The Starriest Summer (The Cycle of the Six Moons, #1)

Chapter Fourteen: Deserted

Part Two: The Creator's Role

I feel like I've been forced through a tiny pipe.

I am in pain. I try not to wonder how many bones are still intact.

I smell something burning. My entire existence is on fire.

"Eat this, child."

Ugh, what a horrible voice. Listening to it worsens my pain.

Something presses against my lips. Maybe it's food, but I don't have enough energy to chew—much less open my mouth.

Just let me die here.

"Child, I will not let you die," the voice croaks.

Something else presses against my lips. This time it slithers into my throat. It warms me on the way down, stinging the back of my throat, and after a few seconds, it turns icy cold.

I bolt upright and cough, trying not to choke on the liquid. Whatever it is, it's given me enough energy to move, but as soon as I realize I can sit, my head spins with pain, and I feel myself sinking.

Someone catches me before I fall and shoves something into my mouth.

"Quick, swallow."

It feels like a grape that I'm bound to choke on, but I do as I'm told. It's stuck in my esophagus. More liquid pours down my throat, and the lump goes down. I can finally lie back and I feel and hear bones snapping back in place.

The next five minutes make me want to die, and when all the snapping is done, I just want to sleep.

"You can sleep later, once you're safe."

I open my eyes. I don't ever remember my eyes taking this long to focus before. I see a small figure curled over a fire.

"Mm... Mmm..." I know what I want to say, but it's not coming out.

"Madam Manasa, yes, it's me," she says.

Oh God, I've never felt so crappy in my life.

"You'll feel better soon." She hands me a teapot. "Drink more."

From where I lie on my side, I try to pour more of the hot-icy liquid into my mouth, but a lot of it spills onto the ground. I'm lying in dirt.

After a few more sips, I have the energy to sit up. Besides the small fire, I only see a dark, leafless tree nearby. The rest is barren. In the horizon are the shapes of black mountains against the bright, starry sky.

"Where are we?" I manage to choke out. I drink more of the liquid to moisten my throat.

"The Bandits' Desert, outside the TufosCanyon." She looks away from a stick she's carving, and I see the outline of her large nose in the firelight. "We're on the Riesen Continent now. Far, far away from precious Arriscyal."

My eyes widen. "How did I get here? I was just with—"

"Prince Jaysonn, yes. That was three nights ago."

"Three nights?!" I gasp. "How did this happen?"

"The First Moon," Madam Manasa says. "On your sixth day here, Pesaeton decided to strike. His shadow possessed the Dark Mist and stripped you and the prince from the safety of Arriscyal. It's a phenomenon rare even for the First Moon; however, Pesaeton's hatred toward you is strong." She chips off another piece of wood into the fire. "Don't worry about your prince; he can take care of himself. As for you..." She hands me the carved wooden stick. Her tone becomes harsh and threatening. "You can keep thinking that this is a game, and put yourself in danger, or accept that this is your new reality, because if you don't start taking the Cycle seriously, you'll never return home."

I swallow hard. "What do I have to do?"

"First, find yourself shelter for the night, because there are more vicious Taesmal mutants here in the desert than back in sweet Arriscyal. Plus, if you don't get any rest, you won't make it to tomorrow's sunset." She eyes me up and down. "You may want to do something about those clothes, too. A princess isn't suited for this terrain."

I look at myself. I'm still wearing the pink dress, but I no longer have the air petticoat, and much of the skirt is ripped, tattered, and stained with my blood. It's a shame.

"At daybreak," Madam Manasa continues, "follow these mountains south until you reach the canyon. Follow the river downstream to the West Wind. You can take a boat there back to Arriscyal."

I keep staring at the wooden stick.

"That is for your protection. It shoots fire at your grip and will."

I point it into the distance and give it a squeeze. Sure enough, fire blasts out of the top like a flamethrower, but I'm not in the right mood to laugh about it.

"Besides the mutants, thieves and vagabonds roam the mines and caverns of the canyon. Be careful about who you trust."

"Can't I just teleport myself back to Arriscyal?"

She narrows her eyes at me. "Try it." With that, her image twists itself into a small thread and she vanishes.

"Wait!" I yell, pushing myself to my feet. "Please don't leave me."

But the old lady isn't coming back.

I sigh and fall back to the ground. Now what?

I pick up a nearby rock and stare at it for a few seconds. Maybe because I'm so weak and exhausted, but it remains a rock. I want it to be a transporter or a communicator, but even after deep, calming breaths and trying to forget my frustration, I can't transform it. I can't even smooth its jagged edges. I hurl it back into the dirt.

Damn. I'm really alone, aren't I?

Now isn't the time to cry. I look around me and take a deep breath. If not for the fire, I would be shivering. As Madam Manasa said, I need to find shelter, though it doesn't look like there are nearby caves, or enough wood on the lone tree.

I lower myself to all fours and scoop dirt around me in a wide circle, creating the base of a dirt wall. I try several times to use my powers and raise it into a building, and each time I fail to make anything happen, I feel myself sink closer to tears.

Finally, once I close the circle of dirt, I manage to raise and harden it into a clay dome, with the fire sitting in the center. A hole at the top allows the smoke to escape.

If I were in a better state, I would be able to create a comfortable bed and a proper cottage, but this is all I can manage for now. I gather the skirts of my tattered princess dress and try to curl up for sleep, but the dirt floor is hard and the fabric is too lightweight. My stomach grumbles with the little food Madam Manasa gave me to eat, though I'm too tired and disheartened to try to make food from the rock.

I can't help but think that this is how Goddess dies, this is where the game ends—but Madam Manasa is right. I have to accept that this is my new reality now.

No more games now. I'm out in the wilderness, with no one to guide me. I have to survive.

I tell myself not to cry, but I can't help but get teary-eyed as I fall asleep.

Author's Note

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The Starriest Summer, the first book in The Cycle of the Six Moons trilogy, is available in its entirety here on my website: https://adelleyeung.com/books/csm1starriestsummer/