“That is fine by me,” the man said.
Katie stepped around Tyson to address the man. “How did you know this was a map?”
“Because I have used it myself several times,” the man replied. “I can honestly tell you it has saved my life more than once.”
“And what is this a map of?” Katie asked.
“It is a map of a place called Narque,” he answered. “A world similar to Earth, but different in many ways. I am here to take you back there.”
“Take us back?” Katie asked.
“Well, take you back,” he said. “This boy wasn’t part of my plan.”
“Well, like I said,” Katie replied, “He’s with me.”
The man smiled again. “Of course, but we need to get going.”
“Where are the Viscar Mountains?” Katie asked, ignoring the man.
The man sighed, his annoyance palpable. “The Viscar Mountains are one of the three largest mountain ranges on Narque. It is the largest of them and the least visited. It is said to hold secrets so powerful that they could kill anyone who found them.”
“Have you been there?” Katie asked.
The man raised an eyebrow. “Yes, on several occasions. With much thanks to you and your map, there’s almost no place on Narque that I haven’t visited.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Now, if you don’t mind, we’re running late and should get going.”
He gestured with his arm for Katie and Tyson to follow. They didn’t. When he realized that they were still standing in the same spot, his eyes widened and asked, “Is something wrong?”
“We’re not going anywhere until we know who you are,” Katie said.
“Fine,” the man said through a clenched jaw. “I suppose I should have started with my name. I am Cyrus Padrigian, son of Clarkus Padrigian and father to Koran and Ayla Padrigian. I was born and grew up on Narque, as did your father. He and I have spent years preparing for the war ahead.” He reached into his shirt and pulled out a gold chain with a small pendant. The pendant was a black ring with twelve stars embedded in it, each star a different color, and a large winged beast in the middle.
Katie gasped and touched her necklace, which was similar. The only difference being that the uppermost star on her necklace was a deep blue, while Cyrus’s was a vibrant orange, and the animal in Katie’s necklace was a dolphin.
“Originally there were twelve of us, fighting the in the war. There are only eight now. For the longest time we had ten, but then there were nine, and most recent events have left us with only eight,” Cyrus said.
“What happened to the other two?” Katie asked.
“I do not know. Neither your father nor I could discover what happened. When one of us dies, the necklace burns cold, and a star fades to black,” Cyrus explained.
“Who are we? And why didn’t I feel my necklace when my mom died?”
“We are known as the Palatinii,” Cyrus said. “Can I assume you know of your abilities?” Katie nodded, and he continued. “The things that you can do are special, even in our world. You didn’t feel your necklace go cold because you had not yet been enlightened, attuned to it. But that should be different now. Have a look.”
Katie looked at her necklace. Four stars had gone black. She had only noticed one black star before. The ones that used to be a light gray were now a dark obsidian-black. It almost felt as if there had been a life inside the star, and it was now gone.
She still didn’t know if she should trust Cyrus, but she knew that he was telling the truth about the stars. Her parents had told her that her time was coming, she just didn’t think it would be so soon.
“What happens to the necklace when the owner dies?” Katie asked.
“The necklace will vanish to the Spirit World,” he answered, but when he saw the confused looks on Katie’s and Tyson’s faces, he added, “It’s just the place where the fallen rest. I’ll teach you more about it later.”
Katie and Tyson looked at each other. Tyson was still obviously skeptical, but he said nothing. Katie, on the other hand, had made up her mind.
“I’m going to go with you,” Katie said. “And Tyson too, if he wants.”
Tyson stared at her for a moment but then gave her a subtle nod.
“Then it is time to go,” Cyrus said.
“Wait,” said Katie. “I have to do something with my mother’s body.”
“It’s already gone,” Sabrina stepped into the room behind Cyrus. Fear flashed against Katie’s face but then an understanding brought deep anger to it. Katie was sure this wasn’t a hallucination this time.
“You,” Katie glared at Sabrina. Katie lunged to the floor where one of her mother’s kitchen knives sat amongst the mess. She flung it at Sabrina with all of her force. Sabrina grabbed it from its tip and it melted into a gray liquid.
“Now, now,” Sabrina said, almost playfully. “I’m not here for you, Katie. Not today, at least.” She walked closer. Cyrus lunged at her but she easily tossed him backward. He hit the wall, hard.
“What do you want?” Katie asked. “Why are you doing this?”
Sabrina tilted her head and looked moderately curious. “Why so sad, Katie? Is it because I killed your mother?” She spoke the last sentence slowly with a mocking pouty face.
Katie screamed and made to grab Sabrina’s head. Sabrina deflected Katie, grabbing her arm and sending Katie to the floor.
“You’re pathetic,” Sabrina spat, her eyes narrowing. Sabrina locked
