Stranger Skies (The Borderlands Saga #1)

2. The Buried Star

24th Cufaito

Curiosity is what sent them to investigate the shooting star.

They'd seen shooting stars before, but never had they seen — or felt — one land so close. The boom had rent the air, and their house had shook on its foundations. The animals in the barn had spooked and were still skittish.

The star had landed less than a mile away, by Scoas' estimation. Still within his land boundaries.

Yet, he knew his neighbors may have their curiosity get the better of them and go out to investigate first, if he didn't. Not that they were dishonest people. Not completely. He still felt he should get out there before anyone else did; some sense deep within pulled him inexorably onwards.

It was that which drove the old farmer out of his house in the middle of the cold winter night.

Brinna, his daughter, insisted on going with him.

"Brinna, I'm already taking your brother."

"Yeah," said Alaev, sticking his tongue out at his older sister.

"So take me too." Brinna put on her thick coat and stamped on her boots.

"Who will look after your mother?"

"We won't be gone more than a few hours!" Brinna protested.

"Besides," came Natai's voice from the kitchen, "I'm quite well versed in how to defend myself with this." His wife hefted up the cast iron frying pan and smiled at him. "Take the kids. We're plenty safe here; I'll be fine."

Scoas watched his headstrong daughter strap on her snowshoes. "Fine," he said, knowing when he was beat. "Keep the door locked, though. Been reports of Thaenites and their wolves in the countryside." Natai nodded and he stepped through the door, the kids following.

Brinna grumbled. "That's just propaganda, Papa. We haven't heard a peep out of Thaen for centuries."

"Oh?" he huffed down the hill, stepping wide in his flat snowshoes. "How would you know? You been alive that long?" His tone was challenging, but not harsh.

Brinna sighed and said nothing.

"There's nothing wrong with being careful. I just want your mother safe."

"I know, Papa. I do too. But I doubt we have anything to fear from Thaen. For all we know, they're all dead."

Alaev groaned. "Shut up with your history lessons, Brinna. They were boring in school and they're boring now!"

"Don't tell your sister to shut up, Alaev," Scoas said almost automatically. "And save your breath, both of you. Talking is slowing us down."

His children quieted down and they passed the rest of the journey in silence. It was a cloudless night; they could see all the stars clearly. Scoas glanced up and saw his patron constellation, the Hunter. He and his family were being watched over tonight.

Small crunches reached their ears with each step they took; if they looked behind they could see three sets of footsteps in the snow, close enough together to form one long, thick trail. It looked like a giant snake had coursed across the frozen earth. Or D'ssah, if he were a bit bigger. The Gssn'lthari trader was only about the size of two Minae, not three.

They traveled on, over the hills that decorated Scoas' family farmlands until finally they reached the crater in the ground where the star had landed.

It was a very small crater and it was deep in the snow. None of the snow around had melted, though steam rose up from the fresh hole in the earth. Didn't fallen stars burn? The kids fidgeted and Scoas could feel their excitement. It was a feeling he shared.