Page 32 of Hostile Holiday

Strella urged her to the buffet and nodded to Hunter. “Thank you for bringing her here. I have felt another star movingaround, but it didn’t feel like her signature. I am still delighted that you woke up, dear one.”

Strella sat and poured coffee. Orla picked up waffles, butter, syrup, and bacon before heading back to the table.

The older woman sat with a thick braid going over one shoulder, and her clothing looked elegant and timeless. Orla looked at Strella and cocked her head. “How many children did you have?”

“Two. They are still in the area, but neither carried much useful magic, so they got into civil engineering.”

“Oh, that is amazing.” Orla smiled and ate her breakfast. “This is wonderful. Thank you.”

“So, Winter here brought you to find out a bit more about you. What would you like to know?”

Orla said, “What can you tell me about why stars fall here?”

Strella smiled. “They summon us. We can’t always arrive in a timely manner, but they call for us, and we show up. Even one of the dragon stars came when called, though apparently, it took sex magic to bring him in.”

“Oh, well, that is sort of how I ended up here.” She finished her meal and set her utensils on the plate.

“Is it?”

“Yes, there was a Yule orgy where wives were exchanged for power and money. I found my mother that night and developed from there.”

Strella nodded. “What about your sister?”

“What?”

“Two stars fell that night. One was cool and bright, and the other was sweetness and fire.” Strella smiled. “You just appeared this week. She is still silent.”

“But... she is here?” Orla blinked slowly.

“She is. Once you use more of your light, you will feel other stars when they are coming.”

Orla frowned. “I am less light, more stabbing.”

“You have a weapon?”

“Yeah.”

“It comes when you want it? Emotional or angry?”

“Yes.”

Strella chuckled. “That is your light. It is your weapon and your treasure.”

“Wow.”

“It does change. For me, it was a lump hammer and turned into a frying pan and then a set of brass knuckles, but when my husband died, it became this house.” Strella smiled. “I rarely leave the area, so it makes sense for me. I can still call pure light, but it isn’t as strong as when I was younger.”

Orla asked, “Do your children still visit?”

“My great-grandchildren are regular visitors. They don’t believe the old stories, but they come for holidays, and I shut down the bed and breakfast for family time. The little ones love coming and riding the horses.”

Hunter asked, “What are the life spans of the fallen stars?”

Strella smiled. “We aren’t fallen; we are summoned. There is a difference. A vast difference. The stars that fall are at the end of their lives. We are bright and strong and give part of our futures to our children. When we decide we are done, we surrender our bodies and return to the stars.”

“Oh. But what about our loved ones?” Orla didn’t look at Hunter.

“They are safe, and we keep them safe until we no longer need to.” Strella smiled. “We just know when it is time.”

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