Elegy for a Star

Tess had read most of the chapter. A lost constellation. A smattering of thirteen stars in the rough shape of a hooded cloak. It was no different than the other constellations, except this one vanished, hundreds of years ago. No one seems to be certain why or where it went.

An idea came to Tess.

During the battle in the tower, Krahe was ready to abandon Henry for her cloak. Every time she dreamt of being Krahe, she was deeply in love with Henry. Why abandon someone you love for a piece of cloth?

Tess wracked her mind for any explanation. It couldn’t just be a sentimental object; It had to be something of extreme importance. Maybe something that wasn't just important to Krahe. Maybe it’s related to the constellation somehow? According to the book, the constellation had vanished from the sky shortly before Krahe’s time. It couldn't be a coincidence.

She didn’t have time to try to figure this out. Tess needed to invent a spell to break out of here. Maybe The Cloak constellation could aid her in that, except she wasn't sure what it did.

Each of the constellations had their own domain of traits, but she had no idea what the Cloak controlled. The book never said. It mentioned something about "The Self," so perhaps it was some enhancement of the body. Or enhancement of the mind? That would be useful. Maybe she should do some tests. Would the spell work if she didn’t know what it was meant to do? She’d never tried. The constellations were the fuel for a spell, but the intention of the Wyrden was what guided all of that power into something other than chaos. If she didn't know what the constellation did, she didn't know what to intend.

Who wore cloaks?

Travelers, sure, but that would overlap with The Wanderer. There was already a constellation for that.

Thieves or assassins? Maybe it had something to do with invisibility. No, it didn't. She'd dreamt of Krahe casting invisibility multiple times. She never used this new constellation.

Warmth? Was it about fire? The book said it was about the self, though, and Tess wasn't in favor of setting herself on fire. Hopefully that's not what it did.

"I'll just try something simple," Tess thought to herself, trying to quell her panic and turn it into determination and a necessity for focus, "Maybe a visual effect. Maybe an illusion of a cloak on me? That couldn't hurt."

Tess practiced the new, unfamiliar sign. The anchoring star was in what seemed to be a random spot within the cloak, which made the sign more difficult, since her gesture needed to end at its anchor. She had to practice to figure out what pattern she was going to make in order to end her line at the anchor. It didn't take her long to figure it out, surprisingly enough.

"I must be getting good at this," Tess thought with a small measure of pride.

The first time Tess managed to complete the sign accurately, she felt a ripple of static over her body. “What…?” Tess blurted aloud to herself, shocked in more ways than one, "What the fuck was that?"

Spells weren’t supposed to do anything until three signs were made. Why was this sign different? She could sign a single constellation over and over, so long as she waited some time between each one, and nothing would happen. Never before had she signed The Red Poppy and suddenly felt invigorated for a fight.

Why was this one different? Maybe it had to do with it not being in the sky anymore.

"Is it safe to use?" Tess began to hesitate, thinking deeply, "If I use it, will it hurt me? Was that a warning that it is no longer safe?"

She didn't have a choice. Molu'zhar was going to get her killed if she didn't find a way to escape. Worst case scenario, if she died, Molu'zhar was going to die with her when he tried to take on Arlen. That gave her a little bit of satisfaction, but she couldn't bear to never see her friends again. She couldn't bear to never see Gwen again.

She should work it into a full triplet. The All-Father should be first. That will guide the spell to focus on consciousness. Next would be The Archer. It embodied truth and accuracy. That made sense to Tess, to bring her consciousness back to what it should be. That would do. Maybe the true consciousness would spring forth. It made sense to her, which is the most important part of sorcery. She wasn't sure what the addition of The Cloak would do to it. If it really did have to do with the self, then that would only help, right? Focus it in on her. On her consciousness. On her truth.

Tess felt invigorated. She felt motivated. She prepared herself.

The All-Father. The Archer. The Cloak.

Sensation overwhelmed her. Every muscle in her body tensed and shook, until Tess dropped to the ground. Legs giving out, she fell upon the floor of dark void, unable to catch herself with her hands. She shuddered, her body seizing up. She saw spots. No, not spots. She was seeing stars. Actual stars. Distant, but building within her mind. Consciousness. Truth. Self. She wasn't sure why it hurt so much, but maybe it was working. The constellation was manifesting in her mind, maybe? Gods, it was so painful. But there were so many stars, and they were so beautiful. But her whole body felt like it was on fire for the briefest moment. She was panting; struggling to breathe. She had to shake her head in order to find some measure of composure.

Her mix of bliss and agony subsided when she heard that monster speak to her. “What are you doing?” Molu’zhar asked, sitting up straight in the seat that her physical body was resting upon.

Tess replied with a gasp of breath, “Practicing. To help you fight…”

Molu’zhar sighed, “Do you think I’m stupid, Tess?”

“No,” Tess breathed out, shaking her head.

“I was trying to be kind, but I think it’s time to teach you a lesson,” the demon replied. Tess could see Molu’zhar using her body to turn to the side and plant her hand upon a nearby table. Arlen had been eating and placed his food there. He had placed a knife there too.

Tess shook her head, weakly rising to her feet, “Please, don’t! It isn’t necessary. I’m trying to help you.”

Panicked, she tried another spell. The archer for truth. The cloak for self. The keepers for protection. Keep her body safe. That would work, right?

The Archer. The Cloak. The Keepers.

Once again, Tess’ body tensed up. Her leg spasmed and she dropped to the ground. There was power in that sign, but it remained untapped and it wracked her body instead of being expelled outward. Her breath was ragged and shallow as she struggled to remain conscious. “Molu’zhar!” She shouted with rage.

“Consider this a taste of what you'll see if you decide to continue fighting,” Molu’zhar replied, picking up the knife as he splayed Tess’ fingers out.

That monster. That fucking monster! This wasn’t possible! Tess couldn’t allow it. Tess refused to allow it. Her mind scrambled for a spell, but she couldn't do the mental calculation for anything else. She did what came to mind:

The Cloak. The Cloak. The Cloak.

Just as Tess saw Molu’zhar preparing the knife at one of her fingers, Tess let out a tearful scream. Her whole body lit up and Tess thought she was truly on fire, enveloped in the crushing conflagration within the belly of a star. Her mind was illuminated, and Everything made sense now.

She raised an arm toward the view she had of her physical form's actions. Molu'zhar could no longer puppet her body.

“What are you doing?” Molu’zhar asked, the first signs of panic in his voice.

It was too late for him, though. She was in control now. Her consciousness pushed to the forefront, and Tess could see her own hands in front of herself. Her skin was jet black. Stars shone upon her flesh as though she were painted with the night’s sky. She saw no fingernails, no wrinkles. She almost looked two-dimensional with the way the light couldn’t touch her arm. She, of course, wasn’t concerned. This is just how it was. This is how it always was.

Tess focused and Molu’zhar was expelled from her upper back. “What-...” was all he managed to blurt before Tess reached into the braided weave of time and plucked Molu'zhar from it. The demon simply ceased to exist. He didn't vanish or fade away. He didn't disintegrate. He simply wasn't.

Tess looked to the side to see the Wyrd blocking crystal. It wasn't cute. It wasn't interesting. It was a mundane toy. The cork trying to defy the eagre.

Tess felt nothing.

It wasn't important to her how much time had passed before the doors burst open. It was Krahe. Henry and Maeros followed close behind. She could see them. See through them. She could unravel them with a thought. 

“Tess!” Krahe shouted, voice cracking. There was sudden panic on her face.

”Gods, is that thing her? What’s become of her?” Maeros shouted. Or was it Henry? Their names were unimporant.

Tess’ starlit eyes focused on Krahe. On her cloak. That was important, but it belonged in this timeline. Not her own.

“It’s okay,” Krahe assured her, “We’re here to save you."

"Why?" Tess replied with a dull, bored tone.

"Just-... just relax, okay? Breathe. You need to come down to us."

Breathe? She didn’t need breath anymore. She needed nothing, and she certainly didn’t need Krahe. Why was she scared? That was something that Tess didn't understand. The thought made the corner of her mouth quirk upward.

“Please,” Krahe insisted, clenching her hands into fists, “Tess, I know what you’re going through. I know you had to do this to get free, but this isn’t a good thing. Please, come back down to us. You need to come back!”

Come back down? Tess’ feet were upon the ground, but she felt as though she were flying. Hovering uncountable miles away. It was... empowering to dwarf them. To dwarf the world. To dwarf the Black Sun.

Maeros and Henry looked horrified, looking between Krahe and Tess. There was confusion on their faces. "Krahe, what the fuck is that thing?" Maeros shouted.

That thing? That made sense. That felt fitting.

"Shut the fuck up!" Krahe cried out, swiveling her body toward Maeros, "Don't provoke her!"

"They're behind us," Henry said, charging out of the room with his blade high. Maeros joined shortly after, leaving just Tess and Krahe.

Krahe took some steps forward, holding out her hands in a pacifying manner, “Tess?” Her breath was quiet and sympathetic, “We’ve done this before, Tess. We've done this, and each time it gets harder to bring you back. But we don’t need it again. We don't. We're safe together."

Tess didn’t respond. She felt no need. What could she say that she'd even care for Krahe to know? The cloaked woman hadn't yet spoken anything of value.

"You promised. You promised," Krahe started to sound angry. She started to sound hurt. Tess didn't understand why, and she didn't care to.

Her eyes widened and she stood straight, as though she just realized the trick to it, “I’m there, right? In the future. I’m there with you, aren’t I?" As she spoke, she seemed to believe her own statement more and more, "I told you I always would be, so I must be. I am there to protect you, so you need to trust me!” Krahe shouted, “Tess, you need to trust me!” Krahe took another step forward, “Tess? Do you hear me?" 

Krahe screamed, "Say something!"

Wordlessly, completely ignoring the small woman, Tess drew a finger in front of her, trailing it downward. In the wake of her movement, she split the fabric of space ahead of her, until it parted for her. She could see the tower on the other side before she willed the opening to wrap around her.

“Stop!” Krahe shouted, darting toward her, “Tess, stop!” She screamed, “You’re dangerous! You’re going to hurt somebody! Tess, gods, don't go!”

One step forward and Tess found herself standing in the upside-down tower. The protests from Krahe drained out as the portal immediately shut behind her.

Miren, Gwen and Mairaela stood there, staring at her like she was a monster. They must have been, because they drew weapons. They must have been expecting Tess, but she wasn't Tess anymore. Not really. 

It was of no consequence.

They didn’t matter anymore, after all.