Page 41 of The Starlight Savior

“How do you know it’s true?” It was one of the things she always wanted to ask when she was dragged to the temple. But it would’ve drawn too much attention to question Priestess Norma’s teachings.

“Keep going,” Tobin urged, ignoring her question.

Saige pointed to the second glass window. Sydera was depicted at the bottom, standing on the world she had created with her arms held high to the starlight above. Six Gods and Goddesses were above her, being forged from the stars Sydera controlled.

“The Mother Goddess had become lonely over the years with the sun, moon, and stars being her only company,” Tobin explained, “the weight of Opela and its workings being on her shoulders. And what next?”

“The others were created.” Saige had heard this story countless times. Most Brevillians focused on Terrus’s creation though, temples and altars set up through villages and roads.

“How?” Tobin circled his way around Saige as she took in the beauty of the stained glass around her.

“I’m not sure.” They never got that far in the stories. They knew that the world had been forged by deities, each of them representing a different part. Earth, fire, storm, water, animals, the otherworld, and the stars and sky around them.

“Sydera forged them from her very own magic, drawing from the moonlight and stars to create her companions. Placing them in different parts of Opela to uphold their duties.”

Saige nodded along as if she understood. But she wasn’t sure if she did. Most people believed that each deity had a role in Opela. Keeping the plants growing, fires blazing. The water flowing and storms striking. Animals birthed and the Otherworld taking. And the stars and sky showed up each and every night, lighting up the world around them.

But Saige grew up worshipping nothing except the freedom that lay out of her grasp. Freedom to be, to exist without guidelines.

“Name off the deities.” Tobin stopped his pacing and stood in front of Saige.

Annoyance prickled the base of her spine. She didn’t come here to be lectured. She was here to explore magic. Learn control. To help Opela figure out why the land was drained.

Tobin’s graying brows raised. “You hesitate. May I ask why?”

She bit her tongue. Gods, these people were inquisitive. Was it the magical powers, or did she truly wear her heart on her sleeve for the whole kingdom to see? “I appreciate your help and guidance already, but I’m finding myself questioning the purpose of this. I thought I was going to learn magic.”

Tobin smiled, as if he already knew her answer. “Most apprentices wonder the same thing. Why must I walk you through the creation of our world, the deities who forged every path, who possess the power and energy we draw from every single day? Because every step we take in this room, every instruction of calling upon your power, is connected to them.” Tobin raised his hands, the deities staring down at them from the ceiling. The sleeves of his robe fell, revealing dark ink trailing his wrists and arms. “Whether we are harvesting food or calling upon the storms or lighting candles with a flick of our wrist, they are with us always.”

“You speak as if they are alive,” Saige noted.

Another knowing smile crossed his face. “Who says they are not? Maybe they walk among us, watching as we navigate our conflicts and love and loss. Or maybe they are dead, living in the Otherworld with Caelum.”

The passion in Tobin’s voice built as he spoke. With widened eyes, he flailed his hands around, flashes of dark swirling tattoos in view. She turned, tuning out Tobin’s voice. The last handful of days replayed over and over. The fear, the pain, the betrayal. How would life have been different if her father was the one to sit and explain Opela?

Deep down, she knew she had tried her best to survive. But now, survival wasn’t good enough. She needed to be capable of more. But Saige knew nothing, and it terrified her.

“Brilliant!” Tobin exclaimed. Her eyes flung open to see Tobin’s face lit up, hands clasped together as he stared at her.

Looking down, she was surprised to see light flowing through her veins. She hadn’t noticed the creeping heat in her hands rising to her forearms. Her first instinct was to hide, throw her arms against her chest. But Tobin shook his head, waving his hands with a strange sense of urgency.

“Keep going!” he encouraged. “This is a place for you to experiment, to allow yourself to feel magic instead of hiding it!”

Her chest caved as she shook her head. Saige didn’t want to feel it. She wanted the light and the heat and the pain gone, to fade into the darkness of her soul and never appear again.

Tobin’s voice swarmed around her, his words quick and frantic. “Magic is the very element that makes our world so fruitful! It is emotional and uncontrollable, especially if you do not let yourself feel, Saige!”

“I feel too much!” she choked out. Her throat ached with a scream she would not let herself release.

“You allow yourself to feel too little. Let yourself go! Let your magic flow!”

The ground shook below her. Her body collapsed into the marble floor, a crack appearing between her glowing fingers. She had not released like this since she was back in Denholm. Even in her quarters, she was held back by an audience. The scream clawing at her throat escaped, her ears ringing at the sound of her voice and Tobin’s encouragement turned demands.

“Don’t bottle it up! Let yourself be! Let yourself feel!”

She clenched her fist, slamming it into the marble below. More cracks formed as her body became bruised and ached. Her skin was being torn open from the inside, light spilling through her fingers, her arms, her veins, her eyes. The brightness surrounding her was too much, but not before Tobin took a step forward. His hand stretched to her.

Another surge of magic swelled through her, traveling from her gut and escaping through her mouth in a painful scream.