Serif and Taz let go of my arms and I throw myself forward but I bounce back from what seems like a solid wall in front of me. I hammer on it and scream his name. "Star... Star... Nooo..."
Someone puts their arm around me and draws me back as a horrendous scream splits the silence and reverberates around the cavern. A single shaft of black light shoots upwards from within the circle and vanishes into the darkness above and then there is silence.
"What's happening?"
"I don't know."
I am too numb to ask questions. My heart is pounding and there is only one thing I care about, that I can focus on. "Star..."
"Hold on Lumin'el. It's not over yet."
We all take a half step backwards when something shoots past us in front of our eyes within the golden mist. It is gone before we have a chance to see what it was. But even as we begin to wonder it flashes past again. It soon becomes clear that there is something inside the circle, flying round and round near the perimeter, concealed in the mist.
It seems to me as if it is some kind of bird and it is golden too, like the sparkling dust in the mist; in fact it seems to be gathering the dust to it as the shape becomes clearer and the mist more dense but less sparkly with every revolution.
At last there comes a time when there is no sparkle left in the mist at all and it is just a thick, grey cloud through which the creature, whatever it is, is still flying round and round. Suddenly it flies closer to the edge and we all gasp simultaneously. It isn't a bird; it's a dragon, a small golden dragon it's long, sinuous body undulating as wings of iridescent red and gold beat lazily. It turns its head and two eyes of startling blue pierce my heart.
And then it is gone.
We wait to see it come past again but it doesn't. It is gone.
"What is it?"
"I don't know. It looks like some kind of dragon."
"It's Star."
"Star? How...?"
"I know him. I know his eyes. It's Star." I say firmly with absolute conviction, however, although I am certain that it is Star, I don't know what it means.
Shaking myself free of the others I walk slowly to the edge of the circle and raise my hand to lay it against the invisible wall. It isn't there. Shocked, I immediately step across the line and hurry through the billowing, but now clearing smoke to where Star still lies motionless, bound on the floor.
Throwing myself to my knees I reach out to him. I can barely see him through the smoke. I can't tell if he is alive or dead, the same or changed.
"Star." I whisper, the pain in my voice dripping onto his still body. The drifting mist is making it impossible to see anything more than his outline. All my trembling hands are telling me is that he is cold, so very cold. "Star please..." my voice breaks and I feel the tears drip off my chin.
Crawling on my hands and knees I fumble for the cords and release his hands and feet then I lift him and carry him out of the circle. He is a dead weight in my arms.
As soon as we cross the barrier there is a tremendous noise behind me, like a gunshot and I spin to see the star crack right across the middle and begin to crumble, falling into a chasm beneath. I stare for a moment, until the light goes out and we are left in darkness.
"Luma... we need to get out of here," Serif whispers as more cracking sounds come out of the darkness from somewhere nearby.
"What's happening?"
"I don't know and I don't want to stay here to find out. Let's just get out of here and worry about what happened later. There are some things we really, really need to talk about."
Realising that he is right and that we might actually be in danger, I hug Star closer to my body and manifest my wings, flapping them gently so we rise slowly towards the door. Below us there are flashes in the darkness but I can't think about that.
Serif precedes me and opens the door. As soon as my foot hits the step I push past him and run across the floor to the nearest door. It happens to be the transfusion suite but I don't care. All I want is a bed to lay Star on. He is just so damn cold and so damn still.
When I lay him down I kneel at his side, rubbing his hand, trying to get him to warm up but he is so cold.
"Luma... let me."
I look up at Serif and shake my head. There is no way I am going to let him anywhere near Star.
"Luma... listen to me. He's not ascended; not yet. Azra'el didn't do his job. You have to let me..."
"No... I can do it." I am determined not to allow Serif to unleash his unimaginable power on my lover.
"You can't, Luma. You're too involved."
"I did it before," I say stubbornly.
"I know you did but that was different."
"How was it different? I loved Astaria too. I loved her and I ascended her and I can do the same this time. I can do it for Star."
"Luma... Star is not Astaria. Star is very, very different to Astaria. He's not like anything you have experienced before. You can't do this, Luma, you will kill him and there is a good chance that he might kill you."
"I don't... What do you mean kill me?"
"Can we talk about this later? Taz, get him out of here before it's too late."
"No..." Gently but irresistibly Serif tears my hand away from Star. "No, don't... you can't... don't make me leave him. Serif please..." As Taz draws me backwards towards the door I stare in abject horror as Serif bends over the lifeless form of my lover and unfurls his wings... all six of them. The last thing I see before the door slams before us is a light so bright it burns itself into my eyes and he is only warming up.
"Star...Star..."I scream, trying to tear myself out of Taz's grip but it is impossible. I can hear voices from a long way off. It doesn't occur to me that they are the rest of my household gathering at the terrible sounds of my anguish. Later, I am told that everyone except Bridge and Sacha gathered here in dread fear to witness my madness.
