Starseeker

by S A McClure

  Emma shook her head.

  “Do it,” Iris commanded. “I can’t fight her if you don’t do this.”

  Emma nodded and, without warning, slipped Iris’s shoulder forward. Iris screamed, and then relief flooded her.

  There were soft cracks all around them as the remaining members of the Silver Skull coven materialized.

  Iris had had enough. She’d risked her life to go after the people killing members of this coven. And, the only reason she’d killed any of them was because they had attacked her and the people she loved.

  Clenching her fists, she rose to her feet. She steadied herself, then strode to the middle of the hallway, where Elilda ow stood, clutching the golem in one hand.

  “You really want to do this?” Iris asked.

  “You are an abomination. And you’ve only proven how untrustworthy you are by your actions. You didn’t have to kill our sisters,” Elilda said. Her face shifted to Emma. “How would you feel if someone killed your sister? Would you be willing to so easily forgive if those dead were people you loved above all others?”

  “Yeah, like you’ve been trying to kill Iris this whole time?” Emma quipped.

  Elilda’s lips twitched. Iris looked down to see that she was manipulating the golem.

  “No!” she screamed.

  Light poured from her fingertips, her feet, her chest. She lifted from the ground as she focused on breaking the spell controlling the golem. All she could think about was saving Micah and Chiara from the golem. They’d come this far. She couldn’t let the Silver Skull coven stop them now.

  She cried as she felt her skin begin to disintegrate. She was being forced back into the real world against her will. Her body quaked from the effort of remaining in the dreamworld. She needed to finish this.

  Stretching out her hands, she focused all her strength into a single, magical blow to the golem doll.

  The last thing she saw was Elilda’s look of rage as she was sucked back into her body.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emma

  Emma panted on the ground as she woke from the dream. She patted herself down, checking for any of the injuries she’d sustained while in the dreamworld. She found nothing, but she did feel weak, as if all the energy had been drained from her body. She groaned as she rolled over to check on Iris.

  A giant fist slammed into the ground right next to her head. She screamed.

  She looked up as the golem slowly crumbled into pieces. The hand next to her uncurled, its fat fingers splaying.

  “Are you alright?” she asked, cradling her sister to her chest.

  Iris pushed away from her and glanced around the encampment.

  “Where are Micah and Chiara?” she asked, her voice tight.

  Emma suddenly felt cold. She hadn’t checked for them. She scanned the area but didn’t see any signs of them. The camp was full of cracked boulders. The horses were gone and so were their friends.

  She rose to her feet and stormed around the camp, calling their names. No response came.

  Panic swelled within her and she began shoving rocks to the side, praying to the Light that they hadn’t been crushed when the golem broke.

  “Where are they?” Iris cried. She still sat on the ground, clearly too stunned to do much else.

  Emma didn’t have an answer.

  She pushed against a large rock. Her muscles strained and sweat dripped from her brow. Underneath, remnants of bones and flesh with puddles of blood.

  “No,” she whispered, then shoved more of the rocks aside. “No, no, no!”

  Tears blurred her vision.

  Iris approached her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace.

  “Who was it?” she whispered.

  Emma shook her head.

  Iris ambled over to the overturned another boulder and looked down. Her cheeks paled and, when she looked back at Emma, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

  “It’s one of the horses,” she said. “It’s just one of the horses.”

  Relief swelled within Emma that it wasn’t one of her friends, but also sorrow for the loss of their horse. Her heart rammed against her chest as anxiety filled her. If one of their horses could be crushed to death like this, what had happened to Chiara and Micah?

  She scrambled to her feet and began recklessly rolling rocks over. Each time she dislodged a large one, she prayed she wouldn’t find them crushed beneath it.

  “They can’t have just disappeared,” Iris said. She sank to the ground. Her face was covered in dust and grime. Her hair was matted and knotted.

  Emma tugged on one of her braids as she contemplated what to do next. They had no horses. No supplies. Everything had been destroyed by the golems. And, to make matters worse, they couldn’t find their friends.

  “Is there a chance we just didn’t find them in the rubble?” she asked.

  Iris shook her head. “We’ve been searching for hours and haven’t been able to find them, Emma. Do you really think they’re still here?”

  Emma scanned the debris one last time. “They must have ran away when—”

  “They wouldn’t have abandoned us,” Iris cut in. “You know that.”

  To be fair, Emma didn’t know that. She trusted Chiara, but she also knew her friend had a deep sense of self-preservation.

  “We have to find them,” Iris muttered, more to herself than to Emma.

  Closing her eyes, Emma breathed in deeply. She felt the way the air filled her lungs. She forced her breath down as deep as it would go and keep inhaling. Her lungs filled bit by bit until she though they couldn’t expand anymore. She held it there for several seconds, just feeling the weight of her own breath in her chest. Knowing that she was alive. That she had a purpose.

  And then she exhaled just as slowly. Her chest deflated, her shoulders sagging as the tension she’d been holding released.

  “We’ll track them,” she said.

  Iris looked at her. Her eyes were full of tears and her nose was red from wiping it on the hem of her sleeve.

  “Did you hear me?” Emma asked. “I’ve been doing this my entire life, Iris. I’m even more efficient now that I have the ability to find lost things.” She reached over and tucked a lock of Iris’s hair behind her ear. “We’ll find them. And then, we’ll rescue Liam.”

  Wordlessly, Iris nodded. Her eyes were puffy and pink from crying, but there was a look of determination in her eyes as she leaned in to embrace Emma.

  Emma stroked her sister’s back and prayed that she hadn’t just given her false hope.

  She was strong.

  She was a huntress.

  But she was also terrified of what they might discover once they found their friends.

  After a moment, she gently extracted herself from Iris’s grasp and began to walk the perimeter of the camp. Overturned boulders had knocked into trees and covered the ground with debris. She found it difficult to make heads or tails of the destruction.

  At one point, she thought she saw footprints in the dirt, but then realized they belonged to Iris and herself. She frowned. There had to be something to show her what had happened here while they were in the dreamworld.

  She was just beginning to lose hope of finding a single clue when she noticed a bit of white lace on the forest floor, close to where the golems had entered their camp. It was way too fine for anything she or Iris would wear. But then, she spotted another little sliver of lace by one of the trees further down the path they’d assumed was just the entrance the golems had taken into the camp.

  She walked over to the second piece, then fell to her knees as she picked it up and cradled it to her chest.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as she looked further down the path and saw more bits of lace. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew Chiara had left the lace for her to find.

  “Iris!” she called and motioned for her sister to join her. She bent closer over the tracks, trailing her fingers over the ridges, and realized somethin
g she’d missed earlier.

  There were footprints leading into but also out of the camp.

  Iris came up beside her. She didn’t say anything as she handed Iris the bit of lace and pointed down the golem-made path. Iris sighed in relief and squeezed her sister’s shoulder, then she moved down the path, her eyes glued to the ground. They searched for more signs as to where the golems had taken their friends.

  Eventually the lace ran out and transitioned into strips of cotton. Emma picked each one up and examined the ground around where she’d found it. Nothing led her to believe that the golems had taken them off the path.

  Eventually, they came to a fork in the trail. Emma walked down each side for several paces but didn’t find a single bit of lace or any strips of cloth in either direction. She didn’t know if Chiara and Micah had simply run out of things to drop or if the golems had done something to them.

  “Any clue which way they took them?” Iris asked as she came up beside Emma.

  “None,” Emma replied.

  “Can you use your ability to seek them out?”

  Emma shook her head. Nothing happened. She didn’t know if whatever curse the coven had placed on her was still in effect or if—she couldn’t even bring herself to think about what if.

  Iris placed both hands on either side of Emma’s face and breathed in deeply. Her body vibrated and beads of sweat slid down her brow. After a moment, she pulled away, panting hard.

  “Try again,” she said in a shaky voice.

  Emma closed her eyes and envisioned hearing Micah’s laugh. He didn’t laugh very often, but when he did, it was warm and loud and made her feel giddy inside just hearing it. A smile touched her lips as she remembered how he cradled her to his chest when she was injured. How he had been patient with her all those months she refused to say even two words to him. How, even now, when she was still rude to him sometimes, he took it in stride.

  She felt warm and fuzzy all over.

  When she opened her eyes, a golden line of light streamed from her chest.

  “That’s new,” she whispered as she began walking in the direction it pointed, gripping the pieces of cloth they had found.

  They moved at a slow pace. Emma wanted to go faster, but every time she increased the tempo, Iris fell farther behind. Emma wondered how much of her strength she used each time she broke one of the spells.

  They rounded a corner, and Emma scanned the ground for any clues.

  To her left, Iris fell to the ground with a thud, skinning her knees.

  “Let’s take a break,” Emma whispered.

  They needed to find Micah and Chiara, but Iris had already overextended herself.

  Iris shook her head. “We can’t stop here,” she said.

  She sighed softly as she sat back and eased the small rocks out of her flesh.

  Emma came over and bandaged the wounds with one of the strips of cloth. It wasn’t the most sanitary of bindings, but it would do until they found more resources.

  “How much further do you think they took them?” Iris asked.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure,” Emma replied. She didn’t add that she was worried the golems may have separated their friends. She prayed that her power wasn’t failing or tricking her. That they were actually following the correct path to Micah.

  But what about Chiara? She was afraid to switch her focus lest she lose sight of Micah.

  “We have to keep moving,” Iris said as she pushed herself up. She wobbled as she took a step forward.

  “Whoa, there,” Emma said, placing a steadying hand on Iris’s back. “We can continue going nice and slow.”

  Iris ducked her head, a deep blush forming on her cheeks. Emma didn’t understand her sister sometimes. She was clearly fatigued and injured. There was no reason not to go slowly.

  She was about to say as much when shouting erupted from in front of them.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Emma

  Emma charged forward. She didn’t care that she only had the four daggers strapped to her body as weapons. She didn’t care that she left Iris behind as she sprinted forward. Those shouts could belong to anyone, but something within her knew that they belonged to Micah.

  The golden line of light grew brighter as she raced through the trees. She barely noticed how the path cleared by the golems grew smaller and narrower the farther along it went. Eventually, the path ran out altogether. She dropped to her knees, searching for any clue as to what had happened. Giant rock monsters didn’t just disappear into thin air with a snap of the fingers. Besides, her light was guiding her to Micah.

  He had to be there. Somewhere.

  At least, she hoped he was.

  More shouts joined the first.

  Leaping to her feet, she followed the sound. Grinding stone met her as she rounded a corner. She skidded to a halt just as a chunk of rock landed in front of her. She didn’t waste any time. She bounded over the stone and into the fray.

  Her jaw dropped when she discovered what was happening. A band of elves formed a circle around Micah and Chiara’s limp bodies. They formed two rings. The inner ring had their eyes closed and were clearly casting spells. The outer ring shot arrows at the rock monsters, which were attempting to break through the outer ring of elves.

  Emma cocked her head. There was no way the arrows would be strong enough to pierce rock. They would just glance off, more an annoyance than anything else.

  Five golems surrounded her friends and the elves. Each time they drew in closer, one of the magic-wielding elves launched a volley of molten lava at the beasts. Rock melted in a matter of seconds when it struck them. Bits of the golems were strewn across the field. But still, they continued to fight against the elves.

  Emma wove her way between their legs and charged across the field. She prayed the elves wouldn’t shoot her as she drew closer. They barely seemed to notice her at all as they continued attacking the golems. The golden light from her chest formed an aura all around her as she slipped through the outer ring of elves.

  A firm hand clasped her shoulder.

  “What’s your name, girl?” a man asked.

  She shoved against his hand and peeked her head through a gap in the inner circle.

  “What is she doing here?” one of the men asked, looking Emma up and down for a moment.

  “She’s the Starseeker,” one of the elves whispered.

  “Let her through,” said another.

  The elf with his hand on her shoulder quickly withdrew it.

  “Sorry, mistress Valka,” he whispered.

  She looked up at him, blinking. “How do you know my name?”

  “We have a Keeper with us,” one of them responded.

  Emma had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but she was thankful they’d let her through. She squatted across from Micah and Chiara. Their breathing was steady, but each had an array of wounds that looked like they’d been left to suffer thorough.

  She reached out a hand and traced the curves of Micah’s face as he slept. The warm feeling in her gut expanded. She sighed, relieved that they were alright.

  “What can I do to help?” she asked.

  “Are you good with a bow?” one of the elves from the outer circle asked.

  She almost laughed at the question. She slid through a gap in the inner circle and held out her hand to the elf who was talking to her.

  “Name’s Emmaleigh, but you can call me Em or Emma. You’re choice. I’ve been training for this my whole life.”

  “Okay,” the elf said, “That’s a little weird.”

  Emma chuckled. She was a little weird.

  “There’s a chest on the ground, open it and find the toy bow inside,” the elf instructed.

  “You’re seriously going to give me a toy bow?” she asked. She glanced down at a large, wooden chest on the ground. What an insult, she thought as she lifted the chest’s lid and scrounged around inside until she found a miniature bow, complete with little jewels and hardened leather
protecting the joints.

  She pulled back on the string to test how firm it was when the bow suddenly began to tremble in her hands. It grew in size until it was a full-size bow, just like the ones on the outer ring were using. A quiver of arrows appeared on her back.

  “How in the—”

  “Never mind that,” the elf said. He stepped to the left, creating a small hole in their defenses.

  Emma stepped up to the plate and drew her first arrow. Her muscles strained against the motion, but she savored the sensation. She’d missed this.

  She smiled a little as she released her first volley and it struck the golem squarely in the head. Instead of glancing off the way she had anticipated, it burned a hole in the golem’s head, melting the rock and turning it into lava. Her eyes grew wide as the golem swatted at its head, trying to extinguish the flame. Its hands melted but it was successful.

  “Nice shot,” the elf said from beside her. “My name is Eldridge, by the way.”

  She snorted. “What kind of a name is Eldridge?” she asked, scrunching her nose at the thought having to say that name all the time.

  “Are you seriously mocking my name in the middle of a battle?” he asked.

  “Why not?” she retorted as she launched another arrow. “It seems like the perfect time to lighten the mood.”

  “Humans really are a strange species.”

  “Right, well, thank you for that,” she murmured as she released another arrow at one of the golems. It struck where its right arm connected to the rest of its body. The joint turned to molten lava as the arm slid away.

  The golem stumbled, clearly off-balance from just losing its arm. Emma smirked and glanced at Eldridge. He concentrated on his aim and released one arrow at the same golem’s head, quickly fired another one that struck its left side, and then shot a third that struck the left knee.

  The golem began melting at a rapid pace. It swayed as its left leg fell away and then collapsed to the ground in a heap.

  Emma gave a whoop of joy.

  A stream of lava shot over her head and knocked one of the golems to the ground. It roared and pounded at the earth, shaking them. More of its companions began to do the same, creating an earthquake all around them.