When Stars Fall (NaNoWriMo22)

Chapter 11

"You idiot! You had her within reach and lost her? Again!" The sisters sit across each other, communicating through their magical disposition. Illumia glares at Nirvana with so much anger that would set her on fire if she could. "How could you, Nirvana? All for what? For your little theatrics!" Eleste lets her sisters poison each other. She quietly twists her ring, round and round, deep in thought.

My sister has failed, she thinks gleefully. I shall do better than Nirvana. I'll rip the girls' heart before she could even take one step away from me.

"I know I made an error, Illumia!" Nirvana screeches, gripping her chair tightly enough to cause her knuckles to go white. "But how was I to know that the boy had an hestrelle candle?" Illumia fidgets with her necklace, back and forth, as she listens to Nirvana's excuses. It is typical of her sister to blame all her errors on everything other than herself. "The boy wasn't with her the entire time. You had the chance to grab her, but you didn't!" A vein has started to show in Illumia's forehead and Eleste notices the rising tension.

"Enough of this!" Eleste commands over her sister's arguing. "All this arguing will not get us the Star! Now, where is she now?" Illumia's jaw ticks in irritation as she throws one last look at Nirvana. "I have drawn the cards. They said that she is neither on the ground nor back in the sky. She's somewhere in between." Nirvana huffs with impatience, crossing her arms like a punished child. She refuses to offer any insight. Eleste and Illumia both decide to ignore her. "They are on an asterboat," Eleste concludes, pinching the bridge of her nose. Illumia, on the other hand, grits her teeth as her anger reaches new heights. Out of all things, it had to be an asterboat! She fists her hands tightly, her nails drawing blood in the process. "This is your fault, Nirvana!" Illumia snaps, spiting her venom at her sister once again. "If you hadn't acted so imprudently, we would've already had her!"

"I will not stay here and let you degrade me any further, Illumia! I shall get the Star and you will regret shaming me!" Nirvana stands from her seat and fully faces Illumia. "A word of advice, sisters," her coy lips spread into a manic smile, "I wouldn't use too much of your magic, if I were you." Eleste tries to catch her sister's gaze as she asks, "Why is that, Nirvana?" She merely shrugs and rubs her ring furiously, disappearing from sight.

Eleste leans back into her chair with a sigh. "You should not have provoked her so. Who knows what she'll do now." Illumia shrugs measly as if she truly does not care what Nirvana will do. She has dealt with her sister's bursts of rage before. It might prove to be of favor to her when Nirvana tries again at capturing the Star. "The asterboat will port tomorrow, but by the time we discover where exactly they will land, it'll be too late." Eleste can feel a sliver of a headache forming at her temples.

"When will it port again?"

"Four days' time." Eleste curses. Four days is far too long. "Have you been able to see where it will port next?" Illumia shakes her head, her golden hair swaying back and forth. "I only know it's direction. South." Eleste taps her chin with slow and deliberate movements. It seems that attaining this star has become increasingly difficult. Especially with what Eleste now knows. "I have consulted the Sheer." Illumia leans forward, seemingly interested at the simple fact that her sister dared to look through the Sheer. Especially with all it entails. "We are not the only ones searching for the Star. There are five Princes who are traveling from the South seeking something she has."

"Well," Illumia gestures for her sister to continue, "what is it? What does she have?"

"I do not know. The Sheer could not say." She furrows her brow as if she were still peering at the Sheer. "And the boy is also a mystery. He has something that guides him, protects him. He will not be easily kills nor separated from our Star." At this, Illumia is surprised. A mere mortal boy who's not easily killed? She hadn't heard of such a thing. "Did the Sheer say who this boy is? What, exactly, is protecting him?" Eleste sniffs angrily before turning her gaze back at her sister. "The answers were inconclusive. Each answer contradicted the other."

Illumia is even more surprised by this. No one has been able to hide themselves through a seeing conducted by her sister. It has become a pattern of anomalies with this Star and her mortal boy. They both do not need to say it, they can both feel it. There is danger approaching them. A clandestine event. What a thrill!