The Star

Aurora could not say for sure what possessed her to remove her glove as she chased after the Keeper. Perhaps it was the tradition of duelists to throw down gauntlets. But an irresistible pull had urged her to take the fabric from her hand and toss it at the ground. 

"Insolent human," The Keeper scoffed at the human. "Step no farther!"

"I will not let you take it!" The Empress cried with conviction.

The warning of the fairy nearby did not even reach her ears. Her sole focus was the chain which the Keeper had stolen. 

The ethereal thief had already begun to shut the entrance. Aurora had to stop him. She thrust her hand against the metal door to cease its swing. 

'She's going to die!' Zeru shielded his eyes against the sight.

When he touched the walls of the Tower, his entire body was drained of its power. The Keeper had warned him if he accidentally touched the outside again, the Tower would kill him. 

Aurora had no magic, so the first touch would be her last. 

As her fingers came in contact with the metal she convulsed. She closed her eyes, shaking violently. 

"You should have listened," the Keeper shook his head. 

"Aurora!" Brinn rushed forward only to the caught by Zeru.

"If you touch her, it may kill you too!" he and Reyan held the elf back.

"No!" Brinn tried to use her magic to separate her friend from the door. Zan, Nurlan, and Alvar began to ascend the steps with their hands on their blades. 

"Stop!" Aurora's voice echoed.

Her eyes opened, and the blue flecks in them shone as bright as the sun. Her fiery hair glowed with the radiance of actual embers. Her face and hand shone with a soft radiance. Brinn guessed that underneath her coat, the rest of the woman was glowing as well. 

"You feel betrayed by the Fates," Aurora said, her voice enhanced by the light shining from her. "But that does not change the fact that the world needs your help right now. If you want proof. Ask the Maker himself!" 

"You...you have met the Maker? But you are a human! That should not be possible!" The Keeper stepped back from the door in shock. "How..." 

"I have been to the top of the Spires and met the Maker twice. The second time, he touched me." Aurora pointed to her blazing hair. "This was done by his hand." 

"You...you are the one..." The Keeper reeled from these words. "But...but you are human?!" 

"The one?" The Empress's voice softened. She let go of the door. 

The glow around her faded. 

Finally able to see the woman again, the Keeper lifted the glove from the ground and handed it to Aurora. 

"I had a vision." The Keeper told her. 

"A vision of the future? Like Hanna has?" The Empress realized she might have caused a problem by speaking of the blue-skinned lady, but the Keeper allowed a small smile.

"Fate Hanna? Now there is a name I have not heard in ages. One of the only hopes for our race if you ask me." The Keeper blinked a few times. "No, not exactly like Hanna. Mine was a single vision. A lone dream. One I have had for hundreds of your human generations. A shining star would be sent from the Maker and come for the Seed."

Aurora thought about the handprint on her head. It resembled a star. Had the Maker prepared her for this very moment that long ago? 

The Keeper chuckled and a genuine smile broke his face. "Who says the Maker does not have a sense of humor? If I wasn't blinded by my distaste for my kin, I might have seen it sooner."

"Seen what?" Reyan pursed his lips. 

"The star was attended by a butterfly and a golden wind." The Keeper's eyes swirled with amusement. "You look just like a butterfly," he told Reyan. "I was foolish to miss it." 

"I'll show you a butterfly," the old curmudgeon muttered as he rolled up one sleeve. Zeru barely made it back to his friend in time to stop him from decking the Master. 

"There was one more thing. The star was held up by a crown." The Keeper's gaze became far off for a moment. 

'Held up by a crown?' Aurora found the wording odd. She was the Empress, so shouldn't the star be wearing a crown? But then her heart sank. There was a crown who was always holding her up. He had since the day they had met. But he was not here. 

"I suppose I have no choice. I shall not do what I accused my kin of doing. To go against the Maker's wishes would be folly after all of my hard work to protect the power which he gave." The Keeper nodded. 

He held out the chain and Aurora lowered her head to receive it. Back in its proper home, the golden braid sang softly before growing silent. 

"I still think it is a mistake to have that," the keeper frowned, " but we are past that now, aren't we." 

"We are," Aurora tucked the chain into her coat before raising her hood. As soon as the metal touched her skin, she felt warm and at ease. "So, may we have the seed? As soon as we get it, we will be on our way and not bother you again." 

The Keeper nodded. "I will get it once you give me the method of transport." He held out his hand. 

"Excuse me?" The Empress blinked uncomprehendingly. 

"You cannot just touch the Seed. That was one of our many mistakes when we tried to split the source. Touching it will drain it of its power and most likely kill you. It nearly ended a Fate or two, and we have much higher capacity than humans." The Keeper clicked his tongue. "You need something pure to move it without contaminating it." 

"Can't we just use whatever you used to get it here?" Brinn asked. 

"That vessel has been lost to time." The Keeper shook his head sadly. "I would have thought the star in my vision would have prepared for such a moment." 

There was no censure in his voice for once, only confusion. 

"If I had known, then I might have been able to find a way. But you are short on time and such things take careful crafting." The Keeper paced inside the doorway. 

'At least he seems like he wants to help.'

"Can we not just take a chunk of snow or ice? That would be pure, wouldn't it?" Reyan looked at the field of white surrounding the Tower. 

"I...I don't know. Even the ice has impurities. I could try to enchant the ice, but that would only last as long as you are under my influence. When you leave this land, I don't know if the seed will sustain it since it is not rooted." 

Aurora pictured a box of ice melting in her hand. Her heart sank. 'With the world steadily warming, I would need an impossibly big block of ice to ensure the seed made it.'

Another thought entered her head that she had not considered. "How big is the seed?" 

The Keeper looked surprised again. "Why, is it a Seed! Even the largest plant has only a small seed. Surely even humans know that." 

Despite the insult, Aurora's fear was lessened. If the seed had been the size of her destroyed sled...then they would have no way to move it without the Fate's help. And something told her that he would be unwilling to go beyond the border of the storm. 

"Master!" Osis called in the Ancient Tongue. "Look!" 

The low hiss of the leopard raised the hair on all of the cats' necks. 

Hearing the warning, the Keeper left his home and stared out at the tundra. His face became tense. 

A moment later, Aurora realized why.