Octave of Stars Theme Song:
Welcome to the serial version of Octave of Stars! Episodes will release every Monday and Thursday. If you’re finding this story for the first time, be sure to start at Episode 01 for maximum comprehension, or check out The Index for all available Episodes.
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The rest of the path to the atrium was unopposed; Gayle's reckoning about troop allocation seemed accurate. She and Azalea were in front, Ash and Cascadia behind. Actually holding hands while running was a little too cumbersome, so they settled for just matching each other's brisk pace and keeping as close as possible. Cascadia had filled her water pack with as much as it could hold, an odd shape on her back that required her to walk differently to keep from losing her balance. They didn't say much during this final stretch, each confident they would have time to catch up later.
Emerging into the enormous room was breathtaking for every member of the team, even those who had already been there. Cascadia wanted to take in the tree, but Gayle ushered them forward. As they passed the rows of benches and chairs just outside the hallway, Gayle slowed and turned her head.
Azalea paused. "Something wrong?"
Gayle hesitated a moment longer. "Nope, just thought I heard somethin'."
The bridge itself was fairly wide, about six people could stand in a line with arms outstretched and hold on to each of the side railings, which were around waist height. From the seating area, the bridge curved upward at a slight rise, not enough to make it difficult to climb the metal flooring tiles, but the other side after the crest wasn't visible at first.
Perhaps they had chosen that location strategically, or perhaps it was just timing, but no sooner had the quartet stepped onto the surface of the bridge than two well-dressed gentlemen came into view, one with a full suit and ponytail brandishing two long swords, and the other in a yellow shirt and gray vest standing in a moving hill of dirt.
This was no surprise to anyone, and they formed up at once. Ash stepped in front of Azalea, and Gayle took her position before Cascadia, who gently touched her arm. "I'll be better in front," she said firmly, and Gayle nodded.
Neither group was in the mood to banter; they stared at each other across the middle of the bridge. Yin was out of breath from running, while Rand maintained his stare, arms crossed.
"It's time," Ash said. "Everyone ready?"
"Oh! I have an idea," Azalea said, lowering her slingshot which she had aimed at Yin's dumb face. "Gayle, can you give me a boost over there?" She pointed to the large specimen of flora nearby.
Gayle saw the plan unfold. "You got it." Azalea perched on the edge of the railing and focused as Gayle sent her flying into the top branches of the tree.
The girl yelled out as she soared: "You're gonna regret putting a giant tree here!"
Yin had his arm raised to throw something, but slipped it back in his sleeve and pulled his two swords apart, which were evidently magnetic. Rand had been forming up a rampart, a wall of dirt to keep his opponents from crossing the bridge, but Cascadia had followed his lead and emptied her hydration pack into a quick palisade of water.
Ash nodded to Gayle, and she did the same. "Dear Jesus," he prayed. "Keep us all safe as we try to do what's right."
Cascadia smiled at him and said, "Amen," which Gayle repeated.
Ash charged forward, the water parting for him like a curtain. He rushed Yin, firebrand blazing. Yin's eyes were wide, his teeth showing in a manic grin. He struck out with one sword, Ash parrying, then swiping with the other. Ash anticipated this and shot flames upward, causing Yin to twist out of the way.
Cascadia started with a ranged assault, using high-pressure water streams to cut through Rand's barrier, but no sooner did she carve out chunks of dirt than they reformed themselves from his own reserves. Rand tried the same technique and lobbed a ball of dirt at high speed toward his former captive, only to have it pushed aside by a sudden wind.
Azalea landed in the canopy of the tree and got to work. She grabbed on to the nearest branch and felt the entire thing as one vital organism. "Hi, how are you today?" she said. "Listen, my friends and I need to get out of here, so let's work together, alright? I see you have plenty of dirt, but what about water?" Her senses detected the source near the soil below. "Thanks, I'm gonna borrow that for a minute, okay? Gayle!"
Gayle had been keeping an eye on the rear in case a big crew of Black Holes rolled up, but for the moment their retreat was still possible. She was watching for Rand to throw another dirt ball when she heard Azalea's plea and sailed low to reach her.
Ash knocked aside Yin's sword, turning up the heat on his firebrand. He noticed with every strike, the thin metal of the blade got redder and stayed that way, but he wasn't sure if Yin saw the same thing.
Yin wasn't noticing much, just focusing on getting first blood. He swung out with his right sword, still cool, and sliced the side of Ash's arm before he could twist away. Instead of the satisfying look of pain on his face, he smirked instead. "It'll take a lot more," Ash said, "to cut through this coat than my suit jacket."
"Great," Yin answered. "I've got plenty of cut!" He thrust forward, but Ash knocked it away with his flaming pipe. "You've got more fire, too."
"I'm not as tired out," Ash said, holding his weapon in two hands as he and Yin circled, the dapper fellow holding both swords in a menacing spread. "And I'm getting really fed up with all this."
Yin tossed his ponytail back over his shoulder. "You can just give up, you know."
Ash shot a flame at the floor, Yin backing up. "And you can just be quiet, but that won't happen either."
Cascadia frowned at her limited water supply, she couldn't do much but defend at this point. She heard a whoosh, and Gayle popped up over the bridge, holding a tough woven garden hose.
"Present from Azalea," she said, hooking it into the railing and pointing the spray right at one of her favorite customers. Cascadia waved to the tree as she gathered as much water as she could, pulling it faster than the flow would normally allow. With more to work with, Cascadia stood in front of her hill of water, her hands inside the flowing liquid. She formed it up into a lance, narrow at the front end, and pushed the water ahead to close the distance between her and Rand. She succeeded in punching a hole in his wall, only to have it close up at once and the water behind fall into the mud.
"Yin!" Rand called. "Cut them off, now!"
Yin danced around Ash to see what was happening. He plunged the tip of one sword into the metal floor, standing upright as he threw a whirling disc. Ash tried to shoot it down with his launcher, Gayle twisted to knock it out of the air, but the sharp metal met its mark and sliced right through the hose. A fan of water decorated the air as it fell to the floor.
Ash focused his fire on the handle of the sword in the ground before Yin could snatch it up again, causing him to recoil as the metal glowed red hot. The hilt had no wrapping or covering, so the heat spread quickly down the length of the blade as Yin glared at him murderously. "I liked that sword." The soft metal bent and folded over in a blackened heap.
"You'll get over it," Ash said, more confident now that each only had one weapon to work with.
Cascadia saw the shift in the battle, and went on the offense herself. She reformed her water into another serpent-like flow, remembering the fury she had felt the previous day, but praying she would be just. She let it lift her into the air a few feet above the floor and ducked as Rand tried to lob a ball of mud at her head. Clenching her fists, she charged ahead, riding the column of water, but Rand matched her tactics, leaping forward himself, attached to a huge, fist-like mass of dirt. Their trajectories were head-on, Azalea gasped as it looked like Cascadia would be knocked right out, but just before impact she crouched and rolled sideways, her feet still in the water. The serpent curled past the dirt and turned around; she watched from behind as Rand's dirt-hammer slammed into the floor. She sprayed him, forcing him forward with the pressure. Rand grimaced, but glared over his shoulder and shoved the dirt directly below her feet upward, forcing her off of her mount. Cascadia was in free fall, her hand still attached to a thin line of water. In that instant, her mind flowed through how she could avoid crashing to the surface of the bridge, but she still had some air support.
Gayle rushed forward in a moment and caught her. "Gotcha!" She pivoted around and blew Cascadia back to the wobbling mass of water. Cascadia landed and reformed her defenses quickly. Gayle was still in mid-air, buffeting Rand in place of Cascadia's spray, but Rand wasn't going to have any of it. He struck out with a whip-like tendril of wet dirt, faster than even Gayle could react, lashing her across the side with a muddy smack.
"Gayle!" Azalea and Cascadia both yelled, and Ash turned to see, but caught Yin sneaking another strike.
Cascadia called out: "I've got her!" while she threw out a mattress-like cushion of water, catching her friend before she landed hard on the floor. She pulled it backward, hoping Gayle would spring back up, but she didn't. Cascadia firmed up her impromptu stretcher and hopped on the front end, flowing it across the floor to retreat.
Rand rolled forward himself, pulling his dirt with him, only to be stopped short by a lattice of branches and sharp twigs that quickly covered his path from the side.
"Oh no you don't!" Azalea yelled. "Pick on someone else, you jerk! You meanie! You… dirt-brain!"
Cascadia moved Gayle over top of a long bench, water and all, leaving the upholstery soaked as she lowered her onto the cushions and withdrew the water. "Gayle, are you alright?" She adjusted the strap on the sling pack to make her more comfortable. Doing so caused a silver, round object to fall out of Gayle's coat pocket, which Cascadia snatched up and zipped into a pocket of her own for safekeeping.
Gayle blinked at the girl she had been working so hard to rescue, now doing the rescuing. God was funny sometimes. "Been better," she said, wincing. "Think I should lie down for a spell, though."
"Okay," Cascadia said, "you rest. Guardian angels, keep her safe," she prayed, gathering up her water and riding it back into the fray.
After Cascadia had reached the bridge, the cushion in front of Gayle's head lowered. "Now, you don't hafta stay," Gayle said quietly. "Get back in there, hon." When no protest came, she lowered her head and relaxed.
"Got you now!" Yin called, thrusting at Ash. He dodged easily, but Yin bent his sword sideways and around his opponent. Yin let go of the now-curved blade and kept moving, a thin chain welded to the handle trailing out of his sleeve and encircling Ash, pinning his arms to his sides. "Rand, I got 'im!" Yin yanked the chain tighter, and Ash knew he was done for if he couldn't get free, and quickly.
A distinctive twang cut the air, and a huge leafy cabbage came sailing over from the tree. Yin saw it coming and sliced through it with his free hand, sending two large halves of vegetable skidding to the floor.
Azalea had her slingshot stuck in the crook of two branches, using her legs as leverage against the tough wood. "Quit being mean to my friends!" she threatened.
"Come over here and say that!" Yin taunted back. He turned over his shoulder, expecting to see Rand coming over to praise him, but he was having his own troubles.
Cascadia sent her water straight through Azalea's wall of branches, using the tail end to launch herself over, landing on the floor as it reformed around her. Rand had been heading toward Yin and Ash, but his dirt was slower to move when so wet, and he hadn't gotten very far. Cascadia glared and sent her deluge forward, wrapping up Rand's body tightly but leaving his head above water. "This looks familiar," she said as she stalked toward him. "Surrender or I'll give you a nice hat to go with it."
Rand glared back at her. "You wouldn't."
Cascadia nearly snarled. "You wanna find out?"
Rand tried to nod, but was held in place. "No need."
Ash struggled against his bonds. "Pull him out of the dirt!"
His warning came too late, as Rand pulled his mud up around his legs and through the top of the water, right against his body. He encased his own head, and the dirt vibrated before bursting out in all directions, breaking Cascadia's hold and freeing him. She pulled as much water as she could around herself, and they stared each other down once again.
A branch pushed between the two. Rand drew back, but instead of slapping him across the face, it had a large red strawberry hung on the end. He swore that a leaf at the tip curled up in a salute. The berry grew larger and redder, the white seeds that covered the surface turning green and sprouting into a hairy covering. Before Rand could react, the seed bomb fell into the dirt at his feet, leafy shoots sending out new runners at an alarming rate. Cascadia doused the growing thicket with water to keep it sustained, the sunlight from the windows making it spread faster than it had in the warehouse.
"Not this again!" Rand bellowed, stomping out strawberries and kicking them away. Yin turned his attention away from the struggling Ash, looking torn, turning this way and that.
"Stay there," he said lamely, and dropped the chain, running off to do some pruning.
Ash smirked as he wiggled around to get the chain into his free hand, heating it until the metal was soft enough and he just shucked the bond off. Seeing his opportunity, he ran toward Cascadia, keeping both of his opponents away from him with timely blasts of fire. "You doing alright?" he asked when he had reached her side again.
Cascadia breathed deeply. "I'm hanging in there."
Ash nodded. "Let's keep going."
She put her fist over her heart, meeting his gaze. "Together."
Yin had cut off the branch supplying power to the tangle of runners, and sliced them up well enough that they weren't moving anymore. Rand drew the usable dirt back into a pile, keeping an eye out for any more assaults from the tree. Yin wiped the sticky mess off of his blade. "We've got 'em down by one, who's next?"
"Don't let your guard down yet," Rand answered.
Ash arranged some of the broken sticks and branches from the tree into a line, setting them on fire to defend their position, but Rand simply pushed a few piles of dirt over top of them and they fizzled out.
Cascadia tried shooting water at Yin, shoving him backward, but he pulled out a shield from under his jacket and deflected the spray to either side.
Azalea shot whatever she could think of at whoever wasn't one of her friends, but Yin sliced each vegetable up handily, as well as the branches she tried to harry them with. He cut another woody growth aside and frowned as his thin blade broke off in his hand. He threw it on the floor. "My metal is sharp, but not tough enough for this," he complained to Rand, who was shoring up their defensive walls again. "I need some stronger stuff." He looked around, then down at his feet. "I got it!"
Rand wasn't really listening, he was used to Yin's stream of thoughts coming out his mouth. He was in a contest with Cascadia, an arc of hard mud against a stream of water, each trying to push the other aside. Ash was gathering kindling for another bonfire. Their attention was all wrenched away by the loud screeching sound.
Yin had peeled up the floor, using his talent to bend the solid metal plates apart and gain a hand hold under them. He pulled up and wrenched free the sturdy girders and supports that made up the bridge, quickly twisting them into a spiked defense of his own. Sheets of the flooring material got added in as decoration, but before he could start the assault, he felt the lurch.
"Yin, what are you doing?" Rand yelled, his struggle with the water mutually forgotten.
Yin's eyes were wide as he slid sideways across the compromised structure. "Not thinking things through again!"
"Oh my gosh!" Azalea gasped, sending an array of lower branches underneath.
Rand shoved dirt over the edge of the railing, down to the floor, hardening it into a thin pillar in moments. Both halves of the bridge had buckled, but settled into place on their new supports of wood and clay, respectively. Ash grabbed onto Cascadia before catching the railing, keeping them both from pitching over the edge, but unable to stop her water from spilling off to the floor below. They were on the side nearest the tree; over the handrail, Cascadia could see the outcome of the rescue. Yin and Rand's side was supported by sturdy branches, while her and Ash's end was being held up with a column of dirt.
Rand had seen this also, and he closed his eyes, putting a dirty fist to his forehead. "Why…"
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Yin protested.
"Not you, them," Rand said quietly. "Why are we doing this? After everything, we're all the same."
Yin assembled himself a scrapwork spear out of random bits of metal. "Ready to go?"
Rand shook his head. "I used all my dirt for that just now." He dusted off his pants and vest. "That's all I have."
Yin changed his grip on his weapon. "But you said a little goes a long way, right? She lost her water, so we could still take 'em!"
Rand said nothing, gazing up at the windows as the light in the room dimmed.
"Then what do we do?" He planted the spear tip on the floor.
"We've done enough." Rand pulled the gray glasses from his vest pocket.
"Oh boy," Yin said, putting his pair on too. "I hate this part."
Ash helped Cascadia off the slanted handrail. "You okay?"
She nodded. "I'm fine… Oh no," she said, noticing Rand and Yin's new eyewear. "That's not good." The room continued to darken, like a cloud passing in front of the sun, despite the bright blue sky outside.
Gayle was resting her eyes, rubbing her forehead, but she still felt the sunlight through her eyelids. Her eyes flew open at the sound of two sharp raps coming from right near her, like a piece of wood striking the floor. "Azalea?" she said, trying to sit up. She shook her head and got her senses back, the hair that had come loose from her bun settling over her shoulders. From there she could see the spectacle from farther away: the other end of the bridge was the epicenter for a blooming mass of darkness, spreading out across the windows of the room and the bridge itself. Gayle stood up, making sure she was still sound, then flew up to examine the scene. The bridge was broken, it was a total mess, but Ash and Cascadia were still together, and Azalea was in the tree. She thought to fly over and get her, but the girl had her own ideas about regrouping. She sent out a tall, thick trunk to rest on a broken section of handrail, then hopped up on it and slid down the wood on her boots.
Both her and Gayle touched down near Ash and Cascadia at the same time. "He's here," Cascadia said to her allies. "Try to not look right at it, if you can." The darkness was spreading like ink all across the length of the bridge, except for a pocket where the Frost employees were standing, Yin holding his spear upright like a sentinel. The large windows in the room were slowly being covered over entirely, no light penetrating the profound blackness. Frost himself was nowhere to be seen.
But then he was, standing right in front of them on their side of the breach, his hands in his pockets and a glare on his face. Cascadia yelped at this sudden apparition, and Ash leveled his firebrand at him, waiting for him to raise his arm and let out a wave of darkness, or blind them, or who knew what. But he just stood there, his eyes sending out all the darkness through his stare, his outline somewhat muddled. The colors of his fancy suit were muted, the shadows pooling around him while the room continued to darken.
Azalea had run up to Gayle and grabbed her hands to support her if needed. "Are you okay?"
"Doin' better after a little rest," she said, clicking on her flashlight. "How 'bout you?"
"I'm alright, I— yikes!" They had been standing far enough away from their allies and positioned such that they hadn't seen Frost appear until that moment, but now he stood between them and the benches, cutting off their escape with a chilling laugh that echoed throughout the room.
Ash heard Azalea's yelp of surprise, and Frost laughing, turning quickly to check. Fearing some kind of ventriloquist sneak attack, he spun back around, but found no nemesis coming at him. He glanced at Cascadia, who was similarly confused. "Can he move through the shadows?" she wondered.
"He's…" Ash said. "Wait a sec—" He charged forward, readying his launcher. Gayle and Azalea had maneuvered away from Frost's imposing visage, giving him a clear shot.
He drew up in range and let out a fan of burning fire at his smug face, just as Cascadia yelled "Ash, no!"
The bright flames mixed with the shadows as Frost's form flickered and wavered, like sand being blown by the wind. Cascadia's heart stopped pounding in mortal fear as Ash called to her, and everyone: "He did this to us in the hotel, it's like, his shadow I think. He's not really there."
Frost reappeared beside him, and beside Gayle, and Azalea, and Cascadia too, multiple copies of himself springing up at once, each one menacing in a different way. One just glared, another sneered, the third shook its head condescendingly.
"Should've paid attention to the card!" Azalea cried, shining her flashlight in the face of the effigy nearest her. It dimmed, but did not vanish. Ash torched his shadow effectively while Gayle tried to blow away hers, but to no avail. "What do we do now?"
"Ignore him!" Cascadia yelled out, her blue eyes shining with righteous fury. "Keep your eyes on the things above!" She pointed upward, to the last remaining patch of sunlight on the covered windows.
All four Stars grouped in a circle, their backs together in case something more solid came their way. The Frost shadows didn't advance, still carrying out their scare tactics.
Cascadia held her flashlight in front of her. "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I lack."
Azalea kept slingshot and light together, her concerned face softening. "In green pastures he makes me lie down!"
Cascadia nodded, her mouth set. "To still waters he leads me, he restores my soul."
Gayle shone her light directly in the face of one of the Frosts. "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."
Ash swung his firebrand around, hoping it would be effective against the dark stuff creeping across the floor. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…"
"I will fear no evil!" Azalea cried, shivering as the umbra covered up her legs. "It's cold!"
Gayle backed up closer to her. "I'm right here."
"What are we gonna do, Gayle? After all that, we lost!"
"Not yet, they still ain't got Lumina. There's still hope…"
Ash connected a tube from his launcher fuel pack to his firebrand, screwing it down tightly and reigniting it. "You set a table before me in front of my enemies," he quoted as he worked. He turned around to take Cascadia's hand, holding his weapon over his head and twisting the knob to full, the extra fuel boosting the power of the torch. He forced the heat up, away from the others, the cooling darkness actually aiding in this effort. The firebrand ended up being the only light around them as each lady's flashlight was swallowed up in their hands. He held this beacon high as Cascadia continued the psalm.
"You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows!" She fixed her eyes on the flames as even they grew dimmer and the cold seeped into her bones. Ash squeezed her hand, he was right there as well. Cascadia held up the cup in her heart, the one that was usually full with water, but now was overflowing with hope.
Octave of Stars is currently airing on Substack for free, with two of the 45 total posts per week. It’ll be fully released at the end of April 2024. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can get the entire story right now, in either Ebook or paperback. Every purchase supports the ZMT Books mission of family-friendly entertainment.
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