The Argent Star

by Emerson Fray

  Chapter 19

  Having Abetha be the one to escort Ren to the Rush wasn’t something she liked, especially when Abetha was like this. She was quiet but each word she said was tipped with a piercing ice. Though there was no doubt in her mind that Abetha was on her side she still wondered if Abetha thought the same of her. Maybe Abetha partially blamed her for Ross’s imprisonment. If it were Ren in that position, she might. She wouldn’t blame Abetha if taking her into the Undercurrent to Rush the society was actually another ploy by the rebels.

  Sheridan had taken them halfway to the cave they now walked through, and Ren was certain she knew where they were going. It wouldn’t be a surprise to either of them if she were still following them, making sure that they didn’t run into trouble. Abetha would look behind them every so often to check, but like Ren, probably saw nothing.

  Ren was careful not to slip on the wet stones inside the caves. Each of them held a green lantern, giving just enough light to get through. It was a hundred times better than the last time they were there, but it still gave Ren chills. Were there arenthrope nearby? Her imagination began to get the best of her, and she swore she could hear small growls coming from the shadows. If Sheridan was out there, Ren hoped she was careful.

  “Are you sure Sheridan wouldn’t be allowed in?” Ren asked stupidly. She already knew the answer.

  “The Sisterhood only wishes to speak with potential members,” Abetha replied. The ground began to subtly slope downwards, leading them deeper into the Undercurrent. “And Sheridan is not a potential member. They’re always watching, remember.”

  “Why is that?” Ren jumped over a small puddle, lifting the black dress over her knees. Though Abetha suggested wearing something with colour before they left, Ren couldn’t bring herself to wear anything but black, not yet.

  “Because the Sisterhood is very select,” Abetha said. She didn’t give Ren any more information than that, and Ren was fine to let the subject drop. Guilt weighed on her shoulders, and it seemed to stop her mouth from moving.

  Ren slowly came to a stop, her footsteps no longer echoing against the walls. Abetha turned, her expression a mixture of annoyance and fatigue. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry, you know.” Ren dragged her eyes from the ground to meet Abetha’s. “I’m going to make this right.”

  Abetha swallowed whatever she was feeling. “This cannot be made right. But maybe there can be a bit of justice.”

  Suddenly Ren felt very silly for using those words. Of course this couldn’t be made right; there was no possible way to make this “right”. Two people had been murdered, her father included, and now…

  Abetha started walking, and after a few seconds Ren did as well. The light from their lanterns no longer touched, but Ren made sure Abetha was always in view. Her jaw clenched, the only sounds between them were their footsteps and the occasional drop of water. Another noise came from behind her that sounded too much like an arenthrope and she whirled to find nothing but black. She couldn’t help but stop and listen, but found no threat nearby.

  Soon the growling grew louder, and Ren quickened her pace. The closer she got to Abetha, the harder her heart beat. “Is that—”

  “It’s only water,” Abetha replied, not even letting Ren finish the obvious question. “It’s called the Howling Jade River. It isn’t an arenthrope.”

  “Good,” Ren breathed. “I don’t think I could survive another one of those.”

  “You should meet the Harowulf,” Abetha said, her lips curving up in a small smile. “He was named hundreds of years ago, when we first arrived on this planet. There is a legend saying that he is a man by day and arenthrope by night.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Ren mused. As they walked the sound of the water made Ren feel ridiculous for thinking it was a beast, and it grew so loud that she could barely hear her own thoughts.

  “Here.” Abetha stopped and turned towards the mossy wall. Ren noticed a small reflection of light bouncing off it, and for a moment she thought she saw herself in a mirror, but as she looked harder she only saw rock.

  Raising her hand, Abetha touched the upper right of the wall, dragged her hand to the left, then down, and back up again. Her touch brought a purple glow, and suddenly the wall vanished.

  “That’s—” Ren began.

  “Another field, yes. Come on, I don’t want us to be late.”

  Ren marveled at how the people of Novae were so advanced, considering how they lived. If anyone on this planet was as smart as Elian, they certainly didn’t show it. In the city there were no hints of technological advancement, at least not past one or two centuries ago. It made Ren wonder, if they had such technology, why hadn’t anybody left Novae? Didn’t anyone want to explore the galaxies? Ren thought Enn might be the only person that would want to do it.

  While she stared in disbelief at the vanishing wall, Abetha stepped inside. Only after she cleared her throat did Ren hop to attention and join her. The small passageway was easily lit with just the two lanterns, the walls reflecting the light across everything. It bounced back and forth, illuminating the entire corridor. From where she stood, Ren couldn’t see the end, and the Howling Jade was no longer heard.

  “This chamber was discovered over three hundred years ago,” Abetha said as she walked, “it has been a sanctuary to my family, and many people of Novae. It’s the one place we can come to discuss worldly matters, now.”

  “Worldly matters?” Ren repeated.

  Abetha took in a deep breath, preparing for an explanation. Ren was used to being the one to do that, usually when talking to Elian.

  “The Sisterhood has had the utmost control when dealing with Novae,” Abetha explained, “until the Monarchy came along. They might have their spies, but the Monarchy is quite adamant in keeping them out. It’s been difficult to know what’s going on, and I think it’s made them a little…lazy.”

  “How so?”

  “They refuse to fix a problem,” Abetha growled. “I’m hoping having you here will make them see otherwise.” She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this…but you’re the only person that can help us now.”

  It was Ren’s turn to swallow audibly. “Me?” Ren wanted to help, and she already knew she was the only way to get to the Monarchy, but hearing it out loud made it feel a lot more real. The pressure on her shoulders intensified.

  Abetha never replied and continued down the corridor.

  When they came to the end Ren felt like she could breathe again. She stepped one boot into a huge, brightly lit cavern filled with people. For the first few seconds she was too caught up in the raw diamonds and jade embedded into the walls to care about anything else.

  The circular cavern was filled with the precious gems, and much like the lake they gave off a glow that made everything seem surreal. Some of them were cut and coloured into a blinding glimmer. Ren breathed, “Wow.”

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a woman asked. Ren tore her eyes away from the stones to find Enn walking up to her. “It’s natural.”

  “Enn?” Ren asked. “You’re part of the Sisterhood?”

  She smirked. “Who do you think is next in line to control it?”

  Ren tried to answer but another woman cut her off. “Next in line means nothing if you do not learn to lead.”

  Enn straightened, much like Ren always did around Maks. Dressed in a stunning green dress that barely made it to her knees, with diamond encrusted heels on her boots, this woman didn’t look like she should be in the Undercurrent. Even surrounded by the precious gems, she stood out.

  “Matron Keturah,” Abetha said, giving a small bow. “This is Loren Ar—”

  “I think you mean Princess Loren Argent,” Keturah interrupted.

  “I just go by Ren,” Ren suggested. Enn rolled her eyes. Keturah looked Ren up and down, her eyes much more narrow than Enn’s. Under that
gaze Ren began to feel like she was beneath a microscope, but it could have been the numerous other gazes she felt. Risking a glance around, Ren noticed all the women were staring at them.

  “Welcome to the Rush,” Keturah said. “I need to greet the other guests.” Her heels clicked as she walked away, perfectly balanced against the smooth rocks.

  Enn waited until she was out of earshot to say anything. “Why does everyone like you?”

  “That was liking?” Ren asked. Her palms were sweating again, and her heart didn’t want to calm down. As her eyes darted around the room she realized something for the second time. Everyone here had a very good reason to hate her.

  “Keturah rarely acknowledges people that are destroying the planet,” Enn said with a sarcastic smile. “She likes to be in the know, and she was until…you know.”

  “Until the Monarchy,” Ren concluded, a little bored with that statement. They all made it seem as if Novae was perfect until she came along, but she doubted that was the case. There was no such thing as perfection.

  But the thought of a planet ruled by women was interesting to Ren. The Monarchy might have claimed to have equal rights for women, but it was still a hard earned achievement for them to get anywhere in the government. Most advisory positions were given to men like Garret, the kind of people that would do anything for their higher ups. Ren shivered.

  “I’ll introduce you to the other Matrons,” Abetha said.

  “Hold on,” Enn called. “I think I need to be introduced. After all, I do have some influence here.”

  “You’re supporting me?” Ren gaped. She had seen at the rebel camp that Enn was more than she seemed, and much more brilliant than Kian had given her credit for, but having her support was the last thing Ren expected.

  “Yeah,” Enn said with a smirk. “Who do you think gave you the invitation?”

  Ren understood now why it had been a dagger thrown at her, rather than a simple letter. She didn’t argue with Enn and thanked her instead.

  “Don’t thank me,” Enn argued. “You aren’t a member just yet.”

  “I believe having Ren as a member will help with the problem,” Abetha said. She was careful not to give away much information, and it was beginning to grind on Ren’s nerves.

  Enn snorted. “Like she could help with that. Go introduce her to the Matrons—I have better things to do.”

  And in seconds Enn was gone. Ren questioned what it was they were talking about, because clearly Enn didn’t want any of Ren’s help. Her sudden change in demeanour was disheartening. Maybe whatever problem Abetha was talking about was too sensitive to give up.

  “There she is,” Abetha said, looking to a greying brunette on the other side of the room. “Come on, you’ve already met her, so it’ll be easier.”

  Tansy stood in front of Ren, an obvious Matron to the Sisterhood. They shook hands again, smiled, and got right down to business.

  “Your views on the Guardship are of interest to me,” Tansy said, “considering you’re not from Novae. I’m curious, why do you speak so highly of Sheridan? From what Abetha has told me she hasn’t been doing her job very well.”

  Ren was insulted on Sheridan’s behalf, but found she didn’t have a proper argument. “She saved me when the rebels kidnapped me,” Ren replied carefully. And it was true, to a certain degree. If Sheridan hadn’t shown up Ren wouldn’t have found a bargaining chip to use with Kian.

  “But they shouldn’t have kidnapped you in the first place,” Tansy countered. She was trying to get under Ren’s skin, and it was going perfectly.

  Ren ground her teeth. “Sheridan is the best warrior on this planet,” Ren said. “And the fact that the entire planet has conspired against me does not mean she hasn’t done her duty.” The tightness in her tone had come out, and it was hard to see on the edges of her vision. She was furious.

  Tansy grinned. “I’m glad you think so highly of my niece.”

  Ren blanched, and Abetha gave a small grin. “Y-Y-Your niece?”

  Tansy nodded, making her hair fall over her shoulder. In this light she looked younger, more powerful than Ren had first thought. “I didn’t realize—”

  “It’s quite all right,” Tansy interrupted. She took a sip of a pink bubbling liquid. “It’s always nice to hear when others appreciate her abilities; God knows her father never did.” Her lip nearly curled into a snarl but quickly returned to a smile. “But she is a very skilled warrior.”

  “That isn’t all I like about her,” Ren blurted, regretting it immediately. Abetha nudged at her ribs, a not-so-subtle warning. “Sheridan’s very kind—and comforting, in a way.”

  Tansy cocked a brow. “Comforting? Sheridan? How so?” She sounded genuinely confused by the thought that Sheridan could be comforting. Considering everything, Ren understood her surprise.

  “She makes me feel safe,” Ren suggested. Maybe she was just so used to Maks’s cold shoulder that anyone like him made Ren feel safe.

  “She is there to guard you,” Tansy told her, “of course she would.”

  “It’s more than just guarding me though,” Ren argued, unable to let this go. Abetha gave her another nudge, clicking her tongue at Ren but it went ignored. “Sheridan believes in me. I’ve never really…had that before. Not like that anyway.”

  And if she had, Ren never noticed it. Maks had never supported her endeavours, and while Elian had never told her she was wrong to study archeology, he never said she was right either. The last person she could remember telling her to follow her dreams, to truly believe she could do what she wanted was Naomi. A small sliver of pain stabbed at her heart. Going against the Monarchy meant going against Naomi as well, and Ren wasn’t sure what Naomi might do.

  Tansy was quiet, contemplating Ren’s words. “That is quite a compliment to a mother,” she said, her voice low. “Thank you. Now, you should meet the last Matron before the night is over; you were already quite late.” She gave a small glare to Abetha, who took it with a shrug.

  “Mother?” Ren asked.

  “Who do you think took care of Sheridan after her father abandoned her?” Tansy asked.

  Elegant and calculating were the only words Ren could think of to describe Tansy. But one more word came to mind; warmth. Ren had spotted it in Tansy’s eyes when they started talking about Sheridan and how good a person she was, Sotarian or not. Ren still wondered if Tansy had done all she could for Sheridan—did she try to keep their family together? By the way her lip curled when talking about Sheridan’s father, Ren didn’t think so.

  Ren hoped they tried to teach the men to have the same values they had, to create more equality but questioned what the Sisterhood really wanted. Did they want equality, or power?

  Just how similar were they to the Monarchy?

  “Ren?” Abetha asked. She hadn’t noticed she’d started staring off into space, letting the sparkling crystals hypnotize her into a subdued state.

  “Right,” Ren said with a sudden deep breath. “Who’s next?”

  “Fleur,” Enn said, appearing from Ren’s right. “I’ll introduce you; she can be a bit of an—aristocrat.”

  That didn’t sound like something good, not the way Enn said it. She nodded her head to the left and started walking, leaving Abetha and Ren to follow. Abetha didn’t though, and started moving towards the drinks.

  “Aren’t you coming?” Ren asked.

  “It would be better if Fleur didn’t see you with me,” Abetha said. “She’s always had it out for me.”

  “Why?” Ren couldn’t think of any reason someone might have it out for Abetha. Even with the recent events, it didn’t seem plausible; Abetha blended easily into the crowd wherever she went. If she ever wronged someone they would never know it was her unless she wanted them to.

  “You coming?” Enn questioned.

  Ren took another look at Abetha but she’d already turned away and grabbed a glass of champagne. Tu
rning back to Enn, Ren nodded and caught up.

  “Didn’t you have something to do?” Ren questioned, curious about Enn’s sudden reappearance.

  Enn clenched her jaw. “Thought you could use a hand. You’re welcome.”

  Choosing to change the clearly sore subject, Ren asked, “Is Fleur nice?” She couldn’t decipher another way to ask what kind of person Fleur was.

  “If she likes you,” Enn replied. “You already won over Keturah and Tansy, so I think you’ll be fine.”

  “I won them over? How?”

  “How else do you win people over?” Ren didn’t need to see Enn roll her eyes to know how exaggerated the gesture was.

  “Why doesn’t Fleur like Abetha?” Ren questioned.

  Enn paused then shrugged. “Fleur doesn’t like a lot of people. She’s an old piece of leather that should have retired years agOW!” A cane had come down and smacked the back of Enn’s head.

  “Who’s a piece of leather?” the woman asked angrily. Ren assumed it was Fleur. Her cane swatted Enn again on the arm, lighter this time, before tapping against the ground. Her skin was a dark brown with deep lines and large lips. She was shorter than anyone Ren had seen on Novae, coming up to only Ren’s shoulder.

  Enn grumbled under her breath before saying, “Ren, this is Fleur. Fleur, Ren.”

  “You should address the Princess properly,” Fleur said with a glower. When it turned on Ren she shivered, unsure of what to say.

  “Nice to meet you Fleur,” she stammered. “I’m—”

  “I know who you are,” Fleur interrupted. “Have you been going around introducing yourself like that all night?”

  “No…” Ren said.

  “Has this one been introducing you?” Fleur pointed her cane at Enn but Ren saw her eyes slide away as if trying to find Abetha. “She should be since she’s your sponsor.”

  “Yes,” Ren lied, “she has. She and Abetha have been wonderfully supportive.”

  Fleur sneered, her nose wrinkling so much that Ren hadn’t thought it was possible to bare more teeth. They were pearly white stubs, probably dentures. “Yes, that Abetha has always talked so highly of you and the Monarchy.”

  Enn leaned close to Ren, so close that she could feel Enn’s breath against her skin. “Fleur has been having some memory problems,” Enn whispered, “and she can’t quite remember who’s on our side.”

  Fleur’s cane came down hard on Enn’s head, creating a loud crack through the cavern. A few women turned to see the source of the noise, but Ren imagined that many of them already knew what had happened. Fleur growled, “I might have memory problems, but I don’t have hearing problems.” She wrinkled her nose again at Ren before walking away.

  “Huh, she likes you too,” Enn stated, rubbing at the growing welt on her head.

  The women of the Sisterhood had a strange way of showing their liking, Ren thought. “Because she didn’t hit me?”

  “Exactly,” Enn grumbled.

  They stood under the crystals, neither of them knew what to say next. So Ren said, “Thank you for this.”

  “I still don’t get what you plan on doing once you’re in.”

  Ren liked her wording, as if there was no chance she wouldn’t make it into the Sisterhood. She gave a small smile, finding it still a little difficult after the funeral. “I plan on conspiring against the Monarchy.”

  Rebellious words had never felt so good.

  Enn, Ren, and Abetha left the Rush at the same time. Ren’s hopes were high, and she wasn’t going to find out soon enough if she’d be entrusted into the Sisterhood. Enn seemed to think she had done just fine impressing the Matrons, but Ren wasn’t so sure. She wanted to know now if they were going to help her.

  Stepping out of the Undercurrent they were greeted by a small scow, and Kian’s grinning face. He brushed his white hair over his shoulder and approached. “Good evening, Princess.”

  “What are you doing here?” Ren said, backing up and preparing to run. There was no way she could best Kian in a fight, but she thought if she could make it back to the cavern she would be safe. If she could find the entrance that was.

  Kian stepped closer and Ren couldn’t move anymore. There was nothing behind her stopping her from running, but her feet didn’t want to move. She was stuck to the ground, her hands in shaking fists.

  “I’m here to pick up Enn,” he stated, “since she doesn’t live in Mahendra anymore. Remember?”

  “I thought we were meeting by the lake,” Enn said. Her lips were pursed at Kian, clearly unhappy with his presence so close to the Sisterhood.

  “I wanted to see if Aunt Tans or Keturah wanted to come along,” he suggested. “I know they’re busy trying to hide from everyone, but I think it’s obvious that we aren’t going to be able to hide again.” He arched his eyebrows. “It’s time to fight.”

  “What are they talking about?” Ren whispered to Abetha. She didn’t reply.

  Kian eyed her. “You know, Princess, my proverbial door is always open. If you ever want to join us—you’re welcome to.”

  “You kidnapped me,” Ren stated.

  He shrugged, a slow and precise movement. They didn’t exchange any more words; Enn just smacked Kian’s arm and pointed into the scow. They climbed in and drove off, leaving Ren with more questions than answers.

  It made her wonder more about what the Sisterhood was capable of.

  “We should get back,” Abetha said. When she started moving Ren followed, only taking a moment to listen to the scow sailing over the treetops before cloaking and vanishing completely. Ren took one step forward when Kian’s words dawned on her.

  “Wait,” she murmured. “Did he say ‘Aunt Tans’?”

  “He did,” replied Abetha.

  “So he’s Tansy’s nephew?”

  “He is.”

  “Then…” Ren jogged to catch up with Abetha. “Then he’s Sheridan’s brother. And Kai is the father that kicked her out for being a Sotarian!”

  “Again, yes.” Abetha puckered her lips in annoyance. Her arms crossed tight over her chest and her foot tapped.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Ren cried. “We spent an entire night with them and nobody said a thing.”

  “You’ll have to ask Sheridan.” Abetha started walking, and no matter how many times Ren asked, she knew she wasn’t going to get an answer. Abetha was right; she would have to talk to Sheridan.