The Star Child (The Star Child Series) (26 page)

“Then the
man
should prepare to die because I will not let him live to challenge me. No mortal could ever take me.”

Closing my eyes for a moment, I felt heat pulsating from Calienta's hand against my sweaty palm. Her sweet smell enveloped me as warm air swirled around us. How I’d miss her when it ended.

No. I would not die a coward, with my eyes closed holding my love’s hand.
Forcing my eyes open, I raised them to meet Cabhan’s. Calienta had come to me to protect her family. I would do what I came here to do.

I regrouped. “You know, most people go to therapy and blame their parents, you nutcase.”

“Kellen, don’t. You’ll only get him worked up.” Calienta’s voice held a warning note.

“If he’s going to kill me, I won’t go as a coward.”

Cabhan’s voice sounded bored. “You are tiresome when you talk, so do not.”

Immediately my windpipe was sealed shut and speech evaded me. I was fighting for my very breath. Regardless of what it all meant, I had to do something. Cabhan's eyes blazed as he raised his arms, preparing to kill me, not with the dagger in his hand but with the power that ran through his veins.

The moment he released his grip on me, I gasped for air. With not a moment to lose, I raised my sword above my head with a strength and agility I didn’t know I possessed. Then I was charging at Cabhan, who met my challenge running toward me.

“Kellen, no.” I was frozen in mid-air. Calienta had crooked a finger at me and frozen me in place. “You can’t kill him, Kellen, you’re a mortal. He’ll take your life. Please back down.” She released me and I dropped to the ground, my knees like jelly.

Color flooded my face as humiliation coursed through my veins. I was about to tell her my real thoughts when I glanced down at the sword in my hand and noticed an inscription on the hilt: Claíomh Solais. Where had I read that before?
Oh.
This was no ordinary sword, I realized. This was the Sword of Light.

I rose to my feet, gripping Calienta’s arm. “Look, you have to trust me on this. I know what to do.”

Her eyes met mine, confused, afraid. I sensed her anger and fear all at once as she spoke. “How do you know what to do? How could you?”

“You have to trust me. You asked me to trust you once; do you trust me?”

Her eyes lingered on mine, intense, concerned. “I do.”

“Don’t stop me then.” But before I could act, I was immediately brought to the ground by a pain so excruciating that I could barely stand it. A million needles were piercing my flesh and I was bleeding, dying, my soul being ripped from me in a million unimaginable ways.

Arawn’s laughter rang in my ears as I writhed on the ground, my spine seemingly being plucked from my body. My back arched in pain; the color drained from my face.

“Cease, Arawn.” Cabhan’s voice was chilling. Arawn stopped at once and I collapsed to the floor once more. “My father is responsible for Kellen being here. I will be the one to destroy him. You are a silent partner.” Cabhan walked forward and stood at the bottom of the dais, looking up at Arawn.

“A partner I may be, but silent I shall not remain.” Arawn’s gravelly voice sounded as though he’d gone centuries without actually speaking. Yet his articulation was cultured, flawless, despite the unpleasant tenor. “You will need me in the end, so I would not make assumptions about the level of authority that you have over me.”

“And you cannot assume control without me or my family, so you would be wise to take the same precautions.” Cabhan glared at him. The pair formed an uncomfortable alliance that much was clear.

“They’ll never help you.” My voice seemed insignificant in this arena, almost childlike. Instantly both of their heads snapped to face my direction and I mentally chastised myself for bringing their attention back to me.
Stupid.

“There are ways that they can be made to help me, regardless of their own wishes.” Cabhan dismissed me, turning back to Arawn.

“That’s it then?” I was pushing the envelope, but the obvious attack was not going to work. I needed to stall.

“Kellen, be careful,” Calienta said from her position behind me.

Ignoring her warning, I continued, taking a few steps toward Cabhan. “Do you hate your father so much that you would kill him and put the rest of your family in harm’s way? Look at your sister. She’s beautiful, both inside and out. Would you, could you hurt her, harm her at all, for some vendetta with your father over an old girlfriend?”

“If I am not given the opportunity to know love, no one should,” Cabhan whined, a departure from his commanding god persona.

I rolled my eyes. “Get over it, punk.”
Okay, maybe that was going too far…

Arawn walked up to Cabhan and pushed a long spiny finger against his chest. “Enough talk. Let us kill them all and be done with this.”

Before Cabhan could turn and look at me again, I was already charging. The sword had come from Crísdean for a reason, and I had to believe that this reason was to kill Cabhan. I had to try. It was my destiny.

I ran strategically, zigzagging through the empty space, ever the soldier. If I could get closer, I could have a shot. I raised my sword again, prepared to strike.

And then, when I least expected it, the oddest thing happened. I didn't die. Cabhan stopped in his tracks, staring at me, the expression on his face changing from one of unadulterated anger to incredulity and shock. My breath hitched in my throat.

Lowering my weapon, I kept my eyes on his, not daring to glance at anyone else. He stared at me, eyes wide, as his breathing started to slow. Calienta walked toward me, coming to a stop beside me again. Only her feather-light touch on my arm gave away her presence.

When he spoke again, his softer voice tone encouraged me to relax slightly. “That pendant…the one you are wearing. Where did you get it?” There was a puzzled expression on Cabhan’s face.

I looked down at the pendant that I wore around my neck. The top two buttons of my shirt had come undone and exposed it. The pendant's black insignia and silver backing stood out against my pale skin.

Meeting his eyes again, I found I couldn’t answer immediately. Of all the things I’d expected to hear, this was not it. I was almost annoyed. Was he toying with me? Delaying the inevitable?

This reaction wasn’t what Cabhan seemed to want and he was obviously angered by the delay in my response. “Answer me, mortal.” His voice was acid; his eyes raged fire. He towered over me, standing several feet taller. The beauty by my side tensed but said nothing.

“It was given to me by my mother.” I was impatient for this game to end. My sword was at my side and I was prepared to strike. This had gone on long enough. If death were coming, I'd as soon not wait for it any longer. We’d been through too much.

However, the information that I provided seemed to have the opposite effect on Cabhan. Instead of raising his hands or striking me with a weapon, he staggered and fell to his knees.

“What is this?” demanded Arawn, taking a small step down but never leaving his place next to Brigid. The hound snarled at his feet.

Cabhan ignored the outburst and instead looked into my eyes. They slowly dimmed and the anger, a constant since I had known him, faded. “You are from Clare’s family?”

Although it took me a moment to recall the name, I was at last able to understand the meaning of his words. “Clare was the name of my great-great-great-grandmother on my mother’s side.” No sooner had I shared this information than the pieces started coming together for me, as they usually did when I was presented with a puzzle.

Cabhan turned and sat at the base of the stone steps that ran behind him, seemingly unconcerned about turning his back on me. Tentatively, I walked over to where he sat.

“Clare was your love, wasn’t she?”

He looked at me as though gauging whether he wanted to share his story with me. Something in my expression must have encouraged him, because he started talking.

“When I was younger, much younger, I went to Earth to spend time among the mortals. I found your kind fascinating then, you see.” He chuckled.

I chuckled back awkwardly, feeling foolish.

Cabhan continued. “It was on my second trip there that I met her. Her name was Clare and she was the daughter of a local fisherman. I fell in love with her on sight. Her soul reached out to me. I was meant for her. She said that it was the same way for her and she promised that she would marry me.

“Yet I could not marry a mortal without becoming one myself. I gave her the pendant that you are wearing to hold until I could be with her once more. She promised to wear it as a message to all that she was mine.

“I returned to my father and begged to give up my powers. Yet he would not allow me to. He refused to permit it until I considered all of my options. By the time I was allowed to return, I found her with child and already bound to another man.

“I came straight back here. I was going to tell my father exactly what he had done, but instead I became so angered that I could barely control my temper. I could not bear anyone else’s happiness or hopefulness, for all of my hope was lost. My love was gone. I hid, an angry coward.”

His voice broke with emotion. “And you show up here and you have my pendant and her…eyes.” He looked past me at his parents, prisoners by his own doing.

Arawn laughed again. “This is quite a tale you have been telling us, Cabhan.”

Calienta and I gasped as we found ourselves immobilized on the ground in front of Cabhan.

Arawn continued. “You were the one who agreed to work together to end your family’s reign. You cannot go back on your word now. You will end this.”

Cabhan was about to speak when we all noticed that a single star had appeared in the air between us, blocking us from Arawn’s view with its brightness. It reminded me of the green ball that I’d seen at my graduation.
How long ago was that?

Even Arawn seemed transfixed for he released us, shrinking back from the light as it grew in brightness, standing in the shadow of the throne. My heart, which had been pounding furiously before, started to slow. Then we were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

“Cabhan, my love. End this, please. Do not continue this madness because of me.”

As we stared at the light in front of us, one of the most beautiful women that I had ever seen appeared right on the spot. She was dressed in a gossamer gown of sea blue, with pale skin and coal-black hair. Her eyes matched mine, deep green. She glowed, seemingly lit from within.

I thought she was standing alone, but I realized that there were others with her, though their features were indistinct. I was unable to discern if they were men or women. Cabhan’s breath caught as he stood. His entire face was transformed again, from the angry young god that I had known to a man in love. It was clear that this woman was the one whom he adored, my ancestor.

“You must stop this vengeance, this hatred that threatens to harm my grandchildren. How can you act this way? You were always so kind, so generous.”

His voice darkened. “Clare, you chose not to wait, not to find out what kind of man I could be.”

I sneaked a glance at Cabhan. His eyes had begun to blaze again, though not as strongly as before.

“My darling, of course I waited for you, but my father wanted to see me settled and with a family. He was a very patient man, and he did not force the issue. Every year on the eve of the Summer Solstice I returned at sundown to the same spot where we first met, waiting for you.

“But after many long years my father refused to let me wait any longer for you. He insisted that I marry, and there was a man in the village that was willing to accept a spinster. When you did return, almost ten years had passed. I had given up hope at that point in time.”

“Time does not pass in the same way in my world. I did not know. You, on the other hand, could have left that mortal fool for me.”

“I never would have. I had already had two children.”

“I remember. You had them with you when I returned that day. You were also with child again.” Cabhan’s expression was unreadable as I glanced back in his direction.

“Would you have denied me children, Cabhan? The children that I so desperately wanted?” Clare was pleading with him now. “If you had come back before I was married, I would have loved you. How I would have loved you.”

This man, who once had looked so formidable, so powerful, now looked destroyed. “I have been wrong.” He flew toward her and her to him, but they were blocked. An invisible wall kept them apart. They tried frantically to reach one another but to no avail.

“I will not waste any more time on a trite lovers’ reunion. If you will not kill him, I will!” Arawn cried.

What I did next was risky, given my limited experience with a sword and general ineptitude with sports of any kind. Yet I had two things on my side: the remarkable sword and Calienta’s trust. I’d figure out the rest. Bringing my fist up over my head, I ran forward, charging the demon, and launched the sword up high into the air.

I hit my target.

The sword struck Arawn squarely in the chest, the sound of a metallic-like
thunk
reverberating in the air.

Arawn looked up at me and smiled, pulling the sword from his chest. “You pitiful mortal. You think to attack me? You think that you can destroy me?”

“I can, with the Claíomh Solais.” My voice was confident. This was what I was supposed to do.

Arawn’s red eyes widened in shock as he looked down and took in the weapon that had struck him. The acknowledgement of the sword was all that it took. He was instantly weakened by the weapon and slumped to his feet in front of me. The dog at his feet whimpered and disappeared.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

HIGH KING

Arawn had no sooner fallen than he shattered like glass, the pieces breaking off of his hazy visage and gathering on the grass in a pile. In a matter of seconds the man, the monster, the demon—whatever he was—was destroyed.