Jazin swallowed several times trying to get control of his rage and fear. His eyes shifted to the doors and back to the huge Tearnat holding him. He knew she was right. He would not be of use to Star in the condition he was in. He would only get in the way. But… his eyes went back to the door.
“I cannot lose her,” he said harshly.
“It is not her time yet,” Madas said confidently. “Your little warrior has much to do still. This is simply a test by the Gods to see if she has the strength needed to face the battles still yet to come. She is strong. She will not fail such a simple challenge. Believe in her strength and you will find she is truly as much a warrior as you are. She will be a mate who can stand by your side, not in your shadow,” Madas hissed out quietly.
Jazin looked at Madas and slowly lowered his blade. “I can only pray that you are right,” he replied. “But, know this. If she survives, I will never let her be exposed to danger again. I will protect her and care for her even if I have to lock her away to do so. Never again will I let anyone hurt her. On this I swear,” Jazin declared passionately.
Madas chuckled as she watched the fierce determination settle onto Jazin Ja Kel Coradon’s face. “Be careful what you say, Lord Jazin. There are some forces in the universe you cannot control. And some of them come in very small packages.”
Chapter 2
Star relaxed further down under the covers. She was having the most wonderful dream. She was flying through the air. Her dad was watching her, coaching her, laughing excitedly as she caught the bar he had swung out for her to catch. She could feel his and her mom's arms wrap tightly around her in excitement when she landed on the platform next to them.
The dream began to change. She wasn't a little girl any more. Walter, the manager of the circus, was introducing her, Jo, and River. She could feel the huge horse under her picking up speed as she entered the center ring. Tonight she was going to perform a new act. It was one of the most challenging she had ever done and the first time she was the star of the show. Jo and River would back her up if she needed it but she was confident she wouldn't have any problems. It had taken Walter to finally convince her parents that she could do this. Star was small for sixteen, barely reaching five feet in her bare feet. Even then, she towered over Walter's three and a half foot frame. It was Walter who Star turned to when she became afraid she couldn't do something. He never gave her any sympathy. He pushed her to believe in herself and her natural talents. He made her feel as tall as any of the other performers.
The dream was changing again, pulling her away from her circus family. Colors swirled around her as if she was falling through the White Rabbit's hole only to end up in Oz. Bits and pieces of her life flashing through her mind in a kaleidoscope of images, sounds, and colors. It made her dizzy as they flitted through her mind.
Now she was at the condo she and Jo owned in Orlando. She was mad! She felt the overwhelming anger burning through her. She had heard a group of other performers, including the guy she was dating, making fun of her size. He was telling the others that he was only dating her so he could get close to some of the contacts she had in the entertainment business. He joked that being with her was like hanging out with his kid sister. She wasn't much bigger, either! The others made snide remarks, wanting to know if he had bedded the 'baby'. He had jokingly told them he tried but he didn't fit in the crib she slept in. She was about to give him a piece of her mind again when she was pulled away into the misty swirling colors again. She spun around floating upward until she reached another time in her life.
Now, she was at the cabin in the mountains she had rented for her, Jo, and River. She and Jo were talking excitedly about what they were going to do once River joined them. It had been almost a year since they were able to get together with River Knight, their best friend and adopted sister. The three of them had grown up together traveling with the circus. They were inseparable growing up and they missed her so much since they had stopped traveling. Life on the road had lost some of its glamor for Jo and Star after their parents retired. They still performed in a circus doing their death-defying aerial stunts but they did it without moving around. When their parents retired to Florida, Jo and Star had stayed with the circus family they had grown up with for a couple years before joining Circus of the Stars in Orlando, Florida. Here they expanded their performances to include aerial stunts mixed with incredible special effects.
Star moved restlessly as the mists in her dream turned darker. Memories now invaded her dreams. There had been a sound on the front porch of the cabin they were renting. Star thought it was River. A cry ripped from her throat as the dark, alien figure appeared in front of her. She struggled weakly against the hands holding her, fighting to break free but she couldn’t get her body to do what she wanted it to do. A soothing voice filtered through before it faded as the cloak of dark mist spun its web around her until she was swept away on its dark waves.