Black Stars - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 7 - Dying in Defiance

A ship is always safe at shore, but that is not what it's built for.

- Albert Einstein 

"Wow." Zarah's eyebrows had nearly jumped to the stratosphere as Leah recounted yesterday's events. "You've got a stalker. Like a proper, restraining order, hot stalker."

Leah took a bite of her sandwich. "Jared's not that hot."

They lay on Zarah's bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling and eating. It'd taken longer than expected for Leah to explain her run in with Jared between her bites of bread and Zarah's constant exclamations.

"You'll have to get a bodyguard or something," Zarah said. "He'll try find you again."

Leah rolled her eyes. "I'm not getting a bodyguard."

"I'm serious." A threatening sandwich pointed in Leah's direction. "I don't want to wake up with your face splattered all over the news next week."

Leah had to admit she didn't particularly want that either.

"I don't think that's likely. He ran away when he saw Brenton. He looked scared."

"Brenton looks like a Viking. Everyone's scared of him."

Leah choked on a laugh. "Well, Jared's going to realise he's got the wrong girl. He was asking me for something called the Mors Mortis Device. I don't know what that is, but I'm 95% sure I don't have it."

She'd spent hours googling 'Mors Mortis Device' the night before and came up blank, converting her curiosity to frustration one link at a time.

Zarah frowned, sandwich half way to her mouth. "That's what he wants? The Mors Mortis Device?"

Leah absorbed her serious expression. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yeah. It's a device supposed to control—" she paused, looking for the right word, "other worlds. My cousins are really into mythology, they told me all about it. It was created by an angry Greek God, or something like that."

Leah pondered this for a moment. "So, it's a myth? It's not real?"

"Yeah."

Leah slumped back. If the Mors Mortis Device was a myth, then her father's role probably was too. Leah was surprised at the strength of her disappointment. He'd been a fairytale her whole life. The loss of something already absent shouldn't hit so hard.

Leah took another bite quietly, staring into space.

There was a knock on the door and Zarah's mum poked her head in. "Hi girls. Alice is downstairs to pick up Leah."

Leah cleared her throat and stood, saying a brief goodbye to Zarah before heading down.

Alice stood on the front verandah, her hair wrapped into a bun she'd clearly fiddled with since putting up. When she saw Leah, she turned and moved back to the car. Leah frowned, noticing the bags under her eyes.

It wasn't until the car was moving that Leah broke the silence.

"Is everything alright?"

Alice tapped a finger against the wheel. "Everything's fine. I just wish you hadn't left the house this morning without telling me. I don't want you walking around by yourself after yesterday."

Leah held back a groan. "How long will you feel uncomfortable with me being out by myself, exactly?"

"Until I find Jared." The response was immediate and left no room for argument.