Celestial Gardens(The Last Star Trilogy #2)

Chapter 25

The van shook as Alfred drove over a bumpy road. Amara was breathing slowly and had her eyes closed. I was starting to feel nauseous and my breakfast kept coming up to my throat. It had only been an hour since we left. Hellen had already explained that it would take an entire day to get there.

"From Crimsyn State, it's not as far as it is from Stellaregno." she told.

We would reach this mystical place tomorrow morning. They still hadn't told me the name of where we're going.

"You'll find out." Alfred grinned. I huffed and rolled my eyes.

Hellen had packed our meals but none of us wanted to eat. After a few hours, the sky changed to blue and a blush of purple. The Stars became more prominent. Hellen offered to take the wheel. I pulled out some blankets that Hellen had packed and passed them to Amara. Since she was the one shivering the most, couldn't blame her, though. It was like we were sitting in an ice cream freezer.

Now, we were on a smooth road. No more bumps so Amara calmed down.

"How much longer?" she complained.

"Go to sleep," I said. "It'll pass the time."

But Amara wasn't tired. She squinted out the window and Stargazed to Aries. I was tempted to do the same but I remembered that it was too risky. Alfred and Hellen were whispering to each other.

"What are they talking about?" Amara said in such a low voice I barely understood. I debated asking her what she said but my brain arranged the words correctly.

"No idea," I mouthed.

"Belle," she called.

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared?" she asked.

"No. Amara, we are completely safe. Don't worry." I promised.

"No," she sat up. "Are you afraid of fighting in a war?"

I hesitated. Of course I was scared, I was terrified but I didn't know if I should lie and give her comfort or tell her the truth which would make me look weak.

"I am scared but...I'm going to try."

She closed her eyes and spread out her legs. After a while I did the same.

I was back in that ice land. This time the Star Spirit was standing right in front of me. There was blue Stardust surrounding her but it looked like it was frozen in the air, or in slow motion perhaps.

"You made it out of Crimsyn State," she pointed out. "How does that feel?"

"Not much different," I admitted. "I mean...I'm stuck in a car and I can't really see anything because the windows are blacked out."

"Where you're going is the most enchanted and sacred place in all of Stellaregno. Though, it's not a part of our kingdom. There is a reason it's kept away from all the people, because it's a holy place, it takes time to get there and whoever goes must have patience."

"You are very lucky, Annabelle." She smiled.

I tried to do the same.

"I came to tell you that King Jaxon has plans to attack Crimsyn State," she told. "He's threatening to hunt down the rebel base unless you return to Hydrus."

"But, he doesn't even know where it is."

"Yes, but he's already sent teams of soldiers to find you all and stop the rebels." she said. "You must hurry back as soon as you've completed your task. You have to prepare to fight."