Chapter 9: The Small Rock - How the Stars Fall

Three full days of riding. Only stopping at nightfall to rest Charlie and themselves. Ryker had suggested that they stick to the back roads and pathways deeper in the forests, avoiding open spaces and popular areas. Nova had politely agreed. She was still a little angry at him and no matter how many times their eyes had met over the crackling orange flames of the campfire or how many times their bodies accidentally touched when they retired for the evening in the very small tent, she was determined to stay angry a little longer.

It was late afternoon as they rode along. Nova closed her eyes as she breathed in the fresh spring air. There were no scents like this in her realm. Here in this part of the world, smells were different, sometimes not so good, but mostly quite desirable. Birds flit through the branches of the forest and Nova smiled as she watched them dance through the treetops.

As she looked towards the darkening skies, her thoughts travelled to her sisters. Soleil and Tierra would be stirring from their slumber, readying themselves for watching over Earth and taking care of the starfruit orchard.

Home in Ara was certainly peaceful and much safer than here, but here there was so much to see and do. Now that she was away from Branoc, she wondered if there was really any rush to get home?

“Are you warm enough?” Ryker’s voice brushed the back of her neck.

She nodded. “Fine, thank you.”

His arms shifted around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. “Do you lie in the moonlight naked often?”

Heat rose to Nova’s cheeks. In their rush to flee the castle, she’d forgotten that he’d witnessed her on the balcony.

Nova nodded softly. “It helps me regenerate my . . . powers.”

“So, it’s true? You have magic?”

Nova hesitated, then glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. “It seems as though I do.”

Would he care that she could use magic? Would he see her differently? Could she trust him not to twist her abilities for his own gain, as others had before? Only time would reveal his true intentions, but for now, the question lingered, heavy in her mind.

“So how did you fall to Earth, Nova?” Ryker asked from his seated position behind her.

Nova looked towards the skies. “I was knocked from my celestial anchor by a small rock, which sent me off balance and spinning through the galaxies.”

“What’s a celestial anchor?”

“There are platforms in Ara spread across the galaxies. Each one holds a magical device that allows us to see Earth up close. It’s our job to search for those who need our light . . . our guidance.”

Ryker adjusted his position. “So, how did the rock cause you to fall?”

“Sometimes meteor showers come through. Usually they go around Ara, but this was different. The shower travelled closer to us than I’d ever seen before. It caught us off guard, and before I could raise my celestial shield, a stray rock hit me in the chest. The force of it broke my tether to the platform, and I began to spin out of orbit.”

Memories from that moment rushed to Nova’s mind. The pain of being wrenched from her home and projected into unfamiliar skies still fresh and unattended to. The dull ache pulled in her chest.

A gentle breeze blew through the tree branches of dark and light green. It rustled the leaves and danced over Nova’s skin, playing with her hair. Ryker’s grip around her waist tightened. His nearness warmed her body. Despite their short past, Nova felt safer with him than anywhere else she’d been on Earth so far. Glancing down at her hands, she saw the familiar viridian pulse of light radiating off them. She tried to conceal the glow, but it was near impossible.

“How long were you spinning?” Ryker’s voice was low and gentle.

Nova was caught off guard by his question. He wanted to know more about her? “It took me five celestial years to reach the Earth’s surface, but our time is different from yours. For every one of your years, it is five for us,” she murmured.

Ryker shifted in the saddle and the warmth of his chest against Nova’s back sent little tingles up her spine. “So, a whole Earthly year. How old does that make you . . . if you don’t mind me asking?”

Nova pondered. “Well, I am one hundred and thirty years of age in the celestial realm, so I guess that makes me twenty-six in yours.”

He softly blew air through his nose. Nova could tell he was smiling.

“My age amuses you?” she asked.

“This whole situation amuses me.”

“How so?”

Ryker pulled Charlie to the left, taking a path deeper into the forest. “Stories of fallen stars are quite popular around here. There was a star who fell over one hundred years ago. They say she went into hiding and no one has seen her since. And now here I am with you . . . a star—on the run from a king.”

“I’m sorry if my arrival has disrupted your busy schedule,” Nova murmured.

Ryker huffed softly but didn’t respond.

Nova glanced over her shoulder at the brooding man behind her. “How old are you?”

“I’m thirty-two.”

Nova gazed forward again. “You said you had a sister? Do you have other siblings?”

Ryker sighed. “It’s just my sister and I.”

“Does she live around here?”

“No, she doesn’t.”

Nova noted the hesitancy in his voice. It seemed as though he didn’t want to reveal too much about his family, so she let the subject drop.

The light in the woods grew lighter as they neared the edge. Shades of ginger, saffron, and bronze filtered through the branches as the sun set lower. It was the first moment Nova had been able to breathe since fleeing the grips of King Branoc. In this small window of time as she sat with Ryker upon Charlie’s back, she felt peaceful—she could breathe in the fresh, earthly air without fear attached to it.

“Why did you come back for me?” Nova asked quietly.

Ryker cleared his throat. “Because I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d done the wrong thing, and I needed to make it right.”

A small part of the anger she held for Ryker lessened. It was hard for her to hold resentment for long. The heavy weight of it swimming around in her stomach felt unnatural. Nova wanted to be rid of it.

Silence filled the air as Charlie meandered along.

“King Branoc is an evil man.” Nova murmured.

Ryker’s hands gripped the leather reins tighter, his arms firm against her waist.

“Tell me what he did.”

Nova closed her eyes to the memories of Branoc’s hand. “The first day he was almost nice. He seemed interested in impressing me with his possessions. Then he asked to see my powers. At the time, I told him I had none, which I thought was true. But the answer made him angry. He let me go hungry for the next two days, but returned smiling as if he hadn’t locked me in my room. As such a close acquaintance, you must know how quickly his patience wanes. After the fifth time he hit me, I begged my powers to manifest, and one of them finally did.”

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Ryker’s voice was rough and low.

Nova fiddled with the saddle horn in front of her. “It’s alright, I’m not there anymore.”

“It’s far from alright. He will pay,” Ryker growled. “And I promise I am going to find a way to get you home.”

As Ryker’s words settled in her ears, Nova wondered how that was even possible. How was a star supposed to leave Earth and return to Ara?

Now that she was no longer at the mercy of King Branoc, maybe she could see the world a little before attempting to find a way home.

Nova nearly squealed out loud as they broke into a clearing outside the thick forest. A circular meadow, filled with wildflowers of every colour of the rainbow, grew at the edge of the forest’s depths. It was the most magical image. Golden light filtered through the leaves, creating the illusion of gold dust falling to the ground. Butterflies danced along the flower tops and a few deer grazed in the distance.

Nova couldn’t get off Charlie’s back fast enough.

“Where are you going?” Ryker called to her as she ran.

“I have to see them up close!”

With light footsteps, Nova danced through the flowers, spinning and laughing at the butterflies that joined her. This was the part of Earth she longed to see. This is what she longed to touch and smell. This is where she wanted to stay.

The toe of her boot hit a small rock and, before she could collect herself, she went flying headfirst into the flora.

“Nova!”

Laughing, she rolled onto her back. Tears streamed down her face; It was so like her to once again be defeated by a small rock.

Ryker reached her side within seconds and slid to the ground. “Are you okay? You’re crying. Are you hurt?”

Calloused hands gently checked her over and Nova softly smiled as she took in Ryker’s concern. Warm brown eyes met her sea-green ones and, for what felt like an eternity, neither of them spoke.

“I’m fine. I’m only crying because I think your world can be so very beautiful, Ryker, and I’m not sure I want to go home just yet.”