The Star Maidens Curse (A Dark Adventure)

Stolen by the brotherhood Chapter 14 - The Power of Order

Cillian remained silent, his eyes fixed on my face.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked, feeling self-conscious beneath his intense gaze.

He moved closer and tenderly brushed a strand of hair from my face.

"None of the others bore the mark," he whispered.

"What mark are you talking about? My arms and neck are scarred, but I don't have any on my face."

"You bear the mark of the scales of balance on your temple."

I immediately felt around my face.

"But Cillian, I'm telling you I have no marks on my face. No scars. Nothing."

"The marks are invisible to mortals."

I shook my head. Though I was enjoying my peaceful evening under the stars with Cillian, I began to wonder if these incredible stories were meant to lull me into a false sense of security.

What if they were true? The voices. I heard them myself.

Then the warnings of the Gatemen drifted into my mind.

"You don't believe me?" Cillian asked.

I laughed uneasily.

"Would you if you were in my position? First, you tell me that I'm one of the lost souls, and I must choose one of you to break the curse. Now, I'm a descendant of the stars, the reborn deity Astrea bearing the mark of the balancing scales that only you can see. If I'm a deity, why can't I see the scales, even if no one else can?"

"Because you're trapped in a mortal body and you're seeing through mortal eyes. Open your mind, Tilly. Allow yourself to believe."

Cillian gently traced a triangular pattern high on my left temple. I felt a mild stinging sensation where his fingers touched my skin. I stared at him for a moment, then touched the sensitive area to feel the slightly raised outline of two tiny scales I felt disoriented and my perspective shifted. Suddenly I was flying through the sky, hurtling along at a thousand miles a second. I felt free, powerful, at one with the night sky. The dizzying but not unpleasant sensation lingered a few seconds then vanished.

To be told something was one thing, but to feel it was another. How could I deny it now?

Cillian gently clasped my hands.

"Don't be afraid, Tilly. We believe that you're the reincarnated soul of Astrea. The

powerful connection we felt when we found you confirmed that you were our vanished deity. You also bear the mark of the scales, which are connected to the constellation of balance. The only problem is that we don't know which one of us you're connected to. The curse made us all feel the same about you, so this is why you must choose one of us."

"The curse... what is it? What does it have to do with Astrea and her power? Why did she vanish? If you think I'm Astrea, what does choosing one of you achieve? Will I die? Is it her power you truly seek?"

"You're allowing fear to speak for you," he said.

When Cillian looked at me, suddenly all thoughts, all questions and doubts disappeared and my mind became a blank canvas. There was something on his face that told me that he spoke the truth. I can't explain how I knew he spoke the truth, but I did.

I was too emotional to speak or respond to Cillian's words. Sitting with him in the evening of a world I was no longer sure was even mine, I gazed at the canopy of stars twinkling like feral eyes. Now that I paid attention, I began to discern the patterns of other constellations. I could only wonder if they, too, represented the divine deities Cillian spoke of, their energy scattered throughout the universe.