Page 4 of Alien God

“You have been gone a long time,” he said again, softly this time. So softly I barely heard it.

Dread hardened in my guts as I tried to figure out just what it meant that a stone sky god’s star map had started going dark.

“Tell me, Maerwynne.” There was no hope of following Skallagrim’s trail at this point. I would have to regain my strength and try to track him down another way. But for now, I needed to know what had happened to Maerwynne. What had happened everywhere, to everyone, since I’d been gone, recovering under the red mountains of a far-flung world. “Tell me everything.”

CHAPTER TWO

Wylfrael

Maerwynne and I descended to the immaculate white stone of Heofonraed. Well, immaculate except for the crack that had opened up under the force of Maerwynne’s body being flung upon it. If I ignored the crack, looked only at the smooth white, I could almost pretend I was descending upon the winter snow of Sionnach. My mother’s world. The world I’d occupied until Skallagrim had crashed through the sky in his delirious rage and forced me into battle so long ago.

I may not have stopped him yet. But at least I saved Sionnach...

But this was not Sionnach. We landed in front of the gates, the Eaforswynne watching with their silent red eyes.

“Why does the council not open the gates?” I asked bitterly, studying the impenetrable white. If they had simply opened their gates, used Heofonraed’s power to help me, as was their duty, then Skalla would be bound. He’d be safe, along with the rest of the cosmos.

“They will not open to us. They will not hear any petition now.”

I whirled on Maerwynne.

“What are you talking about?”

The whole purpose of the Council of the Gods was to govern and assist the stone sky gods. They were the only ones with access to Heofonraed’s full power – power that was supposed to be used to answer petitions. Petitions like mine.

Maerwynne raised his starless hand again, staring at the extinguished star map. Now that I was closer to him, I could still see remnants of the map that had been there. Dark greyish marks. Scars where there should have been stars.

“It’s the star-darkness. They fear it will spread to their halls. They will allow no unmated god inside.”

“Star-darkness...”

Maerwynne stretched his hand out, his palm in front of my face.

“Star-darkness. This.”

I looked at my own palm, glowing with my star map. Just like Maerwynne’s should have been, but wasn’t.

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