My heels clicked across the gleaming jet floor as I veered around the only furniture in the room; a solid, ebony table with matching chairs, ten of them. Massive, curved monitors formed the walls; screens to display war plans, connect to the Internet, and access human television networks. To my right, a balcony jutted out in a half-circle that was half the size of the room; large enough for a dragon to land on. The waterfall emerged from just beneath that balcony and the hollow roar of the water served as a calming soundtrack for a place that would be focused on violence.
“Stand against the wall, Sin. It's time to make my council.”
Sin moved aside with wide eyes.
“Star, shall we?”
Your wish is my command.
“What happened to you not being a genie?”
Just roll with it, she grumbled. Then her voice shifted into smugness, “And prepare yourself; this will be a bumpy ride.”
My body went rigid as the power of the Void and the Nine Great Magics surged through me. Specifically; the magics of Creation and Transmutation. I felt Star pull power from them as she also drew forth the dark matter of space and brought it down to Earth. While she did that, I connected with the Void in another way. I left my body and flew into that realm to gather the souls who would claim the bodies Star was forming.
The world trembled as Heaven met Earth and eight nebulous, pitch-black forms appeared around me, hovering over the jet floor. They solidified as I watched, streams of power pouring out of me and into them. Power and souls. The darkness brightened until the shapes were hidden completely and then, suddenly, the flow of magic stopped, the light faded, and they were revealed to me.
Sin made a strangled sound of amazement and took a single step forward, his eyes focused on the men who stood at attention in a circle around me.
“Welcome to life, my Star Gods,” I said warmly. “I have created you to help me bring peace to Earth. But to get that peace, we must first fight. I need you to lead my armies, beneath the command of General Sin.”
I waved a hand at Sin, and he nodded at the men, his stare flicking to each of them warily.
“Sin knows this region and its people, and he is my first ally. He will be a great help to us. You will be more than my commanders, you will also be my council. We shall meet here, in our Council Chambers, to strategize but not today. Today is the day of your birth, and we must celebrate that. You are the chosen champions of the Dark Star. I've plucked your souls from the Void because they called to me. You called to me. You want life but more than that, you want greatness, and you're willing to fight for it. So, I took you from that realm and formed your bodies from dark matter. You are the first gods to be shaped by a goddess; the first stars to be born on Earth. You are so very special, and I rejoice in your arrival.”
The Star Gods stared at me with dawning comprehension. It must not have been easy to come fully-formed back to life. But Star had made sure to give them the knowledge they needed along with skills I required them to have. They were smart, but that wisdom was tempered by loyalty. I couldn't have a brilliant tactician secretly plotting to steal my throne. Their bodies had been made strong, but their magic was far stronger. Warrior gods who owed their lives to a goddess. They stretched their new bodies beneath the loose tunics and trousers Star had clothed them in, shoulders settling and hands clenching with power, then smiled in satisfaction.
“Yes, I've given you many gifts and your loyalty will also be rewarded,” I went on. “But let that go for now. You are freshly returned to the world, and we must do this properly. When you know yourselves better and are settled into life, you are free to choose your own names but, for now, I will give you the names of the first Star Gods, in honor of the Dragon Goddess who has inspired me.”
I stepped forward to the first god and smiled softly as I stroked his angular face. His lime green, slit-pupil eyes, like the scales of a pit viper, focused on me as if I were everything to him. And he was just as important to me; I could feel a shimmering awareness between us. We were bound with an unbreakable knot, formed by the process of his rebirth.
Another pair of green eyes flared in my mind; another god born of magic. Torrent; the name whispered through me, and I wondered what my friend would think of these gods. What he would think of me for creating them. Well, one thing was certain; I wouldn't treat them as Iktomi had treated Torr. I would give these men the love that my friend had been denied.
“The Viper,” I named the first star god.
“My Goddess.” He bowed his head.
“I am Vervain to you.” I turned to glance at them all. “To all of you. I will be mother, sister, and friend; whoever you need me to be. We will support each other and love each other. Out there, we fight. In the world, I will be the Dark Star and you will be my Star Gods. But in here, when it's only us, I'm Vervain.”
“Vervain,” Viper tested the word and then smiled.
A pair of sharp, slim fangs flicked down behind his top teeth, and I admired them a moment before I stepped
