Children with Stars in their Veins (Chapter 23.2)

a/n: hey, thanks for checking out Starry Veins! This is the novel I wrote for Round V of LMS, and it's still a first draft! While I don't discourage any feedback, I prefer not to receive feedback on grammar! I'm not polishing this draft up yet, so I'm not as concerned about editing. I am, of course, open to all feedback, but I ask that you keep this in consideration! Thanks <3

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“Why are you out here?” That was Ember piping up, her voice carrying. Good girl. “You asked us a bunch of questions before, but how do we know why you’re out here? You said we were stupid to wander the Wilderlands, but we were fine until you came along!”

A grunt. “Then you’re both fools. It’s a wonder the two of you weren’t ripped to shreds. It’s probably lucky I even found your friend before the river swallowed him whole.”

“I’d rather be dead then enslaved,” Ember responded without hesitation, shards of steel in her voice. “And you didn’t answer the question.”

“Be that as it may, you are in no position to make those decisions, make demands of your situation, or ask me foolish questions that have no relevance to you,” the stranger said. “Now stop talking.”

“It has relevance to us since you’ve taken us hostage,” Cassius said, or rather, grumbled.

They peered back around the edge of the tower. The stranger stood across the fire from Ember and Cassius. Ember stared defiantly up at him, chin jutting out and expression focused like she would run him through if she could. Cassius was petting the downy, cream feathers on the back of Artemesa’s neck and watching the fire as if pretending to remove himself from the situation.

“But who are we going to tell? If you’re just going to keep us prisoner, what does it matter if you tell us?” Ember pressed, leaning forward on the log. She was close to the fire now, close enough that the heat should begin the hurt her skin. But she’d always liked the flames, and she didn’t seem to even notice now.

The man crossed his arms. “How about this. I’ll tell you what I’m doing here if you tell me about the friends you’ve got hiding behind the tower.”

They froze and heard Alanna gasp behind them.

To Ember and Cassius’ credit, neither of them glanced over at the mention. Cassius did look up at the man, but whatever will and wits they had kept them from blatantly confirming the man’s words.

“Oh, and I suppose you thought I wouldn’t notice?” The stranger didn’t even glance over his shoulder. “If they had some way of attacking to free the two of you, I reckon they would have already done so. As I see it, they could run now, maybe their smart enough to stay out of the forest but as they weren’t on the road following us before, I doubt it. Or they come over here, I bind their hands, and you’re all together again. Death by the forest, or trapped for a while with their companions.”

They held out their hand and Alanna took it. They glanced down at her, and she stared up at them, fearful.

“C’mon,” they said softly, and together, they stood.

When they walked out from their place beside the tower, Ember glanced over towards them. The stranger turned with her gaze, expression conveying nothing of what he might have been feeling.

As soon as the stranger turned from her, Ember glanced down at the fire and held out her palms. “Adolebitque,” she spat.

Her eyes turned gold and a shroud of ghostly, flickering flames crawled across her body like she was momentarily engulfed. So rarely did she ever use magic, or in their vicinity, and they blinked at the brief surprise of it. She burned, as those the flames called to her.

And then the campfire hissed and leapt towards the sky with a roar and a rush of heat.

The stranger fell back, but the flames were too high and intense to see Ember or Cassius. Their heart slammed against their chest, and they pushed Alanna away. “I think that’s our cue,” they said.

Ember rushed from behind the fire, running towards the far side of the tower. Her eyes lit up her face, still a bright, burning golden. The mirage of flames licking up her arms remained but began to fade as she ran into the darkness.

The fire was unnaturally large still, much bigger than a fire should be. Nor had it become a magefire blue. It was a pillar of fire, lighting up the entire area in a brilliant amber light. Heat washed over the area, an almost unbearable and crippling heat that no fire should have, not like that.

They turned, tugging on Alanna’s hand, and ran for the road. They only had so many places to go, and the man was right, it was stupid to risk the Wilderlands. But he was much taller, and probably more athletic. He would catch up to—”

“ENOUGH!”

Rowan didn’t stop to look back, but Alanna did, and she let go of their hand as she came to a perfect halt. They stopped then, just as Alanna cried, “Cassius!”

The stranger held Cassius with an arm around his waist, safely away from the fire, and a dagger to his throat. Artemesa was beside them, head pressed to the ground, and growling loud enough to hear over the roaring of the fire. Cassius’ face was curled into a sneer, and his hands around the man’s arm at his throat.

“Call off the fire, Ember!” the stranger shouted. “We’ve already done this once, and I will put this knife in your boy’s throat if you take another step further from him.”

Ember plodded out from the tower, no longer appearing as though on fire, but glowering all the same.

“I don’t know what the fuck you did to that flame, but you’ll recall it if you want your friend to live,” the stranger told her, illuminated by the terrible flame.

She hesitated, and then tucked her chin down. “I don’t know how to stop it.”

“Cessar—” Cassius began, and then went still again as the stranger twitched. His hair began to glow, flickered, and then went out.

“Shut your mouth,” said the stranger.

“Was trying to stop it,” Cassius said. After a moment had passed, and the stranger made no moves, he wriggled slightly. “Em doesn’t know much magic. I do. I was trying to stop it.”

The stranger glanced up at Ember. She nodded. Then he glanced over at Rowan. Their heart was finally beginning to slow, but there was a knot in their gut that wouldn’t leave. They nodded.

Cassius was either covering for them to hide their magic, or maybe he was being genuine. Either way, no need to reveal their own skills.

“Quickly,” the stranger said. “The others, come closer.”

They approached, leading Alanna forward. Ember mirrored them, and Artemesa continued to growl, claws tearing into the ground.

“Cessare ignis,” Cassius tried again. Silvery mist blew from his mouth, and that which caught the fire rippled in a rainbow spectrum of colour. His hair glowed with a similar light, and then they both evaporated.

The edges of the fire flickered blue. Then the pale, sky colour spread until the fire was casting an ethereal light across the ground, and the fire was shrinking back to a normal size. The blue faded back to a gentle orange, and Cassius let out a shuddering breath.

For a moment, everyone was still. Then the stranger let go of Cassius, and he dropped right to the ground. Artemesa was at his side immediately, putting her head over him protectively.

“Hopefully,” said the stranger, “that was the last time you thought, even a little, that it was a good idea to attempt escape on an empty road with no one around. Next time, you don’t get off with a meek warning and a threat of harm.”

word count:

1,273

translations:

adolebitque = burn.

cessare ignis = cease fire