The Starlight in the Shadows by Amber D. Lewis

Author:Amber D. Lewis [Lewis, Amber D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781737054153
Publisher: Amber D Lewis

Chapter Twenty

ASTRA

When morning breaks, we’re all eager to complete our tasks and get on the road. Over breakfast, I share my find at the mine with Ehren and King Naimon’s men. I give the men the largest chunk but keep the smaller pieces a secret. Neither Bram nor Kai let on I have more.

After breakfast, we make our way through the remains in search of the portal stone. According to the records Ehren accessed with Illyas’s help before leaving Koshima, the portal stone should be in the center of town. It doesn’t take long to find. Not only does the center of town have less rubble, but it’s cleared and raised. It appears that this area was once set up like a stage. The platform itself is made of carefully carved tiles made from soft stones, fitted together perfectly. In the city’s prime, it must have been glorious to behold, but now its colors are faded by the sun, the stones cracked with plants peeking through.

We step up onto the raised ground and cross to the center. There, the portal stone gleams, catching the early morning light. It’s positioned in the dead center of the platform with strange, ancient symbols encircling the stone. Despite the many cracks in the other tiles, this one is perfectly intact, albeit faded. I’m not sure if it’s by luck or magic.

Ehren squats in front of the stone, tracing the symbols with his finger. “These are the symbols I traced into the dirt when I placed the first stone.”

“You traced symbols?” I ask curiously, kneeling beside him to get a better look.

Ehren nods. “Illyas told me they’re actually words from an ancient magical tongue. They’re the words I say in my spell.”

Ehren rolls his neck and rubs his hands tighter. “All right. Let’s do this.”

He pulls a journal from his pocket and opens it to an ear-marked page where he’s copied down the spell. He inhales deeply and recites each word carefully while tracing the corresponding etched symbol. With each word, I think I see the stone brighten slightly and then dim, but I assume it’s a trick of light. When Ehren whispers the last word, however, the symbols all light up. Ehren jumps to his feet, pulling me up with him. The stone glows, followed by a bright, blinding flash of light. I slam my eyes shut. When I open them, the stone and symbols are back to normal.

“So,” Makin drawls, blinking away the dots spotting his vision. “Did it work?”

Ehren mumbles an “I think so” while those of us with magic give an emphatic “yes.” For us, the hum of magic now flowing from the stone is undeniable.

“So, what now?” Bram asks.

Ehren shrugs. “We continue our journey.”

Everything is packed back onto our horses and we’re on our way within the hour. The king’s men seem eager to return to Koshima but keep their promise to escort us to the border, which works well when we do run into border patrol. A flash of

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