible. "Your grandfather's observatory…"
Andrew scoffed, shaking his head.
"What grandfather?” he asked, the hint of a smile forming. "It was a cover up—the observatory as well. Just a safe house in disguise. But it doesn't matter. We have others."
I was about to ask what he meant, but then I noticed there was a figure walking slowly through the field, cloaked in black.
He must have been the one attacking us. My gaze narrowed in on him.
Andrew stepped in front of me. Even though he was hurt, he intended to fight him off… I couldn't let him do that!
"Andrew,” I groaned, barely able to move. "Don't…"
"Don't what?” he asked, trying to hide the strain in his voice. "I can't stand here and watch them take control of you."
"But you can't fight like that!” I insisted, struggling to my feet. "Let me handle my own burdens."
He glared at me over his shoulder.
"Don 't be stupid,” he said before turning back to the figure, who was smiling coyly at me. I recognized him… he'd been in Adam Bauer's grade in school.
"Kale DeLane,” I said, remembering what Jason had told me. Chrissy and her brother were the current Shadeows. Kale raised an eyebrow at me.
"Didn't think you'd remember me,” he said smugly, folding his arms. "Sorry about knocking you out of the sky before, but… you know, duty calls."
Anger flared in my muscles, but my legs shook dangerously again and I lost any nerve I had to snap back as I staggered upright instead.
"Let's save the drama for later, shall we?” he added, glancing over at Andrew with a bored expression. "We all know what I'm here for, and evidently, you're both in no state to fight me. Come with me, and no one has to get hurt."
"A little late for that,” Andrew muttered darkly, and Kale shot him a glare.
"We have Valarie,” he reminded him. "And we're not going to give her up. In fact, the clock's ticking for her. If you choose to be difficult, we may have to resort to… desperate measures."
My heart surged with panic.
"Don't you dare—” I stepped forward, but he held up a hand. Something tugged at my ankle, and I looked down. A slithering black vine wrapped tightly around my foot, trapping me in place.
Not real. Not real, I told myself, trying to shake it off. But it felt as real as the grass, the wind, my clothes…
Andrew drew a cluster of feathers from his wing, aiming at Kale. Kale smirked, bringing his other hand up. The feathers turned to ash in Andrew's hands, and he released them in surprise.
Not real!
I noticed the ash flitter to the ground and slowly meld back into the feathers Andrew had plucked. But by that time, Kale had struck Andrew's bad shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He groaned in pain.
I yanked desperately on the curling black vine. Kale proceeded towards me, and I brought my arm up, calling for my power. The hint of a shield flickered in the air, but I was too weak. I whimpered, frustrated and terrified of whatever fate Kale had in store for me.
Kale's cold hand came down on my broken wrist, and I cried out in pain. My vision flashed white and red, and I didn't think I could stand much more.
All of a sudden, a flurry of feathers came whizzing by my head, landing straight on Kale's chest. He recoiled, my wrist slipping through his grasp. My breath shuddered. The tug on my ankle released, and I stumbled forward. Kale staggered back, growling, his eyes darkening with anger. He yanked a feather from his chest, and blood began to seep from the wound.
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Irma and Walter racing towards us, wings expanded and ready to fight.
"Lucy—go with Walter,” Irma shouted, reaching out to me. I looked back at Andrew pushing himself up, at Kale's unfurling anger, and felt my own bones ache with weakness.
I wanted to stay. I wanted to help. But I couldn't—I didn't have it left in me.
I'd never felt more ashamed of myself than I did in the moment that I let Walter grab my arm and pull me away from them. I let him pick me up and kick off into the sky, leaving them behind.
Eleven
At some point on the journey to safety, I'd passed out. My body couldn't handle any more stress, and my mind was completely exhausted. When I woke up, I had no idea where I was.
I was lying on something hard and fuzzy, and sunlight streamed down through a ceiling of foliage and leafy overgrowth. I noticed that my broken wrist had been tightly bandaged. It wasn’t as good as an actual cast, but at least it held the wrist still, and the pain was definitely more bearable. Slowly, with my good hand, I pushed myself upright and looked around.
There were crumbling stone walls around us, covered in shrubs and vines and moss. I was lying on a flat slab of moss-coated stone among wild grass and yards of litter—mainly empty drink bottles and food wrappers.
The sunlight reflected on a pond that had formed near the remains of a wide staircase. The air was heavy with pollen and dank moisture, and a gentle breeze blew.
"Good afternoon,” Walter said, startling me. My head whipped around, and I spotted him perched on a similar slab of stone that had nestled itself into the ground. He pushed off from it and approached me. "Are you feeling better?"
I nodded. So much time had passed since this morning. Anything could have happened between now and then. Were Irma and Andrew okay?
"They're fine,” Walter said, reading my thoughts. "They're helping Jason—he found Valarie's location, but they need a way in."
My eyes widened, and my heart began to race.
"Is she okay?” I asked. Walter's expression fell.
"I don't know,” he confessed. "But they're going to get her out. Andrew's much stronger with Irma as backup."
I slipped off the slab, feeling my feet hit the ground with a loud thud. My knees didn't buckle, and relief swept through me. I smiled a little.
"I'm ready,” I told Walter. But he shook his head, his expression firm.
"No. You're not part of the rescue operation."
My eyes narrowed at him.
"The hell I am!” I pressed, raising my voice and taking a step towards him. "She's my best friend! I'm not going to leave her again!"
"It's too dangerous,” Walter insisted. "If you go anywhere near them, especially Skye, they can make you break the barrier. If that happens, everyone is doomed."
"I don't care!” I snapped, although that wasn’t entirely true. But Walter wasn't having it.
"You're staying here,” he insisted, folding his arms. I sneered at him, feeling like a little girl being confined to her room after throwing a tantrum.
"Where even is here?” I asked bitterly as I looked around again at the ruins.
"It's…” Walter trailed off, hesitating. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue, and he squirmed. "It's your home."
I froze. "What?"
He gestured to the walls. "It's the ruins of the Starlight Palace… or at least, what's survived centuries of evolution. The magic in the walls has preserved it up until this point, but floods and winds have buried most of it. It used to be so much more."
I was lost for words, looking around at the crumbling stone, the pillars, the cracked, arched windows and fragments of glass that reeked of teenage vandalism. My heart ached with sudden sadness at the sight of it being surren
dered to such mistreatment.
"You can look around if you want,” Walter offered. "Just be careful. It's in bad shape."
I was tempted to. So very temped. But Valarie was more important.
"No. We're leaving,” I insisted. Walter sighed and shook his head.
"We're out in the middle of nowhere, and you won't be able to walk back,” he told me. "I'm not flying you anywhere until I hear word from Andrew, so you might as well make the most of the time."
I wanted to protest, but what could I possibly do to change his mind? Plus… he was right. If I went, it would be dangerous. I just couldn't stand the thought of abandoning Valarie again.
I thought for a moment and decided that if I couldn't be of physical help, I could at least brush up on my knowledge.
"I need you to explain something to me,” I said, leaning against the slab and folding my arms. "This place… this was the palace?"
Walter nodded, and I raised an eyebrow.
"How is that possible?"
I'd taken history in school, so I knew a thing or two about how mankind had gotten here, to present day. And though I didn't know everything, I knew that this seemed far-fetched.
"How is it that after all these centuries, I was reincarnated in the exact same place? Of all places on the Earth?” I pressed. I mean, when you thought about it, it was a huge coincidence. My grandparents had migrated from England—just imagine if they hadn't made that decision! "And how old is this place, exactly?"
Walter's lips pressed into a thin line.
"The Starlight Civilisation was the very first civilisation to form on the Earth, soon after the dinosaurs,” Walter explained. "Though there were other people, the starlight royals were the ones with the magic gifts. The goddess's guidance. There is very strong and ancient magic in these lands as a result. I'm sure that your blood is linked to it somehow, and you would have ended up here no matter what."
Lanterns In The Sky Page 11
