Stranded Star

Chapter 3

Astrid jumped awake and suddenly breathed in deep. Cal knelt on the ground next to her while Festus stood not too far away, his eyes fixated on Cal. The shock of remembering a second death was more frightening than the first. Astrid sat in the snow, her fists balled up, trying to keep her body from trembling. She slightly lifted her sweater to find another red scar on her stomach where she had been mortally wounded a second time.

"Astrid, are you ok? What did you remember?" Cal asked, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

She closed her eyes to gather her thoughts, attempting to recall every detail. When Astrid looked up, Festus abruptly turned away. She recalled the memory; Cal's hand gently holding his face. The way Festus reached for him and apologized with agony in his voice.

Festus leaned his hand on a tree and looked back towards Astrid. Their eyes met briefly before he threw his cigarette to the ground and walked towards the house. Cal didn't even notice that he was there.

"I died...again," Astrid said, trying to keep her composure. "Cal, how many times have I...?"

He looked up cautiously but wouldn't meet her gaze. "You were here before we were...so I'm not sure," he said solemnly. "We should go inside."

Astrid tried to stand up on her own but the pain in her stomach was still all too real. She groaned and placed her hand on the ground to steady herself. Cal offered to help her up and they walked back to the cabin.

"I told you she didn't go far," said Zeke, his eyes not leaving the open book in his hands.

Festus sat at the far end of the table, a flame in hand. He was holding a candle to it, small circles of wax dripping onto the wood. His lip snarled slightly at the sight of them walking through the door together. Astrid sat down and dropped her head into her arms on the table. Hess placed a bowl in front of her - "You should eat something. It's just soup but it will help you feel better."

"Thank you Hess," Astrid replied. She brought the bowl to her lips and sipped the salty broth. It was calming but felt strange hitting her empty stomach. Hess went back to pulling apart a dried bundle of sage and putting the pieces into a jar. Astrid looked around the room, everyone's focus somewhere different. Even Cal's gaze was directed across the table to Festus as he loosened the laces on his boots.

"How long have I been here?" Astrid finally asked. Everyone except Festus looked up to meet her curious face. "Why hasn't the sun come up?"

"The sun doesn't come up when you're here," Festus said nonchalantly. He pulled out a knife and began scraping away the dried wax he had dripped onto the table.

"And why is that?" Silence followed her question until Festus spoke up again. "This place is a prison...specifically made for you."

"A prison!?" Astrid exclaimed.

"Let me start from the beginning," said Festus, almost as if he had given this talk many times. He reached into his coat pocket for a cigarette which he lit from the lighter that hung around his neck. He took a pull and blew it up towards the ceiling. His gaze met Cal's briefly before he continued. "Years ago back home, a man named Ruse rolled into town. He brought with him a following and they called themselves the shadows. Ruse is an elemental, just like most people, but his element is darkness, shadow...hence the name of his cult," he paused momentarily to gather his thoughts. "This man wanted everyone around him to bow down to him, or be eliminated. He rules by fear and does not discriminate when it comes to punishing those that piss him off. There just so happens to be only one person who could have even come close to taking him down, and that person is you."