Page 128 of A Clash of Stars

Chapter 40

“Um. Okay. You can all get up now. This is highly uncomfortable for me.” They all stood up, and Bethany slowly walked towards me, grabbing my hands, with shock riddled into her icy blue eyes.

She spoke softly, “You are a goddess, Clara. I wish you could see what I see now because you are fantastic.”

I smiled at my friend. Knowing I did look different but realizing that I was a different person entirely.

Someone in the group who was tired of waiting his turn interrupted us. “Okay, tell us what happened. Right now. Or I will freak out.”

I turned to look at Griffin and smiled because his anxiousness was evident. I wasn’t told I couldn’t tell, so I told them everything that Luna or Adelaide told me.

“Shit” was the only word that Griffin spoke.

Lettie’s voice spoke up immediately after, “So, Madok is being imprisoned somewhere. The real Madok… and the Madok we know is Theo, who is also Evander’s dad? My sperm-donor-of-a-father was only a puppet for Theo?”

I nodded, “Yes, that’s what I understand. I know what to do, but I must get to Evander first. We have to get to Artesia. Also, I am sorry about your father,Lettie. I know I didn’t get to talk with you about it earlier. Everything happened so quickly.”

She blinked a few times and sighed, “It is okay, Clara. He was a horrid person and was not present in my life. I am fine.”

I sighed with relief. My eyes turned to Luke’s, who was beaming with pride.

“Alright, Goddess Clara. Let’s get out of here.”

I am the one freaking out now. I am a goddess. I was just bombarded with all of this highly intense information. Now, I am supposed to be calm and collected and take out Theo, who looks like Madok, but we need to find out where the real Madok is. Then, I’m supposed to save our people by lifting this curse on our land because there’s more land out there with other people.

“So, what’s the plan?” Bethany asked me.

She was riding the same horse as me, but I could have sworn she was asleep. It was dark outside, with only the moon lighting our way through the forest to Artesia.

I whispered back to her, “I’m not sure what my plan is…exactly. I know I need to get Evander out, but I also want to protect my mother. She’s been through enough. This part of me tells me to keep moving. With each step, I am getting closer to the answers. This capability is quite shocking.”

I paused. “To be honest with you, I still feel like there is something else missing here, I was told a lot of information from Luna, but I also think something is being withheld. I don’t know what. In my mind, I can see most things clearly, but Evander is still in the dark. I know something is being blocked out.”

Bethany breathed through her teeth, “I get that. You know, earlier, when we discussed the book you found, I started to remember more stories that my father told me when I was young, and there is one I’d like to share with you. Would that be all right…goddess?”

I elbowed her in the ribs as we both giggled.

“I’d love that, B.” She leaned onto my back and startedher story.

“The world, Darthium. It was split into different regions based on species. He didn’t specify all the different things but things like fairies, angels, and such.”

She took a quick breath before she continued.

“This place was under great turmoil because of an evil man who wanted to control all of the species and be the ruler of them all. One day, a beautiful woman came into his life, full of goodness and light. He fell in love with her, but she did not love him in return. He wanted to get married and have a life together. The evil man tried to track her down, but she was hiding in one of the regions called Monowi.”

“This island was run by powerful fae who were banned from coming to the mainland of Darthium because of the evil man. He didn’t want them standing in the way of his rule. Eventually, the woman he loved tricked him into believing she loved him, and he let her back into the mainland. She had his child, then with help from others, she cursed the evil man, but he retaliated by taking their son with him and placing his own curse.”

I stopped and halted the horse. My mind was racing.

“All of this must be true. Right? Darthium must be a real place. These magical beings are real. The evil one has to be Theo, and Amari must be the woman in the story, right?” I asked in confirmation.

Bethany sighed, “If you had asked me a week ago, I would have told you no, but right now, I think there’s a serious possibility.”

I looked at her with concerned eyes as she continued, “I know, I know. It seems a little out there, but honestly, at this point…does it seem that crazy?”

“No. It doesn’t. I need to know the truth. I feel our rulers withhold what we need to know, and I want to know why. What is it they aren’t telling us.”

She huffed a breath, and I sensed something else was bothering her.

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