Further Than Stars

CHAPTER 3: REACHING THE IN-BETWEEN

The stars grew scattered and the sky darkened even further, something Elizabeth hadn’t thought possible.

Then suddenly they stopped. Elizabeth felt solid ground under her shoes before her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the dark blades of grass. 

Wait… dark grass? Her hands brushed over the oddly coloured stems, which had a deep, unnatural hue of blue. But she was too relieved to care, pressing her face against the fresh soil. 

“Oh, glorious gravity.” She mumbled into the dirt, which was bizarrely warm. 

Yet still Elizabeth sank her body to the ground, comforted by the physical, steadying nature of the earth. 

Cerin folded his arms and looked on with disinterest. “Are you done yet?”

Elizabeth lifted her head, smears of mud left on her cheeks. Her pale blond hair had already accumulated stalks of grass, clinging to her frazzled strands like feathers to a bird’s nest. 

“Wait- one more second.” Elizabeth said suddenly, her attention caught on another detail. 

Her eyes were alight with intrinsic curiosity as she parted the grass in front of her. The soil on her face still tingled with leftover warmth, and now she felt more waves of heat emitting from the earth. The soil appeared normal, yet there were small bits of white clinging to the particles. 

Elizabeth reached towards the grass roots.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Cerin advised.

Either ignoring or not having heard him, Elizabeth poked her fingers into the dirt. Sharp, searing heat instantly scorched her skin.

“Ow!” She yanked her hand back, feeling the burn blaze across her palm and up her wrist. 

For a moment the pulse on her wrist sped up abnormally, leaving her gasping. 

“What was that?” She stood up hastily, taking care not to touch the ground with her hands again. 

Her feet were still buzzing with warmth, but it didn’t feel as good as it did minutes ago. That was when Elizabeth noticed that Cerin was still hovering inches above the ground. 

“The soil here burns human skin as a cleansing process. It is not meant for mere mortals.” Cerin said in a factual tone, seeming unperturbed.

“But you’re definitely not human.” Elizabeth pointed out, frowning. “Why don’t you stand on it?” 

Cerin parted his mouth, then closed it again when he saw that Elizabeth’s eyes had wandered somewhere else again. 

Her interest had been stolen by the stunning landscapes surrounding her.  The leaves in the far distance were the same shade of azure as the grass, hanging from trees that had spiraling trunks that spun skyward and twisted branches to match. 

Up above, the stars looked bigger than ever, so large that Elizabeth thought she could distinguish their five-pointed tips. Their shapes glowed with an adularescence that transfixed her. And it was standing this close that she saw that their five ends weren’t exactly uniform, some stretching out further than the others, all twinkling with a constant light that warded off the gloomy darkness. 

Every star was different, unique and identifiable. 

“This place… what is this place really?” Elizabeth finally uttered, after a few heartbeats of speechlessness. Her voice was now filled to the brim with wonder. 

Even the dewdrops that sparkled on the grass below her feet were shimmering like stars. 

“Cosmos...” She breathed next, answering herself, trying the word out on her tongue.

Although her spoken thoughts were no more but a whisper, they reached Cerin’s ears, and the awe in her tone sent chills down his spine. 

“No, we’re not in Cosmos now.” Cerin’s gaze flickered upwards. “This is Atlas.” 

“Oh.” Elizabeth said, still dumbstruck. Where on earth were all these ethereal locations? 

Wait- no, she corrected herself quickly, because she certainly wasn’t on Earth anymore. Even though she still couldn’t believe it herself. 

A sound that closely resembled a wolf’s howl echoed in the distance, making the hairs on Elizabeth’s arms prickle. Cerin’s ears seemed to raise like a cat’s, if that were possible, and his eyes settled on the horizon.

“The Hunters are near.” 

Another howl sounded, closer this time. The wind seemed to blow from the direction of the noise towards them, making Elizabeth shiver. 

“What do you mean?”

Cerin finally returned his gaze to her, a feral smile stretching across his face. “Your sister is arriving.”

His expression, more animal than human at that moment, was brought to life and completed by his odd eyes. The slits that were his pupils were constricted even more than usual, so thin they almost disappeared among the amber. Slightly disturbed, Elizabeth looked away.

Dots and shadows appeared in the distance, blotting out the crooked trees. A pack of creatures bounded towards them, but Elizabeth couldn’t make out their features just yet.

“I don’t understand…” She squinted, straining to distinguish the silhouettes of those approaching them. 

But she didn’t have to. Because at a speed faster than humanly possible, the creatures had bounded across the grassy plain and came to a halt right in front of them.

There were wolves. And people.

Elizabeth’s mouth opened in surprise. Those people - Hunters, Cerin called them - were the most gorgeous beings she had ever seen in her life. 

They wore knee-length, Greek-style tunics white as snow, which curled around their lithe, nimble bodies like swirling mist. Thin golden belts were strapped around their narrow waists, with silver buckles carved into the insignia of a shining star. On closer observation, these stars seemed different from the ones in the sky - they had a gleaming arrow piercing through it. 

Larger, identical arrows were placed in a quiver on the Hunters’ backs, except these arrows were wooden save for the deadly, glittering arrowhead. Their hands all wielded shimmering bows, some nocked with arrows already, their arms rippling with strength and skill. 

All the Hunters were gifted with slender, athletic legs that made Elizabeth envious, strapped with aurum leather from the foot up to the knee, akin to those of gladiator sandals. Encircling their cascading hair were wreaths of golden laurel leaves, catching the light of the stars with every turn of their heads. 

Everything about these people, their appearance and movements, possessed the grace and agility that Elizabeth yearned to be blessed with but never had. 

“Cerin. You’re back.” One girl stepped forward, hooking her bow to her back in one smooth motion.

Elizabeth looked to Cerin first, who was otherwise distracted by a number of wolves which were now crowding around him and l*****g his hands. 

Those wolves were seemingly tame companions to the people, with light gray pelts that glittered with starlight. Constellations appeared to be etched onto their furs. Yet, Elizabeth noticed with a start, those healthy creatures all had blood-soaked bandages wrapped around their limbs, as if running on these lands took a toll on their delicate paws.  

A wolf, sensing her gaze upon itself, turned to stare at her. Elizabeth was met by another set of shocking feline eyes, ones that matched Cerin’s. 

Wolves with cat’s eyes? This world was as bewildering as it was beguiling. 

Another Hunter woman gave a sharp whistle, and the wolves obediently returned to her side. “Guardian. What are you doing here?”

But Cerin didn’t seem to have heard her. His hands had dropped from petting the wolves as soon as he caught sight of one girl.