Page 3 of Starfall

I studied my friend, wishing I could harness some of her boldness. She always made it appear so effortless to express herself, and not just the things we’d been taught.

“You always say exactly how you feel, regardless of what anyone thinks,” I spoke my thoughts as I wrapped my arms around her and nuzzled her jasmine-scented curls.

“It’s one of the many reasons why I like you.

No ,” I clarified with firm conviction, “one of the many reasons I love you. And nothing can ever take that away.”

We clutched one another until the band changed its tune and someone called Lily’s name. When I pulled back, I glimpsed a single tear cascading down my sister’s cheek.

The tears of a star maiden were sacred, imbued with healing properties. Lifting a hand, I let the silver tear fall to the pad of my index finger, the droplet glistening in the dim lighting.

Holding it to my eyes, I watched as the tear seeped beneath my skin, fusing with my very essence.

And then I felt it?—

Love . Pure and unabashed love spread through my chest, its warmth drowning out the unwelcome fear that had gripped me in its clutches.

Our love for each other could get us through tonight.

There was no other choice.

“On this most holy of nights, you all will partake in the Great Fall!” Mistress Lina spoke above the murmuring flock of assembled sisters, all donning their best gowns, flowers and metallic threads woven into their hair.

They were bubbling with excitement like I should’ve been. Instead, I was abuzz with doubts I’d never experienced in all my years. I despised them. They contorted my mind and warped my insides into fine knots I couldn’t untangle, no matter what sacred verse I recited in my head.

I shifted in place as all fourteen star maidens formed a perfect circle in a chamber of pure, radiant light. Amber tiles glowed beneath their bare feet, and the thousands of candles hanging from a crystal chandelier highlighted the painted gold illustrating the walls.

It was unlike any other place on Maldia, where white, silver, and blue were triumphant.

My mouth fell as I scanned the chamber, my fingers itching to graze the walls and see if they were as soft as they appeared. To touch the intricate whorls of painted yellow and ochre surrounding us. The designs made the room feel as though we were all trapped in an endless spin.

“First, we must recite our most honored prayer, offering ourselves to the Eternal, and his infinite wisdom.” Mistress Lina bowed her delicate neck, her black hair brushing against her ageless face.

The others dutifully followed suit. Yet…

I hesitated, stealing a quick glance at Lily, taking in her lifted chin, her eyes wide open. I took her hand in mine.

“We give ourselves to the Earth, to the sky, to the heavens. To the mortals and their souls. We are the Eternal’s servants, born to bless the world with our light.

We will protect the balance at all costs.

” Mistress Lina paused, always one for dramatics, as soft sighs of anticipation floated across the room.

“Tonight, we shed our physical bodies and take our rightful places in the skies.”

Lily questioned how there could be a ‘balance’ when only the Eternal ruled.

That faceless entity we revered yet never beheld.

Balance should require two opposing forces, she’d debated.

I’d never allowed myself to think much of it until this moment, standing in the Room of the Fallen, staring my fate directly in the eyes.

Why my mind chose now to roil with such grating dread was highly inconvenient.

At my side, Lily gripped my hand for dear life, her palms slick with sweat. We were forbidden to speak, but I clutched her with enough force to ground her.

“One by one, you will make your way to the center and profess your devotion. Then I will paint you in the ashes of our fallen sisters and recite the sacred incantation.” The one that would deliver us to Earth, to wherever our Chosen dreamer slept.

Once contact was acquired, the soul of a star maiden knitted itself to their selected mortal. Supposedly, nothing—not even the Eternal himself—could sever the connection until a wish was granted.

“You may watch as your sisters give themselves to their destiny,” Mistress Lina said, her flowing hair shimmering beneath the light of the candles. Fourteen pairs of silver eyes opened, though none possessed the violet flecks that Lily did. That warmth reminded me of home.

“Carina, come into the circle.” Lina spread her arms as Dara, one of the younger maidens—and Lina’s protégé—journeyed to her side, a dish carved of bone cradled in her hands.

Intricate depictions of stars and swirling clouds were etched onto its sides, the ancient bowl used for every Fall. Tradition remained sacred.

With a smile both bright and unnerving, Carina sauntered into place, lifting her pointed chin as she stood in front of our head sister. Her straight black hair fell to her waist, light blue threads woven into the braid crowning the top of her head.

Without prompting, she recited the words we all knew by heart, her lilting voice sickly sweet. “I am a star maiden. A messenger of the Eternal. I give my body to the world, and in return, I bring honor to myself and the sisters who came before me.”

Lina nodded in approval, dipping a hand into the ivory pot, her fingers coming away stained in a charcoal paste.

Muttering beneath her breath, she lifted her ash-covered fingers to graze Carina’s forehead, moving down her nose, over her full mouth, and onto her chin.

Carina smiled, her canines poking into her bottom lip.

“Go, sister Carina, and fulfill your life’s mission,” Lina said solemnly. “May the Eternal be with you.”

I tensed as a brilliant beam of light erupted, stealing my sight and leaving me gasping. It lasted but a heartbeat, and by the time I peeled open my eyes, Carina was gone.

Icy sweat pooled down my back, soaking the thin silk. I was the faithful one, the sister who’d trusted the Eternal with every fiber of my being. And here I stood, shaking with undeniable horror and the urge to run .

Lina called out more names, the sisters advancing into the center as the process repeated, and one by one, the blaring light stole them away, leaving nothing in their place.

Then, all too soon, Lily’s name rang out in the air. My knees knocked together, and a burst of adrenaline left me breathless as I scrambled to hold on to time itself. She turned to stone beneath my palm, her body rigid.

“Lily, please step into the circle.” Lina beckoned her with a warm smile, her silver eyes flashing.

I couldn’t seem to release her hand. I wasn’t ready for her to leave me. I wasn’t ready to leave.

Fuck, that was a blasphemous thought.

So was the word ‘fuck.’

“It’s all right,” Lily whispered in the shell of my ear, her voice a soothing balm. “We will meet again, Ari. Trust me.” With a tight smile, she pried my fingers from her hand and ambled into the center with her head lifted in determination.

I could do nothing as Lina spoke the hallowed words, the room erupting in a fire of a thousand trapped stars.

And then…Lily was gone, too. As though she never existed at all.

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I wanted to sprint from the room, run as far from this sacred chamber of gold as I could.

Helplessly, I remained immobile, a throbbing ache taking residence in my chest. Witnessing Lily’s Fall wasn’t what I expected, and these emotions that tore me apart…

they were by no means the peace I believed I would feel.

Something felt off . Wrong.

I barely heard when my name echoed in the chamber, hardly perceived the ice-cold hands prodding me forward. By the time I realized I stood but a foot away from Lina, it was too late. The elder maiden spoke the words, but the blood roaring in my ears muffled the incantation.

“Arina!” Lina snapped, forcing my eyes to my mentor, the painfully beautiful creature who raised us all. A maiden selected by the Eternal himself. “Time to say your vow. ”

My lips trembled, and my body swayed, my fingers shaking violently.

I can do this . I want to do this.

“Now, sister!”

My eyes fluttered closed, and I willed my breathing to even. I pictured the realm of mortals, envisioned how my life would save another, and bestow faith in our blessed Eternal. But mostly, I pictured Lily.

My lips moved as I repeated the vow, though my mind drifted elsewhere; I recalled the nights Lily made me sneak into the library past curfew, how we’d stolen extra desserts at dinner, crumbs lining our pockets the next morning.

I pictured the sister who meant more to me than a vow to the universe and a god I’d coveted since childhood.

A massive swell of love flooded my chest as the room ignited. I breathed the adoration and unyielding affection I’d been lucky enough to feel—if just for a little while.

I might’ve smiled, Lily’s face a shining beacon of joy.

I replayed all of our secret dreams and hopes as the sizzling white light enveloped me in its effervescent embrace. My body broke apart and reformed. Air left my lungs. I grew weightless, drifting deeper into the endless haze, falling and flying in equal measures.

My bones cracked and snapped back into place, my skin stinging with residual divinity. A glacial breeze wafted through my long hair, a furious wind saturated with electricity and ancient power.

When my ribs fractured and reformed, I felt no pain. I heard only the agitated beating of my heart—the one thing the light had left intact.

That devastating glow flared and ignited one final time.

I opened my eyes.

I stood in a familiar, dim room, one belonging to the young man I visited five nights ago. Beneath the covers of a narrow bed—his feet hanging off the end—my dreamer slept, his soft snores the lone noise in the too small room.

My Chosen.

The man I’d give my life to.

I wiped my clammy hands down the front of my dress, wondering if Lily had bestowed her wish and found her place among the maidens of the past. The single thing that kept me from succumbing to the swelling fear was that soon I’d join her.

I forced my unsteady feet forward, stumbling as I did so.

My Chosen snored, ignorant of the woman haunting his bedside.

I had to move, had to reach out and touch his forehead and grant his wish. Yet I stilled, my hand shaking in the air as it hovered above the striking man.

In his sleep, he frowned, his brow creased, and his lips tugged down.

He was handsome in a rugged way, his strong jaw highlighted by coarse stubble.

Sharp cheekbones, unruly, wavy brown hair, and a slightly crooked nose added to his roughened appearance, but they fit him somehow, the combined features making him all the more attractive.

Briefly, I wondered what color his eyes were.

Not that I’d ever know. Not that I should want to know.

My time had come. I’d save a life and live in the endless sky for the rest of my days. The thought gave me a semblance of peace, and I held onto that sliver with everything I had.

Sparks of white fire danced along the tips of my fingers, and slowly, painfully so, I allowed my hand to fall upon his forehead.

I hadn’t prepared myself for his eyes to shoot open.