The Emperor of Evening Stars by Laura Thalassa

Chapter 22 Reunion

Less than a year ago

I pass through my Catalina home and out onto my back porch. The sun sets on the Pacific Ocean, lighting the sky on fire as it descends beneath the horizon.

Across the vast miles of sea that spreads out from beyond my property, I can just barely make out the hazy Malibu hills.

My chest aches at the sight.

She’s somewhere over there, so close it feels like I could reach out and touch her, but so far I despair I’ll ever feel her skin beneath my fingers again.

I force my wings to manifest, then spread them wide. They soak in the last dying rays of the sun.

I bend my knees, then with one great thrust, I leap into the sky.

Just as I do every other evening, I fly towards that distant California shore, aiming for Callie’s house. It’s become something of a ritual, trying to see just how close I can get to her before my magic stops me.

It’s been seven years. Callie’s no longer a teenager. She can now legally drink, gamble, buy cigarettes. I’ve missed an entire era of her life, and the loss burns deep. How much more will I have to miss? Will she be stooped and frail by the time I can wrap my arms around her again? I can feel the sands of her life slipping down the hourglass, bringing her closer and closer to death. It makes me fevered, panicked.

I fly on, watching the clouds turn from pale orange to cotton candy pink, to dusty lilac. Eventually, they blend in with the deep blue evening sky.

I steel myself as I near that elusive boundary that marks the edge of my reach. Malibu is near enough that I can differentiate the buildings dotting the land. Near enough to make me see clearly what I’m being denied.

I press on, waiting for the moment my power will force me to stop. I feel it several seconds before I reach the magical boundary. Like always, I push against it, battling my own power.

Only this time, something’s different.

It’s weaker, putting up less resistance as I slam a fist into it. It shudders, my disturbance like a ripple along a lake.

That’s never happened.

Encouraged, I hit it with another blow. It doesn’t give.

C’mon.

Gathering my power into my fist I strike it once, hard. This time, it’s like a bomb detonating.

The magic explodes, hitting me square in the chest and throwing me backwards. As I careen through the sky, I feel Callie’s seven-year-old debt finally—finally—dissipate.

Paid in full.

I don’t breathe as I right myself.

I rub my chest, feeling the last remnants of my magic slide back into me.

Gods’ hands, it’s over.

The wait is over.