Fortune forsakes the lonely

The Pool of Stars was as still as ever, a perfect reflection of the sky above. The full moon was mirrored upon the surface, judging her atop the sacred waters. The baptismal pool seemed so much smaller now, perhaps even duller despite the silvery light painted across it. But maybe that was just an inflection upon Castalla.

Shapes moved within the calm waters and memories floated to the surface, unbidden, unwanted.

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Crowds had gathered in the dozens, eagerly awaiting the Settle of their future Queen. Joyous and reverent, they waited with near as much calm as the sacred pool. Hushed voices caressed the quiet as the barely contained excitement flickered to life. But all whispers ceased and all heads stilled as the Nightfall Guard parted to reveal King Tsaar and Queen Malia. There was never any cheering at a Settling ceremony, as special an occasion as it was for each young shifter. Instead the entire thing was performed in near silence, interrupted only the King and Queen’s voices and the rippling of water. Castalla’s ceremony was no different.

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Castalla turned her head away from the waters, blinking back the memories. They had been such happy recollections once but there was a bittersweet bite to the emotions that coursed through her chest.

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Castalla felt excitement thrum through her veins as she met her father’s gaze, their cerulean eyes the mirror of one another. He once said she had her mother’s face, but time and tribulation had fashioned it into a shrewd and guarded visage much like his. Today however, the iron face of the youngest General had fallen away and even the vicious scar down the side of her eye did nothing to dim the youthful anticipation that framed her features.

The princess barely felt the stares of the crowd- so many were faces she knew and loved- instead she gazed directly as her parents, waiting before the baptismal pool. The King’s features were as stoic as ever but the Queen’s eyes were alight with pride, a soft smile playing gently across her lips. Castalla forced her pace to remain steady, her shoulders set and back ram-rod straight. She was both Princess and General, ready to Settle her immortality.

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Ripples expanded from the single tear that hit the cold water, making the moon and stars dance as their reflections were interrupted. The water was icy, lonely, a sharp reminder of why she was here, of what she’d lost. Castalla blinked away the grief in her eyes. She had cried so much already, screamed her throat raw and her voice ragged, but still the tears were always threatening to fall.

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“Today, Castalla Vallura Taevaris- my daughter,” King Tsaar paused and Castalla could hear the pride in his voice, “-the youngest General in history, our future Queen and the Fragment of Nysa, will make the ascent to immortality.”

Castalla kept her features neutral, though tears warmed her eyes and pride filled her heart. Her father was a man who rarely boasted and his praise meant all the more because of it.

“Castalla has proven herself a strong and vital member of the Kingdom and will undoubtedly please the Goddess.”

A flicker of doubt, guilt, lit up her heart and Castalla tried not to let the happiness shatter to pieces. What if the Goddess did not accept her, did not grant her immortality? She pushed the uncertainty down, feeling her wolf grin in response.

The makeshift steps worn into the side of the rock were cool as Castalla descended them, King Tsaar at her side. The Pool of Stars was icy and she could not suppress the shiver that clawed its way down her back. The navy silk that adorned her did nothing to battle the cool. All the same she did not protest as her father spoke the ancient words in a language so old only the Immortal remembered it, before pressing her beneath the still waters. Ripples chased each other away from her, the surface wavering as she kept her eyes open. And then she was rising, her father’s hand steering her to air. She broke the surface with a soft gasp, feeling the water cascade from her hair and down her skin.

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Settling was a rite of passage that every Kajak took and immortality was not so daunting when you were surrounded by those cared for you, those who would grace forever with you.

Now it felt like a curse.

The path up the mountain was arduous and unending, but it had seemed so short that night she’d made the climb to the seat of the Goddess, to ask for the blessing of immortality. Time had ebbed away swiftly as she’d sat upon the cliff top, begging commune with her patron. Castalla couldn’t recall how long it had taken before she’d felt it- the wait was different for each Kajak. But when the Goddess gifted her immortality she had certainly felt it. It had been like a jolt of electricity- warm and sharp, sudden and exuberant. Castalla had felt powerful and tiny all at the same time. Her energy unending but her life a mere spec in the fabric of reality.

The ecstasy of it all had lasted only moments but she had felt different after- stronger, less fragile. No one had ever told her though, how close her wolf would feel after. The thread of her control had felt far tighter, finer, as though it might snap in an instant. This was the payment for immortality, her power becoming heavier, more reckless, more dangerous. It had not been the only price though.

Mountains and valleys unfolded before Castalla’s eyes as she reached the summit, staring out at a world that was both foreign and familiar. It felt smaller, emptier, lonelier. She turned her eyes to the stars. Nysa had gifted her immortality, deemed her worthy to walk the centuries with the rest of her kind. What did she think of Castalla now? If she was even out there? The fabled Fragment of their Goddess, the one who would save them all. That destiny was buried with the rest of her people.

With one last glance at the seat of the Goddess, Castalla stepped toward the edge, forcing the air from her lungs in a weighty sigh. She turned, her back to the cliff edge, to the fall and simply leant back.

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Anyone watching the night sky closely that evening, might have spotted a shadowy creature fall from the mountains, unfurling wings and riding the stars. But dragons were so rare that few ever thought to look up.