Starfallen, p.9
Starfallen, page 9
part #1 of Lost Stars Series
“How will I know it works?” He said.
Xiao held a hand up to her mouth.
“You’ll know.”
Her voice had a twinge of the metallic tone, but more disturbingly, it felt like it was right in his head.
His eyes grew wide, and Xiao grinned again.
“You’re never going to get tired of doing that, are you?”
Xiao’s grin turned into a smile, and she shook her head. But the amusement quickly transformed into seriousness.
“I’ll be on station for the next few hours. Let me know if you need evac.”
“I don’t know what ‘evac’ is, but if we need help, I’ll say so,” Kairk said.
Xiao grunted and headed back up the ramp as it slid closed behind her.
Kairk watched the skimmer rise into the sky before setting off in the direction Xiao had given them. They walked for a few hours, Xiao’s accented voice coming through to his ear, as they shadowed his wife’s band.
“Looks like they’re settling in for the night,” Xiao said as the sky turned orange. “Your wife just told everyone to get some rest for a few hours. This maybe your best chance.”
“Where?”
“A click south.”
It was dark by the time Kairk saw dawnstones twinkling through the trees.
“Did she post guards?” Kairk whispered.
“I see eight. They’re all looking out though. There’s a hollow tree trunk big enough for you to crawl through on the opposite side of camp. It'll take you right into the camp."
"Can you get me there?"
"Start by going south another four hundred meters.”
Kairk turned to Raab and Jawn.
“Stay here,” he said. “If you hear an Owel call, do something to create a distraction.”
The other two nodded, then moved through the underbrush. Kairk watched them go, then started the other way around the camp.
Kairk let Xiao’s voice guided him through the forest before he made it to the log.
“Stop.”
Kairk froze.
“Sentry to your left is looking your way,” Xiao said.
Kairk lifted his head above the brush and saw Deruk two dozen paces to his left.
The man turned and started toward where Kairk was crouching.
Kairk ducked and pulled himself forward with his elbows, slithering along on his stomach.
He made it past Deruk and around a fallen log big enough to hide his bulk. He peeked over the wood and saw Deruk standing a few feet from where he’d been crawling, staring out at the forest.
Kairk breathed a sigh of relief and continued crawling forward until he found the fallen log Xiao had mentioned. It wasn’t as big as he’d expected, and his shoulders sent an avalanche of rotted wood down the trunk of the once-mighty tree.
He slipped out of the rotten wood in the heart of the camp. Cora had had the presence of mind to cover the Morning Star, so its light didn’t paint a trial to their location, but the flimsy cloth thrown over it still glowed.
In the soft blue light, he saw his wife sleeping with her back to the stone. He blonde locks were beautiful, and the light danced like it was being reflected in a rippling pool. His throat clenched and his resolved wavered. What good were the blessings Xiao offered if he lost her?
“She’ll forgive you,” Xiao whispered, reading his mind. “She’ll realize this is for the best. We can heal your people. Feed them. Take them home.”
Kairk’s stomach turned at the last words. His head knew that what he had done was for the good of the tribe, but Cora, a pained, betrayed expression painted across her face, dominated his heart.
He gently lifted the Morning Star from its cradle and wrapped it under his cloak. The bundle weighed against his side as he started back up the log.
“There’s a clearing two clicks south. I’ll meet you there.” Xiao said. “Then we can swing around and get the others.”
They made it to the clearing as dawn crested over the trees. The strange ship stood in a clearing, Xiao’s bulbous black and grey figure standing at the base of the ramp extending from the grey belly of the winged beast.
He was halfway across the clearing when an angry, familiar voice rang through the still air.
“Kairk!”
He froze. Knowing what he would see if he did, his body refused to turn.
“How could you?”
Gritting his teeth, he turned to face his wife. “How could I?”
He didn’t know how she was there, but she was. Gorgeous, strong, and somehow able to make his heart beat faster even as he was furious with her.
“You stole it from the tribe,” he said. “It wasn’t yours to take.”
“And it is not yours to give,” She said. She took one slow step and then another. Her face and voice relented. “It is our people’s. You are Captain, but some things are bigger than you.”
“I do this for the good of our people,” he said. “They won’t be sick. They’ll be safe. It is just a rock.”
Her face hardened again. “A rock?”
She was half a dozen paces from him now. “That is how you view the gift of your heritage? She may take your body to the stars, but what of your soul? Do you think they will help you when you ascend?”
“If they can perform the miracles they claim, who is to say that our souls wouldn’t go to the stars regardless of if we have a stone or not?”
“I do,” her voice barely carried to his ears.
Kairk realized it was a plea.
“Please don’t do this.”
He wanted to run to her, take her in her arms, and tell her he wouldn’t. That for all the miracles in the world, he only wanted her love.
But the Captain was at war with the man.
His people needed medicine, weapons, and food more than a stone. They were sick. They were dying on Gentori spears.
“The tribe is greater,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Starlight.”
He turned and resumed his trek toward the waiting ship.
“So am I.”
Kairk heard a snap and spun.
Cora held the string of dawnstones, the leather cord broken where she had ripped it from her neck.
“You may be my Captain,” She said quietly. With the tip of her spear, she cut the largest of the stones away from the others.
“But you are not the man I married.”
She tied a lovers’ knot where the stone had been and slipped the leather cord around her neck again. The pigeon sized stone glowed in her hand as she gazed at it one last time.
She flung the stone at his feet. It skipped across the dirt and hit his shin, sending a lightning bolt of pain up his leg.
He tried to ignore it as he watched her turn and disappear back into the forest. This time, the man nearly won. It was only Xiao’s voice in his ear that stopped him.
“I’m sorry, Captain.”
Clawing for every inch, the Captain regained his footing and beat back the man’s assault.
Kairk took another deep breath, then nodded. He made his way up the rest ramp and, not trusting his voice, handed the Morning Star to Xiao, before walking up the cold, metal ramp.
And the future.
If you enjoyed Starfallen, please click here to go leave a review!
And if you want a free copy of my novella from my Killchain Chronicles series, head over to www.CBrandonClark.com/Starter and let me know where to send it!
Acknowledgments
As always, this was a team effort.
Sara, thank you again for pushing me to be my best. And for kicking my butt into gear when I felt like slacking off on this one…
To the poor saps in my ECE Class way back in the day who read the original short story, thank you for the feedback.
And Mike, you said you wanted more so really this whole book is your fault…
Also by Brandon Clark
Killchain Books
Script Kiddies (Free to mailing list subscribers)
Ransomware
Trojan - Available 10/25
Wings of War
Dragon Fleet Five
About the Author
Brandon Clark is a Thriller, Science Fiction, and Fantasy author from Denver, Colorado. He left his corporate job is 2018 to write full time and hasn’t looked back. In addition to writing, he also does freelance IT Security work, which also serves as inspiration for his thriller series, The Killchain Chronicles.
When he’s not writing or protecting the world from hackers, you’ll likely find him on a trail with his camera, rooting on his hometown sports teams (He’ll happily respond to a loud “Go Dawgs,” “Unite and Conquer,” “Chop On,” or “Rise Up”), or planning his next adventure in some far away land.
Brandon Clark, Starfallen
