“The circumstances which followed had nothing to do with me then. And now, I’ve gone rogue.”
“What?” I frowned.
“I’m still working for SWORD,” he said. “But after they discovered Starry Knight’s shadow power, I began to see that they were no longer in the business of controlling power.”
“They want it for themselves,” I said, snorting disdainfully. “Isn’t that how it always goes?”
“You’ve been in law for too long.” But Dante smirked, and I could tell he agreed.
“Better than running around coercing people into helping you secure power.” I crossed my arms. “Especially considering the price.”
He caught the insult and let it slide. “How is Starry Knight?” he asked.
“I don’t want to talk about her to you,” I replied, anger creeping into my voice again. “I don’t care if you’ve gone ‘rogue,’ you need to stay away from us.”
“You should count yourself lucky that I did approach you,” Dante remarked. “If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t even know she was alive.”
“You didn’t know either until I rescued her!”
“So? It’s not like she was the love of my life,” Dante said with a shrug.
He said it so causally I started shaking with rage.
“I’d reconsider hitting me,” he said. “Because we’re still in trouble. The Matriarch is coming. She’ll want Starry Knight back. Even with all the damage that was done to our black site, she won’t be delayed for longer than another week.”
“I don’t want to do anything,” I said.
“Your hand will be forced in the end.”
I had a feeling he was right. “Tell me about the Matriarch, then.”
I didn’t like talking with Dante; I would’ve cheerfully shot him, had I been given the chance. But he was the best source—and right now, really my only source—to learn about his secret society/cult.
After what Mark had told me, and, given that I was likely to come face to face with the Matriarch and her agent minions, I would have to be prepared. I’d thought Grandpa Odd was mostly harmless all those months I knew him; I knew that I could never allow myself to be at the mercy of someone else just like him—or someone worse.
Given that the lady was Raiya’s grandmother, there was also a personal element to it.
“She’s the leader of SWORD,” Dante said. “She founded the company close to thirty years ago now.”
“Why doesn’t she use her real name?” I scoffed.
“I wouldn’t know. I have never even spoken to her directly; all our movements were largely coordinated by a board of directors, but most of them have died or been killed off in recent weeks.”
“Let me guess; they were fallen Stars?”
“Some of them,” Dante replied, non-committedly.
“Why would she kill them now?” I asked. “Why would any of this matter now?”
“Dr. Harbor,” Dante said. “The astrophysicist who led the study.”
“Jason’s dad?”
“Yes. He was the one, along with your friend over at Lakeview, who found the origins of the star’s supernova. A lot changed when SWORD and the Matriarch were able to discern that the black hole was connected to your Starry Knight.”
Maybe I need to go and visit Logan again.
Between Jason’s dad and Rachel’s brother-in-law, I was more familiar with the latter. I thought about the mark on my wrist. Would I be able to go and see him as Wingdinger?
Ugh, I hate that name.
I hated it even more knowing Elysian was behind it.
“Why did everything change?” I asked.
“She’s not the only fallen Star,” Dante reminded me. “Why do you think they wanted to kill the others? They were using them to collapse the barrier between this world and the other realm.”
“That’s right.” I nodded. “You’d mentioned that they wanted to be able to drink the bloodwater from the River of Life.”
“Yes.” He shuffled his feet. “SWORD wasn’t able to get any more power from the others, though, and they died as a result of the testing.”
“Why didn’t Raiya die?” I asked.
“Likely because of her own power,” Dante said. “She has healing powers, correct? That would be a factor.”
It made sense. It was time to move on to the other area of concern.
“There’s also the matter that the meteorite came from Starry Knight. If she had managed to break through Time’s power before, that would make her supernova more powerful than the other fallen Stars’ supernovas.”
“How would they know about the River of Life?” I asked. “I mean, I knew about it because of Elysian, but he’s told me before that he only ever mentioned it to Aleia, Alora’s sister, and to Starry Knight, but more in passing. Since Draco wasn’t working for SWORD, how would the Matriarch ... ”
She was Raiya’s grandmother—the woman who had married Grandpa Odd. Was it possible he had told her? Or he had notes stashed somewhere?
I thought back hard, clawing through the mess inside of my mind. Rachel told me, before, a long time ago, that Grandpa Odd had bonded with Raiya, and she with him, after the death of her grandmother.
Was it possible she knew too much and Draco had to find a way to dispose of her ... ?
“It’s possible other Stars knew about it,” Dante said. “Several Stars remembered Draco. His death caused a lot of celebration. I thought at the time it was appropriate, given that he would not work for us. But lately, I have been wondering if the celebration had more of a personal nature to it.” He shrugged. “It’s hard to recall after all this time.”
“Some things you don’t forget,” I muttered.
“While others wait for you to rediscover them,” Dante remarked.
I glared at him. “Such as?” The last thing I wanted him to do was remind me of what I’d lost.
“Your sword.”
“Huh?” That threw me off.
Dante smiled. “They couldn’t move your sword from where it closed up the portal to the realm of the void,” he explained. “So the architect decided to make it the centerpiece of his new mall.”
I sighed. “Great.”
“At least it’s still there,” Dante said. “You might need to use it.”
“I don’t transform anymore,” I told him.
“You might need to, if we’re going to defeat SWORD and its Matriarch.”
“‘We’re?’”
“Yes. I’m already helping you by telling you what I know.”
“You might be lying, for all I know.”
“I wasn’t lying about your Starry Knight,” he reminded me.
“A person doesn’t tell straight lies all the time,” I reminded him. “The best liars tell the truth, and then change one small part of it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I was hoping you’d become less of a punk as you got older.”
“Nope. Now I’m a punk with a law degree.” I was tempted to stick my tongue out at him.
“Great.” Dante sighed. “When my boss comes after you, you’ll see. She won’t be held off forever, even with extensive damages. She’s cast aside the façade of keeping the world in check, and she’s after it all herself.”
“Why?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Why do all the villains want to take over the world? It seems like an awfully big job. And if your boss lady wants immortal life, it would just be even more work.”
“Pride, for starters,” Dante said. “And likely a host of other reasons, too, like revenge and power, prestige and acknowledgment.”
I nodded. “I guess so.”
He turned away from me. “There are also the tyrants who just want to destroy things,” he said quietly. “If a demon is able to take something that has been made and bend it to his own vision, and even gain pleasure from it, imagine how much better he would feel at its destruction.”
I nodded. I could understand selfish evil.
&
nbsp; “Keep your eyes open,” he said. “I’ll try to warn you if I hear something.”
“Fine.” My fists clenched more tightly, and my teeth grinded together, as I once more found myself joined with him in a reluctant alliance.
“By the way,” Dante said. “You really should go and see the new mall. Mikey even wrote a blog post about its opening.”
I felt a further sting. I’d never read Mikey’s blog, and I never would. Not if I could help it. And I wasn’t going to do it just to appease Dante.
But, as Dante walked away, I did decide to go to the mall. I figured I needed presents, and there would likely be a better selection. It wasn’t a long walk, anyway, and despite my best front, there was no letting go of how curious I was to see it.
Apparently, it had a name, too. I saw its welcome sign at the corner by Main Street, with the words “Rosemont Mall” tastefully crafted in bold lettering.
The mall itself was built into the ground, two layers deep. As I walked down the large staircase heading down to the final floor, I could read all of the twenty or so shops.
I felt an eerie sense of remembrance come over me as I recalled the battle with Alküzor and Draco, and how I lost so much. It was strange that this place, this place I didn’t really even recognize, once housed the hole to a hellish realm.
At the center of it, there was a small platform; surrounding it were carefully crafted gardens and pathways of stone and granite. In the heart of the platform was the Sealing Sword. Even though winter had nearly arrived, small rosebuds still kept their vibrant colors.
As I saw it, I thought I could feel its power beckon to me, as if it wanted to say hello, too, after all this time.
I walked up and gazed at it. The blade of the sword had dulled to a dark gray, while the hilt still gleamed with a golden shadow.
I had a strong temptation to try to take it; I was curious to see if I could more than if I should. I already knew, most likely, that I shouldn’t. After all, it seemed to be at home in a place where they celebrated the past.
There was a small plaque at the bottom, where the blade went into the ground, but from where I stood I wasn’t able to make out what it said. I didn’t want to get any closer.
While I stood there, just looking at the piece of my past, I felt a sense of closure I hadn’t felt before.
I knew I was a fallen creature, and I knew that I lived in a far from perfect world. It was better that Alküzor hadn’t escaped and cut us off from the Immortal Realm. I had lost a lot in that battle, but I would’ve lost a lot more if he’d succeeded.
Now, I had a second chance—or at least another chance. It wasn’t a new chance just for one thing; things like that rarely, if ever, happened. I had a new chance to be with Raiya, I had a new chance to save the world—but I also had another chance to grow, to change, and to be the kind of person who would try and succeed at those things.
A gust of wind whisked by, and I watched as the rose petals danced, all as I felt a sense of peace and purpose I hadn’t felt in a long, long, long time. But as I walked away, I knew I had come to a decision: I was going to tell Raiya the truth, at last.
*☼*
When I walked into the house, I had an armful of bags, and my back was hurting from lugging them from town. I was tired and ready to relax for a bit while I collected the courage to tell Raiya about us and about what had happened to us.
Before I could do any of that, I was immediately aware of how quiet it was. Silence leapt up at me as I stood in the doorway of my parents’ home, and I instantly grew worried.
Recalling Dante’s visit to my apartment, I hurried from room to room, completely forgetting to drop off the bags.
“Raiya?” I called. “Raiya! Lyra? Lucas, where are you?”
It was only when I passed by the den that I caught sight of them.
They were outside in the backyard. Lyra and Lucas were throwing mud at each other.
“Hey!” I called, bursting through the back door. “What are you two doing? Mom’s going to kill me if you make a mess.”
“They’re helping me,” Raiya said from the far side of the backyard.
I turned to see her covered in mud, just as badly as the kids were, and I frowned at her. “What are you—?”
I stopped. She’d been doing exactly what she told me she was going to do—she was burying her children.
I walked over to her as she finished patting down the last of the dirt. It was a small mountain, and one no loving mother willingly traveled on.
I was surprised to see the settled look on her face. As she ignored me, tending to her graves, I thought about how selfish I was.
I was surprised that she didn’t remember that. It was, apparently, one of the things that hadn’t changed about me.
“Sorry,” I murmured, leaning over to comfort her.
Raiya nodded. “I would’ve loved to know them better before they left for the Celestial Realm,” she said.
“You wanted to know them better?” I asked.
“Yes.” She smiled and put her hand on the grave before us. “This one is Aria. I thought she would like to be over here, where you can see the whole garden easily.”
“You named them.” I said it as more of a statement than a question. Probably because it burdened me to know she had gone through such trauma alone.
“Yes,” she said.
“How?”
“I would dream about them,” Raiya said. “Sometimes very vividly.” She looked so sad.
I placed my hand over hers. “Hi there, Aria,” I said, my voice very soft. I wasn’t sure if Raiya was telling me the truth, but I thought it would be something to at least comfort her.
When you lose someone, someone precious, you lose so much more than just the person. You lose the time, the dreams, the fun, the adventure. The friendship, the whole relationship, and the chance to show it to the rest of the world.
I thought letting her introduce me would help her deal with some of that pain.
But the instant I placed my hand on Raiya’s, holding her hand in mine over the grave, I felt a jolt of awareness.
I watched, in stunned disbelief, as a small ghost of a girl appeared and waved back at me, before she began to make funny faces. She was clearly laughing, but I wasn’t able to hear her.
Raiya just smiled. “She likes you,” she said.
I carefully removed my hand from hers. The little girl waved again, and then disappeared.
It was hard to put into words how I felt. Sad, shocked, surprised, fearful—all of those and more. Thankfully, I remembered what I’d brought home and quickly handed Raiya the bag to hide my discomfort.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I bought some rose bushes,” I said. “I saw some downtown, and I thought ... I thought you would like them.”
She counted the pots, which had been less than ceremoniously stacked into my bag. “You have ten of them here,” she said.
“Yeah, they were on sale,” I said sheepishly, remembering the moment I’d seen them and felt compelled to buy so many. “Would you like to plant them?” I nodded toward the small grave.
Raiya’s face lit up. “That would be wonderful,” she said. “Do you want to help me? I can introduce you to them as we go along.”
Did I want to help her? No.
But I would.
Lucas and Lyra came around and helped us, as we used seven of the ten pots of rose bushes as grave markers. I didn’t realize how hard it would be on me, personally, but when Lyra took my arm and clung to it with a sympathetic look on her face, I wanted to hug her. Lucas made a big show of scooping up the dirt for me, too.
They really are good kids, I thought.
The rest of Raiya’s brood also seemed lovely.
There was Ian, who loved to build things; Patrick, who loved to climb up trees, and whatever else he could; there was a pair of singing twins, Gretia and Sophia; a rabid snuggler named Phoena; and the smallest one, Lee, who loved to tell stories as much as he
loved to hear them.
I told Lyra and Lucas they could plant the other three rosebushes, before I excused myself. As I left, they were already fighting over the third one (Adam would come home and plant it later).
Grief hit me hard as I walked inside the house. Raiya’s children, the little ghosts I had gotten a glimpse of, were all lovely children. They had passed over this world, and the world was poorer for it.
I was glad that I’d decided to buy the flowers, even if it seemed like such a small and useless gesture to gird Raiya from the tsunami of anguish she was likely feeling at her loss.
My hand—the same hand that had touched the edges of the world beyond the grave, the same one that bore the mark on my wrist just inches higher—rested over my heart as I made the vow all over again that I would protect those who belonged to me.
“Are you alright?”
I turned to see Raiya, covered in dirt stains, standing in the doorway.
A moment passed between us as we stared at each other. Then, before I could ask, or she could offer, we seemed to run into each other. I grasped onto her, my fingers digging into the back of her shirt as I clung to her.
I breathed in the smell of her hair, felt the smoothness of her cheek next to my stubby one, and heard the strength of her heart beating in accord with my own.
I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her the truth, to get out all the years of sadness and pain between the two of us, and move on, on to something so much bigger and better than our individual pains.
“Raiya.”
She responded at once to me as I pulled her in closer. Her arms wrapped around me, holding onto me. I saw some of her hesitation and the uncertainty, but it was clouded out by her growing desire. I gazed down at her, my eyes meeting hers, until they treacherously lowered to her lips.
“Hamilton,” she whispered, and all of a sudden nothing in the world could stop me from kissing her.
Well, almost nothing.
At that moment, there was a loud knock at the door, and I could hear a familiar voice calling out, “Alex! Alex, are you there?”
The magic of the moment was instantly broken. I still held onto Raiya, but I could tell she was more than sufficiently distracted by the continual banging coming from the front door.
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