Amena’s Rise to Stardom: Divine Warriors #0 Read online

  I’ve been surrounded by people all day, so I never got the chance to talk to Uqra. Now, under the cover of darkness, she manages to sneak in and land on my shoulder.

  “This is it,” she whispers in my ear. “I heard your song in rehearsal. Not what I expected, but it’ll work.”

  I glare at the bird. “It’d better work. The whole thing’s about Qachmy. If it wasn’t good enough, you should have said so sooner. I’ve had no help from you all day.”

  Uqra ruffles her wings. “I’ve done plenty, whether you know it or not. But now it’s up to you. Time to use that magic to win.”

  I freeze in place. She thinks I should just use magic? That feels too easy, somehow. It’s one thing to get a new outfit or teleport out of trouble. But I dreamed of this moment for myself. I want to show what I can do.

  I shake my head. “I want to do this on my own,” I whisper. “I’m going to sing the best I can, and if I’m not good enough, I don’t deserve to win. No cheating.”

  Uqra snorts. “I’m not saying you can’t sing. But you need more than just talent to stand out. Look and see what I mean.”

  Up ahead, there’s a slit between two curtains where the light from the stage is shining through. I glance around, then I sneak forward and slide open the curtain just enough so I can see with one eye.

  There’s another girl, maybe a year older than me, taking her turn. She’s wearing a black corset without a blouse—I’d say she was underdressed, but the production assistants must have approved of her outfit. She’s got a short black skirt with an orange ruffle that matches her curly orange hair. She’s dancing and singing like a real professional, like she’s been practicing her routine for months. The lights flash bright colors in time to the beat, and everyone in the audience is on their feet, moving along.

  When she finishes, she turns and blows a kiss to the crowd. “Is everyone having a good time tonight?” she calls out.

  They cheer and clap for her, and I can see the judges smiling their approval. No doubt she’ll move on to the next round.

  “Thank you, Rinari,” the judge Nysa says when the noise dies down. “That was an excellent performance. We love to see that kind of energy.”

  I let the curtain drop and step back, my heart beating in my throat. How could I compete with that using a song I threw together in a few hours? I barely managed to get through the routine in rehearsal. I’m going to make a fool of myself, and I doubt even magic could save me now. I should just tell Bymonten I want to drop out.

  On the stage, the judges finish their glowing praise of Rinari, and the crowd cheers for her a final time. She skips off-stage and almost runs smack into me where I’m standing in the darkness.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” I say, jumping back out of her way. Uqra flies up into the rafters, abandoning me. “I—I was just listening to your song. You were great out there.”

  Rinari tosses back her hair. “Thanks. The lights are blinding.” She blinks at me a moment as her eyes re-focus, and then she smiles. “Are you singing, too? Good luck!”

  I open my mouth to say I’m quitting, but Bymonten appears and grabs my arm. “Are you ready? You’re up after the next song!”

  I wave to Rinari as he steers me away, then look up at my assistant. “Actually, I’m having second thoughts—”

  “Was that half-dressed girl playing head-games with you?” Bymonten says, cutting my off with a shake of his head. “Don’t listen to her. There’re more ways to charm the audience than just sex appeal.” He smooths my hair into place and gives me a push toward the stage.

  “But—” I try to protest again, but it’s too late. The next singer brushes past me as he leaves the stage, and a stagehand is signaling me to go out.

  “Amena Qumejola!” the announcer says.

  I step out into the spotlight. Can’t see a thing against that brightness. I look down at my feet and try to find my mark at center stage. Oh, of course, it’s right there in front of the microphone. The stand is too tall for me. I try to pull the mic off the stand but my palms are sweaty, so my fingertips slip off the metal surface before I can get it out. I settle for putting my hands behind my back and raising my head up to speak into it.

  “Amena,” a man’s voice says, somewhere in front of me, and I blink until the judges’ table swims into focus. Osev is looking right at me, and his smile looks forced. “Tell us something about yourself. Why do you want to be a singer?”

  “Um.” My voice echoes back sounding tinny through the speakers. I turn away from the mic to clear my throat. “I—I love to sing, and I’ve been listening to Star Search for, uh, many years.”

  Nysa’s smile is warmer and more genuine. “A loyal fan, then. Thank you for being here. What are you singing for us tonight, Amena?”

  I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing that the floor would just open up and swallow me, but there’s no magical portal to take me away from this. I crane my head again and squeak out, “An original song, um, ‘The Goddess’s Guide to Love.’”

  Dunruis laughs. “Aren’t you a little young to be giving romantic advice?”

  I stare at him in horror, unable to respond, but he doesn’t seem to expect an answer because he looks back down at his paper. The judges are already writing notes about me, and I haven’t even started yet.

  Thankfully, the music starts up so I don’t have to speak anymore. But then I realize I’ll have to sing.

  I look out at the crowd. Their faces are starting to be visible even in the shadows. The audience is full of people, all of them strangers, more than twice the size of my entire village.

  The intro finishes, and I take a deep breath, rising on my tiptoes so I can whisper into the microphone just like in rehearsal. “If you keep silent, sorry, love won’t come your way…”

  It’s too quiet, barely coming through the speakers over the music. I lick my lips and try again, a little louder. “Take action, and throw a kiss to a shy heart.”

  I blow a kiss to the audience just like Bymonten suggested, but it looks awkward, and no one reacts. Great, they’re going to think I was copying Rinari.

  I’m supposed to be dancing, so I grip the microphone again and this time I manage to get it free of the stand. I skip forward, holding onto the cord with my other hand so I don’t trip over it, and sing the next part louder as the music builds up. “If you don’t listen to the goddess of love, you’ll only get part of the way, that’s no good!”

  I’m gaining confidence now, and I can see the audience start to perk up a little more, but the judges are still just watching me without emotion. I’ve got to belt it out for this chorus, or I’m going to lose them.

  The goddess of love’s gentle rain will wash away your tears,

  so don’t give up this chance.

  You’re not the only one

  to feel this pounding of your heart!

  The music hits a crescendo and the audience sways back and forth with the beat. I feel like I’ve almost got them, except now the song is slowing down again for the second verse. There’s too many people here and I can’t grab their attention like I could when I sang for festivals at home. I can’t read the judges’ handwriting, but I can already tell that they’re going to eliminate me and my dream will end with disaster.

  I have to use magic.

  I reach into my pocket and wrap my fingers around the copper star. I whisper the second verse, adding a little coy attitude to my suggestions about sweet talk, and then I hit my pose again. But instead of blowing a kiss, I raise my hand with the star at just the angle to catch the spotlight and cry, “Qachmy, bring me love!”

  The energy flows through me and a brilliant light flashes overhead. The crowd erupts into applause and join in the chorus.

  I belt out the chorus as loud as I can, swinging my hips back and forth with the beat. I wave the copper star around and feel the power flowing. My voice doesn’t sound any different, but it carries stronger, filling the room and amplifying the emotion I put into my song. It’s not cheating
, exactly, it’s just putting on a good show. At least that’s what I hope.

  The song finishes and I take a bow. The applause is deafening.

  I take my place in front of the judges’ table to hear their feedback. I see smiles from Nysa and Dunruis, but Osev’s face is a mask.

  “Wow, that was catchy!” Nysa says, beaming right at me. She glances down at her paper. “It says here that you wrote this song yourself. That’s impressive. Do you have previous songwriting experience?”

  I bow my head. “I make up little tunes to help me remember things in school.”

  Nysa laughs and makes a note. “What an interesting studying technique. So you’re still in school?”

  I nod, afraid of saying too much.

  Dunruis leans forward. “It seems like this song was about the goddess, Qachmy. I heard you auditioned this morning with a traditional hymn to that same deity. What’s with the fascination?”

  “I owe a lot to Qachmy,” I blurt out. I see the judges react with surprise. Uh-oh, I better clarify that. “Um, I grew up in a town not far from the rainforest, so we receive a lot of blessings from the goddess. I just wanted to show my appreciation.”

  Osev scowls. “This isn’t some cultural festival for you to brag about your hometown.” He points a finger at me. “I hope if we hear from you again, we get to know more about you, personally.”

  I open my mouth to respond, but Nysa winks at me. She smacks Osev on the shoulder, loud enough for the sound to echo through her microphone. “Don’t listen to this old codger. I thought you put a lot of your heart into that song.” She smiles at me. “Thanks for singing tonight, Amena.”

  That’s my cue to leave. I bow a final time and head off the stage, adrenaline pumping through me. Now I just have to wait.

  Even with such short performance times, it takes two hours for all the singers to take their turns. There’s a room backstage for us to wait in with refreshments, but I’m too wired up to eat anything. I sip a glass of chilled juice and listen to the songs coming over the speakers. There are a lot of good singers, and most of them sound better rehearsed and trained than me.

  But the judges are critical of everyone. I can see a pattern. Dunruis or Nysa will usually say something nice, but Osev is almost always negative. With such a mix of feedback, it’s hard to tell where each singer ranks in the competition. I guess they’re holding back their final opinions until the end.

  We’re all called to face the judges. There’s fifty singers in the first round and we squeeze onstage in several rows. I find myself standing right next to the girl I saw earlier, Rinari, so close that my arm brushes against her bare shoulder. She glances over and winks at me.

  I smile back and try not to stare. It’s hard to say, but I’m pretty sure she’ll make it into the next round. I bet Rinari even makes it to the Final Five.

  Nysa stands up from her seat in the middle of the judges table and beams at all of us. “I want to start by thanking all of you for your participation here tonight,” she says with warmth. “It takes courage to share your talent with all of us like this. While I regret that not everyone can continue in this competition, it’s an accomplishment just for you to be here tonight. You should be proud of what you’ve done.”

  The audience claps and cheers. I swallow hard. There’s been a few instances when a singer who was eliminated in the first round could still have a successful singing career, but it’s rare. To get your name out there, you need to last as long as possible. Anyone in the Final Five could become a real star. That’s my goal.

  Nysa waves to the crowd, then turns back to us. “My fellow judges and I have chosen the twenty-five singers we feel best represent what we’re looking for in this competition. It’s not just about your singing ability, but how well you could engage with the crowd, the energy you brought to your performance, and the star quality we celebrate here in Star Search.” She holds up a single sheet of paper. “It wasn’t easy, but we have our list of singers for Round Two. These singers will compete again next week, here in Serynda.”

  Okay, this feels like it’s going on forever. They always drag out the announcement at the end, but it feels so much worse when it’s my fate hanging in the balance. The radio broadcast can’t show you how the singers are all just standing here, waiting to hear their name.

  Nysa smiles at us again. I’m trying to keep a smile of my own plastered on my face, but my cheeks are aching.

  “If you hear your name called, please step forward.” Nysa takes a deep breath and glances down at her list. “Aloraal.”

  The crowd cheers as a young woman in her early twenties steps forward. She waves enthusiastically. One corner of the audience cheers extra loud, screaming her name—she must have friends or something.

  In fact, as more names are called and the singers step forward, different parts of the crowd are reacting. With a pang of homesickness, I wish that Mama or someone else I knew was here to see me now. Since I used a fake name, people from Jabin might not even recognize my voice over the radio. Will I ever get to tell them I was here?

  Then I see Nysa look over in my direction. My heart pounds faster. Is this it?

  “Rinari.”

  The girl next to me skips forward and strikes a provocative pose, blowing a kiss to the crowd. The whole audience cheers for her.

  In the excitement, I’ve lost count of how many names have been called. I look at the chosen singers in the front. Is it twenty-three already, or twenty-four? Are there any spots left?

  Nysa looks down at her paper. “And finally, Amena.”

  I hesitate for a moment. Was there more than one Amena? But if there was another one, wouldn’t she have added the House name?

  No, everyone’s turning and staring at me. I hurry forward to the cluster of chosen singers at the front.

  Rinari spins around and grabs both of my hands with a big grin. I think the crowd is cheering for me, but I can’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears.

  I don’t know if it was the magic that got me here, but I made it. I can’t believe I did it!

  Nysa lifts her microphone and spins back to the ground. “And that’s it for tonight, everyone! Join us next week as these singers compete in the second round of Star Search!”

  Round Two

  The rest of the evening flashes by in a blur. They whisk the winning singers off to a hotel where I devour a late dinner. Bymonten babbles on about our schedule for the next week, full of training and rehearsals for the second round of competition. I can’t focus on anything he’s saying. At last, I’m shown to a room I have all to myself and collapse into bed.

  I want to think about everything that’s happened, but I can’t keep my eyes open. I smile to myself as I drift off to sleep. Hope I don’t wake up and find out everything was a dream.

  “Amena,” Uqra says, her voice echoing strangely in my head.

  I squeeze my eyes tighter. I’m so tired, I just want to sleep. Can’t I talk to her tomorrow?

  Uqra lands on my shoulder and yanks a piece of my hair.

  “Ow!” I reach up to swat her away, but miss. I open my eyes.

  I’m standing in the middle of a clearing in the rainforest again. It’s night, but the plants and flowers are glowing even brighter than last time. The air is humid, like a thick blanket weighing me down and filled with the cloying, sweet perfume of fruit and flowers. A bird cries in the distance. Then total silence.

  A twig snaps behind me. I spin around and see the strangest deer stepping out of the underbrush. The doe is larger than any deer I’ve ever seen, towering over my head, with a pure white coat and glowing red eyes. She bares her pointed teeth.

  I’m frozen for a moment of terror. Then I realize who this must be. I fall to my knees and bow my head.

  “G-goddess Qachmy,” I stammer out. My throat is sore from singing all day and my mouth feels dry. I lick my lips as my mind races to think of the proper way to address a deity. “Th-thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I’ve done t
o deserve your blessing, but I’m grateful.”

  The goddess tosses her head. “I know you weren’t a devoted believer, but you listened to me.” Her voice echoes through the clearing, rich with power, but it also seems to be inside my head where it fills every space. “I am pleased with your worship so far. So long as you continue to pray to me, I will aid you.”

  My whole body trembles in her presence, but I’m also curious to know more about this goddess. I lift my gaze from the ground and meet those blood-red eyes. “That’s the reason you chose me? One prayer in a desperate moment?”

  Her body shimmers before me and she becomes a woman, wearing the white deer pelt over her bare shoulders. Her long, green hair is filled with flowers and a leaf skirt covers her waist, but otherwise her dark brown skin is bare. A garland of berries hangs between her full breasts. Her eyes are still red, matching her broad red lips.

  “It is not your place to question my plans,” she says, baring her fangs. “I have chosen you, and you accepted my terms. Do you wish to back out of our deal now?”

  I bow my whole body forward so my head touches the ground. “No, divine one. I’m sorry.”

  Qachmy steps closer and rests her hand on the back of my head. “Good. Remember, so long as you continue to pray to me, I will grant you power. But if you betray me…” Her fingers dig into my scalp and her taloned nails pierce my skin. “My wrath will be terrible.”

  “Yes, divine one.”

  She releases my head. “And next time, do not refuse my summons. I will be watching you, Amena, so do not fail me. I have an important task for you tonight.” She turns and walks back into the forest.