Page 13 of Sea of Stars

Relief flooded over the features on Breghton's face, and his smile returned to him. He rubbed the hair on his chin. “So who is Chinook?” he asked kindly, sheathing his sword.

“What do you mean? Chinook is just my owl.” My temper had risen and I always had a hard time calming back down.

“No,” he answered. “When divinares with the power of the Moira die they are reincarnated as owls. When their ashes become one with the sky, their remains are swept into the wind and they become creatures of flight, as wise as they once were before.”

I looked at him disbelievingly. “So you think Chinook was a divinare?” My question was full of sarcasm. I glanced over at Chinook and then gulped.

“Mahlia are you okay?” Breghton stepped closer toward me. “All the color drained from your face.” He rubbed his hand on my back.

“If that’s really true,” I said slowly, “I don’t think Chinook is a ‘he.' ”

Chapter 5

I stared into Chinook's eyes and felt the familiar warmth. I knew he didn’t act like an owl. The strange feeling I had gotten on the mountain actually made sense. I knew this owl. And I needed to stop calling Chinook a "he." I wrapped my arms around Chinook's soft neck. Everything Breghton said had confirmed that at least part of the gift of the Moira had to do with telling the future. Which meant that my parents had known they were going to die. But I didn't need to feel abandoned, because my mother knew she'd come back to me.

“Mama,” I whispered into Chinook’s feathers.

Chinook hooted softly. Tears began to sting my eyes. Soon the feathers below me were matted.

Breghton smiled down at us. “I’m assuming she found you?” he asked.

I didn’t let go of Chinook, but I sniffed and replied, “Yes.” I hesitated and then added, “She was also the one that brought me the dagger.”

He seemed a little bewildered by my words. “There’s much you still don’t know, Mahlia. It’s dangerous to even be in the presence of the Assassin’s Dagger. It struck down our last king. It caused the end of our reign. I don’t know how Chinook obtained it, but we shouldn’t bring it with us. It will only give us bad luck on our…” He paused midsentence.

I pulled away from Chinook and looked up at Breghton. The dagger was in his hand, different symbols now etched across the blade. His eyes reflected the blue symbols as he stood transfixed on the dagger.

I tried to get his attention. “Breghton?” I stood up and stepped slowly toward him. “Breghton?” I asked again.

Chinook ruffled her feathers and began to make a hooting noise from somewhere deep in her throat, almost like a growl. Breghton continued to stare at the blade, dumbfounded.

I reached my hand up to the sword’s hilt and wrapped my hand around his. The dagger shook and sparked as the symbols on the blade tried to transform into the ones I was used to seeing. Breghton howled in pain and the sword fell to the ground. A strip of burnt flesh ran across his palm. He stared at me uncomprehendingly.

“What did it say?” I asked, just as confused as he looked.

“I don’t know, I couldn’t read it,” he said quickly. He looked at the ground, his shoulders slumped. “I wasn’t raised learning the old divinare language. I only recognize a handful of spoken terms and maybe a few symbols. We need to find some of the elder divinares. They’re the only ones with all the information you seek. Only they can interpret the symbols on the Assassin’s Dagger."

“But you just said it was dangerous.”

“Well I might be wrong,” he hesitated. “I think it’s probably important that we bring it with us.”

“Breghton, I saw your eyes go over it. I know you were able to read it. Tell me what it said.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I thought I might be able to read it. I tried to, but I didn’t recognize any of the symbols. Don’t worry, we’ll find someone who can interpret it. I promise.”

Chinook was still growling

at him. I picked up the dagger and slipped it back into my knapsack. Breghton’s eyes never left it until it disappeared inside the satchel. It seemed like he was lying to me about the words on the dagger. He shook his head and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He unfolded it and crouched down, spreading it across a dry spot of ground. I walked up to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He jumped at my touch. He moved over as if he didn’t want me to be next to him.

“How do we find the elders then?” I asked, trying not to sound hurt. It was true that I had countless nightmares about Breghton's death. But I also had wonderful dreams about him still being alive and us meeting once again. This hadn’t been the way I pictured it.

Breghton ignored my question about the elders. I crouched down beside him and looked at the map. It seemed very similar to mine, except that it spanned a wider area. Even the scrawl looked like Swishel's. Before the Great Ravage she had lived in a village like this. Could this be her map too? I pulled my knapsack from my shoulder and produced the map I possessed. I placed it down next to his. It was very similar, except none of his was torn off. Breghton looked over at me and the kindness was back in his eyes.

“Where did you get that from?”

“The old healer at the Iron Gates. Her name was Swishel. She was the one who told me to come here.” The wound of her loss was still fresh, and I bit my lip so that I wouldn't start crying. “She sacrificed herself to save me from Mortwar.”

“I still can’t believe you were enslaved by that beast this whole time. Mahlia, I truly am sorry,” he reached out and put his hand over the top of mine. It was warm and strong.

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