Mina of the Stars

Chapter 4: Diamond Shackle

Phobetor is as Mina left it, a black towered city-scape, with glowing windows for eyes and faint cackles and crackles of several thousand voices. It is an ever unchanging shadow-light, an endless twilight. Typhon doesn't spin on its axis, instead one side faces perpetually towards the sun, and the other, the coldness of space. The habitable zone lies in between, in the edge, just away from the burning too-hot rays of sun, and but exposed to the warming winds that blow over keeping the cold edge away.

Her father had once compared Typhon's long days to the winter Arctic days on Earth, "Back when it had ice. Back when the sky was clear enough to tell day from night."

But for Mina, who'd never known a planet with seasons, or changing light over twenty-four hours, Phobetor was exactly as it should be. Typhonic cycles were marked by the explosive eruptions of Anvil, the largest volcano near the city of Phobetor. It erupted, like clockwork, when Oceanus and Rhea were closest in orbit. This happened every six turns around their sun Helios. Mina's father had equated six Typhonic cycles to one Earth year.

One of Mina's last memories of their father, when he was lucid, was his attempt to calculate their Earth age. He'd placed Mina around twenty-four, Josh at eighteen and Dee at fifteen. It had been one of the last times Mina had seen him, some five cycles ago. Not that he'd been particularly present before then. Mina had been looking after Josh and Dee since their mom had fallen ill. Mina had spent most of her life protecting her siblings.

And I'm not giving up now.

She crosses Kakos' bridge. Each deep set gem in the metal planks brings awareness again to her mangled cheek. Her head pounds painfully where Dee punched her. Which normally wouldn't have done much harm, only Kakos had already had a go on her face.

And here I am, walking back to him. Maybe I am just a stupid human.

The bridge swings and chimes, sending echoes into the black depths of Nix. It is disturbing to think that she is placing her trust in this construct of Kakos. Will he even speak to me? He will probably laugh in my face and ruin my other cheek.

She climbs the cliffside slowly, wondering if defeat lies at the end of her journey. The putrid smell of the human camp above assaults her senses first. A deep voice speaks above, negotiating a contract:

"...and in exchange for this thimbleful of water, you will be the doormat for the entirety of my feast-gather."

A raspy human voice replies, "Make it three and you have a deal."

The god-blood laughs. Mina crests the cliff in time to make out an enormous god, little bits of static sparking off his skin as he reaches forward and shakes hands with an older man, bent with age or other afflictions hidden under his dirty clothing.

The older man winces as he gets shocked. The god-blood smiles, "All will enjoy cleaning their feet upon you. Be sure to come early so we can shower you before you collect the dirt off our claws and toes."

The god-blood turns away. Another human hand reaches down towards him from a rock cave above, "Please." The woman cries, "I could hold jackets, scarves, anything. I am so thirsty."

The god-blood stops, looking up. "I was looking for a miserable human for a centerpiece. I will give you ten thimbles to wear the irons and allow the other gods to explore what disgusting creatures you are. That shouldn't be too hard for you?"

The woman's hand hesitates. Mina's heart thumps for her. Explore is a pretty vague term. She should counter the offer.

The woman replies. "They can touch only where I have no clothes."