Burning Star

Holding the gift tightly in his hand, Eric walked to Amelia’s room for the fifth time that day. He’d lost count at how many times he’d knocked on her door now. After the meeting, yesterday, he’d rushed to her room, trying to get her to talk to him. Yester afternoon and evening, he camped outside her room, waiting for her to open—he even devoured his dinner on the floor.

Alas, he couldn’t stay there forever. Around midnight, Joshua had called at him asking him to come to an unscheduled meeting. They had to leave as soon as possible, which was why he now tried one last time get Amelia to talk to him. It wouldn’t feel right if he left without saying goodbye. Plus, the nightmares still haunted his nights; he needed to see her one more time.

’Good luck, Mate,” Joshua said in his head. ‘Just make it quick. We’re ready to leave.’

Eric rolled his eyes. He’d learned to live with the bond. It’d proven to be a useful tool in battle, and Joshua wasn’t the worst person to be stuck with. That didn’t mean he didn’t loathe it, though. He hadn’t mastered the skill of shielding his mind yet, and Joshua’s curiosity was a pain in the rear.

‘Thanks,’ he thought back. He was going to need it. Amelia was a headstrong little girl, and currently her mind was that of a teenage girl. Eric wasn’t the most social person in his own adolescent years, but he knew that, on top of the general confusion about girls, puberty had a tendency to make even the sanest girl seem crazy.

Nevertheless, Amelia was his responsibility. Vega had assigned him as her legal guardian, and he took the job extremely seriously. She didn’t make it easy on him, though. In fact, she’d never been skilled at the art of listening. A memory from five years ago made him snicker.

He’d asked her to stay in her room because he needed to fetch something for Joshua. Amelia hadn’t listened, and he’d found her conversing with Garnet ten minutes later. He shouldn’t have been surprised considering their past.

With a heavy heart, he remembered when they were in the realm of the Black Holes. They were about to go to battle against the Dark King. Vega and Joshua had asked Amelia to stay in safety until they came to get it. Of course, the little brat hadn’t listened, and instead, she showed up in the middle of a bloodbath, claiming that she could help. Eric rolled his eyes; it was like that every time. Amelia thought she knew everything, and it was up to others to clean it up afterwards.

He stopped in front of the door, and counted slowly to ten before knocking three times. “Amelia? I need to talk to you,” he said.

If he hadn’t been in his armor already, he’d stuffed his hands in his pockets. Now, his only option was to keep his hands behind his back, respectfully. The gift was still in his hand, and he glanced at it, wondering if she’d like it. He decided to wait another moment before he knocked again, this time louder—maybe she hadn’t heard him.

“I need to talk to you, Amelia,” he repeated.

Still nothing… He groaned. Girls were so darned stubborn. Why couldn’t she behave properly just once? Was that honestly too much to ask?

He checked the shadow on the ground. The sun had already moved, meaning he’d wasted time being here. With a sigh, he knocked again. “Please, open the door and talk to me, Amelia,” he shouted.

When it failed—just like his other attempts—he leaned his forehead against the door. He hadn’t meant to scream at her, but it’d been a chaotic meeting with the Elders yesterday. Having her interfere with her silly ideas wasn’t something he had time for now.

‘Still nothing?’ Joshua’s voice rang through his head.

Eric didn’t need to answer; it was evident that his friend was already listening in on him. The lack of privacy, mixed with the past months insomnia, and on top of that, Amelia’s stubbornness, proved to be too much for him to handle. He cursed and knocked again, this time with more force.

“Amelia!” he screamed. “Open this door right now.”

Silence, nothing but silence came from the opposite side. Eric could feel his eyes burn, but he ignored them. A guardian didn’t cry. He was supposed to be a role model—a leader. His emotions needed to chill off, until he completed the next task.

He needed to find the Tome of Lyra, by now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there was more to the world than he’d first believed. He missed the days where he was just a kid in Hydra before all of this madness began. Having a Black Hole steal his identity, and then get locked away in a hidden country long forgotten, should have been impossible. Yet here he was, six years later, with a new job to guide Astron out of its darkness.

And then there was Amelia. He’d spent so long out in the field that he hadn’t realized how much she idolized him. Every day he met people who rooted for his failure, and he’d been close to giving in so many times that he’d lost count. Amelia, however, never failed to believe in him—something he never got around to thank her for.

He punched the wall in frustration. Solem, he wished she’d just talk to him.

‘I don’t think there’s anything else you can do, Eric,’ Joshua’s voice interfered again. ‘Start heading to the courtyard, we got to leave.’

Dammit. Eric stared at the door for another moment before turning on his heels, heading for the courtyard. He clutched the small present in his hand tight, then marched through the white halls of the temple. The massive arches rushed past him as he started to run. His vision was a blur of white, but he just needed to get rid of the frustration building up inside of him.

He didn’t stop until he was next to Joshua. Panting heavily, Eric nodded to his friend. “Let’s go.”

Joshua sent him a skewed smile and patted his back. “Next time you’ll see her, she must have cooled down.”

“I know.” Eric walked over to his horse and placed the little package inside his saddlebag. Amelia just had to get it another time. He mounted his horse, and waited until the other soldiers were ready, as well. He stared across their little assembly, and raised the sword he’d gotten from Vega.

The soldiers roared at the signal, and in unison all started to ride. Eric faced forwards and tried to place all thoughts of Amelia to the back of his mind. He needed to find the Tome of Lyra, then he could worry about her again.

‘You didn’t leave her present?’ Joshua asked in his head.

Eric shook his head. ‘It’s something she needs to get in person. I want to be there when she opens it.’

‘Sap,’ Joshua responded.

‘You’re one to talk, hot stuff. You suggested the gift.’

Afterwards, the ride was quiet. They headed for the Isle of Mary as they’d planned. They’d tried to narrow the location down to a few places. The Isle of Mary was the place where the constellation Orion’s Belt was clearest. If the Original Guardian’s hid the Tome beneath Orion, then the Palenque was their best choice.

The Palenque was also where the gateway to the Black Holes realm had been. Eric shivered at the thought, he hadn’t been there for years, and he would be lying if he said he was looking forward to going back.

If he were to be perfectly honest, he had to admit; he didn’t want to be looking for some magical book now. He and Joshua got so few breaks in their work, and Amelia’s year day had been their annual vacation time. Eric cursed. The day had been ruined by the surprise visit from the Elders.

They rode in formation, using the pre-made paths to travel on. When they got to the entrance of the Glistening Forest, they started to move slower. The horse couldn’t run here since there happened to be stray branches in the way—one wrong move and the horse would fall over.

Joshua was by his side, and Eric glanced over at him. The guy had taken this case surprisingly serious. Of course, Eric knew it was because Vega had ordered it, but still, Joshua used to be much more careless. Then again, he lost the love of his life, so who could blame him?

“I’m thinking, we have to stop near the river,” Joshua said. “While the spell of fear has been removed from the ruins that cover the underground entrance, we should let the horse rest for a while before proceeding.”

Eric simply nodded—he wasn’t a war leader. Joshua was the one with the brains and muscle power when it came to warfare. After all, the guy had been trained to protect Stars all his life. His words were better than all the Elder’s opinions combined. Probably better since the Elders, despite being named after out protectors, didn’t have any knowledge on fighting.

A movement caught his attention from his peripheral vision. He held up a hand, and ordered everybody to halt. Something was up. He stared up at the sky to get a sense of their location. They were still a whole day’s ride from the Isle of Mary, but something didn’t feel right.

’Look straight ahead, but focus on our right side,” he thought to Joshua. Eric was perfectly still, and only the horses puffing broke the silence. He could see someone move in the treetops. They were being watched.

‘I see what you mean. It’s a trap,’ Joshua replied. ‘I have an idea: counter attack. Inform the others.’

Eric nodded, and sent the signal to keep on moving, trying to seem inconspicuous. He used the hand signals to alert the other soldiers, and then started to ride again. Despite the tension among them, their group managed to shrug it off as something unimportant.

He knew that the archers would be preparing right now, and the swordsman would scout the area. Once they arrived to the trapping spot—they would fight.

“I believe we’ll have to rest soon,” Joshua said.

Eric knew it was a lie to confuse their enemies. He’d been around Joshua long enough to recognize his different tone of voices. This one meant diversion. He could hear the rustling of the leaves, and knew it wasn’t the wind. As always, in the heat of danger, he could feel his heartbeat speed up, beating like a war drum, readying him for battle.

‘Ready?’ he thought to Joshua.

‘Oh, yeah… Just a few seconds more… They’re right ahead. We have a strong chance of catching them for interrogation,’ Joshua replied.

‘I can’t scout more than a few, you think they’re supposed to be an ambush with assistance further down?’ Eric asked.

‘I don’t know. We’ll have to see…’

Eric nodded and reached for his sword by his side. The Star blessed metal was one of his most prized possessions. Not only was it the only weapon able to kill a Black Hole, but it was also one of the few things he had from Vega.

His hand wrapped around the handle, and he began counting downwards from ten.

Ten…

All he needed was to keep his emotions calm throughout all of this. With Joshua by his side, they were almost unstoppable—they could do anything.

Nine...

There was no need to be afraid. Fear was only fitting for the adrenaline rush, and Eric knew how to use that to his own advantage. He needed to control his breathing first.

Eight…

Focusing on his own breathing, Eric inhaled deeply and then exhaled through his mouth. It was easy to believe that the stress simply left his body as a cloud of despair with every breath.

Seven…

He could feel the adrenaline now. He caressed the neck of his horse, and it slowed the pace.

Six…

He was so ready; all he needed now was to gear himself up. He could do this! And the sooner he could get this over with—the sooner he could get home to Amelia. He winced: the memory of her denying him to speak with her was painful to remember. He’d majorly screwed up this time. No. He couldn’t lose focus now. Forcing Amelia to the back of his mind, he exhaled again.

Five…

Glancing backwards, he saw the men nod at him—they were in on the plan. Only one thing seemed out of mind, a white horse in the back rose on its hind legs, and he could see the soldier struggling to keep it at bay. It was odd; he’d never seen a white horse in his ranks before—they stood out too much. Who was the imbecile who’d chosen—

“It’s a trap!” the person screamed.

Everything after that seemed to play out in slow motion. Eric watched as the soldier won the horse over, and then aimed for the frontline. Speechless, Eric couldn’t do anything besides watching as the whole plan crumbled before his eyes.

He heard Joshua curse at his side, and then drew his sword. Eric turned around to see five men drop to the earth, all with swords lifted to battle. Eric dropped from his horse and ran to one of the men, his sword raised.

He blocked a blow from the right, and then swung around to parade against yet another one. Joshua joined him, and together they fought the five men while the soldiers started to descend from their horses. The uproar in the ranks settled down, and a full-blown battle started.

An arrow landed at Eric’s feet, and one of his opponents ran to fight the soldiers. Eric focused on one of the men. The stink of Black Hole was evident, and Eric narrowed his eyes. When the fighter started attacking, Eric focused on his defense. His muscles hadn’t battled for long, and it took them a while before they settled into the rhythm.

The Black Hole snickered, and stopped his attempts to break down Eric’s defenses. He took a step back and waited for Eric to take the bait. When he didn’t, the Black Hole screamed in anger. Eric didn’t see the sword until it was too late—a large wound slashed across his biceps.

From all the times were Joshua had tried to teach Eric proper swordsmanship, he’d never mentioned what to do when you battled a crazy person. Eric knew this wasn’t a pretend battle—they were fighting to the death.

He heard the puff as Joshua sword collided with the black hole. He saw the form dissolve, and his own opponent hissed.

“Look out!” someone yelled. Eric stopped dead in his tracks. That was Amelia’s voice. His eyes widened, and he swung around to see Amelia in a soldier’s uniform—she’d been the rider who ruined their counterattack.

Eric cursed, and screamed when his opponent’s sword cut another wound on his left arm. He cried out in pain, and moved back to block another strike. His focus was lost, and he was well aware that the blood seeping from his wounds could prove to be fatal.

Groaning, he managed to block another hit.

‘A little help, please,’ he thought to Joshua.

A scream pierced the air, and he swung around to see someone swipe at Amelia. This time, Eric was afraid—he almost shook with fear. He was afraid because she was in danger.

“Eric!” Joshua yelled. Eric glanced over to see him battle two Black Holes at once. Torn between his friends, Eric had to make a decision, and he had to make it now.

He swiped at one of the Black Holes, finding it hard to hold onto his sword as it collided. The other Black Hole screamed before turning into a black mist.

It was a nightmare—it had to be. Amelia couldn’t be here in the battle. Joshua brushed past him, and sent him a look, signifying to get his act together.

The forest ground was covered with a black mist. Eric’s left harm hang motionless by his side, and he hurried to run to Amelia. She had managed to block every attack so far, but he could see she was struggling.

He wanted to yell at her, to ask her what she’d been thinking, but there wasn’t time. He ducked under the hooves of one of the panicking horses. His knees slid across the ground, and he blocked a strike, which would have wounded Amelia.

“Get away from here!” he screamed. Sweat began pouring down his face as he struggled to keep the Black Hole away.

A feeling of despair filled him, and he looked down to see the Black mist form around his legs. He pushed the sword down, hoping to hit the right spot in the mist, before rotating to deliver a blow to the Black Hole in front of him.

It wasn’t until he saw both of them dissolve that he allowed himself to breathe.

“They’re pulling back,” a soldier yelled.

The news gave Eric a boost of energy, and he started to chase the remaining Black Holes. He found himself in the midst of a large grey fog, and started pounding the sword into the ground. He was so tired of these wretched Black Holes. He didn’t see where he was hitting; he just needed to let off some steam.

“Eric…” someone called, but Eric ignored it.

“Eric, stop…”

He couldn’t answer; he wanted to, but he couldn’t. He wanted to stop, to breathe, to let go of the fear that tugged on his heart.

‘Eric!’ Joshua screamed inside his head.

This made him stop. He dropped his sword to the ground, and then raised his hands to cover his ears. He was aware that it wouldn’t help, but thankfully, Joshua didn’t say—or think—anything else. Eric sunk to his knees, lowering his head in defeat. He’d let fear win.

“What was that about?” Joshua asked.

Eric raised his head and searched the crowd. They hadn’t suffered any casualties, but his eyes were looking for one in particular. When he found her, he muttered, “Amelia.”

“Amelia?” Joshua asked. “What are you talking—“

Eric didn’t hear him out. Instead, he rose from the ground and marched straight over to her. “What, in the name of Nemesi, do you think you’re doing?” he screamed.

Her blue eyes looked up at her, and he noticed her cower under his stare. He grabbed her arm, pulling her over to Joshua, who was staring with an open mouth.

“Leave us,” Eric screamed, and waited until the soldiers had started to tend to their own wounds.

Amelia met her eyes, raising her chin up high. “Look, I know what you’re going—“

“Stop talking,” Eric interrupted. “I’m trying to find out what could have possessed you to make you endanger our whole team like this.” His voice rose in volume. “But I can’t seem to think of anything that could justify such an irresponsible, stupid, and downright idiotic behavior. I don’t understand what’s going on in that—“

“Eric, stop,” Joshua said.

“—that you would even consider this to be a good idea.” Eric ignored Joshua. This was between Amelia and him. She was his responsibility, and he needed to make things clear to her. “Not only did you put yourself, and us, in danger. You also sabotaged our whole plan to ambush the Black Holes we just thought. You should praise Solem nobody died because that would have been on your hands, and—“

“For Solem’s sake, Eric. Stop!” Joshua screamed.

Eric turned to Joshua, narrowing his eyes. “Stay out of this, pretty boy. This isn’t your area of effect.” He pointed to Amelia. “She’s my responsibility, and I decide how she gets scolded.”

Joshua held up both his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying you should take it easy—she’s just a kid.”

“Exactly. So why would she jeopardize our lives to prove a petty point?” Eric swung around and pounded his fist into a tree trunk behind him. “Crap!”

Amelia whispered, “I didn’t think—“

“Of course, you didn’t think. Well, that makes everything alright then.” Eric turned to face her again. “Now we’re going to lose men because you need to be escorted back to the temple. I’m so tired of you never listening. This time, you’ve crossed the line. I hope you’re happy.”

He saw as the tears welled in her eyes. It tore at his heartstrings, but he needed to be firm. She was lucky to be alive.

“Eric, take a seat—you’re wounded,” Joshua said. “We need to patch up those holes in your arm. Otherwise, you might as well be the one to escort her home.”

With on last glance at Amelia, he nodded and walked over to Joshua. Joshua cut off his sleeve, and then started smearing a small paste on it. The Lion Dust wasn’t as hard to come by now that the borders were open, so Joshua had asked every soldier to be equipped with a healing paste. It had proven to be saving plenty of lives in the forces.

Eric watched as Amelia’s hands clenched and unclenched. Finally, she spoke, “You don’t have to follow me home—I can do that on my own.”

Eric snorted. “Don’t be silly. If you’re stupid enough to come up with the plan to sneak with us, you’ll probably end up lost—or killed—before you get out of the woods.”

“That’s cruel.” Amelia sniffed. “Besides, you could have listened to me back home.” She stared into his eyes. “While I now know how stupid you believe I am, I thought you’d like to know that I know where the Tome of Lyra is hidden.”

Eric’s jaw dropped.

“But since all I can do is endanger everything because I don’t listen, I’ll just tell you that Orion was a statue in the town I grew up. It was sacred and had a lion at his feet.” She held up a finger to stop him from speaking. “Maybe you’d like to look there—I don’t even care. Just know that once you’re done playing high and mighty with your friends… Don’t expect me to ever talk to you again.”

“Amelia…” Eric started, but he didn’t get to speak. She turned on her heel and started to run away.

“Amelia. Don’t be like this,” Joshua yelled.

“Crap,” Eric muttered.

“You can say that.” Joshua patted the second wound with the paste. “Now, let us get you patched up, and then go out to look for her. She can’t have gone far.”

Eric nodded. He felt like a total douchebag, but he knew he’d only yelled because he was so afraid she’d get hurt. It had been too close this time. He shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t discovered her.

Solem, give me strength, he prayed, then hissed when Joshua jabbed at his wound.