Elegy for a Star

Tess sat on the edge of the bed while Scirocca gave her length a much deserved tongue bath. She waited, eyes lidded and brain foggy with pleasure, while Scirocca tended to her. All too soon, it was over, and Tess began to regain her senses while Scirocca rose to her feet and began dressing once more.

“So,” Tess said, pulling the blankets around her body for the illusion of modesty, “Was that the ritual?”

“Something like that,” Scirocca mused, slipping back into her bottoms and squeezing her breasts into that front-clasp bra. 

Tess was confused, but she couldn’t complain about the process. It was beyond enjoyable. “So do I have a gift?” Tess asked.

“No,” Scirocca responded immediately, full of confidence.

“No?” Tess was feeling the bitter pain of disappointment all over again, “I thought you said Ulrich-...”

“...was right,” Scirocca said, donning her headdress and replacing her bracelets and necklaces. Tess knew she had a lot, but the sheer volume of them didn’t dawn on her until Scirocca began wearing them one at a time.

“Oh,” Tess said softly, deflated once more.

“But you have something else,” Scirocca added.

Tess’ lips curled downward in irritation, “Why didn’t you say that first? What do I have? Is it a gift?”

“No, as I said, you have no gift,” Scirocca spoke with some measure of annoyance, “But what you do have is arguably just as good. Some would consider it better.”

Tess perked up, her lips parting in a smile. She couldn’t find the words, struggling to grasp for details but not forming anything audible.

“I’ll explain,” Scirocca said, “But first, how much do you trust your team?”

“Gwen?”

“And the other two.”

“They’re wonderful,” Tess said, even if she had some doubts about Joyona and Mairaela. It wasn’t that she didn’t like them—far from it—but she only met them a little bit ago. She didn’t want to admit that to Scirocca though. Something told her to appease the woman to get the information she needed.

“I see,” Scirocca said with some skepticism, “Well, you are finely attuned to the Wyrd.”

“Magic?” Tess asked, recalling something about the Wyrd being a source of magic.

Scirocca nodded, “But it is complicated.”

Tess decided to be quiet and listen. The way she leaned in for more must’ve told Scirocca just that. The winged woman continued, “There are four Wyrds, each a different source of magic. Those that command one of them are called Wyrden.”

Nodding, Tess spoke, “Gwendolyn mentioned Wyrden using souls and stars.”

“That’s one Wyrd,” Scirocca explained, “The Star Wyrd. But there are three others.” Scirocca took a seat beside Tess, their hips together, but she otherwise didn’t make any motion to touch Tess more. “The Blood Wyrd, the Heavenly Wyrd, and the Dark Wyrd.” Scirocca held up four fingers and counted them off, “The Star Wyrd draws its magic directly from the stars, the original source of all Magic.” She folds one finger down. “The Blood Wyrd draws its magic from one’s blood. Usually this is for dragons, fey and demons.”

Tess felt a pinch of anxiety at the mention of demons. Was her connection to a Wyrd the Blood variety, because of Miri’s demonic nature? Could that cause trouble for her?

“It would be odd for you to have the Blood Wyrd, but considering what’s between your legs, it’s possible you have some Incubus blood, perhaps,” Scirocca theorized before dropping the topic and folding another finger, “The Divine Wyrd is magic donated by the pantheon. Get into a god’s good graces and they may give you some of their might.”

“And the Dark Wyrd?” Tess asked softly.

“Draws it power from the Black Sun,” Scirocca concluded, “This is limited only to agents of the Black Sun.”

Tess thought of the summoner that brought her here. The one that Gwen had mentioned. According to her, she was wreathed in shadow and darkness. Was that woman an agent of the Black Sun?

All Tess knew was that she needed to get into the Void Exercise and then into the Black Sun so that she could learn more about herself. That’s what Miri said to do. Tess was determined to learn more about her life before all of this.

“So what does it mean to be strongly attuned?” Tess asked, “What Wyrd do I have a connection to? Star, right? Gwen taught me how to do the rituals.”

“I don’t know.”

“Your ‘ritual’ didn’t show you that?”

“No,” Scirocca replied, deadpan.

Tess turned to her, watching those narrow eyes staring straight at the wall ahead of her. Scirocca eventually turned to look back at Tess, and Tess found it hard to keep her gaze. It felt like Scirocca was reading her mind with how powerful that stare was, like Tess was giving everything away just by her facial expressions.

“So I can use magic,” Tess said, looking down at her hands, “But that isn’t a gift?”

“It is not,” Scirocca explained, “Gifts are innate and intuitive. Magic is different. Some magic takes practice. Other magic is more natural. Divine magic is barely even your choice. Dark magic… I’m not sure.”

“But the void exercise…” Tess spoke with hesitation.

Scirocca nodded, “If you trust your team, you should go.”

“Alright,” Tess said with a bob of her head, “What should I tell the instructor?”

“Tell her that you couldn’t find Ulrich, so you couldn’t have your gift tested. It’s so rare to be giftless that they’ll let you pass under the assumption that surely something would manifest for you,” Scirocca advised, “Besides, it isn’t like they have a problem if you go in and get yourself killed. It’s unfortunate, but they won’t cry over it.”

Tess only thought about how Gwendolyn would feel, if Tess died. What would happen to Miri?

“Alright,” Tess said with another nod, “Alright, I’m going to do that.”

As Tess stood, Scirocca snatched her by the wrist. Tess turned back and Scirocca was looking her dead in the eye. “Tess,” the tan woman said, “Your constellation…”

Tess cocked her head, “My what?”

“When you did the ritual with Ulrich,” Scirocca said, rising to her feet. She was shorter than Tess, but not by much, and the two locked eyes. “I saw the result. I came to you after I saw it. It was a constellation. The small dots of powder.”

“It was a random scattering of stars,” Tess replied. That’s what Ulrich had said. The giftless don’t get a constellation in the ritual.

“No,” Scirocca insisted, “It’s a constellation. I saw it in one of the books in the library. I need to get it again to show you. I don’t know what it means.”

“But I thought no constellation meant giftless. How do I not have a gift if mine was a constellation?”

“These are questions I can’t answer,” Scirocca replied, “But perhaps if we meet again soon for another ‘ritual.’”

Tess’ eyes widened and she stammered, “I-.. you?”

“Did you enjoy it? I did. Why not do it again soon?”

Tess nodded dumbly and replied, “Okay.” She immediately chided herself for not saying something of more substance.

“Hey, Scirocca?” Tess began.

Scirocca turned her head in Tess’ direction and quirked a thin eyebrow.

“What are you?”

“My father had the head of a human, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird,” Scirocca began, “And my mother was like you. Human. Soft.” Scirocca concluded, “So you tell me.”