Starbright: The Complete Series

by Hilary Thompson

I sling my pack inside, not even watching where it falls.

  Pacem embraces a trembling Irana while the Sisters wait like menacing statues in the alcoves.

  “I wrote you something,” I whisper to Trea, discreetly slipping a folded paper into her pants pocket. “It’s all I can remember of the Furies – the Sisters – and all I can figure out from my visions. Plus some stuff from the Prophet.”

  A scowl forms and her mouth opens just as I cut her off.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything last night – I didn’t want to waste a second of our time with a lesson,” I smile, attempting to draw her back to me with a reminder of how well-spent our night was.

  Her eyes soften and she reaches up to catch my lips in hers. “That was thoughtful, I suppose.” She deepens the kiss, and someone behind us clears her throat. I consider a rude gesture, but Trea simply tosses a few sparks behind us, where they weave into a screen of smoke and iridescent flames.

  “Nice trick,” I smile as I realize we are briefly hidden. I kiss her back one last time, using everything I’ve got to make sure she won’t forget me for a second.

  Then I haul myself into the now-hovering vehicle, watching as the real wind whips the smoke away into the clouds. But Trea’s hand stops the door from closing.

  “I love you,” she says, for the first time. My lips part to answer, but before I do, she adds, “Bury a knife in her back. For my mother too.” And she slams the door, stepping back.

  I press my face to the window, watching her form grow smaller as Pacem navigates us away from Elysium.

  “I love you, too,” I whisper as she disappears into the fierce glare of the sun on a flash of crystal.

  FOURTEEN

  ASTREA

  January 16, 2067

  Kess wants everyone to call her Lakessa now. Since she’s all grown up or whatever.

  So. LAKESSA has been sneaking out more and more to see her new boyfriend, Charles.

  He even drove her home yesterday in his solar car. They were home so late, way past curfew. That was stupid of her – Mother is getting suspicious. So far I’ve covered for her, but I don’t know if that’s the right thing or not.

  I’m not sure I trust Charles either. They all make fun of me, saying I cry too much.

  That I’m just a child, and I don’t understand what’s going on in the world.

  They don’t believe that I have the dreams, too. Dreams of a cold, vacant world. Dreams where I’m not hiding with my sisters, but alone on a white cliff by the ocean.

  I’ve never seen the ocean, but these dreams make it seem so real.

  From Aisa’s personal journal, saved from before the Cleansing

  “Here’s how it’s going to go from now on,” I say, turning to the Three Sisters. Their eyes widen at once, almost in a comical mocking. But they don’t make a sound as they wait for me to continue.

  “I want my path complete before Zarea gets here. Whatever I need to do, even if Tariel needs to sedate me, I don’t care. Make it happen.”

  Megara grins ferociously, and immediately I almost back out of my plan. Instead, I take a deep breath and continue. “Irana needs to be tested for her progress. I’d be willing to guess she had already completed some of the path before arriving.”

  Tisiphone smiles in a much more pleasant and human manner, and Irana lets loose the breath she’s been holding since the vehicle disappeared from sight.

  “When Zarea arrives, I want to be notified immediately. I talk to her first. And I want to address your people eventually. Since they’re about to be mine.”

  Finally Alecta adds her version of a grin to the mix, and I know I’m on the right track. If they want me to learn to lead without Lexan, I’m going to jump right in.

  “You may begin the water path in the morning, then, once Tariel has prepared what she needs,” Tisiphone says, “and we will indeed test Irana’s powers.”

  “I don’t have much control over water yet,” Irana answers, her voice trembling slightly. I reach over and squeeze her hand; losing Pacem has to be as traumatic for her as losing Lexan is for me. She smiles at me gratefully as we walk toward the dining hall.

  “Perhaps you just never had enough water to work with,” I suggest, gesturing to the ocean behind us and remembering what Lexan said about feeling more connection to the air outside the cave. “You’ve always lived in the desert, right?”

  She raises an eyebrow and grins in agreement as we enter the dining hall.

  The people of Elysium gawk at her as we pass through them to the curtained eating area. They don’t seem as afraid of her, but they aren’t exactly friendly, either. The Lady Thema stares at us a moment longer than anyone.

  We seat ourselves around the table, and the Prophet joins us. Irana relaxes visibly when he smiles at her, and as Tisiphone delivers the food to the table, we all eye each other, waiting to see who will speak first.

  “What news of the elements?” the Prophet finally asks as the curtain swishes closed again and Tisiphone seats herself.

  Irana shakes her head. “We have heard many rumors, but were very lucky in our travels so far. There are brush fires north of Tartarus and word of weak earthquakes nearly everywhere between here and the path to Asphodel. And everywhere is hot – more than ever. The air either does not stir at all or it whips the rain into fierce storms.”

  “The waves grow steadily here,” Tisiphone adds. “The returning sabbatical party confirmed that the oceans are more restless than ever before.”

  “Will the elements calm once Zarea arrives and we are together?” I ask, imagining Lady Thema and the others aboard that tiny craft. How did they manage?

  “I don’t know what may calm the elements,” the Prophet frowns. “But I suspect Lexan would need to be with you as well – for all four elements to be together.”

  My cheeks flush with anxiety. I’ve been shutting his absence from my thoughts so determinedly that I overlooked how he holds one of the elements. And we’re so far apart, already.

  Irana feathers her fingers on my shoulder. “You will see him again,” she whispers when I look at her.

  I nod, blinking away the tears I’ve been forcing down since yesterday. I don’t even want to think of another alternative.

  “Pacem left us with several birds, so we can ensure communication,” she tells the group.

  “Can you send a bird to Asphodel to assess the damages?” Megara asks, watching me. “Who is left for you, Astrea?”

  I narrow my eyes at her question. It is cruel, but did she mean it to be so? She watches me like I might watch an insect crawl on my windowsill, or a bird crossing the vastness of the sky. Curious, but with fleeting interest.

  “I have no-one left, until Lexan arrives. My father and mother are dead. My best friend is compromised in some way. Perhaps my teacher,” I add, nearly whispering as I remember Brenn. Did he recover from the knife wound he took to save me?

  “We can send a bird to record any activity,” Irana offers, her voice sharper than normal. “Pacem taught me how to program it with coordinates, and since a bird came from there, it is reasonable to assume one could return. If you have a map with the location, I will try to compare it to the broken bird.”

  Megara nods. “We will do that after lunch, perhaps.”

  “And I would like to take Irana to the Temple of the Goddess,” the Prophet adds. “There are things she needs to learn immediately.”

  The Sisters nod as one, and we eat in silence for several minutes. I’ve all but lost my appetite, and at the earliest possible moment, I rise to excuse myself.

  “Please notify me when Tariel is ready,” I say to Tisiphone. She nods, and the Prophet beckons to Irana. I follow them out of the dining hall, leaving the Sisters to do whatever it is they do with their eons of time.

  Once Irana has been led away by the Prophet, I walk in the opposite direction. For once, I’m thankful that Hesten has not been sent to trail me. Without the possibility of being with Lexan, all I want is to be
alone.

  Reaching the edge of the city, I sit and let my legs dangle off the cement cliff. I’m the only one in sight – all of Elysium has hidden from the sun. I pull Lexan’s letter from my pocket.

  Trea, here is everything I know. It isn’t much. I’m so sorry. I never dreamed I would have to leave you like this. I love you.

  The Sisters are what we call the Furies – beings much like you, who judge. They do more than judge though. They punish. And their punishments are horrible – torture and death. I’ve seen their true forms in my dreams. Bleeding eyes and black bones that show through their skin.

  They are known by one other name: Erinyes. I almost said that word to Megara, and she panicked, warning me that once their true name is used, they must take their true form. Be careful with this information – I don’t think any of us are ready for their true judgment.

  As for my visions, I know we must follow the paths east, beyond Asphodel. There is a valley somewhere that we are supposed to make into the Garden. I haven’t seen much, but my theory is that we will all have to use our powers over the elements to not only survive the journey, but create our new world.

  There are many religions which speak of gardens as safe places – places of innocence and prosperity. That is the image I will keep in my mind as I travel to rid Asphodel of its own Destroyer.

  Please remember what the Prophet told us – I have seen these words in my own dreams, too:

  Be strong alone. Be strong together.

  Forgive yourself. Forgive each other.

  Create your world. Create your destiny.

  I read his words over and over until my eyes become too blurry with tears. Whoever the gods are, they are not kind.

  They do not care about the happiness of humanity – perhaps only that it survives to worship them.

  As I stare into the ocean’s gray-blue expanse, I think about these six commandments. Lexan’s last words to me; therefore, the most important.

  Taken together, they are a recipe for a stable community. Taken separately, I think they apply to each of us, in part: the Prophet told Irana and me to learn to be strong on our own. Lexan needs to learn to forgive himself. I think Zarea needs to learn to work with others, instead of only trusting herself.

  If we can come together – and stay together – I know we can create a new world and a new destiny.

  One where we all prosper – not just the corrupt or cruel leaders.

  The sun has slipped low in the horizon, and its setting rays seem to light the concrete river on fire. I walk unhurriedly along its edge toward my room, letting a wisp of flame dance around my arm like a bracelet, through my fingers like golden-red rings.

  I don’t even notice the Prophet walking toward me until he is only a few feet away.

  “Has Lexan left you his wisdom?” he smiles.

  I nod, not smiling in return. “I know what they are. The Sisters. How can you expect us to be ready for them?” The panic comes from nowhere, and its grip is unforgiving.

  The Prophet’s smile vanishes. “The Sisters are indeed the Furies. Those who have come from beneath the earth to punish whosoever has sworn a false oath.” He glares at me, the fierce expression shaking my very bones. “Have you sworn false to save these people?” he asks, gesturing around me at the courtyard, where people are finally beginning to walk again, now that the heat of the sun is slipping into the ocean.

  I swallow hard. “I have not sworn false.” Yet even as I speak the words, I realize there may be tasks I cannot complete, pain I cannot endure. Will that cast me as false? Will I fail because of my own weaknesses?

  “You are not too weak,” he says, seeming to read my thoughts. “You are simply untested. When the stakes are high enough – when you stand to lose something truly vital – you will pass.”

  “How-how do you know?”

  The smile returns. “I may be young. But I am the True Prophet.”

  I watch the people strolling for a few minutes, before a new thought creeps in to taunt me. “Did Lexan swear a false oath when he told his family he would stay with me?”

  “That depends. Is he still with you?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “His spirit. Is it still with you?”

  I sigh, unsure how to answer such a question. “He left me a letter. Memories.” His taste on my lips, I think, flushing at the sudden sensation.

  “Is his spirit of Balance with you?” he asks.

  “I-I don’t know.” I don’t feel particularly balanced.

  “Lord Hadeon will try to take advantage of any weakness. If he is truly in your mind, you will need to protect your soul at all costs. Lexan’s spirit must be with you, if you are to proceed on the path.”

  In my pocket, my fingers crumple the letter. Why does he always have to speak of such incomprehensible riddles and impossible tasks?

  He rests his hand on my arm, and I look into his green eyes and young face. “Astrea, think about this: you have within you a great temple. It is the Temple of the Heart. No-one can consecrate it but you, and no-one can desecrate it but you. Which will you choose?”

  “Why would I need a temple?” I ask, because I don’t know how to answer his question.

  “Temples are powerful places. They are where we reach the gods. To find your temple is to find yourself – your immortality. We usually find our temples through meditation.”

  His fingers tighten on my skin, and I blink as a few pieces click into place.

  “Grandmother’s meditations. I must meditate to find my temple?” If this is true, we are all in trouble. I could barely find a bit of peace through meditation, much less my inner immortal goddess.

  He nods, smiling. “When you meditate, you will find the Great Silence, where you can create anything you need.”

  “The Great Silence,” I repeat in a whisper. A soft breeze lifts a strand of my hair, and Lexan’s cool scent of home fills my lungs somehow. All of this seems at once mystical and necessary – a great need to be alone overpowers me and I lower my arm from his grasp. “Excuse me, please. I’d like to go to my room.”

  He lets me go, and when I am in my room several minutes later, a glance out the window shows him in the exact same place, his eyes fixed on the fiery ball about to slip into the water, and his hands folded in prayer where he stands.

  I fold my own hands in prayer and close my eyes to the world. I will stay here until they come for me.

  FIFTEEN

  LEXAN

  January 22, 2067

  Charles has promised me the world if I can give up the sun.

  Will I be able to live in a cave? Can I convince my sisters and mother to come with me? Things are so confusing right now. I know we can’t stay in this safe house forever. Eventually the bombs will find us, or the rebels, or a hundred other ways to die. Charles is offering us a new life.

  Even if we have to give up everything we know, is that really so bad? All I know now is death and fear. I welcome the opportunity to exchange those for life and liberty again.

  The pursuit of happiness…no longer just a dream?

  From First Leader Lakessa’s personal journal

  Included in Firene’s secret papers

  Pacem is a quiet traveling partner, and we say little to each other all day as he navigates the vehicle as quickly as possible through the trees. Although it hovers a few inches from the ground, it is excruciatingly slow-moving, and there are many times when we are forced to back-track because the trees grow too dense for passage.

  I imagine we may both be lost in the sadness of our requirements. But finally, curiosity and outright boredom get the better of my manners.

  “Are there others like you? With the robotics?” I ask as he parks the vehicle in the shelter of a particularly broad tree. Dusk has come upon us, and the craft has no lights, so although I’d rather not stop for anything, night must be a time of rest.

  He swivels in the driver’s chair, stretching his arms and legs, just as cramped as I am from s
itting for hours. But the gesture is not as natural or smooth as it could be. There is a strange jerkiness to his joints, a soft clicking somewhere within his bones.

  “There were,” he says, his voice soft with remembering. “I haven’t seen any of them in more than a year now. They disappeared, one by one, as Lord Hadeon experimented with the mechanics.” His words are bitter, and I grimace at the idea of Hade torturing people in such a way. “But he never succeeded at matching the knowledge of my healer,” Pacem adds with a wry half-smile.

  “I thought Hade was the one who did this to you,” I say, unable to hide my surprise.

  Pacem fixes me in this gaze, one eye almond-shaped and the other a bright, focused blue circle of light. He only shakes his head to answer my question, then stands and exits the vehicle.

  In the forest, night approaches quickly. We survey our area for signs of life – either human or animal. I don’t quite know what to do with myself: this traveling experience is so different from my others. There is no need to hunt for food, or even water at this point, as any extra space in the vehicle has been stocked with these provisions. It is the hottest part of the summer, so a fire would be pointless. So, as Pacem walks the perimeter of the clearing, I clamber to the top of the wooden hull of the squat vehicle and settle there, peering at the stars through the shifting branches.

  I’ve been up there for several minutes when the vehicle rocks and Pacem climbs up next to me. He leans back, slinging his human arm behind his head. His dark hair and dusky skin remind me of Keirna’s, especially from the side, where his mechanical parts are mostly hidden.

  “I’ve known Irana since we were children,” Pacem says. "I begged my way into working the stables. Her mother was a servant in Hade’s palace, but she never knew her father. Her mother often helped tend and cultivate the oranges in the greenhouses. Even then, Hade was obsessed with the fruit. Irana shadowed her mother everywhere. That’s how he found her.”