The Constant Star (55)

THE STORY SO FAR

Let us send her to sleep and tomorrow begin a new day.”

“Yes, of course Wise One. Forgive my over-excitement. I apologize for any discomfort I caused you, Siff. Sleep well.”

It is in this moment a sudden flash of lightning arcs into the sky and remains for several seconds, bringing daylight to the village. Everyone turns to stare at the power launching forth from the up-reached hand of a man in full battle armor. Oh shit.

There is absolute and sudden silence as the lightning ceases. Only the crackle of dying fires can be heard. A village in shock stares at the newcomer whose face is hidden behind his helmet, “My name is Jupiter,” the voice is loud, powerful, stern, “And I have come for my daughter.”

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He walks toward her, crowd parting before his intimidating form. She has never seen her father like this. The high priest kneels before him and is ignored. Siff can feel the glare of her father’s eyes burning through the mask, staring into her own. She is genuinely afraid of what may happen next. Jupiter reaches where she stands next to Ellen, who is also too afraid to move. He towers over her, his natural height made greater by the armor he wears. Jupiter pulls a chain from his belt and grabs Siff’s arms. The chain wraps around her wrists and connects to itself, he lets it have a couple feet of slack before gripping it in his gauntleted hand, “You are all to remain in this village until sunrise! Not one of you is to leave!” He looks to his daughter, his voice full of anger, “You are coming with me.”

Jupiter turns and strides back in the direction he came, jerking Siff forward by the chain now attaching her to her father. She obediently follows in step behind him, head hung low occasionally looking for any pitying eyes to connect with. The village is too afraid. All but one, “Don’t take her from us, great Jupiter. We have made her one of—“ Lucas does not get to finish his sentence, Jupiter strikes him with a lightning bolt that knocks him off his feet and continues his stride without losing any momentum. Siff stares at Lucas’ unconscious body as they pass by. Her lip quivers with sorrow and she cries out in an attempt to help her friend. But the chain and her father are too strong and she is dragged away crying until she is able to stand again, staggering after the relentless god that pulls her back into the darkness, away from her new home. Watching her friends disappear into the fading firelight she weeps, “Why? Why?” He speaks no word in reply.

Hours pass as they climb the hills in silence, walking upward toward the forest the villagers fear so much. Siff’s eyes stay down, trying to see the roadway in the dark. Her father’s helmet makes seeing in the night as natural as day, and his pace does not slow. Siff almost has to run to keep up.

They travel up three more hills before Siff dares open her mouth again, “Why? Why did you have to hurt him? They worship you there. You didn’t have to hurt him.”

Jupiter stops and turns to his daughter, he pulls his helmet off to reveal his enraged and bereaved face, “You don’t understand, do you? You don’t understand what you’ve done! You don’t know what is coming! Look you foolish girl! You selfish, idiotic child! We could not stop. We could not slow down. I only had so much time to save you.” The confusion on her face is evident, so her father grabs her and forces her to look back on Travos now sitting in a distant valley, “Look what you have done to them! Look!”

“What? What do you mean? I don’t see anyth…” a small red dot can be seen descending from the sky, “Oh god no! Dad no! You have to stop it! You can stop it! You have to save them! Please! Please!”

“See what you have done! See the consequences of your selfish decisions! Your idiotic, destructive behavior! Make no mistake child, you are responsible for what happens next.”

“Please Dad, please. Please save them, please.”

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Lucas blinks his eyes and groans. His family surrounds him and helps him to his feet, “Where…where did they go?”

“Siff was taken back to the gods by her father, the great Jupiter himself.” His mother carefully examines his eyes to see if he is okay.

“But she has become one of us. Surely he would listen to our plea. He is wise and merciful.”

“He is wise and merciful, and we must trust in his wisdom even now. It is above ours even as his godliness is above ours.”

“But I have to explain. Surely if I explained he would—“

“He has already judged your voice, young Lucas. I fear what he would do if you were to oppose him again.” The Javentus speaks softly, still in shock at what has just happened.

“I do not wish to oppose him, I only seek to have my voice heard. Perhaps if he were to know the truth about all that has happened he would be willing to let Siff stay.”

“He has ordered us to stay within the village until sunrise, that is our penance for harbouring his daughter; and it seems a light punishment compared to what could have been done to us.”

“But Wise One, we have to try. We have to—“

“No, Lucas. No. We must wait until sunrise and then go about our lives. We were blessed to meet the gods. Jupiter himself has visited us. We must heed his words.” The Lord Elder puts his hand on the young man’s shoulder, “We must let her go.”

Lucas hangs his head in sullen contemplation, “No.” He shakes his head then looks beyond to the road out of Travos, “I cannot let her go like this. She is one of us and I

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