Part Two: Lord of the Stars

Valdir Time: One year later

Real-World Time: Five months later

Selene sat perched on the edge of the frozen ruins, her legs dangling over the edge of a vast canyon. She twisted her dragon dagger in her hand, it's blade dancing through her fingers.

Gusts of howling wind whipped through her hair, barely moving her an inch. There was a sudden lull, long enough for Selene to tie back her now waist-long hair and sheath her dagger. She stood and walked to the edge of the cliff, glancing down into the darkness and wondering if the beast at its bottom was awake.

It had been one year since they had reached this ancient city to train. One year since she had seen anything but snow. However, once Selene and Cyan left this city, it would only have been five months since they arrived. Cyan had told Selene why she brought her here of all places. At the bottom of the canyon, laid a beast that not even she had seen. But that beast had a way to slow down or speed up time. The perfect place to train without wasting precious months.

Selene, however, knew in her heart that this beast's sibling had been the thing in the cavern so long ago. As soon as Cyan mentioned it, Selene knew. it was only fitting that she use one of their powers to train and avenge everyone. And over the course of the year, Cyan had not made that training easy.

When Cyan and Selene has first arrived at this ancient city, Selene was so terrified of falling off the edge that she never dared come close. Considering the city sat on a peninsula at the canyon's center, that fear was quickly diminished by Cyan. She would force Selene to spar in the deadliest places, where the ice would crack and splinter off from the edge. Selene nearly fell to her death more times than she could count. A few times, Cyan made her climb down to the canyon's floor and forced her to survive until the elf came and fetched her. Now, it was just a part of the scenery.

Behind her, Selene sensed a presence, one that stalked her at all hours and never let her relax.

"Speak of the devils and they shall appear," Selene chuckled.

An arrow whizzed by, sailing past Selene and down into the darkness of the canyon. It would have struck her square in the heart if she hadn't dodged it at the last second. Unsheathing the short throwing daggers hidden in her boots, she launched them through the air. They struck the columns, their blades sinking in and cracking the ice that covered them.

She unsheathed two longer daggers from her belt and sprinted through the ruins. The cold air nipped at her ears and nose, yet she barely noticed as she reached down within herself and tapped into her core magic. The daggers in her hands exploded into blue flames.

"Wow, never seen that trick before," shouted Cyan sarcastically from somewhere among the ruins.

Selene smiled and dashed towards where she heard the voice. Before she got there, Cyan shot out from behind a fallen collum and lashed out with one of her own blades, a short sword. Selene easily blocked the blow. The fire on her daggers snaked up and wrapped around Cyan's wrist, burning her skin and forcing her to drop her sword. She hissed at the pain. Selene tried to kick out Cyan's feet from under her but changed her aim at the last second as Cyan pulled out a hidden dagger from her sleeve. As Cyan plunged it down to where Selene's leg would have been, she only met snow. Selene used the momentum from her kick to spin around and land a blow to Cyan's side.

The elf hissed in her face, her long canines looming too close to Selene's throat.

The likelihood of Selene overpowering Cyan at close range was almost impossible. If she wanted to stand a chance, she'd have to put distance between them and use her Moonfire.

She slashed up with her daggers, forcing Cyan to jump back to avoid them, and backed away from the elf. She quickly sheathed the daggers and held up her hands, palms facing Cyan. Realizing what she was preparing to do, Cyan looked around for cover.

When they had first begun sparring back in the forest, Cyan would have been able to blow away Selene's fire with a strong wind. But after so much training in the Frozen Wastes with gusts strong enough to blow a horse off a cliff, Selene had adapted her fire to become much stronger and sharped. It was now honed like a fine blade.

Selene built up the fire in her palm, the glowing, blue orb reflecting off the white snow around them. Cyan sprinted for one of the largest columns that were nearby just as Selene threw the orb towards her. It curved to follow the elf as she sprinted almost too fast for Selene to see.

If it hit the elf, she wouldn't die. It took much more than that to kill her, but it would fracture a few of her ribs and leave her with nasty frostbite.

The elf was lucky this time. She dove behind the column just as the flaming orb reached her. It collided with the stone and shattered it into thousands of tiny frozen pieces.

Selene didn't have a moment to rest before Cyan jumped over the remains of the column and charged. The elf's nails had grown into claws and her black fire curled around her arm like a knight's gauntlet.

A good swipe of that would kill Selene.

She wracked her brain for a way to parry or dodge the blow all the while Cyan got closer. Selene had never seen her use this move before. She didn't know her nails grew into claws and the elf rarely used her fire magic in training spars. Yet something had changed.

The elf was faster than her; there was no way she could move in time. Selene had no choice but to try and stop her before she got to her, and if that didn't work then she would have to take the blow head-on.

Selene slammed her hands to the ground, sending her magic shooting over the snow and ice. It cascaded out into a sea of vibrant blue, falling over the nearest edge fifty feet away, pushing ice into the dark canyon.

Cyan was already too close for Selene to set her aflame. The elf lept over her fire, her claws reaching for Selene as she launched herself the last ten feet towards her. Selene had no other options now.

She built up her flames until they covered the entirety of each arm. By now, she could see their light reflected in Cyan's eyes. She had no time left.

At the last moment, Selene shot herself forward, right underneath the elf. With a roar, she slammed her hands into Cyan's stomach and let loose every ember of fire that she had built up. Cyan was blown away before she even had the chance to touch Selene.

She flew through the air and collided with stone columns, blasting through a handful before landing in the snow and rolling to a stop.

For a moment, Selene was worried that she hadn't been able to control her magic enough and had seriously hurt her, but she knew better than to think the fight was over.

Before Cyan had the chance to rise, Selene sprinted over, unsheathing her dragon dagger as she ran. She straddled Cyan, her feet pinning down the elf's hands and held the dagger to her throat. Her eyes flicked to Selene's and she gave a wide grin, her teeth covered in gold blood.

Gold?

Selene had cut Cyan before, yet her blood was always red. What was different now?

"I yield," she rasped, spitting out a mouthful of the sparkling liquid.

Selene immediately jumped off of her and pulled her to her feet.

"Your blood is gold," Selene pointed out, "Why?"

Cyan glanced down at it while holding her stomach. Selene must have fractured a few ribs.

"That hasn't happened in years," She chuckled, then flinched against the pain no doubt coming from her abdomen.

Selene shook her head and threw Cyan's arm over her shoulders. This was the first time she ever carried her back to their camp, usually, it was the other way around. Selene couldn't help but feel proud of herself.

After reaching their small camp, which consisted of one large tent, a dead fire, and a smaller tent to hold precious firewood and provisions that they walked miles to find, Selene laid Cyan down in the larger tent and fetched the medical supplies.

"We're running short. We'll have to go back to that town to get more bandages and disinfectant soon," said Selene as she helped Cyan take off her jacket and shirt.

"There is no need to," she responded, her smile still not gone.

Selene poured some alcohol onto a spare rag and wiped at the bigger cuts that cover Cyan. She must have gotten them after hitting so many stone columns.

"Why's that? Have you decided to resort back to self cauterizing?"

"No," she said, "And don't smart-mouth me. You'll be thankful for the knowledge one day when there's no one around to help you. "

Selene began to bandage her, trying to keep from shivering at the thought of what she went through during those weeks. That was the first time in a while she had felt cold, real cold.

"Can we please change the subject?"

Cyan snorted, "In a week we are returning to Sev Atamnër."

Selene's hands froze.

"A week..."

Cyan nodded her head, her hair falling from her shoulder and brushing Selene's wrists.

"I've finished your gruesome training then?"

She laughed, "No, but you're capable enough now. I no longer think an Ursidae cub could kill you."

"I could have told you that after you made me kill the weird bird thing in the canyon wall."

"For the last time, it's called an Avesthar. And give it respect, its eggs fed us for a month."

Selen smiled as she finished tying off the bandage to support her rib and sat back on the balls of her feet.

"What do I say to him?"

She had been asking herself that question every single day since she left that village. Before Cyan and she had set out on their trek to the frozen city, Aiden had been heartbroken. With each step she took from him, she felt as if she were abandoning him.

Now she had passed all the tests, even beaten her own mentor until she was bloodied, and the thought of going back to him made her shake more than any battle could.

"I'm sure you will know what to do. You two seem close enough that you don't need words to tell him how you feel. Besides, if he doesn't listen, I'm sure you could kick some sense into him."

Selene smiled and gently bumped Cyan with an elbow.

"Have you decided what you will do about your brother?" Cyan asked, her lighthearted grin gone.

Selene chewed on her lip and shifted to sit crisscrossed.

"I do not think I can face him while Icarus lives. I fight. I fight, and then I will face the hatred of my brother."

Cyan said nothing. It was not her place to; this was what Selene had decided was best and she was too stubborn to let anyone sway her.

The elf slowly tried to stretch her arms up, the muscles in her back moving and tightening beneath her skin. Her red hair shining in the candlelight as she tilted her head back.

Selene tossed the elf her shirt. It still stunned her how quickly the Fae could heal. If Selene had broken or fractured a rib, she'd have been in pain with every breath. Yet Cyan seemed able to fight all over again. Pulling the shirt over her head, she collapsed back onto the blankets they slept on.

"I'll tell you one thing, "Cyan said as she put her hands behind her head, "I cannot wait to eat food that doesn't' have scales that get caught in my teeth."

Selene laughed.

The most common food here was fish that is caught beneath the lakes of ice. Not many people wanted to go hunting and compete against the giant wolves for elk that could crush your ribcage with one kick. So the people who inhabited this harsh land were mostly fishermen and that was what Cyan and Selene bought from them.

"I have no complaints about this place," Selene said through a smile.

Cyan poked her in the ribs, "That's because you are cold to the core, you Ice Witch. I would rather be on a beach, tanning in the sand."

"Have you seen the ocean before?" Selene asked.

"Yes, many times."

"Is there really water as far as the eye can see?"

Cyan nodded, "And more beyond that."

"Incredible," Selene said in disbelief, "Where does it end?"

"I don't know. I don't think anyone does. I even went to go look for myself and I found a whole other continent."

Selene sat forward, wide-eyed, "There's land out there?"

"I'm sure there's many things out there that we've yet to discover."

"I hope to see it one day."

Cyan sat up, "Once we win this war, I'll bring you to the land in the sea. We can explore it together."

Selene smiled. That was easier said than done.

***

After a long conversation over dinner about their sparring, they decided to turn in for the night. Thankfully, no animals dared come onto the peninsula for fear of falling into the canyon or being crushed by falling debris, so they could both sleep at the same time.

Yet Selene's mind was racing too fast to let her sleep. She had been running from the thought of Aiden for an entire year. and suddenly she was given seven days before they made their way back.

Eventually, she gave up on sleep and left the warm tent. The temperature had dropped drastically and the wind had picked up, making it impossible for anyone but her to go out at this time.

She walked along the edge of the cliffs, trying to clear her head.

"Now would be the perfect moment for that man and his Lynx to show up and give me some answers," she whispered to herself. As if they would have anyway.

She stared out towards the south-west, trying to see through the snow to Aiden and the villagers even though that was impossible anyway.

She'd worked hard for a year, and soon she would return and show the world just what she was capable of.

***

"Cyan."

Selene gently shook the elf awake.

"Cyan."

The elf's eyes shot open and before Selene could move, a dagger was to her throat. Cyan blinked a few times before she realized who woke her and she lowered her weapon.

"What time is it?" she asked, her voice drowsy.

"The middle of the night."

Cyan's eyes flashed, "Why the hell did you wake me in the middle of the night?"

"I need a favor."

She was silent.

"Your tattoo. It glows whenever you use your magic, why?"

Cyan laid back down on the blanket and threw her arms over her eyes.

"I'll tell you in the morning."

Selene sighed and poked at her side until she swatted her away and sat up.

"A long time ago, I was given this tattoo by my people as a sign of my actions. Something like a badge, I guess. After many years, I came across someone who knew how to store magic power within their tattoos. Through pretty intensive training, they taught me how to keep a constant flow of magic into my tattoo and whenever I use it, it glows and spreads. It is quite handy in long fights when I've exhausted all of my other powers."

"But you used it yesterday. Our fight wasn't very long."

Cyan plopped back down and curled the blanket closer to her chin, "If you don't use it, after a while the magic deteriorates. I haven't had a hard battle in a while so I use it all the time to keep the supply fresh."

Selene chose to ignore the insult.

"I want one."

Cyan peered out from underneath her arms, "You realize that it will postpone our departure from Valdir. It takes a while to adjust to and your skin has to heal before you can start putting your magic into it. And you've got to learn to control it, make it a steady flow."

"I heal fast. Please, I'm willing to do anything."

Cyan sat up again and leaned in towards Selene. Suddenly Selene became very aware of herself. But she forced herself to look straight ahead into Cyan's eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Cyan studied her for another moment before leaning back and yawning.

"Well if we want to get out of here in a decent amount of time we have to start now. Where do you want it?"

"Does size dictate power?"

"I wouldn't say so. My tattoo is only on my face, yet I have not found a limit to what it can contain. Besides, If we find that you need a larger one, we can always change it."

Selene nodded, "Then my face is fine. Besides, I like the way yours looks when you fight me. It's very intimidating."

Cyan chuckled, "I'm glad that's what you think when I'm rushing at you with a sword. Now lay down."

Cyan opened her bag and reached down into it up to her shoulder. It still baffled Selene how so much could fit into that small bag. She had never asked, but she had no doubt that it had been enchanted or bewitched somehow.

She pulled out a strange-looking vial and a small needle and crawled her way back to Selene who laid beneath her.

"What do you want your design to look like?" Cyan asked.

"Whatever you think would fit me."

Cyan gave a toothless smile and uncorked the vial. Dipping the needle into the strange ink she said, "This is going to hurt."

Selene swallowed nervously but kept her mouth shut.

"Close your eyes," Cyan whispered.

Selene did as she was told and braced herself for the first prick of the needle.

It was like someone had set a fire between her eyes. She cried out, and one of Cyan's strong hands landed on her chest, keeping her from moving.

"Do not move or else I will ruin the design!"

Selene dug her nails into her palms and told Cyan to keep going.

The pain did not lessen throughout the whole process, and it felt much longer to Selene that it actually was. When Cyan finally finished, Selene's face burned and her eyes watered.

"I'll be right back," Cyan said as she grabbed one of their medical rags and disappeared out into the night. Less than a minute later she returned, practically diving into the tent.

"It's inhabitable out there," she said as her teeth chattered. She unwrapped the rag to show a handful of snow. She spread the snow across Selene's face and the cool that settled over her made her groan in relief. After it melted, Cyan held out one of her daggers and said, "Have a look."

She took the dagger and looked at her reflection in its blade.

Three dots traveled down her forehead with a line dropping from the bottom dot right above her eyes. A stripe went across the bridge of her nose, another down the middle of her lips to the bottom of her chin, and two more were symmetrically under her eyes.

"It looks like warpaint," Selene whispered.

Cyan smiled, "I thought about what you said to me before we left to come here. How you wanted to be the one to fight for the victims of Icarus and the honor you would uphold."

She pressed her finger lightly on the bottom dot of Selene's tattoo and dragged it down across the other lines.

"These lines look ferocious and are meant to imitate and scare, but the thing that really drives you," Her finger traveled over her lips and down her chin. Then she pressed her hand against Selene's chest, over her heart, "is this." She leaned back on her heels, "Never forget that, Selene."

Selene looked back at her reflection in the dagger, staring at the dark blue lines. She was still looking when Cyan threw herself down onto her side of the blankets and said, "Now do not wake me unless a wolf is at our door."

"We don't have a door," Selene chuckled, but Cyan was already asleep.