Page 10 of Blood of the Stars

“I’m sorry we don’t have a bigger room for you, but at least it’s your own.” Della gestured to a straw mattress and shelf, empty except for a stack of bedding. There was space on either side for Aeliana to walk, but little else.

Aeliana held out her bag. “I don’t have much, so it’s perfect.”

“You’re welcome to join us for worship, but I understand if you’re not ready until tomorrow.” Della held back a yawn as she spoke. “Most of us rest between the eleventh and thirteenth bell, just before dinner and the Sun’s sleep, which is when the worshipers first start coming. Then we take our full sleep around the twenty-first bell, once the worshipers have gone. Working through the night and sleeping through the day will take some getting used to, but it’s for the Stars’ glory.”

Aeliana smiled, but her heart pounded as she calculated her best opportunities to hunt for the golden arrow. “The journey has been long, so I might rest now if that’s all right? Start my duties tomorrow?”

“Of course, dear. There’s a washroom in the next building over, shared by all the priestesses. Rest well, and may you always be blessed by the Stars.” Della wrapped an arm around Aeliana’s shoulders and squeezed her in a side hug.

Aeliana flinched. Her guardians only touched her when they wanted blood.

After Della left, Aeliana unpacked Celeste’s few belongings, her nausea intensifying as she placed each one on the shelf. She settled on the mattress, not bothering to change clothes. The small window was too high for anyone to see in, but it allowed her to glimpse the quarter moon among the dancing Stars.

Despite her exhaustion, she didn’t sleep well. Visions of the dead girl filled her dreams, the horror of her buried body a mere hundred feet away almost palpable. If she wanted to search for the arrow while the others slept, Aeliana needed to be up before the first bell with the Sun’s morn. Her body remained tense, as if falling in too deep of a sleep would make her miss her chance.

When the moon was no longer visible through her window, Aeliana rose, stretching out her anxious muscles. She stood on tiptoe, then gave up and perched on the bed, peeking out the window. The grounds were empty save a single priest. He ambled over to the gate, locked it up, then returned, disappearing through the door of another building like hers. She counted to three hundred without seeing any more movement, then pulled open her door with a soft click of the handle.

She passed the washroom, hoping she could pretend ignorance of its location amidst all the uniform stone buildings. When she glanced back, she squinted at the line of wooden doors. She might actually have trouble remembering which room was hers when she returned.

A bird screeched in a nearby tree, and Aeliana instinctively dropped to her knees. The thump in her chest was almost painful with its ratcheting speed, but silence settled in the courtyard once more. When the frogs resumed their croaks, Aeliana ran to the Stargazer.

It was locked.

Not willing to give up, she started in the outer buildings. After two bells of tearing apart and reassembling the kitchen and pantry, she had nothing to show except dark grey bags under her eyes. As the fourth bell approached, she knew she had to give up or get caught by the others rising for the day. She headed for her room, nearly tripping over her feet, then hesitated before the bedroom doors, bleary-eyed and uncertain. When footsteps sounded behind her, she jumped, but it was only Della rounding the corner to the courtyard.

Della sucked in a startled breath. “Oh, you’re up already.” She collected herself and smiled. “That’s wonderful. We can get started on your first lesson.”

“Now? I thought priestly duties happened at night. Didn’t you say you usually slept through the morning?”

Della laughed. “Usually we sleep a little later than this, but whoever’s up first starts the bread.”

“Bread?” Aeliana frowned, her mind fuzzy from lack of sleep.

Della eyed her strangely. “It takes a lot of bread to feed all the servants of the Stars. Plus extra for the beggars who find our gate. There are a dozen men and women living as priests and priestesses under these roofs. We live to serve the Stars, but we still need to eat.” She hooked an arm around Aeliana’s elbow, pulling her back toward the kitchens. At least Aeliana already knew where to find measuring cups and flour.

She gave one last longing look over her shoulder at the door she thought might be hers. She’d let herself rest with the others at the eleventh bell, but during the night, she’d have to resume her search.

CHAPTER 5

After Gaeren’s lengthy carriage ride to the docks, his first stop was Larkos’ office, his first mate’s tiny room over the shipyard.

“How in Rhystahn did you get your crazy sister to approve it?” Larkos leaned back in his chair, propping his boots up on the rough table. The Sun’s morning light filtered in through a dirt-smudged window, casting a dingy glow about them.

Gaeren flinched. “She may be uptight, but she’s still my sister and your future queen.”

Larkos grinned, unconcerned over the reprimand. “So she didn’t approve it?”

The already tiny office felt smaller. “I don’t need her approval for everything I do.”

“Ask for forgiveness instead of permission?” Larkos’ grin turned to a chuckle. As long as he got paid what he was promised, he seemed to find everything about their arrangement amusing, most especially how Gaeren’s role as prince conflicted with the older man’s penchant for Recreant ideals.

“Something like that,” Gaeren mumbled.

Larkos rubbed the stubble covering the lower half of his face, one of the rare bits of skin not already covered by his tattoos. His barrel chest and thick arms belied the agility he had on a ship, and he kept his black hair knotted at the nape of his neck. Most Vendarans kept their hair no longer than their shoulders, leaving the honor of long locks for the holy Stars, who reflected the Sun’s glory.

Larkos wasn’t like most Vendarans.

“So,” the older man said, “we sneak out of harbor in the dead of night, aiming south for Valorian for a trade. Lovers’ Falls is several days travel inland. How am I supposed to convince a dozen sailors to join our crew when their time on land might be longer than that at sea?”

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