Circumstellar

by J. W. Lolite

  “You sure she didn’t escape from the retirement home?”

  “I think it will be good for you,” Lesia threw in. “I think it’s fascinating. What if she’s telling the truth? It could really help you discover your past.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” I admitted. Trust Lesia to find all the benefits.

  “She wants us to go up there?” Ty asked.

  “That’s what she said. I’m not sure why. I’ve got to warn you; she’s totally arrogant and lacking in tact.”

  Ty smirked at me. “Ah, that’s what it is. They do say likes repel.” He yelped when I punched him in the arm. I let him get away with a lot of things, but saying I was like Meissa – that was taking it too far. I was nothing like the old bag.

  “It’s a good thing, too. I would have hated to show up uninvited,” Lesia said. I raised my eyebrow, and she gave me a pointed look. “You didn’t actually think I was going to let you keep going up there without checking it out.”

  “No, now that you mention it, but somehow it still manages to surprise me,” I confessed.

  “Honestly, Ingrid, I thought you would have figured it out by now.” She winked. “I’m always looking out for you. Whether you like it or not.”

  “And they say I’m the aggressive one,” I joked.

  “You both are, but that’s okay.” Ty let out a sigh. “I’m here. Someone’s got to be the pacifist.” We all laughed at that.

  “When do we leave?” Lesia asked.

  “This afternoon.”

  Chapter 16

  Aurora

  Summer was nearing. I could tell by the way the trees and plants bloomed brilliantly in the bright sunlight and how the animals frolicked in the yards, but most of all, I could tell by how damn hot it was. I panted and wiped the sweat from my brow. My black blazer had long since been moved to a position around my waist. Lesia had done likewise with her jacket while Ty slung his over his shoulder in a wrinkled mass.

  “This is one hell of walk, Ingrid. How many times have you done this?” Ty breathed.

  “It’s not so bad,” Lesia said. “I am a little surprised Ingrid managed to make it as many times as she did.”

  “It was cooler this weekend,” I supplied, the heat making me complacent. Why spend all that energy debating the truth?

  “Oh, there’s the top,” Lesia pointed out, her excitement impossible to miss. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to.”

  “Be sure to take some notes for me, Lesia. I think I’ll just blackout under a tree,” Ty said.

  We lumbered to the last step and paused to take a breather. The sound of footsteps across the stone path caught my attention, and I saw Meissa coming towards us. She must have been sweeping again, her broom held by her side.

  “You must be Ty and Lesia,” Meissa greeted, moving closer. I blinked a few times, trying to remember when I told her my friends’ names. “I am Meissa, the master of the Orion Temple.”

  “It’s an honor to meet you,” Lesia replied politely.

  “Likewise,” came Ty’s much simpler response.

  Meissa surveyed them for a few moments before indicating over towards her house. “Come. We have much to talk about. I’m not sure if Ingrid has told you anything she’s learned.”

  “She told us about the Ankida,” Lesia said.

  “Really? I’m quite impressed she was paying attention.” Meissa smirked at me. “A complete bastardization of the tale, no doubt, but at least I know she can be taught.”

  Ty chuckled at my expense, and I felt the blood rising in my cheeks. I prepared to give her a taste of her own medicine, when she swept around and ushered Ty and Lesia along. I crossed my arms over my chest and stomped after them. I was nearly to the porch when Meissa looked at me.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Huh?” Sometimes the best answer to a question was another question.

  “Your training starts today. Now get to it, or have you already forgotten what you’re supposed to do?”

  “But my friends – ”

  “You’ve already heard what I have to tell them, so there’s no need to waste time with it. Unless you’d like explain it again with your expertise. Don’t worry, I’ll be there to correct you,” she sneered.

  Despite the fact I wanted to dare her to correct me, I went with my better sense and opted out of the lecture session. Instead, I pointed at my uniform. “I haven’t got any training clothes.”

  She gave out an irritated huff and thrust her finger out. “In that building, you’ll find spare clothing. Now shut up and go.”

  I glared at the spot where Meissa once stood long after the door slammed shut. I can do this, I thought. I’m going to get changed and start running. I won’t set the temple on fire.

  I sulked my way over to the room she had indicated and nearly tore the door off its hinges. Taking in a deep breath, I turned on the lights and looked around. The room was pretty much the same floor plan as Meissa’s house but had none of the decoration. A few benches sat in the middle of the floor, and a large crate rested against the far wall.

  Seeing no other options, I walked up to the crate and opened it. Inside was a pile of clothing similar to what Markus and Kaira wore. Light green pants and white shirts, how exciting. All the pants seemed to be the same general design, so I just grabbed the pair that looked like they would fit me the best. There was some variation in the shirts, but not being in the mood to play dress-up, I snatched up a simple T-shirt and went about changing. My blouse was drenched with sweat, and I wondered if Meissa had any free showers stashed away. After I finished dressing, I stretched my limbs. The new uniform actually felt pretty light, and I could tell that it would allow freedom of movement. Not seeing anywhere for my school clothes, I folded them up and left them on one of the benches. I didn’t have any qualms about leaving them unguarded. The only person who would be interested in wearing the outfit was way too tall and hated me. The other options were way above my creepy factor.

  Dragging my feet, I slowly made it to the dirt field on the edge of the temple grounds. Meissa told me to run at least ten laps around the thing. Like that was going to happen. There was no way I was going to be able to run that long. Figuring I should at least attempt to make it half-way, I started moving.

  I hadn’t even made it around once when it became apparent that without the proper motivation I was a gym class flunkee. I gasped for breath and started slowing down. The slacker part of me wanted to stop right there and just tell Meissa I did what I could. I mean, what could she possibly do with that? She’d only call me pathetic and have ammo to use against me in the future. I could hear it already. “Look! There’s the useless girl that didn’t even make one lap.” The thought of Meissa’s annoying voice filled me with distaste, and I forced my legs to keep moving. I soon settled into a light jog and pushed forwards.

  I couldn’t help but peer around the buildings every time I came to the side closest to the temple. I wondered what the witch was doing to them now. Were they still talking about the Ankida and the keystones, or did she have something completely different to discuss? What if she just took them to her place to make me start my routine. She probably kicked them out as soon as I was out of sight.

  I craned my neck, trying desperately to spot her building so I could glare at it. I finally caught a glimpse and started cursing the old hag as if she could hear my thoughts now that my sights were on her house. I’m on to you, evil bi –

  You’d think I’d be used to all the surprises that happen around here by now, but nothing could prepare me for this. At that exact moment, Meissa’s house suddenly lit up like a lighthouse. It erupted from the windows and shot across the grounds. In a turn of fate, I didn’t have to bother shielding my eyes. As soon as the light burst forth, shock put my legs in a temporary coma, and I face-planted into the dirt below. Normally I would have considered it an insult to my pride, but as the light crept into the corner of my vision, I silently thanked my dirt bed. When da
rkness flitted in to consume the light, I pushed myself up and spat out the gritty earth that seeped into my mouth.

  “What in the crazy crow crap was that?” I shouted like someone would appear out of thin air and tell me what was up. I’d never seen such an intense display of illumination before. Granted, I was one to prefer the shadows, but this was something else. It was like a super nova had exploded on the hill. If it was this intense outside, I could only imagine what it was like in Meissa’s living room . . . right where my friends were.

  Snapping to attention, I hauled myself up and weaved my way to the building. I didn’t need any voices to motivate me this time. When I came to the main path, I saw a sweaty Markus and Kaira emerge from a nearby room. This might have intrigued me had the potential safety of my friends not been in question. I stopped at the porch and saw that grumpy old man Rigel had beat me here. He ran to the door and slung it open. A few moments passed, and a figure stumbled out.

  “That was better than any Christmas show!” Ty exclaimed, rubbing his eyes.

  I didn’t waste a second running to his side to steady him. “What happened in there?” I was frantic now. “Did you cause that light?”

  “It was that rock,” he explained. Squinting at me, he added, “But mine wasn’t nearly so bright.”

  “That rock? She had that thing out – wait! What do you mean yours?” I was astounded. What did this mean? It couldn’t be possible.

  “Are you satisfied, Rigel?” Meissa’s voice sprung forth from the doorway. Now, I had heard this woman enough times to know that smugness was an almost permanent feature of her voice, but this was a new level. Pride decorated every syllable. You’d think she’d just beaten the guy for the position of ruler of the universe. “Not only have I managed to find two Lockkeepers in less than a week, I’ve found what was said to be impossible. Where countless have failed, I have done it,” she bragged, indicating inside the doorway.

  I watched with confusion as Lesia stepped into the open. Her eyes were wide and when she looked at me, I could see surprise and fear converging in her eyes. Her arms were bent close to her chest, and I gasped when I saw that in her hands the long shard of meteorite was clutched.

  “For the first time in centuries,” Meissa said, “a Locksmith has been found.”

  Chapter 17

  Forger of Locks

  We stared at Meissa’s overly pleased face in shock, awe, and in Ty’s and my case, complete and utter bewilderment. Locksmith? We never discussed anything about that. I looked over at Lesia again and watched as she shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable from the attention.

  “Are you positive?” Rigel asked, his voice hard. “There can be no mistake.”

  “There is none,” Meissa stressed. “She is the one.”

  “But how can this be? I thought the Locksmith had to be close to the Gate, and this is so far away,” Kaira said.

  I looked at Meissa and was a little surprised when Rigel answered.

  “Not necessarily, Kaira. The Gate has unique properties.”

  I was so totally lost in the conversation, and I began to feel annoyed. Why did everyone always have to talk like this stuff was common knowledge. I met Lesia’s eyes again and saw her silent plea for help. It occurred to me that she might not have a clue what was going on, either. I was about to demand answers when Ty spoke up from beside me.

  “Would anyone care to share what this whole Locksmith business is?” Ty asked in a good natured voice. I looked at him, and he smiled at me. Trust my friend to know when I was about to get angry and potentially violent.

  In a flash of movement, Meissa raised her hand and glanced around the buildings. We stayed silent as she surveyed the area. “Not out here,” she said. “Come, everyone.”

  She pulled Lesia back inside, and we crowded into her living room. Meissa had Lesia take a seat at the table while she sat to her right. Ty and I immediately came to stand behind Lesia. Rigel took the seat opposite Lesia at the far end of the table with Kaira and Markus flanking. I watched them but noticed how they refused to even glance at me. Although this whole thing wasn’t about me, I couldn’t help but feel Rigel took the spot that put the most distance between us. Whatever. Let them shun my awesome presence. They had no idea what they were missing. Focusing on more important people, I gave Lesia’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and she looked back to give me a relieved look.

  “Full house,” Meissa muttered while reaching into her pocket for a fresh cigarette. We all watched in anxious suspense as she took her time digging for some matches and set about lighting it.

  “As entertaining as your habits are, Sister, we didn’t come here to watch you smoke,” Rigel snapped. “Shall I tell the story since you have more important things to do?”

  “That won’t be necessary, but thank you for offer, Rigel,” Meissa cooly responded. “I want it to be told right.”

  Rigel looked for a moment like he was about to give her a piece of his mind, and I couldn’t help but feel a little amused. They acted more like a bickering old couple than siblings. If this was what they were like now, I couldn’t imagine what it was like when they were younger.

  “The Locksmith,” Meissa began, blowing smoke in Rigel’s direction, “is a very special person entrusted with the power to locate and open the Gate once all five keystones are united. In a way, you could say they are Ourania’s successors.”

  “And you think that’s Lesia?” I asked, trying not to pay any attention to the unfriendly looks I was receiving from the other side of the room.

  “I know it is,” Meissa answered, confidence filling the air. “The shard has proved as much. Just like when you held it and it reacted.”

  “So Lesia’s like Ourania’s descendent the same way we are related to the ancient warriors?”

  Meissa tossed me an amused smirk, and I heard Kaira snort. “Not exactly. Ourania was a priestess and had taken a vow of celibacy. She had no children.”

  “So . . .”

  “Unlike the warrior abilities that are passed down through a bloodline, the Locksmith powers are born into a different individual. As soon as the current one dies, another is born. The new Locksmith can be from anywhere in the world. As you can imagine, this is what makes them so difficult to locate. Something that hasn’t been accomplished in nearly six hundred years. Up until today, of course.”

  I felt Lesia reach up and grab my hand. I gave her shoulder another squeeze as this new information clawed at my heart. It was one thing that I was involved in all this Ankida mess, but now my friends were getting dragged into it as well. There had to be some kind of mistake.

  “But Miss Meissa,” Ty said, and I quirked my eyebrow at him. Miss Meissa? “You told Lesia and me earlier that the warriors had the responsibility of protecting the keystones, but if only the Locksmith has the power to open the Gate then – ”

  “Why bother protecting the stones?” Meissa finished. “Aside from people flitting back and forth between the realms, you mean. It is possible to open the Gate without the Locksmith, however, it takes much more time and . . . effort. This is all assuming, of course, that you know the location of the Gate in the first place.”

  “Er, shouldn’t it be where it’s always been?” I inquired lamely. Last time I checked, gates didn’t have legs.

  “Wishful thinking from the Ankida?” Kaira taunted me. I glared at her and tried not to eye the pointy meteorite shard on the table. Perhaps she needed reminding that not too long ago she thought the same thing.

  “That would be too convenient,” Meissa said. “As the Locksmith moves, so does the Gate in order to be closer to its creator. The new Gate should be somewhere in this country, but the exact location can only be discovered by one person,” she finished, looking at Lesia.

  “How do I find the Gate?” It was first time throughout this whole ordeal that Lesia had spoken. I was amazed at how calm she sounded, though she was the center of this bizarre topic.

  “That will take time and practice,” Me
issa replied in voice so gentle I almost thought someone else had spoken. “It won’t be easy.”

  Rigel leaned back in his chair and added, “You’ll be in danger. If the Ankida get even the slightest hint that you are the Locksmith, they’ll stop at nothing to capture you and make you tell them where the Gate lies.”

  “It’s not too late to turn away if that is your wish,” Meissa offered. “No one outside of this room knows, and I will assure their silence. It’s a decision only you can make, but – ”

  “It would provide us with a great tactical advantage,” Rigel interrupted, “should the enemy acquire all five stones.”

  Lesia was silent for a minute, and I dreaded what she would say. I couldn’t stand it. There was no way I was going to let my best friend put herself in danger like this. Not for some stupid Gate or “tactical advantage.”

  “I’ll do it,” she declared.

  “No!” I shouted. All eyes were on me, but I was only focused on one person. “You can’t! I won’t let you make yourself a target like this!”

  Like a bullet, she shot out of her seat and wheeled around to face me. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing all this time, Ingrid?” she accused. “Putting yourself in harm’s way, while Ty and I worry in the shadows.”

  I opened and closed my mouth in failed attempts to say anything. I looked at Ty for help, yet he just crossed his arms and nodded in Lesia’s direction. This couldn’t be happening. Didn’t they understand? It was different for me. It didn’t matter when I put myself in danger, but if anything ever happened to either of them, I’d never forgive myself.

  “You and Ty are always looking out for me, and now I can finally do something for the both of you – even if it puts me in danger. If there’s anything I can do that will help protect you, I will do it,” she proclaimed, determination beaming from her bright eyes.

  I still sputtered for some kind of argument, but Ty clapped me on the back. “Give it up, Ingrid. She’s not going to change her mind and neither am I.”