A World To Lose

by Frances Ellen

  “Still don’t understand why we’re not helping with that,” Sky muttered.

  Percy cast him a glance. Anger flared briefly in the soldier’s eyes. “You will be back here for not only the Memorial, but also because you will be on stand-by for what might be happening in North America. Word has spread that the Queen of the Asters and Affinites is dead. Knowing that she was alive caused a great deal of fear in the Underworld. The news that she is no longer a threat, however, could possibly lead to an uprising on any continent. We have assessed Disciple activity on the Surface and in the Underworlds where Felix has Mergers. The North American King seems to be the only one who might be attempting this. At seventy-two years old this King is young and inexperienced. He is not a threat you can’t handle, but you cannot be off in Brazil when you might be needed elsewhere.”

  Percy paused for a moment. He turned his attention fully on to Sky and narrowed his eyes. “Satisfied, Aster of Speed?”

  Sky held the soldier’s gaze. Lian and the other Asters held their breath. They knew Sky could be impulsive and reckless. Now was not the time to answer with another snippy remark. Especially since they didn’t know Percy Kelly well enough to know how he would react.

  All Sky did, however, was give the soldier a short nod, while still not breaking the man’s stare. Percy seemed to accept this and turned his attention to the rest of the group. Lian tried not to let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t feel like witnessing an unnecessary argument.

  Axel cleared his throat, breaking the tension. “There is more you need to know. Sophie will be updated on this tomorrow evening when she’s back to her full strength.” He paused, as if anticipating the reaction his next words would cause. “We will be considering the deaths of Cara and Tomas Mendosa as deaths of Asters who have not yet passed on their magic to the next generation.”

  Lian stared at the Ambassador. He wasn’t quite sure where Axel Reed was going with this, but he had a feeling…

  “Yesterday the Ceders cast a spell to try and detect the bodies of Cara and Tomas Mendosa. While not able to pin point where the bodies are, the spell did detect a signal. This means that their bodies can still be found,” Axel continued. “Aside from the Queen’s Case, we are also planning to send a recovery team to Brazil to find the bodies of Cara and Tomas. Once the bodies have been found and brought back here, we will be taking their magic, and passing it on to two worthy Affinites around your age. The Aster magic must live on, and it will,” Axel said.

  There was absolute stillness in the room as the Small Council waited to see the Asters’ reactions.

  Lian suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He saw next to him that Nathan was shifting in his chair. Matu was staring at Axel with an unreadable look on his face, and Sky looked like he was about to jump up and throw his chair across the room.

  When an Aster died before having a child, a spell was used to extract the magic from the dead body, and place it into a worthy Affinite. That Affinite would then possess the dead Aster’s magic, and become an Aster. He or she would then also pass on the magic to the single child they would have. As a result, the Aster magic would remain strong, and would never become extinct.

  “You’re going to bring in two new Asters? Are you out of your mind?” Sky exclaimed.

  “Yes, we are. And no, we are not,” Axel replied simply. His voice was calm, but Lian could detect the Ambassador’s impatience simmering underneath the surface. Sky either didn’t detect the same thing, or merely didn’t care. Lian assumed the latter.

  “This generation was never going to have more than five Asters!” Sky declared.

  “This generation was supposed to have five Asters and the Queen,” Axel’s voice thundered through the room. He had obviously had enough of Sky questioning them at every turn. In a more controlled voice he continued. “If Gayle hadn’t been born the way she had, then Cara and Tomas would’ve had twins, one of them having Tomas’ magic of Endurance, and the other having Cara’s magic of Mind. You all know this to be true.”

  They did. Something that had never quite been explained other than magic has a way of keeping itself strong, was that every Aster only ever had one child. The magic would never be diluted amongst siblings. Two children were only ever born to an Aster couple; one inheriting the father’s magic and the other the mother’s. This was what everyone had expected when Cara became pregnant.

  However, eighteen years ago, Cara Mendosa shocked the world by giving birth to a single girl, who wasn’t born with a symbol within the Band of black lines identical to either her father or her mother’s magic. The dark lines on Gayle’s wrist enclosed the symbol of a wolf that signified the Queen’s magic, visually announcing her fate that one day she would wear a crown and rule them all. And face a threat greater than anything any generation of Asters had faced since the Original War.

  Axel referenced that threat in his next words as he said, “You also know that she was born to help you fight a threat you won’t be able to defeat on your own. We don’t know what threat that might be, but we do know that we will not be sending you to fight it without giving you the best chance possible. Two extra Asters, with the magic that Tomas and Cara used to have, will increase your chances of survival considerably.” Axel paused and then emphasised, “The chances of all our survival.”

  Sky grumbled something under his breath, but said nothing outright.

  Lian had to admit that he understood the reasoning. Ever since Gayle’s death this unknown threat had loomed over all of them.

  “What about Gayle?” Nathan asked quietly.

  Lian turned to the Ambassador. He’d only mentioned the bodies of Cara and Tomas Mendosa. What if they could find Gayle’s? There was no Transfer protocol when it came to the Queen’s magic, because Queen Aiyana was the only one to ever possess it, and her magic had died with her.

  Axel Reed raised his chin. “Of all the spells we’ve cast in the days after her death, we have no reason to assume Gayle’s body can even be found. The spells that would find her body, even in death, have come back blank. We will cast them again before the soldiers and researchers in charge of finding out what happened to her leave Saluverus. We do not know yet what we will do with her magic if we are lucky enough to find her body—if there is anything we can do. It is different to Aster magic, and much stronger. We don’t even know if we can extract it from her body, let alone give it to someone else.”

  “But you would if you could?” Sky snapped.

  “Nothing has been decided, and it is not up to you to do so,” Axel said, annoyance edged his voice.

  “Oh, but it’s up to you?” Sky said sharply.

  “Sky…” Matu warned.

  “No!” Sky snapped, whipping his head round to his eldest brother and standing up from his chair. “They don’t get to decide if that magic gets to be used; no one does! How can they possibly make such a decision? Who is worthy of becoming the most powerful creature in the world? It’s not the same as Aster magic. We are privileged enough to have it and were trained to become what we needed to be, to be worthy of it. We understand that. Even Transfers understand that! Gayle didn’t receive her magic through blood and she wasn’t picked out from the Transfer list. She was specifically chosen to bear the Queen’s magic by the stars! Now you’re just going to pass it along to some random Affinite we might not even know? No! I won’t stand for it. That magic was Gayle’s and no one else’s. The stars chose Gayle like they chose Aiyana. I’ll accept the two new Asters, because it would be insane not to. But no one is worthy of making the decision of who gets the Queen’s magic, let alone being worthy of possessing it!”

  Without another word Sky stormed from the Board Room. Sylvia Allen called Sky’s name once in an attempt to get him back, but he was not going to turn around. The door slammed shut behind him.

  The three Asters remaining stayed silent as Axel stared at the door for a moment. Then he turned his attention back to the three boys and said, “All we wanted was to bring you up to speed. No deci
sion has been made yet regarding the Queen’s magic. The chances her body can even be found are next to none. We will speak to Sky about his behaviour later.”

  “I don’t think you want to do that,” Matu said. During the moment of silence when Axel had been staring at the door, Matu looked at both Lian and Nathan to see where they stood on what Sky had proclaimed. None of them needed to speak to know what the others were thinking. That connection was the result of years of training and working together. They all believed the same. Sky may have acted rashly, but he was not wrong. Far from it, in their eyes, anyway.

  “Excuse me?” Axel asked, his voice turning dark.

  Matu raised his head, placed his hands on the armrests of his chair and pushed himself up so that he stood. “You are the Ambassador,” he said. Lian and Nathan followed suit. “But for what it’s worth, we do not think Sky is wrong.”

  Axel narrowed his eyes, but Matu continued.

  “The stars entrusted Gayle with her magic just like they entrusted Aiyana. We don’t believe anyone has the right or the worth to possess a magic so specifically and strategically granted.”

  “We are trying to help you as best we can. That magic will give you a better chance against whatever threat you will face,” Axel said through gritted teeth. Lian doubted Axel had expected resistance from all four of them. Especially Matu, who was known to never oppose Axel or any other member of the Small Council.

  “We will face the threat with Aster magic, if that’s all that is available when the threat comes. We will not fight alongside a leader whose magic was not bestowed on them by the stars,” Matu said. And without saying another word, the three remaining Asters left the Board Room.

  Chapter 3

  The following afternoon the four boys stood in the Board Room once more. None of the Asters, nor any member of the Small Council, mentioned the disagreement they’d had over Gayle’s magic the day before. Today wasn’t about that. Today was about helping the local Affinites in Gayle Mendosa’s hometown.

  They weren’t expecting any Disciples to be there. None had been detected in the town, and the surrounding countryside and villages were also free from any Dark activity. Still, there was a bag at their feet containing a few weapons, and the Asters were strapping on their signature weapons just in case. It felt strange for Lian, as he slung his bow and quiver across his shoulder, that Sophie wasn’t there with them. Even though they were heading somewhere where they shouldn’t meet any resistance, Lian still felt slightly less safe. He never imagined going out into the field where she wasn’t there. Perhaps he should’ve put more effort into the magic-free trainings where he should avoid getting hurt if he could. But as strange as it seemed, getting hurt was his best tactic. No one saw it coming, and Sophie was always there to save him. They did have plenty of her blood with them if one of the Asters really did need healing, but that always took more time; time they may not have in the field.

  “Upon arrival you will meet Karla Morais. She is in charge. It is better that she tell you herself what has been happening in the last few days,” Axel said. “Just to give you an idea, most of the veil is still up around the town, and it will be your job to bring it down. There was also a lot of destruction in the main street. That will be mostly for you—” Axel looked at Nathan, “—to clean up and close up with your magic.”

  Nathan nodded.

  Lian wondered what Axel meant by destruction, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask. He would see for himself soon enough.

  “Being who you are and what you will be doing there, we do not want the local inhabitants of the town to know. And seeing as you will look like that, we would rather that you will not be seen at all,” Jackson said.

  Lian sniggered. They never really put much effort into blending in. All four Asters were wearing black gear, and their weapons were hard to miss. Seeing that humans didn’t know about magic, the Asters couldn’t afford for them to start asking questions about their presence in town.

  “Come on,” Matu said. He cast Lian a glance that shut him up. Yes, the mission was serious. Matu always seemed to be the one to remind them of that.

  The four Asters moved to form a circle. There were two bags on the floor; Sky and Matu both grabbed one each and slung it across their shoulders. Jackson and Sylvia had packed them especially for anything they might encounter. Lian could tell that one of them was quite heavy, by the way Sky grunted as he picked it up.

  “What the hell is in this thing?” Sky grumbled.

  “Spell books,” Sylvia replied simply.

  “Are you serious?” Sky answered.

  Sylvia looked at him inquisitively. “How were you planning on taking down the rest of the veil?”

  “Matu’s strength.”

  “And if that doesn’t work?”

  Sky narrowed his eyes. Lian could detect the slight twitch at the corner of Sylvia’s mouth as Sky tried to come up with an answer.

  “I do know some spells, you know,” Sky countered.

  “Do you now?” Lian teased, taking Sylvia’s side. He caught even Matu smiling to himself.

  “Yes,” Sky snapped. “I know how to cloak us from human eyes.”

  Sylvia smiled at the Aster of Speed. “Go ahead then.”

  Sky snatched up Lian and Matu’s hands from either side of him and closed his eyes. He started whispering the words to a spell Lian didn’t know. Wanting to remain known as the greatest Aster of his generation, Sky could never back down from a challenge. Lian would’ve just outright admitted he didn’t know the spell. No shame in that. Though, without Sophie it did make him wonder if it hadn’t also been a good idea to pay more attention in the spell classes Sylvia had made them take.

  When Sky finished whispering, Lian felt a little shock in his body. Sky opened his eyes and looked around the room. He found Sylvia and looked at her.

  “Well, you used the right words,” Sylvia said, with a touch of surprise. “But we’re all Affinites. You’ll only know it has worked when you get there.”

  Lian had to laugh.

  “It worked,” Sky snapped irritably.

  “All right, you’re ready,” Axel said testily. “Remember your mission. Get rid of any traces of Dark magic you can find and help clear up the main street. Then return home. The Queen’s Case will take it from there.”

  The four Asters didn’t respond to Axel’s instructions. They didn’t need to. Sky craned his neck to the television hanging above the corner desk. The world map started zooming in and soon enough it was focused on a small town somewhere in Brazil. Lian saw a great expanse of green along one side and guessed it must be the Amazon Rainforest. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would ever visit the hometown of their once future Queen. It pained him that it was under these circumstances.

  Blue light appeared all around him and the four boys were swept away from the Board Room. Lian could distinctly hear an echo of Sylvia’s voice wishing them good luck as they vanished from Saluverus.

  When the blue light darkened and disappeared from his vision, they were standing in a small side street. The first thing Lian registered was the warmth. It reminded him of the jungles of Indonesia. It was such a huge contrast to the November cold they’d just shimmered from.

  Matu looked around him and headed down the side street. “Are you sure the cloaking worked?” he called over his shoulder.

  “Why does everyone automatically assume I don’t know my spells?” Sky retorted.

  Lian slung an arm across Sky’s shoulder. “Because you’ve never cast a proper spell without Sophie’s help in your life.”

  “Well, I’m sure this one worked,” Sky huffed.

  Lian cast his brother a sideways glance. “You visited Sophie before coming to the Board Room this morning, didn’t you?”

  Sky kept his eyes firmly forward as they followed Matu to a bigger street. “I may have.”

  “She told you what spell to use?”

  Sky didn’t respond, but a smile played on his lips.<
br />
  Lian laughed, clapping his brother on the back. “I knew it! And the world makes sense again.”

  Sky pushed Lian to the side, making him bump against the wall of the side street. Matu and Nathan had stopped in front of them at the end of the passageway. Sky and Lian were still laughing when they came to Matu’s side.

  Their laughing died away immediately as they saw what was in front of them. There was no doubt that this was the main street of the town. It was like a gigantic knife had been pulled across it. Two rows of rubble, a mixture of earth and stone, lay along each side for the whole length of the street. The rubble was at least three feet high, and the surrounding road was filled with cracks and tears and open holes.

  “What the…” Matu breathed. The Asters stepped forward towards one side of the rubble. Lian looked over the edge and down. He had expected a chasm deep into the depths of the Underworld below. But instead, he saw it was only a few feet deep. As if the gorge underneath had been covered up once again, but not very well.

  “Do you think this is how they got to Cara and Tomas?” Sky asked.

  “Must be,” Matu said. “They met your mother and Percy with a car. From what I’ve heard they haven’t found the car either.”

  “You mean the King got the earth to swallow them up?” Lian said, shocked. “Does he even have the power to do that?”

  “Astaroth didn’t,” Matu said.

  “Does anyone? Other than you?” Sky asked. He looked at Nathan as he posed the question. Nathan had the power to do this. But they had never heard of a King with powers that could control the earth. Astaroth’s power was that of lightning. The new King would have that same power as well. In hindsight, it was no surprise that there had been a thunderstorm the night Gayle was killed. The new King would be able to cast spells, too, but none so powerful as to be able to do this, surely.