Part 2: Stars
Chapter 6
Elarion, with a heavy heart,
cried as the stars in the sky turned black
They wore their masks
they turned their backs
and they left Elarion to die
- from Elarion's poem
"Now, you're just a standard human again."
- Lujanne, Moonshadow Elf guardian of the Moon Nexus
Now he really didn't know what to do.
He had just been about to swoop down on the human again, for the last time. He'd had enough fun; now it was time to finish this.
And enjoy his meal, however small of a snack it may be.
The human was lying down in the snow, no longer running. He eagerly prepared to begin his descent –
when a startouch elf stopped him. The man stepped in front of the dragon and the human, shielding its prone form with his body. Several other startouch elves stood behind it.
He splayed his wings to stop his descent.
What was this?
"Stop," the startouch elf shielding the human said. "There is no longer need for this."
No longer need….?
"The king of the dragons has ordered for this human to die. It has magic not meant for it, and so its punishment is death," he told the elf.
"This human no longer has magic," the startouch elf explained. "She gave up her arcanum. She is no longer guilty of that crime. There is no need to kill her, nor any other humans, for this."
He thought for a moment, flapping his wings steadily to keep himself in the air.
Part of him was disappointed; now this meant he couldn't eat the human and finish his game. The thought that he should have just gone ahead and killed it without dragging it on this long, and allowing the circumstances to change, briefly crossed his mind.
But, on the other foot, his orders were to kill the human that had inner magic.
If this human no longer had inner magic….
Then now what was he supposed to do?
Not to mention, startouch elves were old, and powerful, almost, but not quite, to the extent of the dragons. One knew better than to doubt or dismiss them carelessly.
"Very well," he said to the elf, not quite keeping a small grumble out of his voice. "I will speak to my king, tell him what you have told me."
The startouch elf nodded. "As you should."
He turned away from the human, then, and the startouch elves, and flew back to tell his king what had transpired and ask for new orders.
The conversation with the dragon over, the startouch elves turned to face Elarion.
Standing would take too much of an effort, but Elarion was able to roll over enough so she could get an at angle to fully see the elves standing in front of her, and not just a view of their boots and legs.
The way they glimmered in the night, a few feet in front of her and against the backdrop of the sparkling pillars, just like the stars themselves that they were named for, almost distracted Elarion from the cold and from the pain she was in.
Almost.
But it was at least enough for her to focus now, and her vision had cleared.
A man with dark, glittering hair spoke, his voice clear in the quiet air. "We have done as you have asked. The dragon will tell his king of what has been done. The dragons should no longer unleashed their wrath upon your people for having magic."
Despite the pain and the cold, relief washed over her. She would have gone weak with it if she thought she had any strength left to give. The tension in her muscles and the weight that felt like a hard rock in her chest released, and now Elarion felt like she could finally truly breathe.
She had done it.
Her people, and her family, were safe. She was safe.
She took a deep breath, and sighed out a small, airy laugh, pushing through the pain that slight action caused her.
She had done it.
They are safe.
Elarion swallowed to help the dryness in her mouth and throat before speaking. "Thank you." Her voice was as quiet and airy as her laugh had been, but it still carried in the stillness. "Thank you."
The startouch elf who had spoken to her nodded.
Then, he turned away.
As did the others.
Wait…were they leaving?
Elarion tried to get up, but her arms couldn't push her weight. She was too weak. Pain spiked through her at the movement, in addition to the constant burning fire under skin. A shiver wracked her body, and she whimpered.
"Wait!" She slid one of her arms out toward the group of elves. Her voice cracked. "Wait! Please, don't leave me here!"
She would die in the cold, she knew. There was no way she would be able to climb down this mountain now and get to a town, not exhausted as she was. Even if she could find a way to start a fire without her magic, she didn't have the strength for that much, couldn't even drag herself to the trees for shelter, and her ripped clothes wouldn't protect her, especially not lying in the snow as she was.
"Please!"
The startouch elves turned to face her again.
The human girl lied in the snow, no doubt very weak from having her arcanum removed. The night would only grow colder, and she most likely would not survive in her state.
But her request was for her people, and they had done what she had asked. A noble sacrifice, on her part.
Besides….
One spoke, words only meant for among themselves, too low for the child to hear. "She is no longer a magical creature. She is not a concern to us."
Her magic, after all, had been the main reason they came to her in the first place.
But she no longer had magic. And for their part, they had involved themselves enough.
The elves didn't come closer. Didn't reach to help her.
"We did what you asked," one with pale robes repeated. Her tone was emotionless. "You are no longer a magical creature. Our duty is done."
The elves turned away again. But they didn't just walk away. They faded. It was as if they were pulling back their magic; their glowing auras melted away, and the ones with sparkling freckles on their dark complexion – the stars disappeared, turning black, then vanishing entirely.
As they faded, Elarion reached out again. "Wait!" she begged. "Don't leave me here!" A sob left her, and she realized she was crying. The tears running down her cheeks just made her colder, but did nothing to soothe the burning pain. "Please! Ah…." A flare of pain in her throat cut off her pleading. She tried again, her quieter, and weaker from the effort speaking and reaching took. "Please…." Her voice cracked.
The startouch elves said nothing. They did not turn towards her again. They continued walking away, their forms fading.
"Please!"
Then, they were gone, disappearing into the black of night.
No….
With nothing there to reach out for, Elarion wilted in the snow. A whimpering sob tore from her, more tears trailing down her cheeks.
Having the strength to do nothing else, Elarion let herself cry.
Elarion, her skin wrestled with death,
withered and cursed in the dark,
until the last star
reached out from afar
she touched him: a blazing gifted spark
- from Elarion's poem
"Tell me what you need, and I will help you."
- Aaravos, Startouch Elf wizard and archmage
Narrowing eyes. A gaze watching from a distance. What…?
What was going on?
What are they doing?
Only the vague gist of it, but definitely something that should not be done.
A cumulation of events that had been on the edges of awareness, leading to now.
A child….
A tug on his heart.
It was cold.
How long she been lying here?
She didn't know. Time was nothing.
She'd stopped shivering some time ago.
Though she knew that was a bad sign, she was almost grateful. The violent shivering had just aggravated the fire in her muscles – a fire that gave her no warmth. Remnants of an inner warmth that she would never have again.
Her arcanum was gone. Her magic was gone. She could never do magic again.
An airy hiccup came from her chest. She didn't have the energy to sob. The tears simply ran down her face, slipping into the snow.
It was a wonder they didn't freeze on her cheeks, she thought.
She was thankful for it.
She considered, briefly, that freezing to death was probably better than being eaten and torn apart by a dragon.
Her wounds hurt.
Everything hurt.
…..
…..
Cold.
Elarion's eyes slowly blinked closed. Open.
Closed.
Open.
Blinking faster, to keep them open. To keep herself awake. She shouldn't sleep.
Her eyelids grew tired with the effort.
….
…It was okay. Her people were safe.
But no it wasn't, it wasn't okay, shedidn'twanttodie shedidn't no please –!
Part of her screamed. She let that scream, that thought, fade into the distance in her mind, until, though it was still there, it was quieter, a background layer to her thoughts.
She had done what she needed to do.
That's what mattered.
Mom…Eli…Aunt Sabra…I'm sorry.
She wouldn't get to see them again.
She wondered what they thought had happened to her. If they would ever find out.
…
…
The snow did nothing to cool the simmering pain.
…
…
Cold.
Her limbs were numb.
…
Blink.
…
Blink.
…
She was hot now. Why was she hot?
She had too many clothes on. If she had the strength to move, she would've shoved off her boots.
…
…
Cold again?
…
It hurt.
…
Nothing.
…
Blink.
Her eyes slid closed.
…
She was so tired….
A heaved breath from aching lungs, a soft groan of pain.
…So…tired….
…tired….
Her eyes blinked open.
Then slid closed.
Then open, only slightly, staring at white.
She just wanted to sleep. A little sleep wouldn't hurt. Just a little.
Nothing. Her limbs were elsewhere, no cold, no hot.
Only her mind, and slowly blinking eyes.
Where her cheeks wet? Why?
Her thoughts were vague, distant impressions.
…So tired….
Her eyes slid closed. Her thoughts faded.
….
….
….
A rustling, a shifting in the snow. Right next to her ear.
The sound jolted Elarion back to awareness. A flash of fear coursed through her.
Clothes? Footsteps? The elves had returned –
Something long and thin pressed underneath her shoulders and lifted.
She sucked in a weak, frightened whimper, her heart hammering in her chest with panic.
No, no, they were going to hurt her again, they were going to –!
"Shhhh." A voice, deep and soothing. "I will help you."
Help. Not hurt.
The panic faded, and her heart calmed.
Something else long and thin slipped under her knees, and Elarion was lifted out of the snow and cradled against a warm, solid surface.
The movement, though gentle, aggravated the constant burning in her muscles, and she cried out at the searing pain, her eyes watering.
Maybe if I had chosen Earth magic instead, she thought vaguely, it wouldn't hurt so much.
"Shhhh…shh, shh, shh…." the voice hushed her softly. Her cheek and whole right side pressed against solid heat, like a furnace compared to the snow she had been lying in moments before. If Elarion had had the strength, she would have shivered at the sudden change in temperature.
Finally having real warmth, clouds of sleepiness drifted back into her mind, and she looked up as her eyes began their slow blinking.
Her gaze met the starry sky. The stars looked closer now, brighter for some reason.
The last thing she saw was the midnight star, the brightest star, shining down on her, blinking steadily like a heartbeat.
To a heartbeat.
The heartbeat under her ear that soothed her to sleep.