Starfinder

TWO THINGS

MOTH STARED BLANKLY through the dragonfly’s canopy, watching the rain smash against the glass as Skyhigh piloted the vessel through the storm. The dragonfly pitched in the winds, straining to stay aloft. Ahead of them glowed the spotlight of the Avatar, the only visible cue they could see through the clouds. Below them the world had vanished, and Fiona with it.

They’d searched for her as long as possible, flying low over the rocks until the rain and darkness overwhelmed them. Finally, with the Avatar circling impatiently overhead, Skyhigh called off their search.

“Skyhigh?”

Skyhigh kept his eyes on the Avatar’s beacon. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry we ran,” said Moth. “I’m sorry for everything.”

Skyhigh worked the controls as though ignoring him. “Yeah,” he said finally. “I know. It’s not your fault, Moth.”

It was the kind of thing adults tell little children after they’d spilled some milk or broken a window.

“Fiona crossed the Reach because of me,” said Moth. “It is my fault. None of this would have happened if—”

“Stop,” said Skyhigh. “I know what you’re thinking, but maybe she’s okay. If she’s a good swimmer she might still be alive. In the morning we’ll look for her again.”

Moth tried to remember if Fiona had ever mentioned swimming in Capital City. Her pastimes were horses mostly. And museums.

“Skyhigh?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you gonna tell Rendor?”

“I’m not sure. The truth, I guess. Fiona saw us coming, so she ran.”

“She ran because she didn’t want to go back to him.”

“Was that a good decision or a stupid one?”

Moth leaned back, feeling woozy. “He doesn’t care about her. All he cares about is the Starfinder.”

“What is that thing anyway?” asked Skyhigh. “I still don’t know.”

“It’s the gift Leroux wanted to give me,” said Moth. “Esme brought it to me before we left.”

“Esme! Where is she?”

Moth hesitated. How much should he really tell Skyhigh?

“She’s safe.”

Skyhigh’s head turned a little. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s private, Skyhigh. I can’t tell you.”

“For crying sakes, Moth…”

“I’m sorry,” said Moth. “I can’t tell you because I can’t let Rendor get the Starfinder!”

“Starfinder, Starfinder! What’s the big deal? Let me see it.”

“I can’t,” said Moth. “I don’t have it anymore.”

“You mean you lost it?”

Moth shook his head. “No.”

“Fiona has it?”

“No.”

“Who then? Merceron? He’s a dragon, right?”

“Huh?” Moth sat up. “Who told you about Merceron?”

“No one. No one tells me anything! It’s just something I overheard. Does he have the Starfinder?”

“Skyhigh…”

“I know, you can’t tell me! Listen, Moth—I don’t care about the Starfinder. All I want is to get you home safe. Fiona, too. If you think I’m in cahoots with Rendor, then you just go ahead and believe that. I’m still your friend, no matter what you think.”

Moth leaned his head against the glass. “Everything’s gotten so messed up. But I have to protect them—Esme, Fiona, everyone. I can’t tell you any more.”

“You have to,” said Skyhigh. “If we’re going to find Fiona we need to know where you were heading.”

Moth looked away.

“Moth, c’mon…”

“Fiona doesn’t want him to find her,” said Moth.

“He’s her grandfather! He’s got a right to know what’s happened to her!”

“If she’s alive, she’s safe,” said Moth, hoping Fiona had somehow made it to the centaurs.

“That’s all you’re going to tell me?” Skyhigh shook his head in annoyance. “That won’t cut it with Rendor.”

Up ahead, the Avatar hung in the sky like a big, black moon.

An hour later Moth found himself in Rendor’s quarters, staring out a small, round porthole. The rain had stopped, and the wind had blown away most of the clouds. In the moonlight he could see the mountains again. The Avatar floated somewhere between the towering peaks and the rushing river far below.

Crewmen had brought Moth new clothes. Like the coat he’d stolen back in Calio, the plain shirt and trousers were too big for him, swimming on him like mismatched sheets. There was food, too, laid out on a table bolted to the floor. Otherwise the chamber was bare, the walls little more than metal struts and panels. A cot waited in the corner, fitted with clean, crisp linen.

Moth wasn’t hungry and he didn’t want to sleep. He just wanted morning to come, so they could look for Fiona again.

“Even if we had wings, some of us would be pigeons.”

Moth turned abruptly, startled to see Rendor stepping through the narrow doorway.

“Huh?”

The governor closed the door behind him. “It’s a joke someone told me once. Looking at you made me think of it.” He took a step closer, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the untouched food. “Not hungry?”

Moth shook his head. Rendor glanced at the cot.

“Did you rest at least?”

“This is all just a bribe,” said Moth. “It’s not gonna work. I won’t help you.”

Rendor hovered over the table. “Your friend Coralin warned me you’d be tart,” he said. He selected a piece of cheese, considering Moth while he chewed. “Leroux didn’t do you any favors. Did he at least warn you that I’d be coming after you?”

Moth crossed his arms. “You’re wasting your time asking questions.”

“Fine. Then just listen. You’ve made a right mess of things. You stole the Starfinder, made me come looking for you, and now my granddaughter is missing. She might even be dead.”

“I didn’t steal the Starfinder,” sneered Moth. “Leroux wanted me to have it.”

“Leroux was my friend long before you ever met him, boy. He was a good man but a great fool. All he ever cared about was getting Esme back to normal. And you’ve lost her too, haven’t you?” Rendor’s smile was caustic. “Like I said—a right mess you’ve made.”

He pulled out the chair next to the table, sitting down and studying Moth with his crazy blue eyes.

“The moment the sun comes up we’ll start searching for Fiona. It would help if we knew where to look.”

“She fell into the river,” said Moth.

“Only a fish can swim in that river, boy. By now it’s carried her into the rocks. Why were you heading for the mountains? What’s there?”

“Nothing,” said Moth. “We were just following the river.”

“You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”

Instead of looking at Rendor, Moth stared out the window.

“Keeping your mouth shut isn’t going to help Fiona. What about the Starfinder? Does Fiona have it? Or did you give it back to Merceron?”

Moth struggled to hold his tongue.

“All right,” sighed Rendor, slapping his hands against his lap. “You ask the questions.” He leaned back, tilted up his chin. “Go on. Leroux obviously kept you in the dark. Merceron, too.”

“They told me enough,” said Moth. “Especially Merceron.”

“Did he tell you how we helped him fight his war? That Leroux and I were the ones that smuggled the Starfinder out of here? That old beast owes me that at least.”

“All right,” said Moth. “I do have a question for you. Why’d you ever come here? Why’d you and Leroux cross the Reach together?”

“Leroux never explained it to you?”

“He never told me anything,” said Moth. “All he ever did was tell stories. I thought he made them up. He was old. He really didn’t have anyone. I always thought he told those stories just so folks would listen to him.”

Rendor actually looked sad. “Don’t blame him for that, boy. We were Eldrin Knights. We swore to keep our mission secret.”

“Mission?”

“To spy on the Skylords,” said Rendor. “To find out if they really existed and what they were like. But Leroux forgot the things we saw over here. I never did. Now tell me about the Starfinder.”

“Forget it,” scoffed Moth.

“You must have figured out how to use it. Otherwise you’d never have found Merceron.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know anything.”

“Not even the Skylords knew where Merceron was hiding. Only the Starfinder could have found him.”

Moth turned back to the porthole. “I’m tired.”

“Then sit down! I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.” Rendor gestured to the cot. “There’s something you need to know.”

Curious, Moth sat down at the edge of the bed.

“Two things,” said Rendor. “First, Merceron didn’t tell you everything about the Starfinder. Second, I think I know why you’re able to make it work.” Rendor grinned. “You do want to know why the Starfinder works for you, don’t you?”

Moth couldn’t help himself from nodding. “Yes,” he said. “Tell me.”

“I spent my whole life trying to figure it out. So did Leroux. So did Merceron.” Rendor laughed and clapped his hands together. “I can’t believe that old reptile hasn’t figured it out yet!”

“Figured out what?”

Rendor smiled and said, “That you’re a child.”

“What? I’m not a child,” Moth protested. “I’m thirteen.”

“It’s not about your age,” said Rendor. “Not precisely. It’s about what’s up here.” He tapped his head with his fingertip. “Your friend Skyhigh’s been telling me about you. He says you’re a dreamer. That you want to be a Skyknight, that you’re always looking up, head in the clouds.”

His accusation made Moth squirm. “I am going to fly one day, Governor. Even you can’t stop me from that.”

Rendor waved off his words. “Being a dreamer isn’t an insult, boy. But when you get older things will be different. You won’t see possibilities anymore, just obstacles.”

Moth looked at him blankly. “Uh-huh…”

“You’re confused. All right. You like stories, so I’ll tell you one.” Rendor poured himself a cup of tea. “I had a brother named Conrad. He was four years older than me. I loved him. I trusted him. Anything he told me, I believed. When I was growing up, all I ever wanted was to fly. Conny knew that, so when I was six or seven he told me he was going to build me a pair of wings.”

“Wings?” laughed Moth. “I guess you weren’t a very smart kid, huh?”

Rendor set down his cup without taking a sip. “I was a genius, but that’s not the point. I did Conny’s chores for him, gave him my toys, kept his secrets—anything to get those wings. I believed. And because nobody told me I couldn’t fly, I just assumed that I could.”

“I get it,” said Moth. “Because I’m a dreamer I can use the Starfinder, right?”

“Maybe,” said Rendor. He shrugged. “It’s hard to be sure. But I bet Fiona couldn’t make it work, could she?”

Moth hesitated. He promised himself he wouldn’t answer any of Rendor’s questions. “Why not?”

“You know Fiona better than I do. You can answer that yourself.”

“Because she’s not a dreamer?”

“Because she has no faith. Because she doesn’t believe in anything.” Rendor pulled the watch from his pocket to check the time. Only he didn’t seem interested in the time. He just sort of gazed at it.

“What’s the other thing?”

Rendor blinked. “Eh?”

“You said there were two things you wanted to tell me about the Starfinder.”

The old man nodded. “Yes.” He slid his watch back into his pocket. “The Starfinder isn’t just a way of finding the creatures of this world. It doesn’t just spy on them. It controls them.”

“Controls them?” Moth shook his head. “No, that’s not what Merceron told me.”

“Merceron couldn’t tell you the truth,” said Rendor. “Not once he realized what you could do. The Starfinder lets the Skylords command the beings of the constellations. It’s like a leash around their necks. They can’t escape it.” Rendor’s voice got deep and serious. “I don’t know how it works,” he admitted. “All I know is what Esme told us. The Skylords use the Starfinder to force others to do their bidding. That’s what makes it so dangerous. Think about it, Moth. The Starfinder makes you as powerful as a Skylord.”

“I feel sick,” Moth groaned. He remembered what Fiona had said about Merceron. Maybe she was right. Maybe all he’d ever wanted was the Starfinder. “Now I understand why you want the Starfinder so bad.”

Rendor rose from his chair. “The Starfinder is the ultimate protection against the Skylords, Moth. Ever since I discovered what they truly are, I’ve spent my life preparing for them.”

“Sure,” muttered Moth. “You knew the Skylords didn’t want people flying. You knew building your airships would make them mad, but you stuck your finger in their eyes anyway.”

Suddenly Rendor reached down and grabbed hold of Moth’s collar.

“Hey!”

The old man dragged him off the cot and shoved him toward the porthole. “Look out there!”

Moth wriggled in his grasp. “What?”

“Look at those mountains! We are two thousand feet in the sky.” Rendor released him. “We have every right to be up here,” he said. “Who are the Skylords to tell an eagle not to soar?” He jabbed a finger into Moth’s chest. “Do you want the Skylords to tell you what dreams to have?”

Moth shook his head. “No…”

“No,” echoed Rendor. “Because we are free. That’s what the Eldrin Knights fought for—freedom. That’s what it means to be human. And that’s why I want the Starfinder—to stop the Skylords from doing to us what they did to the dragons.”

He took a breath, smoothed down his waistcoat, then turned back toward the door.

“Wait,” said Moth.

Rendor paused as he reached for the door handle.

“I was wondering—how’d you know where to find us?”

“Just think about what I told you,” replied Rendor. “In the morning we’ll look for Fiona.”

Ignoring Moth’s question, he closed the door behind him.