"And now we
have life return," an aged voice called to him through the
darkness. "Welcome back to us Ystriek."
He opened his eyes
and looked through the sheer of the gauze bandages covering his face. He
brought his hand up to tear them away only to feel the excruciating pain in the
action. He froze with his trembling hand inches from his face and stared.
Three fingers!!!
He only had
three fingers!!!
"You are
alive," the ancient one said. "That's more than any who
attempted to take on a star's powers can say. You are the first to live
this long. Are you the first to have learned from your mistake?"
"What..."
his voice was raspy and barely a whisper.
"You attempted
to control the power of a star," the ancient spoke. "You played
with powers not yet in your grasp of reality or responsibility yet to play
with. It is a wonder how you and all the children survived the first stage
of your plan."
"The
children?!?!" He gasped and sat straight up, slumping back when his
head reeled from the attempt.
He dropped his
scarred hand over his head. "Are they alive?"
The ancient frowned
at him. "You are connected to them. You should know if they
are or are not."
Ystriek closed his
eyes. "They are not dead," he said finally. "I just
can not find them."
"Then they are
also fortunate and stronger than even you might have thought possible.
They will likely be far more intelligent too."
"I will find
them," Ystriek hissed. "I will find them again. All of
them."
"And you will
proceed with caution," the ancient warned. "This will take some
time. And foolish boy, time is all you have."
Forgetting the
children and focusing back to himself he lifted his hand before his face
again. Three fingers!
"How bad is the
rest of me?" he asked.
Silence answered
him. "How bad, Old Man?" He demanded.
"Let's just say
that until you can master the power of the star you so desperately yearn for,
you will never again be a lady killer."
The ancient one
helped Ystriek to a sitting position and then held out a looking glass so that
he might see the extent of the damage.
His cry of terror
echoed through the dark castle of the ancients and into the dark maze of
canyons that led to and from the palace.
"Foolish
boy," the ancient chided and removed the mirror from his sight.
"Did you really think you could do this alone?"
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