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My Magnum Opus: Nornica Galactica

Chapter 6: A Star is Born

Eris couldn't sleep. Four times she had woken up to tend to her youngling. After the last time she observed how little point there was in going to sleep at all. In the meantime, she busied herself reading a huge, black bound book until the next bout of whining would alert her to her daughter, Sakura's, need for food, water or other such things. She wasn't a baby anymore, a child actually, and could see to herself, but didn't want to. Where was Orion when you needed him? Incidentally, at that exact moment he was eavesdropping on a rather important yet unsettling conversation.

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'We have two choices,' said Galen, 'We can wait for her to come back and risk giving her time to prepare for attack, or, we can go now ourselves and have the disadvantage of not being on our home soil and as such, won't have the knowledge of the 'battlefield'.'
'Which would be better?' asked Laird, swallowing hard.
'Neither,' replied Galen, 'I've weighed up the pros and cons of each and it really doesn't matter. So which course of action we take is dependant on how quickly we want this done.'
'As quickly as possible.' Rhiannon winced.
'OK. Second option it is then,' Galen said grimly, 'Next we must decide who is to go.' No-one volunteered. 'Come on, somebody has to,' Galen frowned.
'Oh, in the name of the Shee, I'll go.' sighed Rowan impatiently.
'I guess I'll come too then,' agreed Kwani.
'You might need a healer at some point,' said Miranda shyly.
'Oh no!' replied Maris, 'There is no way you are going on this stupid escapade.'Maris looked pointedly at his mate for it had been her idea in the first place, 'You might get killed!'
'Risking my life may save others,' she answered, typically self-sacrificial.
'Well, if you insist on going, then I'm coming too,' Maris sighed.
'Are we ready?' Rowan asked.
Galen took him aside and whispered, 'For the sake of Laird and Rhiannon, make the end quick and painless.'
Rowan nodded, 'we leave tonight.'
Orion stepped back. An expression of pure shock was etched on his face. So that's what they planned to do. He had to warn Eris.
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Eris looked up to see Orion dash in and close the door behind him with a mighty slam. Instantly, Sakura began to whinge again. Eris was on the verge of cracking.
"Right!" she cried, slamming the book down in a temper, "That's it! Where have you been while I've sat here waiting? I've gotten no sleep in the last three nights, I think it's your turn. Good night!"
"Where are you going?" Orion inquired with an interesting mix of shock and anger on his face.
"To bed. I'm knackered" She replied.
"But..I've got something *really* important to tell you" Orion stuttered, panicking.
"I don't think anything is more important to me right now than getting my head down!" She said turning to go
"Do you like your life?" Orion said
"What?"
"Do you like your life?" he repeated more urgently.
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Just answer the bleeding question!" He hissed impatiently.
"Well...What sort of crappy question is that? Of course I like my life!" Eris cried back, ever the paragon of femeninity and composure.
"Listen to me then!" Orion screamed and carried on without giving her the chance to argue, "Remember the others? They're out to get us. All of us, you mostly, but they'll kill Sakura too if they find her." Eris froze at this point, " I heard the whole thing just now so you cant tell me I'm having you on. We always knew this day would come but what did we do about it? Nothing. We are now stuck, Eris, we have nowhere to go."
"Yes we have." Eris replied cryptically, "Bring Sakura and come to my room. I have something to show you."
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In Eris' tiny room, there was a single wooden box on a table. Eris fiddled with the keys at her waist, found the one she wanted and opened the box. Inside was a silver medallion hung on a thin chain. It was set with a small pink stone that glittered in the subtle candlelight
"This is a link to a different world. Garnet gave it to me. It is for use in a emergency. Thing is, one of us will have to stay behind so that no-one can follow those who go."
"I'll stay." Orion volunteered, "You are at most threat, and Sakura, if they find her."
"Not a chance!" Eris objected, " It's me they want. When I rejected my family, I knew I would be in danger the whole way, I knew the path would be long and hard. I wanted to be free and independent, to make my own choices and not have to answer to anyone. I'm staying."
"Eris," Orion said with tears in his eyes, " I didn't have to stay with you, but I did. I didn't have to come back and warn you, but here I am. I knew the consequences of staying with you , but what am I doing right now? I'm here and here I stay. I love you Eris, and I'll defend you to the last"
"Mother?" Sakura squeeked "What's going to happen to us?"
Eris knelt so she was on level with her daughter "When I give the word, press this stone. Don't hesitate, just do it. For the love of the Goddess, do what I tell you." Eris actually had tears in her eyes, they glistened with her internal pain.
Sakura nodded. At that moment, Garnet burst in through the door.
"Madam...We have a problem"
"Wouldn't be a posse of norns would it?"
"How did you know?"
"Educated guess"
Orion and Eris gripped each others hand.
"We have to go now Sakura. When we're gone, use the medallion."
Sakura poised a finger over the stone. She counted to five from the moment her parents left and slammed her hand down. She would be leaving behind the life she knew so well. What the future held for her she could only guess at. Of her parents: she would never know their fate.


Author's Notes
Right. That's it for this Part. Notice a new character anywhere? Remember her. She's important! See that last sentence? There's a prize for guessing where that came from! (Uhhh...Not really!) That's about all I can say. Hope you enjoyed it

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