Elegy for a Star

Tess, Gwendolyn, Joyona and Mairaela entered the white tower through its large, open front doors. Tess felt a wave of tingling air pass over her body as she stepped through and a feeling of security and safety washed over her. It was pleasant, especially given the shape she was in right now.

The floors were marbled and given a checkered white-and-black pattern. The walls were carved, white with veins of black and gray throughout. The air was cool here. It was relaxing upon Tess’ skin, though she felt embarrassed that she was dripping swamp water and blood all over the floor. It seemed enormously disrespectful considering how neat and tidy the place was.

In the center was a statue: a winged man, armored and helmeted, holding a great spear into the air. He bore a halo of light and had a champion’s face, looking to the sky. On the pedestal were words that Tess didn’t recognize. Court-tongue, no doubt.

Tess angled her eyes upward. There was a spiral staircase the entire way up. “What the fuck is the point of a tower like this?” She insisted, wishing to the gods that she wouldn’t have to climb that, “It’s empty except for stairs to the top.”

“Ascending,” Gwendolyn replied, beginning her march to the stairs.

“Joyona,” Tess knocked a knuckle against the giant woman’s armor, regretting the pain to her knuckle immediately, “Mind if I hitch a ride on your shoulder again?”

“You need to walk this one,” Joyona replied.

The group started to venture up the stairs, and though she was rather fit, it wasn’t too long before Tess began to fall behind the legitimate warriors. Mairaela kept with her though, keeping an arm looped through Tess’. Tess was grateful for the company.

“Tess?” Mairaela said, bumping Tess’ hip with her own, “Can we talk?”

“Not much else to do here,” Tess grunted, “What do you want to talk about?”

“We’re almost to the end,” Mairaela said softly, “You haven’t proven what you said you’d prove.”

Tess had forgotten. She was basically walking up to her execution. Every step was another thread wrapped into the noose. “Yeah,” she replied. What else was she going to say, “I’m going to give it a try once we’re up there.”

“Can you stop and look at me for a second?” Mairaela asked, holding Tess’ arm.

Tess paused and looked at her. The Fey had a teary look in her eyes. Her hands were shaking a bit. “Are you lying to us?” She asked.

A thousand questions rushed through Tess’ mind, but she replied hastily, “No.”

Mairaela searched Tess’ eyes, her gaze flitting back and forth between them. They stood face-to-face for some time before, eventually, Mairaela said, “Okay.”

They climbed the stairs in silence after that. Gwendolyn and Joyona were out of sight, but Tess could still hear the rattle of Joyona’s armor and, occasionally, Gwendolyn would call out to Tess and Mairaela to check on them. Almost to the top, Mairaela spoke softly, “I’m going to defend you. When we get back, I mean. I’m going to convince them that you’re good.”

Tess paused in her place, and Mairaela passed her on the stairs. She wanted to say something, but “thank you” didn’t quite feel like enough. Mairaela seemed content to move on, anyway, so Tess simply followed in her footsteps.

At the top of the stairs, Tess looked around at the room that opened up to her. Joyona stood in front of a pedestal. A beam of light was shooting out of it and into the sky above. Mairaela and Gwendolyn were waiting for Tess at the top of the stairs. Gwendolyn wiped some sweat from her brow and shot Tess a proud smile, “Good to see you survived. A lot of stairs, huh?”

Tess nodded her head. She just had to smile when Gwendolyn was smiling. For some reason, seeing her typically serious face upturned into happiness always brought Tess extreme joy. Mairaela clapped Tess on the ass, much to her shock, and chuckled, “Now for the best part, or so I hear.”

Rubbing her stinging rump, Tess approached the pedestal with the others, standing beside Joyona. The giantess looked into the light, her own eyes glowing white.

“Is she okay?” Tess asked with some concern on her face.

“Yeah,” Gwendolyn said with a big grin, “Look into the light. You’ll see.”

Tess did as she was told, though she had to bring up a hand, peering underneath it at the blinding rays. Eventually, the light grew and grew until, even when she closed her eyes, she could see it through her eyelids. Eventually, the intensity seemed to dim, and when Tess opened her eyes again, she was standing atop a marble floor, but the room was infinitely large, with no walls or ceiling in sight. The pedestal, too, was gone.

“Tess.”

Tess whipped around, only to find Miri standing behind her. Her body relaxed a bit and she cocked her head, “How are you here? I thought you can’t manifest in the Void.”

“We’re in your head,” Miri replied, “Whenever you cut away a piece of the Black Sun, you meet the old god you freed. He awakens a piece of your soul. It’s… empowering. Sometimes they’ll give some sort of artifact. Other times they advance your gift. Often it’s both. They are usually grateful. But it depends on the god.”

“You’ve done this before?” Tess asked.

Miri nods, “It was a long time ago.”

Tess was curious, but looked forward instead, “Where is the old god?”

“His name is Arkaid. He’s not coming this time. He had been free since the first Void Exercise was conducted, but… not anymore. He’s back with the Black Sun.”

“What do you mean? Why?”

“I-...” Miri started, pausing.

“What did you do?” Tess asked. Even Tess felt like her words were harsher than she meant them to be.

Miri frowned, “I did my best.”

Tess’ heart sank. The room crumbled away and Tess was back beside the pedestal. Its light was gone. Miri was gone.

“What was that?” Gwendolyn asked.

Mairaela looked confused, “Was that all? I don’t feel anything. There was no… nothing. No god. No… advancement. No awakening.”

Joyona looked contemplative.

“Something isn’t right,” Gwendolyn replied, “But we don’t have time to figure it out. We need to get out of here. Maybe Philomena will know."

Ahead of them, just beyond the pedestal, a portal was shimmering. It wasn’t there before looking into the light, but it stood there now. Starlight was just beyond it, nestled upon a blanket of a midnight blue sky.

Each of them, one by one, stepped through the rippling surface of the portal and, one by one, they reemerged in the Void Chamber back at Kravana Hall. Except, this time, the black, chaotic, spherical void was gone.

Guards were present. Twice as many as there’d been when the group initially departed. Weapons were drawn, readied against them. Without their Gifts, they were mortal. Furthermore, they were weaponless, armorless. They had no choice but to put their hands into the air and await instruction.

Philomena filed into the room behind a man with salt-and-pepper hair, a short beard and dark, thick eyebrows. He was dressed finely, and given that Philomena looked subservient to him, he must’ve been someone of importance.

“Ladies,” Philomena started, “This is Lord Brandt, Dean of the College.” The Dean looked between the four women present. “We have some questions to ask you.”

The party each nodded their understanding, eyes flitting around to the weapons drawn upon them.

“First and second,” Brandt said, his voice as rough as gravel, “Where is the Void and what did you do to it?”