Chapter 17:pg 102

THE STARGIRLS felt entombed and damned. Jill wondered how many maidens were sacrificed to some god . . . how many witches burned, drowned, or hanged in the name of madness . . . how many women raped and killed by righteous insane hands. She grimly shook her head, the list of injustices against women endless as she contemplated her own sacrifice. She fumbled in the cell’s gloom to find the others. Choked with emotion, she whispered, “We are alive and have one another.”

“Yes,” Lyn answered.

“We have heart.” Ali’s tone resolute.

“We are the Stargirls.” Mad growled.

“Garlig stole our innocence but not our courage to fight. If need be, let us die a warrior’s death,” Jill said solemnly.

Sade said, “Yes, it’s in our hearts and spirit to fight for our freedom.” Out of the dark, they heard their Star guide’s voice: “Stargirls, your imprisonment is unfortunate but fated by prophecy. What you must comprehend is that the Apocalypse is upon us. You are the Intergalactic Angels, ordained to inherit the power of the stars to free us from great evil, changing the fate of the Star people and your Earth’s future—“ The telepathic link was broken as light burst through the cell door.

Huge, hairy hands grabbed flesh and bone and tossed them over broad shoulders while creepy-crawly metallic eyes watched. Stunned by the sudden show of force, they surrendered. Resistance would only provoke senseless punishment. What could it mean? They were Intergalactic Angels and in the glare of an apocalyptic war. The proposition seemed outrageous, except for the fact that it was happening. The Stargirls felt trapped between forces of good and evil competing for their souls—cosmic forces that desperately sought their Star power for salvation or domination. Jill thought we inherit the power of the stars, yet any hope of escape crushed.