Star Cursed (Madeira Citrine Book 1)

by C. Swallow

  "Is it true, then?" Traegr growls at Sabir, a slither of hope fading from his eyes as he analyses Sabir's expressions of realisation.

  "You recruited me into the Dark Gems when I was a year old from a small forest town, barely a town, more so a village. Do you remember?" Sabir asks, raising a brow. I furrow my own, I am intensely interested. Even I have not heard this story, so I stand with my ears pricked, "I was so young, I can't remember my parent's faces. All I know is one day I was there and one day I was gone. You always told me I 'most likely' had blood from a blue or perhaps green Gem. Yet you never let me go to the Gem vaults to see which line I truly belonged to. But you knew. All along. Who my family really was."

  "Don't be ridiculous," Trager growls, cutting him off, "After everything. After all the power I gave you. The past does not matter, you can-not betray me."

  "Betray a traitor?" Sabir asks, with a monotone, "I believe there is no such thing. Your rule, emphasised the abandonment of acknowledging magic-bonds and in drowning in lust and violence... the darkest aspects of a Dark Gem... and it forced the Royal female Gems to abandon the planet for a thousand tortuous years. Your rule failed monstrously. It tortured us all, as if we weren't already Cursed enough with our gifts," Sabir motions to the men behind him and they all rally him on with comments of support as they all stand together, behind him, "Not only that, but you lied to me about my name," Sabir quietens his tone, "I was an Obsidian all along. I'm curious, is my first name even Sabir? Or did you lie to me about that too?"

  "Enough of this," Traegr spits at Sabir's feet after the other Dark Gems have stood up against him. Traegr jumps straight off the podium, "You're a traitor, Sabir, you will pay."

  "At the end of this fight, you will tell my brother his real name," Hraken states plainly while backing up towards the middle of the field. He saw right through Traegr and always had.

  I watch as Sabir turns to me and drops his little remote onto the ground. A button hits and I get a large shock, which makes me squeak, embarrassingly. However, I pass it off as a sneeze, right before Sabir smashes the remote with his boot. He smirks at the noise I've made and I just blush.

  "Take off her collar," Seraphine asks of Sabir, who slowly turns to face her.

  "No, I don't think so. It suits the dress," Sabir raises a brow, "Sister. You must know my real name, why don't you tell me?"

  "I do know it," Seraphine smiles, "But it is not for me to tell, Hraken will force the name on Traegr's lips as the battle comes to an end."

  "You're with us?" I ask Sabir, hoping he at least admits this to us, even if my question has rang around the stadium, loud and true.

  Traegr also hears my words and turns to snarl at me from the field as he settles into place.

  "Commentate, princess," Sabir nods at the field, "It's your gift, so use it well. There are no sides for the taking. Simply one ruler. And that will be determined when the combat is over. Everything else can wait."

  I nod at Sabir. I guess his answer was clear permission, that he would not interfere and simply let things play out as the Stars would have it.

  "Take your places," I call out, as Hraken stalks to his side of the field and Traegr rolls his shoulders while helping himself to his half, "Prepare yourselves, Dark Gems, there will only be one winner. Watch carefully, everyone. The new King of Kiyr will reign at the end of this battle... you may begin."

  Celeste stiffens beside me, reaching for my hand.

  Hraken makes the first move. He holds out his sword and uses a Dark Gem's skill to control inanimate objects. He hovers the sword just to the side of his wide and outstretched hand, just as Traegr bursts with uncontrolled, mocking laughter.

  He slowly lifts his own hands, and the field grows with thorny vines, heading straight for Hraken like fast moving spears.

  "Let's make this quick, fool," Traegr chuckles as Hraken swings the sword in a wide arch through the air, chopping the ends of the vines before they can touch him.

  "I plan on it," Hraken answers by starting a quick approach to Traegr while his sword swings through the air to protect him from an onslaught of lethal nature. It is compelling, as the sword is clearly completely under Hraken's strict command from his incredible strength of mind, "What is my brother's real name? Answer now and perhaps I'll make your end not so foolish. I'm sure you now fear for the worst."

  Traegr refuses to answer, but with Hraken's impending approach, there is no where to run too.

  "It seems Traegr made a mistake in leaving his sword on the podium," I call out, happy when a corresponding chuckle resounds from the crowd, "Perhaps Hraken will put down Traegr in the fastest battle in all of our histories?"

  Everyone watches as Traegr tries to attack Hraken with his earthen magic from Celeste.

  He tries to wrap Hraken's feet in branches, but the warrior skips past the attack as if he is simply in the movement of a graceful dance. Traegr also tries to wrap Hraken in a growth of thorny roses, but Hraken's sword does all the work for him. Traegr even tries to hold him back with quickly grown hedges, but Hraken simply cuts them down.

  "Perhaps the King's idea to conquer the fool, is futile," I call out, smirking, "What will the King do now, as Hraken the Warrior approaches with a sword cutting down the King's last few feet of defence –" I go quiet as the sword at my feet clinks along the Ametrine, right before it flies through the air and lands straight into Traegr's grasp.

  He had started cocky, but he was desperate now.

  "You can't beat me with a sword, boy," Traegr tries to threaten Hraken as the experienced warrior comes forward to make the first swing from above.

  Traegr raises his sword, quickly and the two metals clash with corresponding sparks.

  "I'm counting on it," Hraken smirks and dances back as Traegr lunges forward. He swipes for one side, his other side, his ankles, his upper torso; and with every shot... he misses. Every single shot is well-intended to hit the mark, yes. Yet nothing can touch Hraken as he dances around him and blocks each move.

  Eventually Hraken steps far back, once again letting go of his sword with his physical hand. This time his mind will do the rest.

  "An ultimate test of strength," I call out, "Is through the mind's power, as we will all soon find out."

  My suggestion has Traegr provoked beyond reason. He also unhands his sword, to let it hover.

  And this is his biggest mistake.

  Celeste gasps beside me as Traegr draws the sword back to strike fast.

  And it does, heading straight for Hraken's forehead.

  But it doesn't make contact.

  The veins on Hraken's forehead are clearly swollen as he strains to counter the Ametrine power. Everyone holds their breath as the sword slowly spins 180 degrees. He succeeds. The point had hovered before Hraken's head... and now it is pointing towards the King.

  "There is no escape, now, my King," I can't help but grin as the two swords, in Hraken's power, gracefully split the distance between warrior and King. One sword hovers, positioned at the back of Traegr's head while the other one is at the forefront of his gaze.

  "The name," Hraken orders, "Now. Perhaps I'll spare you your life if you tell my brother what he wants to hear. Now, speak."

  "You need me alive for the input codes to the portal, boy," Traegr is forced down onto his knees.

  Clearly, he was drawing from his bag of pathetic last tricks.

  "Traegr kneels in defeat of the new King and he must answer a King's request," I remind him, smugly. Far too smugly.

  Even Seraphine snorts, but when I glance at Celeste, she is looking distraught and frozen in shock at the two swords pointing at Traegr. Celeste turns to me, sudden desperation in her eyes.

  She no longer wanted him to die.

  "Say the name!" Celeste calls out, so her voice is picked up by my mic, "Please, Traegr. Just say it. Do it, or you'll be the fool with no head."

  There is a long pause as Traegr turns to watch her, unblinking with tears of defeat and humiliation seeping from the c
orners of his eyes.

  "Sabir," Traegr finally speaks, in abrupt acceptance of his down-fall, "I may as well speak it. What difference will it make?"

  "Speak, in the name of your King who has ordered you to. What is his real name?" I suddenly snap myself, hating that he was delaying this further.

  "Now... fool," Hraken adds in a second warning for good measure, "My Queen just asked you a question."

  I see the look in Traegr's eyes from the big screens above.

  He finally cracks it and his ego is completely shattered.

  "Fine, then," Traegr meets Sabir's gaze to tell him directly, "You are an Obsidian."

  "And my birth name?" Sabir prompts him to get to the point, on the verge of a snarl.

  "Is not Sabir," Traegr grits his teeth. It is hard for him to further his humiliation by giving in to us all; to Hraken, his cheeky princess and his traitorous Punisher. But, Traegr has no choice to delay any longer, and so he finally speaks true, "Your birth name, Sabir, is Alexander."

  S~53~C

  "Alexander," Sabir speaks his real name, eye brows furrowed and a frown to his lips, "I don't like it, I guess that's a good thing," he growls, looking at me when I try not to laugh, holding my chuckles back in with a snort.

  "I like it," I smirk, "Hraken and Alexander, they suit each other."

  Sabir just shakes his head in exasperation as he continues to hold the Obsidian orb.

  "As my first act as the new King," Hraken has taken the mic off Traegr and put's it around his own ear, "I would like to compliment my Queen Sapphire, on her beautiful dress and thank her for being so brave in the face of adversity," he then looks down towards Traegr mockingly, "I'd also like to thank my sister for putting up with the act of being my mate for a thousand years," he smirks at this and the crowd roars with laughter.

  "Don't forget all the damn hard work I put in," Seraphine yells out, "Dearest brother, can you order that I'm freed from these light restraints?" she asks, jokingly before she pulls her hands out in front of the crowd like a magic trick before she chucks the slashed restraints onto the field before Traegr, "Oh, look, I was never restrained in the first place," Traegr stays on his knees before the new King, the two swords still keeping him completely at Hraken's mercy as he raises an eyebrow at the cut restraints, "Nothing ever keeps me contained," she shrugs her shoulders and looks over the Dark Gems standing near her, "What are you all looking at? Some of you think you're my bonded-partner, I bet? Fight me and find out."

  The crowd is amused by her antics and she is delighted in return from the attention and bows in thanks of the support.

  "Sapphire, do something about Traegr before Hraken kills him," Celeste begs me quietly as she stands back and gazes into my eyes, "Please, I changed my mind, I don't want him dead. Something just doesn't... feel right."

  "I –" I begin to question Celeste when I am interrupted unexpectedly from a voice behind me.

  "I'm finished!" I turn around as do the others on the Ametrine podium, to glance at Ladonna as she stands up and holds the contract in her hand, "Who would like to take it from here?" she asks respectfully.

  "Me! Pass it over, now," Seraphine holds out her hand, practically barking at Ladonna for the contract.

  "No," Sabir steps forward and grabs Seraphine's shoulder, "Not you. To me."

  "No one will touch it but Ladonna," Hraken calls out from the field.

  "Get your hand off me," Seraphine steps back from Sabir, moving out of his grasp.

  "Gladly," Sabir steps back and instead steps closer to me, leaning down he catches my gaze and also comes in close to the mic, "The night has been opened with a trial as promised. But you didn't know what the rest of the night entailed, not you, nor the new King. But I do. Let me make the announcement."

  "Oh, really?" I ask, "Please inform us, Punisher."

  "Why don't I show you," Sabir glances to Hraken for confirmation and Traegr even smiles and mutters something, happy and relieved.

  "Go ahead, brother," Hraken nods and stands back, keeping a hand out to control the swords and keep Traegr in place.

  "The citizens of Kiyr were not gathered here randomly, all around us you'll see the head of every household, the headmistresses of each school, the politicians from each town and the Gems of Kiyrwith great influence. This was not just a re-initiation of the Scouting Stadium, this was an official reunion with the Royal females and a much greater newly formed union which will soon take place with what is hidden beneath the soil," Sabir explains this so the whole of the stadium can hear. Almost instantly from his words, an unease and an intense interest emits from the crowd of thousands, "Traegr mentioned he is the only one with information on the input codes to a portal," Sabir hints, quietly amused by everyone's shocked gasps.

  "There is history in the Royal female Gem linage of Shadow Magic and greater magics, opening small portals throughout time," Seraphine steps forward to also be heard, "And we're going to open a portal with an input code?"

  "This portal grants us access to a place called a Neutral Zone, also known as Central Universe. A highly advanced and successful intergalactic alliance of planets and different races and species of higher-intelligence from all over the universe. We knew life existed beyond Kiyr but this place, is an organisation we've been invited to join and we will join. It is the way forward," Sabir explains this to Hraken with a critical look in his eye, "Not joining risks us being invaded by the alliance if they consider us as threatening them by avoiding union-ship. Do you understand, brother? We have to join."

  "The contract is a thousand years old, we must have a reason for averting the union for so long... if they were the ones to make contact with us first?" Hraken asks.

  "We could not form when the Royal females had disappeared to another planet. Part of CU's laws is that it is forbidden to charter space without their permission. That is also considered a subtle provocation for war. When the Royal female Gems disappeared to another planet we had to keep that quiet; or we would have all been potentially wiped out," Sabir explains, truthfully.

  "So we join a place called Central Universe, to further our ends?" Hraken asks, "I'll leave the choice to you, brother. We don't have to do this."

  "We do, it is the only way to progress. If we don't do it now, we could be contacted again in fifty years time and be exterminated if we're considered a threat... one day we will be. A wise man would say our abilities suggest we are a great threat to many other inferior species of people, some who don't even harbour any magical connections at all. We join today, Hraken. We have the right man who's been building the portal foundations and they are complete, under the soil. The rest is up to a Madeira Citrine female, a Quartz bearer; she was against any form of rulership. Her power has been harnessed while in lock-down, to supply the power to the portal," Sabir turns to Seraphine, "It cannot be supplied by a Royal female Gem the traditional way. The intricacies of the portal being opened on such a large scale is extremely volatile if the magic is input the wrong way. We have a magic-gene professor who has found a way to input the magic manually, and slowly."

  "So is it safe?" Hraken guesses as Sabir grabs a second remote out of his pocket, nodding.

  "Let me show you," Sabir presses a button on this second small device.

  Everyone gasps in the crowd as metres of the grass give way to rising opaque, curved pillar structures. They are huge and made from quarts with the electronics held inside.

  "Wow," Celeste murmurs, happy the attention is off Traegr for the moment.

  "Traegr will need to put in the code to turn it on for the first stage," Sabir explains. A sigh of relief escapes Celeste's lips as Hraken drops both swords and allows Traegr to stand.

  "Up you get, at least this way you'll be somewhat useful," Hraken mocks, but with every right to.

  "You can thank me for getting a team willing to put this beastly thing together," Traegr growls, approving of the magnificence and height of the portal structure as if he was the one to create it himself.

&nb
sp; As Traegr walks slowly forward, in awe of the curved quartz pillars, there is a new, funny buzz in the air.

  We all hear it.

  Hraken turns to look at what is approaching and indeed there is a transport vehicle literally flying through the air towards both of them like it's been hurled from a giant's fist.

  "Get down," Hraken lunges for Traegr and knocks him over just in time.

  "What the hell?" I whisper as I witness the huge crash and crumble of metal as the transport vehicle lodges into the soil of the field and slides along until it comes to a tinny, rattled halt.

  A door busts open on it a moment later and Lilo comes jumping out, bruised and bloodied but with mining weapons in her hands.

  "We made it!" she pumps her fist into the air as the other girls come crawling out of the transport bus.

  "Let's not do that again, Lilo," many of them yell at her while holding their injuries, and I realise then she used her power over air to fly them all the way into the stadium over the walls, because the vehicle wasn't even made to hover more than 3 feet off the ground.

  "Lilo," Ladonna comes to stand beside me, her hand on her heart. Lilo picks up on the familiar voice, and she turns to glance in confusion at the podium's attendance and the two Dark Gems on the field.

  The buzz, however, still remains in the air and it's getting louder.

  "What the hell is that noise?" Seraphine asks, stepping forward.

  "I believe that would be my spaceship," Sabir growls, looking up as we all do, to see a massive structure buzzing its way over the very top of the stadium, halting above all the seats. It wobbles a bit and finally stabilisers above all of us, casting a huge shadow.

  It's a distinct, familiar blue.

  Indeed, the spaceship is the same one that abducted the humans and runaway Royal female Gems, from Earth.

  "Who's flying it?" Celeste asks.

  "Me, of course," everyone jumps in shock at the voice of Pharis. He is behind us – and he's a hologram! "This thing is so clunky, gosh," he seems to press a button and his eyes light up as he suddenly recognises who is standing around on the podium, surrounding his hologram, "Oi, alright you brutish lot!" he points a finger at the Dark Gems, "You step away from my fairy and water goddess friends or I'm dumping a whole load of diamonds right onto this field below, you hear me?"