Starborn Legacy (A Starborn Series prequel)

Chapter twelve

When Audrey woke the next morning, bundled in an unfamiliar quilt and surrounded by new smells, she panicked. She bolted upright and found herself cradled in a gigantic nest of blankets and furs next to a darkened firepit and wondering where she was. Then her eyes spotted the walls of shelves with their many lifetimes of treasures and oddities, and she remembered: Emandi's cavern. The memory of saying goodbye to Welkin swam back to her as if it had been a dream.

"I'll be back for you as soon as possible," Welkin had assured her, standing with their back to the vast night sky that stretched out beyond the cave's mouth. Their smile looked forced, but Audrey didn't hold it against them. She knew they were conflicted enough about leaving her behind atop that mountain with no one but an ancient beast for company — she didn't want to make them feel worse. "Until then, keep practicing and, please, stay safe."

They had embraced one more time before Welkin stepped out into the night. Audrey watched in open-mouthed awe as their physical form collapsed into a burning ball of shimmering light that erupted skyward into a pillar so bright that she had to shield her eyes from it. When she looked up, the world was dark again and Welkin was gone.

Audrey had spent the night comfortably nestled in Emandi's bed. She vaguely remembered the great cat joining her at some point as she started to doze off, coiling around her like a dragon guarding its treasure. She drifted to sleep, surrounded in the downy softness of Emandi's fur, lulled by the deep rhythmic purring that rattled inside of them. Now the nest was empty, and as Audrey peered around the room, she realized that the rest of the cavern was too. She was alone.

Her eyes dropped to the lonely firepit. Now, she figured, was as good a time as any to start making good on Welkin's request.

"Shit, it's cold out here," she mumbled, sliding out of the cozy nest and onto one of the many rugs that were laid out over the stone floor. Wearing her quilt like a cape, she got to work setting up a structure of kindling among the previous night's ashes. When she finished, she raised her palms above the wood, closed her eyes, and tried to capture the magic just like Welkin taught her.

Nothing happened.

It was hard to say how long Audrey sat there, willing the fire to light, when she heard the padding of footsteps enter the cave.

"What's happening here?" Emandi asked.

Audrey opened her eyes with a groan. "Welkin was trying to help me control my powers, but I still can't figure it out."

"Ah." Emandi slinked across the cavern and sat down beside her, their tail sweeping lightly across the ground. "Is that what I interrupted yesterday?"

"Yeah," Audrey said. "It's so frustrating. How come I'm only magical when I don't want to be?"

"A conundrum. Tell me about these times you were magical without trying."

Audrey tugged the quilt cape tighter around her shoulders as if it might offer some protection against the self-consciousness she felt. She couldn't tell if Emandi was genuinely interested or just humoring her, but she thought back on the handful of experiences she'd had so far and tried to sum them up without having to go into any embarrassing details. "It usually happens when I'm upset or angry. Mostly angry, I guess. I don't even realize it's happening until it's too late and suddenly something's exploding or catching fire."

Rather than laughing, Emandi nodded with a thoughtful hum that rumbled deep in their throat. "Of course. Adolescent rage. That makes sense."

"First of all, my rage was justified," Audrey said, puffing up indignantly. "Second, what about it makes sense?"

"Did the Star explain how your power works? About how all the world is made up of energies, and that your Starborn blood gives you the ability to manipulate them?" Emandi waited until Audrey nodded before continuing. "Well, some energies are easier to recognize than others, such as the energies that get stirred up by strong emotions. These are the energies that even the most mundane creatures can sense, like when you can feel that you're being watched, or when the mood of another affects your own simply by being in the same room with them. Your teenage tantrums are the low-hanging fruit of energy, as it were."