by Anthea Sharp
I couldn’t shake the feeling the nightmare had everything to do with the oxygen loss and the dying trees. As I hurried toward the chemistry lab, I could still hear the voice in my head, deep, tragic, and pounding against my brain.
Bring me my head. You know where it lies.
What the hell was he talking about? How would I know where the headless starhorseman’s head was? Why was his voice so familiar? He had called me Fräulein. Only one person had ever called me that.
Heinrich Wolff.
A spacewalker and a proud descendant of Hessian soldiers who had known my parents. He hadn’t technically been a horticulturist, but he was brilliant and had often helped my parents with their work in the forest. I hadn’t seen him since I was thirteen years old.
I hadn’t thought of him since. Not once. I remembered that he was a good friend of my parents, and then suddenly he was gone. It had coincided with my mother’s mental deterioration two years prior to her death. Did he have anything to do with my parents’ demise? Or vice versa?
I swallowed down the desert in my mouth as I reached the lab. Maybe he’d had everything to do with my parents’ deaths. I remembered them arguing a lot when I was thirteen, and I remembered heading out into the night forest and camping out in the middle of the silent trees to awaken to the sound of digging.
* * *
Someone was digging a hole as I slept.
“Dad?” I called out from my tent, disoriented. “Mom?”
“Go back to sleep, Creedence. It’s okay.” My father peeked into the tent and shushed me. I was drowsy, more so than usual. He held out a cup of cold tea I’d drunk from earlier. “Here, you’re thirsty. Have a few sips.”
I complied and felt immediately ready to sleep again. He left the tent, and I continued to hear the scrape of a shovel against dirt and a murmur of voices. I also heard someone sobbing before my eyes grew too heavy to hold open. It was too hard to make out what they were saying.
* * *
Had there been something in that tea?
We’d camped often in the forest back then, so I’d thought nothing of sleeping out there that night, but I did find some things odd. First, Heinrich had been with us the night before, in his own tent. The next morning, he and his tent were gone. I never did see him again. There was a fresh patch of dirt several feet away from the tent, but again, I’d never questioned it. We often took soil samples from the forest. It wasn’t anything unusual. Until now, I’d nearly forgotten all about the last time I’d seen Heinrich.
As I slipped into my seat in the lab, Jameson updating me on the latest non-findings in the dirt samples, my stomach dropped. I knew what had happened to Heinrich, and if the headless man was him, I knew where his body lay.
“Creedence? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I turned toward him. “Jameson… I think I have. I think I know what’s wrong with the forest.”
He slipped into the chair next to me, intrigued. “You do? What’s going on, Cree? You’re scaring me.”
“Heinrich Wolff… do you know of him?”
“Umm… isn’t that the guy who disappeared off the ship years ago? I looked through the ship’s logs from that time period after our conversation yesterday.”
“Yes. That’s him! You remember when he disappeared?”
“Yeah, I was like sixteen. But that was ten years ago. What’s that got to do with the trees dying?”
“I—I know this sounds crazy, but we’ve been cursed by him.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Cursed?”
“Yes. I think he was killed and buried in the forest. His head in one grave, his body in the other. Now he haunts the ship. It’s the tenth anniversary of his death, and he wants his head back. He’s a headless ghost riding a space horse. He used to work on the domes outside as a spacewalker.”
Jameson shook his head. “How do you know this?”
“I… well, I saw him. Or at least his spirit. Outside the ship and flying around the forest. He came to me in my dreams and threatened to kill us all if we didn’t return his head. He says I know where it is.”
Jameson’s eyes widened as he straightened. “How would you know where it is?”
I shook my head. “It’s fuzzy because I think my parents drugged me when it happened. We went camping around ten years ago, and I remember hearing them digging a hole. Heinrich was camping with us that night, and in the morning, he was gone. I never saw him again after that.”
“Geezus, Cree, why haven’t you told anyone before?”
“I don’t know. I think I pushed it so far down, I forgot. But it makes sense. My mother started losing it around that time. And I think she poisoned my father and herself in the forest two years later from the guilt of killing Heinrich. It makes sense.”
“It’s unbelievable.”
“But it has to be true. Why else would he want to kill us all?”
“I don’t know.” Jameson looked as stunned as I felt. I hoped he believed me. I didn’t know what I would do without his support. Please, believe me. I knew this had to be true.
“If we’re cursed, then we should make it right,” Jameson finally said, clearing the air as my heart jumped, elated.
“You’ll help me find his head?”
“You bet. I just hope you know where to look. The forest is huge.”
I smiled. “I think I do.”
The next night, we began digging in the forest around my parent’s old camping grounds. Multiple holes to no avail. Hours later, Jameson suddenly dropped the shovel.
“I don’t think they buried a body here, Cree.”
“It’s here. I know it.” I dug on, furiously, giving up several feet in before jumping out to start a new hole. Jameson watched me sympathetically, but I could tell he thought it was a lost cause.
“I don’t think he’s here. Maybe some other spot? A spot you rarely went to?”
“No, he’s here. I know it.”
“Cree, this is madness. The forest covers acres of land. He could be anywhere.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I kept digging. My hands blistered, but I kept at it. Soon, I wasn’t sure it was just the dirt or blood from my hands slicked on the handle of the shovel.
“Cree, we should get help.”
“No!” I jumped out of the hole. “We can’t tell anyone. They would expose my parents as murderers. I can’t do that. This stays between us.”
“All right. I’m sorry. I just think something doesn’t add up.”
I wiped my face, sweat mingling with tears on my dirt-streaked cheeks. “I wish I could remember more.”
“Hey, come here.” He pulled me into his arms, squeezing tightly, “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out. We’ll dig up the whole forest if we have to. We have to break this curse or we all die. I’m here to help you, okay?” He reached up and tucked a strand of my wild hair behind an ear. He was as filthy as I was, but I’d never been so glad to have someone with me, believing in me and helping out. I looked into his eyes, feeling butterflies in my stomach.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Come on, take a look around. Maybe you can remember something.” He turned me around, standing at my back. His warm breath brushed against my ear. “Any of this look familiar? Maybe it was a few feet off. Just by fraction. Close your eyes. Maybe you can still hear how far away they dug the hole from where you slept.
His words tickled my ear, but I didn’t pull away. His lips were so close that I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin. It sent shivers down my spine as I closed my eyes, willing myself to remember that night so long ago.
* * *
“Is she sleeping?”
“She woke up, but I gave her more tea. She’s fading fast again.”
“She’ll be so upset. Heinrich was like an uncle to her.”
“She won’t remember. We’ll have her forget somehow. Like that selective memory loss guru we were reading about. We’ll reaffirm that Heinrich just isn’t around a
nymore. She’ll stop asking soon.”
“But if she finds out he’s her father—”
“She won’t find out.”
My mother’s sobs echoed.
“Quiet. She’ll hear you. Let’s finish this. It’s been a long day. He was going to take her away from us, remember? He wasn’t going to let us see her anymore.”
“I know. It’s just… she should know.”
“She’ll never know. We won’t tell her. You won’t tell her, Janice. You hear me?”
I didn’t hear her answer. But I did hear the shovel scrape through the dirt again, hitting a large rock. My father cursed before stating it was a good of a spot as any. One piece there and the other by the other stone.
* * *
I flung my eyes open, scanning the clearing. There along the farthest edge to my right was a large boulder, its body half embedded in the dirt. About twenty feet to my left was another boulder about the same size.
“There,” I said, pointing to the rock. “And there. The twin boulders. They used them both as markers. The graves should be by those boulders. One for his head, one for his body.”
Jameson plucked his shovel from the dirt and walked over to one of the boulders. He buried the blade into the ground and upturned a clump of red soil. “Let’s get to it.”
We buried Heinrich in the graveyard with all the other dead colonists. We got the groundskeeper to keep hush about it. I wasn’t entirely sure my parents were murderers—there was always a chance Heinrich had attacked them first—but such questions were best left buried. I just hoped the curse would lift now that I’d done what he’d asked.
I haven’t seen his spirit again. It wasn’t until Jameson handed me a small damaged tablet we’d found in Heinrich’s forest grave that I realized he had kept his promise. Jameson had managed to repair the tablet and open the files within it. It had belonged to Heinrich and contained his own research. He’d apparently learned a lot from his time with my parents, and without telling them, he had put his keen mind to work trying to solve their problem; he had taken it upon himself to save the ship. The files contained a formula for a new soil additive that would restore the trees to health. I was confident that once we spread the additive throughout the forest, the trees would no longer die and would live long, oxygen-giving lives. I hoped.
Placing flowers on his grave brought back a flood of memories about Heinrich. Now I knew why he’d hung around so much with my parents and me. He’d known he was my father. I wished things had been different for all of us.
“Hey.” Jameson slipped his arms around my waist, nuzzling my neck. “How about we make some dinner in the forest tonight? I’m evaluating where we can build an in-forest lab to monitor the soil twenty-four-seven to make sure the iron levels drop even more.”
I threw him a curious look. “They’re already dropping rapidly.”
“I know. I just thought it’s high time we make our own traditions. I love the forest at night. Especially since it’s no longer haunted.” He winked and leaned down to kiss my lips. His mouth was paradise, warm and inviting.
I grinned as I turned in his arms, pulling him closer.
“I like that idea.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The inspiration for “The Star Dragon’s Curse” was the famous legend of The Headless Horseman. I’ve always found the story eerie and fascinating all at the same time. An avid reader of ghost stories and urban legends, I knew I wanted to write about this one. Though there have been many versions of the original tale, I felt a loose adaptation of the story set in the vast creepiness of space, with a doomed spaceship and a very dire supernatural problem, would be a unique challenge. It was surprisingly really fun to write, and I love how it turned out. I hope you enjoy this twist on a classic urban legend.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexia is a USA Today Bestselling author who currently lives in Las Vegas and loves spending every free moment writing or hanging out with her four rambunctious kids. Writing is the ultimate getaway for her since she's always lost in her head. She is best known for her award-winning Reign of Blood series, and A Dark Faerie Tale Series.
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Zatarra - Phaedra Weldon
ONE
“You want us to be rogues in an apocalyptic adventure?” his fiancée said during their vacation discussion.
His best friend, Fernand, had produced a rather intricate brochure about a remote vacation resort he’d never heard of. Chimera Adventures.
Either way, it was damned expensive. But, it was their anniversary. He, Dante Edmond, and the pearl of his dreams, Mercedes Bianco, were to be married May first. And recently being named the CEO of the quadrant’s most successful agricultural shipping conglomerate—he could afford such a vacation.
He leaned over her shoulder to peer at the holographic brochure catalog as he rubbed at his ear, an old habit from his childhood. “You don’t like the idea? Fernand says it’s all the rage. A bit of role-playing.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you, it’s just… I did research on the place.” She shifted on the couch and focused all of her attention on him. “Did you know that planet was once known as Shadow Down?”
This information was new. He straightened up beside her. “That can’t be. That world was destroyed. I’ve seen the vids as well as the documentation. We were all taught the Ruby War was ended when the planet was destroyed.”
“What was destroyed?” Came a deeper voice from behind them.
Dante turned to see Fernand join them, a drink in his hand. He’d noticed his best friend had taken to drinking quite a bit lately, but he attributed it to the stress of making Edmond Industries the best in the quadrant.
“Shadow Down.”
Fernand made a face and plopped down on one of the facing chairs, opposite the coffee table. He looked at the holographic brochure and smiled. “I see you’re taking an interest in Chimera Adventures?”
“You know more about this place than we do, Fernand,” Mercedes said. “Is it true? This is where Shadow Down once was?”
“Bah,” Fernand finished his drink and set the glass on the table. “You’re the best Data Miner in the company, Mercedes. You know for a fact that is the planet where the Ruby War began and ended.” He stood and strolled to the room’s bar where he poured himself another drink. “The planet was never destroyed. Only those responsible for the genetic experiments.”
Dante and Mercedes exchanged glances. Mercedes was Terran born, with blond hair, dark eyes. Having been raised on a border colony near the Orion Cluster, Dante’s coloring was much darker. Black hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. Fernand and he had been childhood friends.
Dante narrowed his eyes at the screen before he moved the controls to face him. He waved the pages aside and typed in Ruby War. Some skimming and there it was, in the fine print. “After the planet was made habitable again, it was bought by Chimera—and made into a vacation resort. Hunting, fishing, swimming and lots of fantasy adventures.” He shook his head.
“I’m sure you must know,” Fernand began as he returned to his chair. “That advertising that world as the very place where species from all over the galaxy were genetically experimented on, forced into combat, and sold to the highest bidder, would be bad for business.” He waved his half-full glass in the air. “Besides, that was over fifty years ago.”
“And the reason our negotiations with the Bast have never been successful,” Dante sat back on the couch. “Do you think they know about this place?”
Fernand shrugged. “Who cares?”
“They were the most popular race to be taken,” Mercedes said, taking up Dante’s narrative. “Hundreds of their kind died in that place before it was discovered. And i
f we had not joined the Bast in securing the facility and bringing them to justice, they might have declared war on the Nine Worlds.”
Fernand raised his glass. “So cute, the two of you. Always finishing each other’s thoughts.”
Dante wasn’t in the mood for his best friends’ sarcasm. This was serious. “I don’t think it would be good for our Bast representatives if they learned I had traveled to the very world that decimated part of their population for sport. I think Mercedes and I should find somewhere else for our vacation.”
“Nonsense,” Fernand said as he took a large swig of his drink. “Chimera Adventures isn’t even listed in the Nine Worlds mainframe, Dante. It’s a private world now, and not part of the greater galaxy. It exists for recreation so it can make amends for what happened there.” He sat forward. “Your visit would remain discreet, Dante. All of their patrons share anonymity.”
“You mean others in the Nine Worlds go there?” Dante found this bit of news surprising.
“All the time. It’s why I suggested it.” He winked. “You might even meet a few contacts there who could help with Bast negotiations.”
Dante sat back and Mercedes slid her hand in his. “So… what’s the setup? You put on a costume and play out fantasies? I’m more the Knight in Shining Armor type.”
She made a noise before kissing his cheek. “I think it’s a little more complicated than that. Says here it’s an immersive fantasy.”
Immersive.
He stared at the brochure for several minutes. He thought of the six meetings he had before they left. The vid-casts and interviews resulting in his recent division of Edmond Industries assets, diverting supplies from several rich and industrialized colonies to less fortunate ones.