Above the Star by Alexis Marie Chute

Author:Alexis Marie Chute
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SparkPress
Published: 2018-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

Archie slides the leather envelope out of his shoulder bag as he crouches in the tall grass between two lanky trees in the white forest. He had tip-toed away from the company during a rest break taken at Lady Sophia’s insistence, met with much grumbling from the Olearon brothers. Archie tasked Ardenal with watching Duggie-Sky, while also keeping an eye on Zeno, to satisfy the Bangol’s outspoken demand that he not be left alone with Azkar, or “Scar” as the short creature now heckles his guard.

Archie lightly caresses his fingers across the smooth glass. He waits. “Blasted thing. Work!” he grumbles. A branch cracks underfoot to his right and the Olearon’s secret history falls from Archie’s hands onto the damp forest floor. He spins around and sees Duggie-Sky running toward him, followed closely by Ardenal. Thinking quickly, Archie tosses his bag onto the glass before the two approaching can notice.

“He wants you, Dad.”

“I can see that,” Archie huffs. “Wish I could have two minutes to myself. What’s happening with Zeno? He’s hollering. Go check, will ya? I’d like to relieve myself with some level of dignity.” He waves his hands to shoo Ardenal away, who races off in the direction of the fitful Bangol, obviously spewing insults in whose direction Archie can only guess. Turning to Duggie-Sky, Archie continues, “You stand guard, over there,” he points to a patch of dirt. “Help Grandpa Archie get some privacy.” The boy side-steps into the place Archie had directed, within view of the resting company and near enough to Archie to appease the child, who turns his back to the squatting man and jumps up to pull leaves from low hanging branches.

“Alrighty, let’s try this again,” whispers Archie and he retrieves the glass from beneath his bag. He polishes it with his coat sleeve, cleaning off dirt and checking for cracks. It is perfect, without a chip. Archie leans his back against a tree and rests the glass on his knees, struggling to remember how he had brought forth the words in the citadel. Archie grazes his fingertips along the perimeter of the jewels and then taps the surface once. Whether there was in fact a trick to activating the enchantment, Archie is unsure, but he is thrilled that whatever combination of motions he had enacted prove effective.

The glass begins to move with angry looking clouds that darken like a dusk sky. Archie leans around the tree trunk and yells, “Duggie-Sky, you’re a great guard! I may be a while—must’ve eaten somethin’ funny.” When Archie looks back, white words—which he immediately recognizes—have appeared and quiver on the glass. One by one, the words Archie hungrily consumes with his eyes disappear, with new ones curling into place or creeping up from below, so that Archie is ever searching and always connecting two wayward sentences. His vision adjusts to the peculiar patterns and he falls into the trance of the words.

The 22nd Lord of Olearon—born Devi—on the tenth year of his reign, commanded the capture of a Steffanus.

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