Return of the Starchild (The Divine Inheritance Series Book 1)

by Catriona Murphy

  Still hunched down, she tiptoed quietly to the window while casting a second look around.

  If knocking her father unconscious wasn’t bad enough (not matter how justified), now she was sneaking around her best friend’s house. What would be noted next on her criminal record?

  She stopped beneath the window ledge and listened acutely.

  There were a few different voices, sounding like they were all trying to speak at once.

  A deeply male voice boomed with rage. ‘Don’t you understand? If she stays here she dies. The Xinger could already be here as we speak!’

  She cocked her head to one side in confusion.

  Zelda’s voice replied, ‘She is not ready for this and you know it. It would be like taking a fish out of water and putting it on land!’

  ‘You may be of high stature in the Otherworld Cecile, but you are still under my orders. Sustaining her life is our number one priority. Her emotional state can come later. Pack your essentials, we’re leaving now!’

  Cecile?

  From the way this man thundered on, she got the sense of authority not used to challenge.

  She raised her head slowly past the window ledge to look into the kitchen and saw a bald man standing with his back to her.

  Zelda stood in front of him with her arms folded. She looked severely cross, an expression Iliana had never seen on her friend’s face before.

  Her aunt was sitting at the kitchen table and there was a child sitting on it swinging his legs. He watched the conversation between Zelda and the man with interested amusement.

  Is this why she wouldn’t answer the door? Because she was too busy arguing?

  ‘Terrence, we can’t just march around to her house and kidnap her. She’s going to be asking questions, you know? As to why her friend and her aunt along with two bloody strangers, one of which is wearing a really crappy glamour by the way, are taking her from her house to God knows where. This needs to be handled very carefully, do you know how many years I’ve put into this?’ exclaimed Zelda, her face turning bright red. She was just a few seconds away from steaming at the ears.

  ‘Tell her we’re your family and we’re all going out for a meal. Tell her anything and everything. We cannot stall, Cecile, I didn’t plan for this but we need to be ahead of the Xinger. Now get your things together.’ he replied sternly.

  Zelda’s eyes had narrowed to two pinpoints, another new expression Iliana was unfamiliar with.

  ‘I can handle a Xinger.’ she said defiantly.

  ‘Could you handle an army of them? Because that’s what’s coming next if the first one fails.’ He replied reflexively.

  Zelda tapped her foot impatiently, arms folded sternly. Her mouth quirked. ‘A raven came recently. And I don’t think the message was for me. I think it was for her.’

  The man cursed lowly and rubbed his head over.

  ‘Erm, I’d like to interrupt this very entertaining conversation if you don’t mind.’ Chimed the boy from the table.

  Zelda and the man’s head both snapped to look at him.

  The boy smiled, showing pearly white teeth. ‘But we have an eavesdropper in our midst.’ The man with his back to Iliana suddenly whipped around.

  Iliana froze. Oh shhhit!

  She quickly tried to bolt but the slide door was already open and the bald man stepped out in front of her. He was quite tall up close.

  Iliana stopped dead in her tracks. Her mind raced for options. She could picture Zelda and her aunt’s faces when they found out she was eavesdropping in their back garden and turned red.

  ‘Sorry, just leaving.’ She said nervously, trying awkwardly to move past.

  The man leered at her suspiciously. ‘Identify yourself, or feel my sword.’

  He raised his walking stick threateningly at her.

  She looked at him like was he mad.

  Zelda walked out from behind him and said, ‘Who is —’

  She stopped when she saw Iliana.

  ‘Iliana,’ she breathed with surprise. ‘What are, eh, what are you doing here?’ Iliana looked back at her, feeling embarrassed. She didn’t want to say with the man standing there.

  ‘I just came over and, erm, no one was answering the door. I heard voices so I sort of jumped over your side door and, well…’ She trailed off.

  The man stared at Iliana like she was the sun. His dark, deep blue eyes lingered on her with obsessive inquisitiveness.

  ‘You…are Iliana?’ he asked softly.

  She nodded in response, regarding him warily.

  He lowered his stick and looked at her as though he had been wandering around a desert for an eternity before finding an abundant oasis. A mixture of elation and astonishment warmed his face.

  ‘You’ve grown...’

  She shifted self-consciously under his deep gaze. The man realised his inappropriate staring and cleared his throat and held out his hand for Iliana to shake.

  He said formally, ‘My name is Terrence’.

  Iliana reached shook the man’s hand, feeling a warm tingling sensation.

  ‘Maybe we should all get inside, it’s cold out here.’ Zelda suggested.

  It was actually quite warm.

  Terrence looked down at his feet uncomfortably and muttered something in agreement.

  Whatever Iliana had been expecting, she hadn’t been expecting this.

  He turned around to step back into the kitchen, but as he did he snuck one last look at her, his clear blue eyes beseeching her in some meaningful way that she didn’t understand.

  Iliana met his gaze straight on, noticing the lines that crinkled around the edges of his eyes from years of strain, laughter and stress.

  He disappeared back into the kitchen and the girls were left in silence.

  Zelda closed her eyes and sighed.

  Conversation drifted out from the kitchen. ‘What’s going on out there? Why do you look dreamy all of a sudden? Did you fight the Xinger and loose terribly?’ moaned the squeaky voice of the child from the kitchen.

  ‘Shut up.’ growled Terrence.

  When Zelda opened them again, she was looking at Iliana in a strange way. Her pupils were big and her eyes were round and sad. She sucked in a deep breath and said, ‘Iliana ’.

  ‘I’m sorry for eavesdropping.’ Iliana said hurriedly. ‘I didn’t mean to, it’s just I thought that your house might have been getting robbed by burglars, that’s why I came round and just being a typical curious cat I suppose. Sorry. I shouldn’t have been sneaking around your house like some weirdo.’

  Zelda smiled faintly and said, ‘It’s alright, I’m glad that you’re here.’

  ‘Are you ok? Are they, uh, your relatives inside?’

  She smiled again. ‘I’m fine, don’t worry about me. They’re extended family.’

  Iliana was perplexed by her choice of words.

  ‘Why are you here?’ she asked, quickly changing the subject.

  The accident came rushing back to her and her confusion was quickly swept away by fright.

  ‘Oh god Zelda. It was horrible,’ she blabbed out.

  ‘That bad?’ she asked.

  She shook her head. ‘No, you don’t understand. My dad, I think he’s been taken to hospital,’ she croaked. She was mildly aware that the conversation was probably being overheard in the kitchen, but didn’t care.

  ‘Hospital! What happened?’ gasped Zelda.

  ‘I-I don’t even know what happened. It’s going to sound really strange,’ she warned.

  ‘What?’

  She looked past Zelda at the lilacs that were blooming alongside the paved path.

  Iliana considered her words carefully. ‘I just felt so angry with him, and the next thing I knew there was some, some spark thing flying out from my finger and he fell.’ Her bottom lip trembled. ‘He’s alright, I think. But I couldn’t stay, I had to go.’

  Her whole body shuddered in emotion, her hands were jitteri
ng and tears were streaming down her face. She hugged herself as pain tremored through her whole body.

  Zelda took some tissue out of her jeans pocket and handed it to her. ‘I’m sure he’s fine, did an ambulance come?’

  Iliana nodded. ‘Yeah,’ she gulped. ‘Right after I left, I heard the sirens and I ran. A part of me wanted to stay and face up to what I did, but I couldn’t. I ran.’

  Zelda’s eyes bore into hers with determination. ‘You’re a fighter, Iliana, not a runner. Take it from someone who watched you kick some serious backside.’

  She took Iliana’s arm and ushered her into the kitchen.

  Terrence stepped aside to let Iliana through but took Zelda’s arm.

  ‘What accident?’ he asked lowly.

  Zelda looked at him irritably and said, ‘Not now.’

  Terrence glanced back at the garden, sharp eyes scanning the darkened, blushing flowers and shut the door.

  Zelda sat Iliana down at the table and handed her a glass of water.

  ‘Thanks,’ she sighed appreciatively. She put her bag down by the table leg and took a sip.

  ‘Iliana, are you alright?’ inquired Zelda’s aunt. She was wearing a white apron over a long-sleeved top and a long purple skirt. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

  Iliana replied, ‘Yeah, I’ll be fine.’ I think.

  She hung her head low, staring gloomily into the table. A tense silence pervaded the kitchen and Iliana was the only one who remained ignorant of it, lost in thought of what her future was now.

  Terrence stepped forward to say something but the child interrupted, ‘Am I not to be introduced?’

  Iliana raised her head and frowned at the young boy who was still sitting on the table.

  ‘Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners? Get off the table.’ Terrence growled.

  The boy scowled and hopped off. He stood in front of Terrence with his hands on his hips and had to crane himself backwards to look up at him.

  ‘I think I have the right to be introduced,’ he sniffed.

  Terrence sighed and said, ‘Iliana, this is Sires. My son.’

  Zelda’s eyes widened and the boy’s jaw dropped.

  Iliana smiled weakly at Sires. The rims of her eyes were red and her eyelashes were wet.

  ‘Nice to meet you Sires. Em, are you family?’ she inquired politely.

  Zelda put her hand to her mouth.

  Her aunt rose from her seat and muttered, ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’

  Terrence replied, ‘Yes, I’m her cousin from…Ireland. We’ve just dropped in for a few hours to surprise Zelda. Actually, we were just going to head out for a meal...’

  Smash!

  Everyone jumped and Terrence pulled out his walking stick again.

  ‘Oh, clumsy me,’ Zelda’s aunt laughed nervously, and began sweeping up a broken mug.

  Iliana looked at Zelda who smiled at her nervously. Sires was smiling too, only a little more creepily.

  She stood up from her seat. Everyone stiffened.

  ‘Can I use your toilet?’ she asked Zelda.

  Zelda nodded enthusiastically. ‘Yeah, of course. Actually, I need to go upstairs too. Need to fetch something, c’mon.’

  Terrence narrowed his eyes at her and she ignored him.

  Iliana followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. They stopped in front of the bathroom door.

  ‘You don’t really need to use the toilet, do you?’ asked Zelda.

  Iliana shrugged. ‘Maybe just to wash my face, but that’s it.’

  Zelda opened the door and let Iliana in first and then shut it behind her. Iliana went to the sink and turned the tap on.

  Zelda watched her splash her face a few times before she reached for the hand towel on the rack beside the sink. Zelda started to twiddle her thumbs.

  ‘What if I were to tell you that my parents weren’t dead?’ she asked soberly.

  Iliana felt her heart stop. ‘What?’

  The question was met with rigid silence.

  Iliana shook herself, feeling her anger rise. ‘What are you talking about? If your

  parents are alive then, where are they?’ She asked, her voice quivering.

  Zelda sighed resignedly. ‘I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve had this planned for years,’

  She despaired. ‘Nearly every day I go through it in my mind over and over. I’m so sorry

  Iliana, I’ve kept so much from you and it’s so unfair. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.’

  Iliana bore down at her. This wasn’t Zelda. Zelda was never stressed about anything, and that’s what scared her all the more. It was strange for her to watch, it was though she was witnessing from some remote, removed location.

  She took a small step towards her and asked, ‘Why are you crying? Zelda, tell me what’s wrong.’ Her voice had become abnormally formal.

  Zelda closed her eyes and tears escaped to trickle down her cheeks.

  ‘You wouldn’t believe me,’ she whispered hoarsely.

  Iliana was breathing hard. She stared at Zelda coldly and said in a low, bitter tone. ‘Try me.’ Zelda was frightening her.

  She wouldn’t meet Iliana’s cold stare and took some tissue from the toilet roll.

  ‘First of all,’ she started, dabbing her eyes, ‘I know you’re feeling a bit funny about

  Terrence and I don’t blame you. He’s not a likeable person, and…he’s not from Ireland, he’s from somewhere else. When I say somewhere else I mean somewhere not of this world.’ The last few words were slowly emphasised.

  Iliana folded her arms and asked sardonically, ‘What, the moon?’

  Zelda smiled sadly and said, ‘Good guess but no, you're probably not going to believe me but it’s the truth and it’s what you’ve deserved all along.’

  Zelda took a deep breath. ‘Iliana, Terrence is from a world called the Otherworld. It’s a world full of Seers who are like witches, faeries, and other creatures beyond your belief. Humans don’t know about its official existence apart from what they’ve gathered only in myths and legends.’

  Iliana stared at Zelda like a zoo animal. A few moments of silence passed then Iliana threw her head back and laughed. The kind of laugh of a deranged hyena.

  Zelda studied Iliana with a worrying look.

  ‘Ok, sure. ‘Otherworld’, alright and what’s your story then? You come from the Otherworld too?’ asked Iliana mockingly.

  ‘Actually, as a matter of fact I do, and I can prove it to you.’

  Zelda stepped in front of Iliana and took her left hand. ‘This is probably the hand where those ‘sparks’ came from right?’

  Iliana looked at her appraisingly and said, ‘I don’t remember. What are you going to do?’ Her anger towards Zelda resided a little to curiosity. She held her hand out and Zelda turned it over to show her palm.

  She whispered a word that Iliana couldn’t hear, it sounded like ‘Fainne’.

  Iliana watched her, then looked down at their hands and then around the bathroom feeling a little stupid. Her mind was making the connection back to Terrence’s hand, the shock that came out of it was like one of those prankster buzzing devices you buy in the joke shops. But Iliana had a feeling that Terrence wasn’t the jesting type.

  Beams of white light were shining out from between their interlocked hands.

  Iliana stared confoundedly.

  ‘Zelda, what is this? What are you doing?’ she asked shakily.

  ‘Magick,’ she whispered. She was trying to back away but Zelda held her hand in a strong grip that didn’t seem normal for a teenage girl.

  The light faded gradually from their hands. ‘I left you a surprise, as a way of saying sorry. It could be useful,’ she said, and loosened her fingers away.

  Iliana looked down and saw a ring in her palm. ‘How did…’

  ‘Do you believe me now?’ asked Zelda.

  Iliana picked up the
ring in befuddled fascination. It was a silver rose with the leafy stem circling intricately to knot back into itself. The rose twinkled red under the bathroom light.

  ‘Oh my god, Zelda, it’s beautiful. How did you do this? What did you do?’

  ‘I did magick and...you can do it too,’ replied Zelda.

  Iliana’s eyes shot up at her.

  ‘What do you mean I can do it too? How would you know?’ asked Iliana.

  Zelda pursed her lips together, looked at her sympathetically and said, ‘Because of your parents.’

  Iliana squinted slightly and licked her lips, staring off into the distance. Her brain went into overdrive, trying to snatch some piece of evidence from the past that could logically counteract what she had just said.

  Zelda eyed her carefully, like a mother watching her child tiptoe on the edge of a high building.

  Iliana muttered something too low for Zelda to hear.

  She leaned forward. ‘What?’

  Iliana’s eyes snapped up. ‘Who are you!’

  She whipped around, threw open the door and sprinted out.

  Zelda could hear her footsteps thudding on the stairs. She sighed and turned to look at herself in the mirror.

  Iliana ran into the kitchen, she threw Zelda’s ring on the ground without stopping. It bounced a few times to roll up beside the washing machine.

  Terrence looked at her surprisingly as she picked up her bag and said, ‘It was nice meeting you, whoever you really are. Bye.’

  Terrence did his fast, agile thing again and managed to put himself between her and the door.

  ‘Where are you going?’ he tested.

  ‘Home, if you don’t mind.’ Iliana stated and tried to walk around him.

  ‘As a matter of fact, I do,’ he replied sternly.

  They both stared at each other down in silence. Sires and Zelda’s aunt watched from the table.

  Iliana turned quickly and sprinted for the slide door. Terrence got to it before Iliana could even extend her hand towards it, probably anticipating that to be her next move.

  She gasped and backed away from him. He had looked like a blurring shape, indistinct of any contour when he moved. And there was a low, fuzzy aura of light pulsating around him.

  She threw her eyes desperately at Sires and Zelda’s aunt.