Above the Star

by Alexis Marie Chute

  The swiftest of the attendants produces thick, fibrous paper and a flask dripping with ink. Also thrust into Ella’s pale hands are round-tip and flat-bristle paint brushes with ferrules of polished iron crimped to blue-wood handles.

  “Ella, show us what you remember,” Tessa urges, holding her breath as her daughter begins to paint.

  Chapter 53

  At that very instant—while Ella draws with ink the clues to finding the cure for both her and the island—Luggie pulls his silky sheet further over his head. It diffuses enough sunlight that shines down on him through the glass roof of his chamber, allowing him to gaze at the object he clings to dearly. His fingers stroke the edge of a glass shard he cradles carefully in his hands. It slices the thinnest top layer of his skin, but Luggie is too engrossed—too focused on reading—to notice the blood. His large eyes grow even broader and brighter.

  WHEN the Maiden was devoured by her fire, she threw the secret history of the Olearons back, behind her, toward the rising sun and out to sea. While she had hoped that it would sink and be forgotten forever, the Naiu in the object rebelled. It rose to the surface in the place it had fell, popping up above the unsettled water where Luggie and Ella were treading tiredly with dying effort.

  To Luggie’s right—in the direction of the cell where his sister, Nanjee, had been tended to, where she had been consumed alive by the carakwas—he noticed an unusual reflection on the water. When Luggie outstretched his arm, his hand caught hold of the piece of glass. It was hot to his touch in the tepid sea. He kicked hard, struggling to propel his body upward in the water, while curling his long arms behind him, endeavoring to tuck the glass within the folds of his garments. While he kicked, the task was impossible. Luggie knew he desired the glass—that it wanted to be saved by him—and so he let his legs grow still and his body sink beneath the waves that thrust him and Ella deeper and further out to sea, as the fire of the Maiden blinded him and burned the side of his face.

  Under the water, Luggie was successful in securing the glass, just as Ella pulled him up by his shoulder. She had found and clung to a wooden board, part of their disheveled boat, dragging onto it the weight of Luggie’s body. She cared for him—in that moment Luggie had no doubt of that. By the look on her face and the way she kissed his lips despite the salt water, Ella wordlessly begged him not to give up, not to drown himself. He was strangely glad that she assumed this and did not know what he concealed, when he didn’t even know himself. Suddenly a flying Olearon arrived. Luggie hated the red being and fought hard, but then—without warning—Ella punched him between his wide eyes and he slipped beneath consciousness.

  Since awaking to the sight of a horde of hot red bodies—and Ella—Luggie was despondent. He was homesick for his sister, for familiar grey faces, but most of all, for the shard of glass. Even Ella and her constant care were bothersome, as all Luggie wished to do was tickle the magic from the smooth shiny surface. Luggie knew Ella would want to see what he had found. For now, Luggie wished to protect Ella, in part; the other part of him wished to protect himself. Ella’s blow to his face had so greatly startled Luggie that he began to question her affection for him. In the days he studied the glass, he began to question everything.

  LUGGIE listens for sounds beyond the sunlit sheet. When he hears nothing, he dances his sharp fingernails across the glass in the way in which he learned calls forth the storm clouds and the words, in his own language. His senses cause his skin to goose-bump. His heart bangs the insides of his ribs. The churning, unsettling sensations that course through Luggie’s body cue him that what he is about to read will be something of significance, something that may change everything on Jarr-Wya—for better or for ill.

  This is the record of the forbidden oracle of the Steffanus—Laken—told to the 29th Lord of Olearon, and relayed to his most trusted councilors before his form was dismantled in his madness and collected in secret, to be preserved within the hidden compartment beneath the glass throne.

  Laken’s Oracle:

  “A half-blood Olearon will return to Jarr and the race of Olearons will cease as they have been known since the first sunrise and their first spark. With this knowledge, the Steffanus sisters will come forth once more to the Olearons, but this time not for help—for vengeance.”

  Epilogue

  The Star looks up from beneath the sea and observes all the happenings above it. It senses that Ella is near. Finally, it thinks, the child has come to die.

  Glossary

  of Characters, Creatures, Plants, and Places

  ARCHIBALD “ARCHIE” WELLSLEY

  A white-haired senior citizen and retired roofer from Seattle, Washington. He is father to Arden, father-in-law to Tessa, grandfather to Ella, and widower to his late wife, Suzie. He moved in with Arden and his family after Suzie’s death, when Ella was seven years old.

  ARDEN WELLSLEY

  A professor of Ancient Egyptian Dynasties at Seattle University. He is the adult son of Archie, husband to Tessa, and father to Ella. He has dark brown hair, blue eyes, and chunky glasses. He disappeared without a trace when Ella was twelve years old.

  ARRECIFE (PRONOUNCED: ARH-AY-SEE-FAY)

  A real-life port city on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, in the North Atlantic Ocean. The city faces the African continent and the country of Morocco.

  ATLANTIC ODYSSEY

  The name of the cruise ship that sails through the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, captained by Nathanial Billows.

  AWAKINS (PRONOUNCED: A-WHAY-KINS)

  Large magical butterflies with two sets of wings: By night, they are airborne with a purple pair, and by day, with a yellow-orangish pair. They never land. The Bangols capture them for use in their air-transportation balloons.

  AZKAR (PRONOUNCED: AZ-CAR)

  An Olearon warrior and the eldest brother to Olen, Eek, Nameris, and Kameelo. Incredibly strong and often gruff, he is known for his scowl, bravery, and the jagged black scar stretching from below his left eye to his collarbone.

  BALUURWA THE DOOMFUL (PRONOUNCED: BAL-OO-R-WHA)

  A mountain that rises sharply at the center of Jarr-Wya, created when Naiu crashed onto the island. The mountain is carved out by tunnels and has many small fragments of land jutting out at its side, connected by rock chutes, vines, or simply floating on their own. It is home to the Steffanus.

  BANGOL (PRONOUNCED: BANG-GUL)

  A race originating from the rock, clay, and earth of Jarr-Wya. They possess power from Naiu, the magic in the world of Jarr, to manipulate earthen materials at their will. They have large, glowing yellow eyes, grey skin, and stones growing out of their cheekbones and bald heads.

  BANJI (PRONOUNCED: BAN-GEE)

  A magical flower that contains strong quantities of Naiu. It has the power to distort perceptions and is often used as a weapon. In the presence of the Star, the growth of the flowers wane.

  CANARY ISLANDS

  Real-life Spanish islands of volcanic origins, which are connected in a chain called archipelago. The islands are located off the coast of Africa in the North Atlantic Ocean. The seven main landmasses include Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro.

  CAPTAIN NATHANIAL “NATE” BILLOWS

  A brown-eyed, blond-haired, tattooed sailor who captains the ship named the Atlantic Odyssey. Theatrical in his gestures, he loves to tell stories. He is young, brave, and flirtatious.

  CARAKWA (PRONOUNCED: KA-RACK-WA)

  A clicking, screeching creature the size of a small dog. It has the body of a lizard with the hard shell and head of a beetle. It has fly-like compound eyes, half-moon claws, and sharp lacerating forelegs. It has no soul and thus is easily possessed by evil spirits.

  CHERGRIN (PRONOUNCED: CHAIR-GRIN)

  A faithful Bangol warrior, loyal to King Tuggeron, and leader of the Bangol’s defense.

  CONSTELLATIONS CRUISE LINE

  The name of the business that offers passengers tourist voyages thr
ough the Canary Island on the Atlantic Odyssey cruise liner.

  CRYSTALITHS (PRONOUNCED: KRIS-TALL-LITHS)

  Light-transferring prism-shaped columns made of crystal that channel the sunshine, converting it to Naiu. The columns aid in disbursing the magic through the soil to nourish the crops that grow in the Olearon fields.

  DONNA

  A senior citizen and passenger on the Atlantic Odyssey. She is married to Harry and has a passion for gardening and baking.

  DUGGIE-SKY

  A four-year-old, African American passenger on the Atlantic Odyssey. A good-spirited boy with a love of aviation and superhero-themed clothing. His nickname, Duggie-Sky, refers to the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior airplane, designed by Ed Heinemann, introduced in the 1950s. Duggie-Sky traveled on the cruise with his father.

  EEK (PRONOUNCED: EE-K)

  An Olearon warrior and the youngest brother to Azkar, Olen, Nameris, and Kameelo. He is youthful and inexperienced, but strong and appreciated for his critical thinking.

  ELLA WELLSLEY

  The blond, blue-eyed fourteen-year-old daughter to Arden and Tessa Wellsley, and granddaughter to Archie. She is a considerate, creative young woman with a quick wit and a humorous approach to life. When she was ten, doctors discovered a cancerous tumor at the base of her brain and wrapped around the top of her spinal cord. She lost her ability to speak six months before boarding the Atlantic Odyssey.

  HARRY

  A senior citizen and passenger on the Atlantic Odyssey. He is married to Donna and, on earth, was an accountant and avid golfer.

  JARR (PRONOUNCED: JA-RR)

  A world formed by and filled with magic (known as Naiu), and connected to the derivative dimension of Earth. On Jarr, days are measured in sunsets.

  JARR-WYA (PRONOUNCED: JA-RR-WHY-AH)

  The magical island in the world called Jarr. The island has long been ruled over by three dominant races: the Olearons, Bangols, and the sea creatures, turned into the Millia after the arrival of the Star. None of these, the Jarrwian, know what lies beyond the island. In the past five thousand sunsets, the magic on Jarr-Wya has changed, with all creatures feeling the effect.

  JUNIN (PRONOUNCED: JOO-NIN)

  A female Olearon, mother, and warrior in the contingent tasked with protecting the surface of the sea at Jarr-Wya’s southern shore, next to the Millia’s beach.

  KAMEELO (PRONOUNCED: CAM-EE-LOW)

  An Olearon warrior and brother to Azkar, Olen, Nameris, and Eek. He is known for his eagerness and free spirit.

  LADY SOPHIA

  A portly Spanish opera singer and the entertainer on Constellations Cruise Line. She is a loud talker, flamboyant and self-centered, though not unkind.

  LAKEN (PRONOUNCED: LAY-KEN)

  She is the last of the she-race called the Steffanus. She has rich auburn hair, blue-red eyes, silvery skin, and horns wrapped in gold growing out of her skull. She flies on large wings. She is prophetic in nature, though her visions do not always unfold as expected.

  LANZAROTE (PRONOUNCED: LAN-ZA-ROW-TAY)

  A real-life island, one of the seven in the Canary Islands, located off the western coast of Africa in the North Atlantic Ocean. One popular tourist destination on the island is Timanfaya National Park. The capital city is Arrecife.

  LORD AND MAIDEN OF OLEARON

  Titles given to the male and female rulers of the Olearons. The Lord and Maiden must find each other in every age as their souls are always connected. As with all Olearons, when one dies, the other inhabits the living one’s body until his or her final demise. The Maiden stands approximately eight feet tall and the Lord approximately ten feet tall, a full foot above his male warriors.

  LUGGIE (PRONOUNCED: LUG-EE)

  A five-thousand-eight-hundred-sunset-old Bangol (roughly sixteen human years), son to the current king, Tuggeron, and brother to Nanjee. He is next in line to rule after Tuggeron, and is tasked with learning to lead the Bangols, including inflicting punishment and flying their transport balloons.

  MILLIA (PRONOUNCED: MILL-EE-AH)

  A race on Jarr-Wya formed of crushed seashells, their name meaning ‘soul of the shell.’ The sea creatures desire the Star beneath the island, but they cannot reach it. Thus, the shells crash on the shore and break into millions of pieces that make up the Millia on the southern beach. The sand contains all the bitter unfulfillment of its past masters. They can change to any shape, though remain one solid material.

  NAIU (PRONOUNCED: NY-UU)

  The magic in the world of Jarr and on the island of Jarr-Wya. According to the secret history of the Olearons, as told by a Steffanus, Naiu was a flying being and created all worlds and all time, which expended its power to each of its creations. Naiu crashed onto Jarr-Wya and, before it died, fused with a human child, creating a new race called the Steffanus.

  NAMERIS (PRONOUNCED: NA-MER-IS)

  An Olearon warrior and brother to Azkar, Olen, Kameelo, and Eek. He discovered his power—the ability to tell if someone speaks the truth—after visiting Rolace. His personality is often grumpy and skeptical.

  NANJEE (PRONOUNCED: NAN-GEE)

  A six-thousand-two-hundred-sunset-old Bangol (roughly seventeen human years), daughter to the current king, Tuggeron, and sister to Luggie. She is tasked with recording the history of the Bangols, particularly that of her father.

  OLEARON (PRONOUNCED: OH-LEE-AIR-ON)

  A race of creatures on Jarr-Wya with red skin, full black eyes, and dark dreadlocks. They can release fire from the backs of their necks, and envelope their whole bodies in flame. Their warriors wear royal blue jumpsuits and, in addition to their fire, wield weapons made of glass. Their race is ruled over by the Lord and Maiden of Olearon.

  OLEN (PRONOUNCED: OH-LEN)

  An Olearon warrior and brother to Azkar, Nameris, Kameelo, and Eek. He is known for his bravery and kindness.

  ROLACE (PRONOUNCED: ROW-LIS)

  A huge spider with twelve hairy legs and the head of an elderly man. He uses the enchantment of Naiu, found in the Banji flowers, to spin a cocoon-web around an individual to expose his or her unique powers, but only if the will is strong and the heart is brave.

  STAR

  Five thousand sunsets past, it flew through the sky, heading for Jarr-Wya, which it chose to spare. Instead it crashed into the ocean, coming to rest beneath the island. It crazed the Bangols. The shell creature’s love of it turned them evil, forming the Millia sands. Much plant life and many creatures have been altered. The island has not been the same since.

  SEA OF SELFDOM

  The mysterious ocean off the west coast of Jarr-Wya, near the Olearon’s glass city. Those that venture far on its waters never return.

  SENIOR KARISH (PRONOUNCED: KA-RISH)

  The leader of the Millia sands and spokesman on behalf of the evil race. He wears a crown and breastplate made of shells, still inhabited by their sea creatures. Selfish and consumed with desire for the Star, he strikes deals that bend in his favor.

  STEFFANUS (PRONOUNCED: STEFF-AN-US)

  A race created by the fusion of a human girl and a magical being, Naiu, at its death. They have large wings that extend out from their backs, antlers from their heads, and skin that shines silver. Their weapons are long daggers with gold-coiling handles. They collect gold and silver and have a fascination with traveling to Earth, which they do by building their own Tillastrions.

  TESSA WELLSLEY

  A Seattle nurse with long blond hair, green eyes, and a feminine style. Wife to Arden, mother to Ella, and daughter-in-law to Archie. She is the sole breadwinner and caregiver since Arden’s disappearance. She is stubborn and passionate, with a quick tongue and an unbreakable motherly-love, though often gives off an air of suspicion.

  TILLASTRION (PRONOUNCED: TILL-ASS-TREE-ON)

  A portal jumper between one magic-filled world to its connecting, derivative dimension. Two beings are required for the device to function: one to build it and the other to operate it. The one who builds must be from the world the pair wish
to reach; the one who operates must be from the world they wish to depart.

  TREASURES

  The Bangol Zeno’s shop in Mercado Artesanal Plaza Haria, on the island of Lanzarote. The shop sells antique jewelry, bobbles, lamps, and furniture.

  TUGGERON “TUGGS” (PRONOUNCED: TUG-ER-ON)

  The murderous current king of the Bangols, and father to Luggie and Nanjee. A fat, selfish Bangol that wields a stone mallet and desires dominion over Jarr-Wya. He wears a sleeveless outfit of brown and grey fabrics, decorated with animal hides.

  VALARIE

  The spunky brunette cruise director of Constellations Cruise Line on the Atlantic Odyssey. She is in love with Captain Nathanial Billows. After a challenging youth, she has grown jaded and spiteful.

  WINZUN (PRONOUNCED: WIN-ZUHN)

  The twin brother to Zeno and co-blood heir to the Bangol kingship.

  ZENO (PRONOUNCED: ZEE-NO)

  A Bangol and rightful co-heir to the throne. He and his twin brother, Winzun, were banished to Earth by Tuggeron, a wicked Bangol who killed the twins’ father to become king himself. Zeno owned a shop on the island of Lanzarote called Treasures.

  The Olearon Alphabet

  The Bangol Alphabet

  Decoder Challenge

  Decipher the language and the words. Email the decoded message to secret@abovethestar.com to receive a secret clue to an important revelation for books two and three in The 8th Island Trilogy.

  Acknowledgments

  To Aaron Chute, for always believing in my wildest dreams and supporting my harebrained plans. You are my rock and my home. I hope to be as tireless a cheerleader for you, as you are for me. I dedicate this book to you and to our adventures together.

  To Hannah, Zachary, Eden, and Luca—thank you for lending your mom to the magical world of Jarr-Wya. You four are my inspirations and my joy. Your love of reading gives me hope for the future.