Maeve’s approach was all inclusive and they fought. Morgan won and Maeve was exiled to walk the Otherworld alone with her stranded followers.
An account was given by one of her inner circle on the night that a comet shot out of the sky, and struck the ground that we now call the Crater. Maeve was one of the early discoverers in the art of making weapons and she took the still hot remains from the crash site, and forged herself a sword. The motive is generally understood to be that after her defeat against Morgan, she needed to rally her supporters and put weapons in their hands to take back the courts and palaces they had laboured so hard to build.
To her surprise, when the blade finally cooled, the sword came to life in her hands and inscribed, was thus, ‘I am the Tears that Burn.’
She challenged Morgan with her sword and defeated him, and was restored as the First True Ruler of the Otherworld.
The sword has changed many hands and over time and has been lost. The current whereabouts are unknown and theories of its location have always proven falsified. Another peculiar trait to note about the legendary weapon was that it supposedly had the ability to turn blunt and sharp, depending on the wielder’s will.’
Iliana placed the book down in thought.
Maeve fascinated her, and she wondered what it was like for her entering the Otherworld for the first time, and if it had been in any way an experience similar to her own. Entering a new world, reaching into a new beginning, yet feeling lost.
The Muckleberry that stuck its head in her room on her first day knocked its beak on the window, staring and blinking at her birdlike. Iliana smiled and got up from her forest of books on the floor.
She pushed up her window and the creature stuck its head in.
‘Curious one, aren’t you,’ she murmured, picking up a bowl of peanuts she kept on her dresser for the animal. Every now and again it would walk up to the manse and peck on her window, sometimes for hours, wanting to see Iliana, her bedroom or get food. She was never entirely sure what the motive was. Zoe said it was a clever way to obtain food.
Then there was a knock on the door that could only have been Zoe’s.
She pushed the door gently open and shuffled in on her walking stick. ‘I want to show you something that most people in the Otherworld will never get a chance to see.’
Iliana looked at her perplexed.
‘A Roarax.’ Zoe’s eyes glittered.
Iliana stared blankly. ‘What’s a Roarax?’
Zoe threw her hands up and sighed. ‘I suppose you haven’t been around long enough to appreciate the rarity and novelty of the occasion. To cut it for you short girl, it’s the last living one of its entire species. We rescued him from capture and certain death. Their fur used to be sold for a high price in the south.’
‘You mean the swamps?’
‘Yes,’ she replied and added darkly, ‘where the slavers live.’
‘You know, at some point, I’d like to eradicate their existence.’
‘Ah wouldn’t we all, but violence is not the answer.’
‘Still though, there must be something that can be done about them. I’m getting the feeling that the king isn’t doing enough.’
Zoe’s eyes twinkled. ‘Much like myself when I was your age. Oh, the things I used to get up to.’
She moved to her dresser and watched the Muckleberry munching. ‘You know I was arrested several times for protesting at the crown’s laziness in dealing with the Swamps. I even threatened to enter the faerie forest and upset the delicate agreement between the Mad Queen and King Seamus,’ she chuckled heartedly, ‘I’ve seen the palace dungeons a fair few times.’ Her eyes came up to Iliana’s earnestly. ‘I know what it’s like to not be taken seriously, to be punished for striving for what you believe in but trust me, there is a Grand Design as your humans sometimes call it, there is a reason and purpose for you being here. If you don’t believe it when you tell that to yourself, then at least believe it when it’s coming from me.’
The last vestiges of frustration Iliana felt from earlier vanished like smoke. How did Zoe do that?
Iliana looked down at the Muckleberry in thought.
‘So? Will you see the Roarax? The majestic creature that has awed so many for centuries, and is the last living and breathing of its kind? Or perhaps you would prefer to stay stuck in your books all night?’
Iliana saddled her horse as Branson had shown her, and got a nod of approval from Zoe before they set out.
They headed west for some miles at a gallop (something Iliana found this precarious, not least because she was always convinced the horse would trip and send her flying), and came to a low flat land that looked like a desert.
Iliana stared down at the sand in confusion.
‘How can this be?’ she asked. If it hadn’t been bemusing enough at the lack of snow, this threw the Steppes into even further climate disarray. In the distance, she could just about make out sand dunes in the midnight blue of the oncoming night. The two moons sat almost in alignment on the low horizon and Iliana felt she had woken up in an Arabic dream.
‘I’ve spent many years crafting this land to make it the ideal habitat condition for my animals,’ Zoe said, with a hint of pride.
‘Is it good for the land that you do that? Warping it so?’
Zoe looked at Iliana sharply. ‘Good, you’re learning girl.’
‘Learning what?’
‘To question.’ Zoe kicked her horse off and descended into the sand, leaving the sea grass swaying ghostly behind her.
Iliana followed behind. ‘You haven’t answered mine.’
‘Have you ever been faced with an ethical conundrum? Some years ago, when I learned of the potential extinction the Muckleberry faced, through no fault of their own, I came to realise I had two options. To do nothing, or to act.
Unfortunately, King Seamus wouldn’t allow me to cross into another world with the remaining few I had, despite knowing the obvious danger they were in if they stayed. Apparently, the Temple of Stars had influenced his decision in the matter, keeping the ‘cosmic balance in check’ - ha!
And so, this was my only other option. Branson had always worked with me throughout my campaigns and he came with me. Together, we took over this land and shaped it to be the safe haven it is today. We’re trying to preserve something precious Iliana, in a way; we’re trying to stop the Otherworld from killing itself. By the end of this season, we’re expecting to take in another endangered species. I hope,’ her knowing eyes far away, ‘that it will never come to taking in half the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m designing a Noah’s ark. That ship, y’know, from your Bible?’
Iliana looked at her, alarmed. ‘You think the world is going to end or something?’
‘Ah, but you’re only a pup. I will not concern you with such matters for they’re the matters of those responsible, and you’re only a fish caught up in the wrong river, swimming upstream of course.’
Iliana studied her carefully. ‘You haven’t been drinking have you? You’re acting odd again.’
Zoe shrugged. ‘Odd, is it? What do you expect? People at my age can get a bit batty - ah, here we are.’
Before them, snuggled into the side of a large sand dune was a cave. Dusts of sand rained down in front.
It’s knowing mind sensed her in turn, a consciousness with an intelligence far more developed than the simple-minded Muckleberry. She thought she heard a low snarl echo from the deep recesses of the darkness there.
She pulled her mind back, surprised.
Zoe chuckled. ‘He doesn’t like it when you do that.’
She watched in wonder as a large beast lumbered through the opening, shaking its mane as it passed through the snowing sand.
Standing at an impressive 20 feet was a towering version of a male lion with expansive, feathered wings outstretched. Iliana noticed one was drooping slightly, making it look seemingly off balance.
‘He likes to show h
is wings off when he feels threatened, he’s a bit of an old timer, much like myself,’ Zoe said casually.
He started to circle them from Iliana’s side, paws padding silently in the sand. She stared up at the enormous creature in fear. ‘Never let this sharp one out of my sight,’ she murmured, ‘a few Muckleberry went missing last year. Isn’t that right, Clio?’
He let out a defiant roar and Iliana’s horse reared back, nearly throwing her off.
‘Is this safe?’
‘Oh yes, quite. Normally I’d take Branson with me when I have to feed or check on him, but we’ll be fine. ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you’ - that’s something Clio has learned.’
Clio shook its great mane once more and sand flew everywhere, it could have flown miles away from him for all Iliana knew.
Her heart was beating rapidly, and her palms were slick. ‘Can we go?’ she tremored, her horse stumbled to the side as she tried to gain control.
Zoe drew her horse near her. ‘I know this is difficult. but you need to stand your ground. Roaraxes don’t respect fear, they respect your courage. Stay.’
Clio studied her as he prowled around them. Almond black eyes pierced her with a hunter’s appraisal. She shivered at the flatness she saw in them, it was the look found in predators that had never evolved.
Something smashed against the mental barriers of her mind. Iliana cried out, hunching over her saddle.
‘Resist him,’ Zoe instructed. ‘The little prince is not beyond his tricks, even at this age of his life.’
‘What’s he doing?’ Iliana gasped. A foreign intelligence seeped into her mind like water on a sinking ship.
‘What do predators do but test? To see what is food and what is not.’
Iliana steeled herself and glared back at the creature. It never stopped circling her although she realised he drew nearer with each new round, thinking she wouldn’t notice.
‘The Heart of a Star,’ she said, through her teeth. She didn’t know where the words came from, but she said them all the same.
Her horse neighed and clomped in the sand uneasily. She got off it and handed the reins to Zoe, who watched her with invigorated interest.
She turned to face him. ‘I don’t care if you eat me,’ she said to the predator.
The Roarax stopped prowling.
‘Do you know what I have faced?’
She threw images at him like plates; every reflection, like a mirror, showed the Xinger, the slavers and corpses of faeries in the chamber she saw after she crossed. She drew up the ugliest image she had of the Lady of the Lake and tried to burn it into Clio’s mind.
The Roarax closed its eyes slowly and shook its head, mane swaying gently.
Iliana continued to funnel into it all her worst memories of the past few weeks until an explosive roar came out through its massive jaws.
The sound was so forceful that Iliana was knocked to the ground. She stood up hastily.
The horses whinnied and Zoe cursed.
The creature regarded Iliana for some time. Its minded eventually retreated into its own and Iliana felt alone again.
Without thinking, she stretched out her hand.
‘Wouldn’t recommend that girl,’ Zoe murmured from behind.
Iliana ignored her.
Clio’s chest rumbled, it was the sound of a mountain crashing. Iliana detected a sparkin its eye which she thought was a show of amusement, but it was difficult to tell. The animal was so unlike any other she had ever encountered.
Clio stepped forward, bringing each paw down like a tree falling.
Iliana’s hand was shaking and every muscle in her body tense to dash away. She closed her eyes like she did in meditation and focused on her self-control, striving to gain control over every twitching muscle in her body.
When she opened them, she jumped in surprise to see his massive head right beyond her hand. He was crouched down like a cat, tail swishing.
Very carefully and with dread, she tentatively placed her hand on his button nose. Coldness soaked into her fingers and it felt slick. It grunted on each rapid out breath and she could feel hot air on her fingers.
Iliana was in awe; almost forgetting to breathe. Transfixed, she stared into his eyes and a new spark of interest was born for her. She couldn’t even blink.
A new kinship knotted in her chest and just then, a tremor passed between them. All the nerve endings in Iliana’s body flared up and her temperature rose as hot as the sun. She gasped and stumbled back. Clio didn’t do much better, he stumbled sideways and shook his body, growling confusedly.
He hulked back into his cave without turning back, letting out the odd roar.
Iliana could only stare.
‘Are you alright, girl?’
Iliana automatically took the reins from Zoe, her insides felt like they were machine parts melting in a factory. ‘I-I-need water.’
Zoe frowned, concerned. ‘Ok, let’s go.’
As they trotted back to the manse, Zoe said, ‘I’m very impressed. Here I keep thinking that you lack any grit, and you just stood down a Roarax where most people would scream manically and run for the hills. What happened?’
‘I feel – odd,’ Iliana shuddered, ‘like I’m burning alive but without the pain.’
This only deepened the worried lines around Zoe’s wizened face.
‘What’s wrong with his wing?’ Iliana tried to change the topic of conversation, while a foreign energy surged within her like lava.
‘One of them is, well, injured. He sustained permanent wounds from previous attempts of capture. They’re beyond even my healing abilities. He’ll never fly again.’
As they made their way back to the manse, Iliana kept glancing back at the cave, thinking how lonely he must be.
‘Not all that is broken can be mended. Some things just are.’
When Iliana returned to the manse, she retreated immediately to her room.
She saw herself sweating in the mirror and something cindered within. The eyes of a new girl stared back.
When the candle she had been using for meditation had burnt out the following morning, Zoe saw her rooting through the cabinet in the receiving room.
She smiled sadly at her and proclaimed, ‘The flame can also be like our life in one other way; it always perishes.’
The thought had darkened Iliana’s thoughts, and she spent some time contemplating the linear nature of life and the concept of death the next time she meditated.
One day, she brought up the topic of Clio. ‘I want to go out and see him again,’ she stated at dinner.
Branson’s face turned from confusion to worry. ‘You do know that he’s a Roarax?’
‘I’ve met him already.’
‘Ah, and now you want to risk your life for what? A social call?’
‘I need to see him, he’s alone. He needs someone intelligent with him.’
‘Then why are you going out?’
Cinderella giggled from behind her napkin. Iliana glared at her.
‘I want to see him,’ she pressed. ‘I’ll go out alone if I have to.’
Zoe and Branson exchanged cautious glances.
Branson carefully put down his bib. ‘Iliana,’ he started, ‘Clio is not the most sociable creature. He’s kind of like myself, likes to be left to his own devices.’ He winked at Cinderella who blushed.
‘I don’t think that’s true.’
‘I may have to agree with Iliana on this one,’ Zoe said, speaking as though surprised at herself, and she wasn’t the only one. Out of all the people Iliana expected to fight her on this, she anticipated Zoe to be the main runner.
She leaned her elbows on the table, fingers interlocked in front of her face. ‘I saw something very unusual passing between her and Clio; perhaps Iliana should be given the chance to explore that a little more. You can go once you can convince Branson.’
Iliana looked at him meaningfully.
&nbs
p; He shook his head in bewilderment at Zoe.
‘I’ll take you on one condition and it is this: that we do not go on my drink and cigar night for your little expedition. For that, I would never forgive you.’
Iliana beamed at him. ‘That’s a deal!’
Chapter Eight
32/03/4018
p680 Entry No. 47 (Code Status of facility: blue)
Quadrant D was attacked today. The Limpers somehow got inside and one of our team became infected, he was immediately transported to the purging wing, however, I heard that operating was too late and the disease had spread. The only compassionate option left to do was to take his life. He was a great scientist whose work on the effects of radiation I most admired. He will be sorely missed. Gretta and I attended a ceremony organised in his honour, even from where we stood I could see the effects this most gruesome illness has on the body. Like a parasite that clings like ivy and eventually suffocates its host into total submission, my stomach recoiled at the vanished flesh from his mouth, his teeth were overly exposed like he was constantly grinning. It’s how all the Limpers look. Even his eyes couldn’t close since the eyelids are eradicated during early stages of infection and the eyeballs were bloodshot and stared at nothing.
I have otherwise been in regular contact with my business acquaintance, and I am assured that I will soon have the missing ingredient for my synergy. The new solution suggested to me while odd, was too enticing to ignore. I am nearly finished actioning the tasks required of me for my end of the deal, it wasn’t too difficult once I had some DNA…
- M.B
T
he rain pattered down on the grime covered skylight, each sound like a pebble hitting the dirty glass. It had an irritating scatter drum that could deafen one’s ears.
Return of the Starchild (The Divine Inheritance Series Book 1) Page 17