Starborn Legacy (A Starborn Series prequel)

Chapter fifteen

After rising before the sun and eating a hasty meal, Audrey gathered her pack and followed Emandi out of the cave.

"So, where exactly are we going?" she asked after a wide-mouthed yawn.

"I'm taking you to meet a Wish," Emandi answered. They had draped their long, muscular body with a flowing travel cloak. The ends of it flapped like flags in the frigid mountain wind. "The closest one that I know of lives with a fascinating little cult deep in the forest. I think it would do both of you some good to get to know one another."

Audrey shook her head, uncertain if she'd heard them correctly over the howling wind. "What kind of a wish? And did you just say 'cult'?"

With a deep rumble of laughter, Emandi crouched down onto all fours and dipped low so Audrey could climb onto their back. "I'll explain as much as I can along the way."

It took most of the day for them to descend the mountain and make their way to the isolated forest where this so-called cult lived. Along the way, Emandi talked.

"Has Welkin ever told you of the missing conjury?" they asked as they navigated the unforgiving slopes of stone. Audrey, who was nestled within their cloak like a baby in a sling, shook her head.

"What's a conjury?"

"It's an object that gives the Stars the ability to manipulate our world. Contrary to popular belief, Stars aren't all-powerful; their influence here on earth has limitations. However, in order to enforce the Plan, they occasionally need to do things that are, shall we say, outside of their skill set. In those cases, they draw their power from conjuries. Over the course of history, conjuries came to be known as wishing stars."

Thinking back to the conversation between Emandi and Welkin in the cave, Audrey was confused. "I thought you said the Stars don't actually grant wishes?" She felt Emandi shrug beneath her.

"Typically, they don't. In most cases, humans were simply convinced of their own importance thanks to some well-timed coincidences. But, on occasion, humans actually manage to provide a bit of inspiration with their desires."

"So, am I a Wish?" Audrey asked. Emandi's laugh rumbled through their back and into her chest.

"No, my dear. You are most definitely a Starborn. Your mother may have wished for you, but I believe Welkin chose to grant that wish the old fashioned way."

Audrey shuddered at the implication. "Oh, gross! Ew, forget I asked."

"Never." There was a grin in Emandi's voice as they spoke. "Anyway, nearly twenty years ago the Stars lost one of their conjuries here on earth. It was quite the scandal, especially after they couldn't find it on their own and needed to enlist the help of their most loyal followers to search for it.

Unfortunately, even the most loyal humans have a hard time turning down the kind of power offered by a wishing star. And so, when the fallen conjury was found, some opportunistic mortals decided to make a few wishes of their own before giving it back."

"Uh oh," Audrey said. The sensation of second-hand dread filled her gut with ice. "Something tells me that didn't go over very well with the Stars."

"Not with the Stars, nor with many of the loyal followers who had been tasked with finding the conjury in the first place." Emandi chanced a quick glance back at her over their shoulder, and their expression was wide with incredulity. "You have to remember that these are people to whom the word of the Stars is law. That anyone would defy the Stars by misusing the wishing star was seen as sacrilege of the highest order. Needless to say, the whole debacle created a bit of in-fighting, all of which was exacerbated when the wishing star itself vanished."