The Stars Below, page 4
part #4 of Vega Jane Series
I paused and fought back an urge to become strident in tone, to rally my troops. I could see in the grief-stricken faces riveted on me that this was not the time nor place to do so.
“I want each of us to reflect on our loss and to think, each and every day, of Alabetus and the others we have lost. I want us to keep them in our heads and hearts. And devote ourselves to making sure that none of them will have died in vain.
“But Alabetus was far more than a soldier fighting in a war, no matter how honorable that battle is. He was a son. He was a person. He had hopes and dreams of a better future.” I cast my gaze sideways to peer at Regina Samms’s grave. “He wanted to fall in love, marry and raise a family of his own. He wanted to have a life free from fighting, free from war. He wanted to live in peace, as we all do.”
I turned to the coffin and placed both my hands on it. I closed my eyes and bowed my head.
“Alabetus, I believe that you can hear me. I want you to know that we all miss you and will never forget you. And that we will fight on. In your name and in that of the others we have lost. We send your remains into the grounds of Empyrean, a haven of comfort, safety and fellowship. As to your spirit, it will remain always with us. It will help us in the days and months to come. It will make us better warriors. And better people when peace arrives for us all. Good-bye, Alabetus, honored brother.”
I raised my wand. All those behind me did the same.
We sent waves of light into the air.
I lifted Alabetus’s coffin with an incantation and placed it gently into the grave.
With a sweep of my wand, the mound of dirt next to the grave moved and covered it.
I bowed my head, said a silent prayer, then lifted my head and turned to the others.
As was our usual custom, I said, “Do any here wish to say a few words?”
At other such burials, we usually had one or two who came forward.
For the last two interments, though, no one had stepped forward. As I looked over the downcast faces, I thought such would be the case here until she stepped up.
“I would like to speak.”
I looked in surprise at Astrea Prine.
Her gaze was not on me; rather it was directed at all the others.
She walked forward until she stood directly in front of me.
Flustered by this, I stepped awkwardly to the side as Astrea turned to face the others.
“My son, Archie, and I did not know Alabetus, but it is quite clear that he was a fine man and a worthy warrior. He fought with great bravery and died a hero to the cause. We wish his spirit peace.” She paused, and I could see her features take on a hardened expression.
She pointed her wand at the row of graves. “There lies nearly half your number.”
I stiffened because I had some inkling of where she was going with this. I shot Delph a glance. He had the exact same look on his face as I’m sure I did on mine. When I looked at Petra, she was simply staring curiously at Astrea, waiting for her to proceed.
Astrea said, “I have been through a war with the Maladons before, many centuries ago. I fought against them as you are doing now.”
I looked around the group and saw, to my considerable dismay, that the others were listening raptly.
Astrea continued. “Because of that, I know them better than anyone here.” She glanced at me. “Even better than Vega Jane.”
I felt my face begin to burn, but I remained silent. I had no wish to create an altercation at such a sacred ceremony.
“I have come here to help in the fight,” she continued. “My son has accompanied me. We have not been here long, but we have succeeded in killing a dozen Maladons already.”
I looked around and saw that most here seemed impressed with that number, though I had killed far more Maladons than that myself.
She pointed at me. “Vega is a fine sorceress and warrior.” She smiled at me, and I found myself having to return the gesture.
Her next words struck the smile from my face.
“She should be because I trained her.”
I once more looked around the crowd and saw many surprised countenances. Some glanced at me before turning their attention back to Astrea.
“Yes, I trained her, and while I believe that all of you have received instruction, I may be able to augment that education and convey onto you the benefit of my magical ability and fighting experience.” She glanced at me. “You may find it as useful as Vega did. Without it, I’m sure she will concede that it would have been impossible for her to reach this point in the war.”
I felt quite frustrated by her words. First, because she was undoubtedly right. And second, because I did not want to concede this point, at least not to the others.
She continued. “You have fought hard and well through what I am sure are many skirmishes and battles.”
She waited for those listening to slowly nod at her words. I had to admit, the woman could indeed mesmerize a crowd.
She said, “But winning one or two battles is not of paramount concern. Nor is counting up how many Maladons you may have killed.” She paused as she surveyed the crowd. “What is of critical importance is to have a strategy to win the war!”
She said this last word so fiercely that several in the crowd jumped.
“The Maladons outnumber you on a vast scale. This is undeniable. At your current mortality rate, the conclusion of the war is inevitable.” Here again, she paused. “You will lose.”
I shot a glance at Petra. Had she been talking to Astrea? Had she expressed the same concerns to her as she had to me? The sudden sense of betrayal I felt was palpable.
Astrea once more surveyed the crowd as a few grumbles in opposition to her words were heard.
“No, no, this is not a reflection on you,” Astrea said. “Or your fighting ability. Or your heart. It is simply a reflection of you being outnumbered. We had the same problem before, when we fought the Maladons.”
I could hold my silence no longer.
“And you lost your war, did you not?”
Astrea turned to face me. The look on her features was, well, it was not pleasant.
“We did indeed lose that war. Which is why I’m here. To make sure that history does not repeat itself. I have valuable knowledge of the Maladons. I can make sure that the mistakes we made against them are not made by you. Or any more mistakes,” she added.
I again felt my face burn.
Then Astrea said something that almost made me raise my wand and strike.
“I can lead you to victory.”
I again shot a glance at Delph. He looked outraged by her words.
Yet when I looked at Petra, she, once more, merely looked curious, even intrigued.
Well, enough was enough, I thought. Alice Adronis’s words came ringing back to me. I owed no one anything, least of all bloody Astrea Prine.
I took a step forward. “That is all well and good. We would be foolish not to accept help from such an experienced sorceress. You can supplement the training they have received and suggest to us different tactics and strategies. And any information you can provide us on the Maladons, the techniques, weaknesses, ploys they tried in the past, would also be invaluable in aiding our effort. You can work directly under Delph and me in implementing these things.”
I even managed a benign smile while saying these things.
I was so proud of myself, because what I really wanted to do was blast Astrea Prine into a million pieces.
Astrea looked around at the others. Their features were easy enough to read.
They were all in agreement with what I had just said.
“Very well, Vega,” she said, returning my smile. “We will work well together now.”
“I’m sure of it,” I said pleasantly, even as the Elemental shook aggressively in my hand. Perhaps it was channeling Alice!
“Can we commence with a discussion after dinner?” she offered.
“That sounds absolutely smashing,” I replied, perhaps laying it on too thick.
She grimaced rather than smiled, turned and stalked off, with Archie quickly following her, though he kept shooting glances back at me.
The git. Like mother, like bloody son!
While the rest of the group quickly dispersed and headed back to the house, I stayed behind with Delph and Petra.
“What the Hel was that about?” exclaimed Delph.
I whirled on Petra. “Did you speak to Astrea before this?”
“Just to say hello,” she said. “Why?”
“Because she was making the same argument about us being outnumbered that you did.”
“Well, you don’t have to be a bleeding genius to come up with that one, do you?” she said in a sarcastic tone.
I gazed at her suspiciously, but finally that look faded. She seemed perfectly sincere, and it was usual for Petra to wear her true feelings right on her sleeve. Deception, fortunately for me, was not her strong suit.
Delph said, “She was trying to … to take over like, Vega Jane.”
“I know that, Delph,” I snapped.
“But she made some good points,” added Petra.
Of course you would think that, Petra Sonnet, I thought.
“I mean, she must have experience if she’s fought them before.”
“Yes, well, considering that her experience is over eight hundred years old, I’m not at all sure how useful it will be today. I would think the Maladons have altered their tactics over such a long stretch of time.”
“You put her in her place, Vega Jane,” observed Delph.
“Oh, Delph, you know what she’s like. She won’t stop.”
I thought back to what Alice had told me. She trusted Astrea, but she also had intimated that I hadn’t thought through everything about the woman. Well, the last few minutes had showed me she was right about that.
I had been battling the Maladons for two long years.
And now it seemed that I would have to add the woman who’d taught me to be a sorceress to my already-long list of adversaries.
Wonderful.
OUR MEAL THAT night was delicious.
Right up until the moment Astrea turned to me and said, “Now, it’s time we talked, Vega.”
It was not a request. It was a command.
And it made my skin creep and my blood turn molten.
Yet I smiled and escorted her to the library, giving a shake of my head to Delph when he glanced at me with a face that said Do you want me to come too?
I closed the stout doors behind Astrea, or I attempted to, but Archie burst in, almost causing the wooden door to hit me in the face.
Scowling, I shut the door behind him, strode across the room and took my seat behind my desk. I considered it my desk because it was where I conducted my work and the business of both running Empyrean and also my army. There was a lot to do and orders needed to be thought through and then given.
As I settled in my seat, Astrea sat across from me while Archie hovered at his mother’s shoulder.
“Yes, Astrea? You wished to talk about something?” I said expectantly, keeping my tone polite and my features pleasant. Yet I was gritting my teeth, for I well knew what she was going to say.
“I didn’t want to say this in front of the others of course, Vega,” she began.
This only confirmed my expectations.
“I’m sorry?” I said, playing stupid.
“You have not yet turned eighteen, correct?”
“I have not. But when I do, I’m sure you and Archie will wish me a happy birthlight,” I added cheekily.
She didn’t take the bait on that one. She said, “I was thirty when the war with the Maladons commenced. And Alice was a bit older.”
I frowned. I hadn’t expected her to throw Alice’s age in my face.
“Thank you for telling me. Is that all?” I started to rise from my seat, just to see her reaction.
It was Archie who took my bait when his mother showed more proper restraint.
“No, it bloody well isn’t!” he exclaimed.
I looked at him, all knotted fists and furrowed brow. I smiled benignly at him.
“Do you wish to tell me something, Archie?” I almost tacked on dear to his name, but then thought better of it.
He pointed a finger at me.
“The Quag.”
“Yes?”
“Gone, destroyed.”
The Quag had been created to protect those in my village of Wormwood from the Maladons. And also to keep us from leaving Wormwood. Astrea and my ancestor Jasper Jane had carried the laboring oar in so doing. The Quag was full of dangerous beasts. And there were Five Circles in the Quag that served as obstacles to anyone trying to cross it. Each circle had unique elements designed to defeat anyone coming within that sphere. It had very nearly defeated me.
“I am well aware of that, though I wouldn’t say the Quag is gone. It was still there when I flew over it.”
“Wormwood, then. Totally destroyed. All dead.”
I let the smile slowly erode from my face.
I stood so that I was taller than Archie. Astrea was comically short, though a far more powerful magical being than was her son.
I rolled my shoulders and stretched my arms. Though it made no sound, Destin’s links moved just under my skin. Astrea had no idea that I embedded the chain within me. And I didn’t want her to. But just feeling it there was quite comforting.
“Thansius wasn’t dead when I got there. The Maladons made him dig all the graves and then simply left him to die without a proper burial. Did you know that?” I asked. I let my gaze drift to Astrea because I wanted there to be no misunderstanding that she was also included in this discussion.
“We were not aware of that, Vega,” said Astrea solemnly. “All we saw were the graves.”
“So you visited there?”
“Of course. I was the Keeper of the Quag. It was my duty.”
“Yes, well, you carried out your duties admirably, Astrea — right up until the end.”
She looked as though I had slapped her, and with my words, I had.
Jumping to his mother’s defense, Archie exclaimed, “Do you deny that what happened to Wormwood and all those in it was your fault?”
Despite his accusation, I kept my gaze on Astrea. It was clear to me that despite Archie being the speaker, it was Astrea actually making these inquiries. I didn’t want her to think of letting Archie do the talking. I was fooled by her ploy.
“Do you deny allowing me to cross the Quag with the full knowledge that my plan was to escape it and come here?”
I now shot Archie a glance and saw the git deflate like a split bag of flour. He glared at me for a moment and then looked helplessly at his mother.
She said, “I do not deny that, Vega.” She clasped her hands together. “But Wugs died. All of them. Horribly. I will never be able to banish those graves from my memory. Never.”
Now my lips started to tremble. Her sincere words had done something that Archie’s inane bluster could not. Make me feel guilt. And I was guilty. My breaking out of the Quag had allowed the Maladons a way in. They had, in turn, murdered my fellow Wugs. I was at least complicit in this, if unknowingly.
But how unknowingly, Vega? Did you never think of this possibility? You knew your freedom from the Quag could mean death for those left behind.
I put a hand on the desk to steady myself. I actually felt like I would vomit. But I had to appear strong in front of Astrea. Fortunately, she chose to break the silence.
“But that is water under the bridge, Vega. It cannot be changed. It is something we will both have to live with.”
“So where does that leave us?” I asked.
“With having to win this war,” she said simply.
“I am doing my best,” I said quite sincerely. “We have inflicted great damage on them.”
“It is not enough,” she replied. “There are far too many of them.”
“I am aware of that,” I said wearily. I had no desire to revisit this old argument.
“It is not simply about their superior numbers, Vega.”
This caught my attention. I focused on her. “What else?”
“Tell me what you have learned since you have been here. What you have seen. Where you have gone.”
I sat back in my chair, pointed my wand at the fireplace and ignited a fire there. I sensed this might take some time.
I drew a long breath and began. After I’d finished answering her queries, I found something in Astrea’s face I had not expected to see, at least this early in the conversation: respect, though it was coupled with an overlay of wariness.
I hunched forward. “Now, it’s true that we have lost nearly half our army, and the prospects of adding to our magical number are not promising. Our options are to hunker down here, not engage the Maladons and preserve our numbers; continue what we are doing; or become even more aggressive in our battle strategies.”
Astrea nodded appreciatively. “You have evidently given this a great deal of thought, Vega, and I commend you for the informed way you have gone about your duty.”
“Thank you,” I said, but I was wondering what would come next out of her mouth after such praise. What did come next was something I would never have anticipated.
“Let me ask you something, Vega, and think carefully before you answer.”
“All right,” I said, quite curious now as to what her query would be.
“Have you seen any children among the Maladons?”
My eyes widened.
“I thought as much,” she said, in answer to my look.
“There are young boys in Greater True who march under the banner of the Maladons, but they carry mortas, or guns rather, and aren’t magical. Other than that, I have seen no children. None at all.”
“And have you seen any female Maladons at the castle?”
“No, only men,” I replied in a hollow tone.
“Yes. I thought that too.”
“But I don’t understand,” I said. “Were there not young Maladons and female Maladons back in your time?”
“Though they had not adopted the Maladon name yet, the answer is yes, Vega. Of course there had to be both young and female Maladons, else their number would have died off long since. A male cannot bear children, even by magic.”
