Blood Ties

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

        Huddled near the fire of the small bedroom, Star closed her eyes, despairing. She had tried everything in all their medical and herbal bags, pouring over every foreign word in an attempt to decipher it. It was to no avail, for she found nothing that could help Marco.

        She had moved on to different bags: bags of junk or clothing or food, and the only thing that she thought might be useful was a leather book with foreign words on the front. It was the book Kaya had left for she and Marco to train with, but as the words were as unfamiliar to her as her own magic, it did little. She held it close to her chest nonetheless, her hands griping at the cover desperately.

        With a sigh, she opened her weary eyes and flipped open the book to the first page once again, her gaze trailing across the scratches that may have been letters. A sob caught in her throat, but she choked it back, refusing to allow herself to give in just yet. Her eyes refocused on the pages of the book, catching sight of two words she thought were vaguely recognizable.

        Genus vincula.

        She stared at those words with an intense gaze, willing them to become readable, to readjust themselves and become English instead of whatever language they were.

        You’re ‘willing’ the wrong thing.

        Her brows lowered over her eyes, and the hands that rested upon the book clenched together.

        Instead of wishing they would change, why don’t you?

        Star’s eyes widened as her viewpoint altered, the words themselves unchanging. They did not translate into English on the page, nor did they in her head, but she found herself able to understand the words easily.

        Princess Star,

        If you are reading this, then from this point on you are in extreme danger. Once you translate this book, you will have unlocked your powers to their extent and learned better control. But you will be easier to detect and injure without the protection of your untamed Harmonia.

        You may have turned to this book in curiosity or desperation or need –I care little. What I do care about is how you use it. Harmonia was made to be pure and light and good, but because of the world’s fallen and corrupted state, it is so easily made evil. Please be careful.

        This book has little to no information about how to use Harmonia, but instead has information about what Harmonia is and why you have it. I envy you and pity you all at once.

        -Kaya

        Her eyes wide, she flipped to the next page, scanning over the words with a growing confusion. The words should be nonsensical to her, but they weren’t…and yet, they still made a very small amount of sense. Brows drawn together, she began to read:

        Blood ties in ways unfathomable. You are one part of a whole, a small part in a larger destiny, and merely a piece in fate. What is it that you desire, Second Star? You may have it, and more, but you cannot stop fate.

        You are a Wielder, the second princess, the one who will unlock the Desiderium, and yet so insignificant. Do you know, there is another like you? A princess, a Wielder? She cannot unlock the Desiderium. Why can’t she? Why not?

        She would be so much easier to bend to our will. Second Star will save her kingdom, but she would save Orbis from destruction. War will follow your choice. Peace would follow hers.