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Shara

Shara stared at Reya’s back as she stormed away, her angry words buzzing in her ears.

You are all so useless.

“Bitch” Oola muttered.

Shara grimaced. “Maybe it is just the baby, messing with her mood.” She remembered only too well how Shena had yelled at her three years ago when she was pregnant with Lara.

Mika shook her head. “She’s always been like this.” She said softly, and then paused for a moment. “Maybe she’s worse now though.”

Shara laughed. “Oh well, she– Oooooh.” She stared into the sky wide-eyed as a huge blue-white star raced westwards across the sky, leaving a glowing trail as wide as her hand in its wake. The girls stared silently at it for a moment as it passed out of view behind the Watching Stone. They scrambled out of the pit just in time to see a final flare of light before the star vanished, the bright line fading quickly overhead.

“Wow.” “That was amazing.” The girls spoke at once. Climbing up onto the Watching Stone, the three stared at the trail as it decayed before their eyes. “Lara would love this.” Shara cried, and then wondered where she was. Walking over to the northern edge, she stared down at the darkness below. A single bright dot of flame glowed from the village. The council must still be going. “Hurry up. You’re missing it.” she yelled towards the village, laughing.

Another fireball shot overhead, glowing an eerie green that bathed the valley below, leaving the grasses pale and sickly. But the green quickly to yellow-gold before the great star vanished in a silent flash of brilliant white that threw the whole world back into daylight . She had just enough time to make out Red Cave hill, and the river beside it before they were plunged into darkness again.

“Hey boys! Come up here” Oola called out, waving at someone.

Shara frowned. It was nice just having the three of them up here, but too late. Shouting and laughing, Kito and the boys scrambled up onto the rock and stood next to her, necks craned to the sky. “Did you see that last one?” “Look, there’s the blue trail.” “Did the green one leave a trail? I don’t see one.” “Do you think there will be more like that?” “That would be so cool.”

“Hush.” She shouted. “Sit down.” The boys quieted and sat down on the rough surface of the stone, sulking. A few moments later a pair of golden stars ran southwards, one slightly behind the other, flaring up into bright golden spotlights before burning themselves out. The boys cheered madly.

“This,” Oola said, solemnly, “is the best Starfall ever.”

Her words seemed to inspire a change in the heavens, and within a few moments the air was filled with shooting stars, pouring like rain through the sky, one after another. Most were just simple lines flashing through the sky, dying in an instant, no different than the falling stars Shara saw every night. Many came in groups of three or even five, like birds chasing the Sun. Some of these were blue, a few were green or red, most were golden. And occasionally one would flare up like a brilliant torch, bringing golden daylight to the world, and in those moments Shara and the others would stare at each other, laughing at the wonderful strangeness.

Tearing her eyes away from the show after a while, she realized that everyone else was lying down on the Stone, staring at the celestial display. Tohm and the boys were together in an arc, pointing at the sky, making apparently humorous comments to each other. Pak would leap up now and again, shrieking in joy at some even before being drug back to the ground by his brother and their friends, until finally Tohm placed his arm on Pak’s chest, anchoring the little boy against the stone.

Oola and Mika were next to here, both with one hand behind their heads, chatting quietly. Other than that, the Watching Stone was empty. Where are Reya, Barak and Armis? Walking to the edge of the Watching Stone, she softly leapt down, and her ankle twinged again, but not too badly. They should be here with us.

Armis was easy to find, he was still busy sticking wood into the ceremonial fire. It was practically a bonfire now, flames towering overhead and searing hot. She held her hands up to shield her eyes as she approached, feeling the wall of heat roll over her.

“Don’t you think that it is big enough already?”

He turned, startled. “What? Oh. Hi Shara.” He turned back to the fire. “Yeah, I guess it is pretty large now. I hadn’t noticed.”

“You’re missing an amazing display. Look at the sky.”

He followed her hand up into the sky at the legions of stars roaring across the blue expanse and smiled weakly. ”Yeah, it’s nice.”

“Nice? This is the best Starfall ever!”

He shrugged, and turned back to his fire.

“Armis, what’s wrong?”

He glanced at her for a moment, and then looked back at the fire, tossing a stick half-heartedly into the flames. “Don’t worry about it.”

“No, tell me. I would like to help if I can.”

He stared at her for a moment. “I’m frustrated because I didn’t remember to prepare the fire earlier.”

She laughed. “The adults haven’t even left Red Cave yet.”

Now he was scowling. “I am an adult.”

“Sorry, the other adults.”

He stood up and shook his head. “I should be down there, at the Council. How am I supposed to learn how to be Ch-” He cut himself short and crossed his arms. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re not going to be Chief for a long time. There will be other councils.” She paused, and studied the faint scowl crossing his face. This isn’t helping much. She shook her head. “If you want to join the rest of us, you know where we’ll be.” And she left him, stepping away from the fire as he half-heartedly fed sticks to the flames.

She had last seen Barak sitting on a rock near the western slope. As another bright star arced through the sky, she saw him still sitting in the same place, unmoving, studying the darkness.

As she approached, she paused for a moment. Was it even worth her time to talk to him?

He didn’t turn around. “What do you want, Shara?”

How did he know it was me? She spoke quickly, flustered. “Everyone else is gathering at the Watching Stone for the Starfall. You should come too.”

“Someone needs to watch for wolves. Will you do it?” He said, flatly.

“No. But then we never watch for wolves during the ceremony. Besides, isn’t that Armis’s decision?”

He turned to look at her then, a pale shade in the night “What do you mean?”

“Well, uh-“

“Oh, shut up.” He cut her off. “You mean that if a wolf attacks our group while we’re up here, that’s his problem, not mine.”

“Uh, not exactly.“

Barak stood up. Even in the dark she could see his smile. “It would certainly discredit him as a chief.” He turned his head to stare at her. “You’re a sly one.”

“What. No, I-“ She paused, uncertain of what to say next.

He walked past her towards the stone. “Thanks.” He said, chuckling.

By the time she had gathered her thoughts together enough to mount a protest, he was just a shade in the night. Another fireball flew through the air, streaking crimson across the sky, illuminating Barak for just a moment as he headed towards the Watching Stone.

Nothing to do now but find Reya.

“You are so useless” rang in her ears as she turned and sought the path that marked the circuit of the top. Ah – there – three heavy, flat rocks, stacked one on top of the other. Looking to her right, she could see the next stack. As long as she stayed inside the stacks, she would be safe from the treacherous rifts and valleys in the top that had sent poor old Grum sliding and screaming to the valley floor three years ago.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts of the dead. “Reya?” she called out, half a whisper. No response.

Sighing, she walked forward. Here and there the stone stacks had been disturbed, and she carefully repaired them as she paced the markers.

Wait. Why am I even looking for her?

A few moments reflection didn’t come up with a good answer, so she started walking again, carefully picking her way around the pits and hollows in the stone. “Reya!” she hissed, several times, listening for a response. Every once in a while a bright flare from the sky would stop her in her tracks, staring breathlessly at the sky, as the brilliant blue and green and golden trails slashed through the darkness.

And then the Watching Stone loomed before her, and she could hear the boys laughing and chatting on the top. She clambered back onto the stone, searching for Mika, hoping that she might know where Reya would have gone. Oola lay nearby on the rock, eyelids drooping as she watched the stars. Shara crept over to her. “Have you seen Mika?”

“Yeah.” Oola whispered back. “She’s near the back, with Reya.”

“With Reya?” She repeated, dumbly.

“Yeah.” Oola said, her eyes still focused above.

She must have come back while I was out talking to Armis. Overhead, a flock of blood-red stars burned through the blackness, ripping lines like claw marks in the night to a chorus of Ooohs and Aaahs. She watched the bloody streaks fade from the night, crisscrossed with green and gold.

“Shara, get down!” Someone hissed. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from the show and crouched low, searching for a place to sit. The boys were sprawled out all over the top now, leaving precious little room for her except a patch right at the front. She crept forward, and lay back against the cool stone once more, feet dangling over the edge.

“Do you mind if I sit next to you?”

Shara smiled. “Of course not, Armis.” She shifted over slightly, giving him more room.

“Hey. ” He said, hesitantly. “Thank you.”

She turned to look at him. “For what?”

“For reminding me about this.” He pointed at the sky.

“Oh. You’re welcome.” She said, flashing her best smile. If I could win his heart, I would never have to leave Red Cave.

But he didn’t notice, or didn’t seem to care, and after a moment she turned her attention back to the sky, the smile frozen bitterly on her lips.

“I’m sorry about what is happening to your father.” He said, a little while later.

She stared at him. “What do you mean?”, she said, suspiciously. “It’s just a minor thing… Isn’t it?”

He turned to her, frowning. “No. This is important. He will be banished if he loses the support of the Clan.” He paused. “I thought- I thought you knew.”

She tried to comprehend what he was saying, and finally gave up. “I don’t understand.” She admitted.

Armis rolled onto his hands and knees and crawled over to her. “Moen was in his charge. If he dies, Daro will be banished.”

An icicle of dread pierced her heart, icemelt freezing her veins. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was suddenly dry. “I’m… I’m sure that he won’t die..” She glanced around, uncertainly. “Maybe I should go back… Kito and I.” She started to rise, and he held out a hand, grabbing her arm firmly but tenderly.

“No.” He said. “You’re right. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m probably wrong, anyways.”

Somehow, that didn’t seem true.

Try as she could to ignore it, the dread wrapped around her heart, sending her fingers twitching with worry. Uneasily, she lay back down to watch the sky, feeling the rhythm of the stream, a pattern to the rushing stars; fast, slow, fast, fast, slow. They were falling faster now, cascading in blankets across the sky, like a heavy rain rushing across the plains.

Star after star, mostly gold, with some green and blue, and occasionally red shot across the sky. Bright fireballs blazed and vanished again, turning night into day one heartbeat at a time. On and on they poured through the night, and the world fell out of memory. She felt herself floating up into the sky, up towards the streams of light and smoke.

As she rose up, higher and faster, time slowed to a crawl. The rushing stars slackened their pace, until they were nearly frozen, glowing softly in the night. Up she climbed, through the wind and the clouds and then she was among them, bright lights of blue, green and gold all around her. She could see the dark hulk of Guardian Mountain far below, lit by Armis’s bonfire, a single beacon of light. But as she watched, the bonfire, grew, and then split, and then split again, and again, until fires dotted the mountaintop, bathing it in light. Where do they get the wood for so many fires? But then as she watched, trees grew all around, until the mountain itself was just an island sitting in a lake of green. And on the mountaintop there were people, many, many villages’ worth of people, staring and praying to the sky.

She stared at the crowd in wonder, but they ignored her, eyes focused beyond. She considered flying down to visit with them, but a great blue light bloomed before her, and she forgot everything else as she rushed eagerly towards it. Brighter, and brighter it glowed as she closed, dazzling her eyes until she had to hold her hands up to shield them from the glare. There was no heat from this fire, just a bright blue glow, like the midday sky on a cloudless day.

Her eyes adjusted slowly to the brilliance, and finally she could see the shape of the star, a sharp leaf-shaped point, trailed by a long shaft of dark wood. A spear. Turning towards the other stars, she could see their forms as well, a host of spears flying through the night. She sat and watched it for a while, but it didn’t do anything, gently floating through the air. So she left it behind, and flew to the others, giggling like a little girl as she swooped and dove around them.

I wonder where they come from. Who threw these spears?

What are they hunting?

She turned and flew through the flock, up into the night, farther and faster, following the smoke trails, eager to find the man who threw them, eager to ask him why.

Instead, a great golden spear many times larger than the others shot past her, hurtling towards the ground, sending her tumbling through the air in its wake. Laughing, she chased after it, matching its speed as it burst past the other stars like a minnow through the reeds. The wind blasted past her face, sending her hair flying in all directions as she stretched out her hands to touch the golden light.

Below, the ground came up rapidly. First, she saw Guardian Mountain, lit by just one fire, surrounded by the plain of grass. And a smaller hill, just to the north, and another fire. They fell towards the fire together, she and the spear, as she strove to catch it, to touch it, to know.

Now she could see faces, the faces of her Clan, her Chief, her mother and father, staring and pointing at her, and she giggled and waved back. But the stares turned to screams, and then they were running, shrieking in fear as she fell towards them. Don’t be afraid, she thought. I will catch the spear, you will see! She stretched with all her might, her fingers brushing the warm stone just as it struck the ground, exploding in white fury. And as it consumed her, she realized that she had been wrong about everything.

Shara lurched upright, the scream still ringing in her ears, the stone hard against her legs as the others jerked and stared at her in alarm. Whipping her head around, she could see a bright golden light glowing low in the southern sky.

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Tuesday, March 7th, 2006 at 8:34 am.
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