Page 16 of Blood of the Stars

“Oh, dear,” Della said. “Is it already that time? I’ll take care of this. The two of you should head for your beds.”

Cyrus nodded, but Aeliana hesitated, tucking the key in her pocket.

“Would it be all right if I took an extra hour to pray?” she asked. “I know the Stars aren’t out, but I find these quiet times without the crowds to be the most rewarding.”

Della beamed at her. “That is a request I will always be willing to grant.”

Aeliana could hardly believe her luck when the two left the Stargazer, and she shut the door behind them. Without wasting a moment, she rushed to the storage room, raising the key with trembling hands to fumble with the lock.

As the door opened, wood scraped against the floor like a grindstone sharpening an axe. Aeliana froze, straining her ears for anyone who might not be resting to come investigate. But then she caught sight of the artifacts, and her mouth swung open. The closet extended the length of her bed before wrapping around the curve of the wall like a corridor, farther than she could see. Shelves lined both walls, and a third set of shelves ran down the middle.

Carefully placed holes in the outside wall let in enough light for her to see, but not enough for others to see in or even notice the miniature windows from the outside. At first, the collections looked erratic: weapons next to robes and books next to jars. But they were all carefully labeled with the Stargazer they’d come from and their estimated date of origin.

Golden figurines were scattered throughout, some in the shape of five-pointed stars, some resembling humans. She ran her hands over a stack of books that had come from Velspetz, a tiny seaside town in the eastern province. If she closed her eyes, she could still smell the salt in the air, feel the thickness of it blowing across her neck. It had been her favorite of all the towns. The priestess had snuck her candy and shown her an alcove overlooking the sea where she could come and sit anytime she liked.

An entire bell passed before she got through a quarter of the shelves. She quickened her pace, not sure if she’d have the key tomorrow. The farther she walked back in the closet, the older and more decrepit the items got. Several books looked like they might crumble to dust if she touched them, and some metal objects were too rusted for her to define.

The Sun was nearly ready to sleep when she found a basket of trinkets labeled “starlocks” in the back of the room. Her guardians had never specified the arrow’s size—maybe it was tiny. Aeliana bent low to dig through them, but before she could look closer, her gaze landed on a golden shaft tucked back behind the basket. She gasped, moving the basket aside and rubbing dust off the arrow’s label.

There was no date, but the tag read “Golden Arrow of Lorvandas.”

Aeliana’s palms grew damp with sweat. She wiped them on her robes, then inched shaking hands toward the arrow. An inscription in the ancient tongue danced across its golden surface, the shaft as thick as her finger and half the length of her arm. She bent closer to make out the words. Cyrus had introduced her to the archaic symbols the other day, but they still looked indecipherable.

The thirteenth bell rang.

“What are you doing?”

Aeliana jumped at Cyrus’ question, her head bumping into the shelf above her. She stood quickly, turning to face him as her cheeks grew warm. His brow bunched in uncertainty, or maybe hurt, and his gaze drifted between the shelf she’d abandoned and her empty hands.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I thought I’d get started on the artifacts that came in.”

He chewed on his lip, glancing back toward the main room. “The new artifacts are by the door.”

She squeaked out a laugh. “Ah, I must have walked right past them. Then I got distracted by all the amazing things.” She spun in a circle like a child testing the flare of a new dress.

“Well, no one’s allowed to be in here by themselves. Not even Gams or Gamps.”

“Of course,” she said, nodding soberly.

He turned and stepped away, trusting her to follow. She bent down and reached blindly for the arrow, begging the Stars to keep him from turning around.

Smooth, warm metal met her fingers, and as she tightened her hold on the arrow, it thrummed with energy.

CHAPTER 7

Orra’s eyes flew open even though she’d just lain down to rest. The blond braid tied around her wrist warmed against her skin, its touch like the vibration of a cat’s purr. She sat up straight, nearly falling from the crudely hung hammock. Her bare feet sought the rough edges of the rotting deck of Gaeren’s hideout, even though her shock made it impossible to stand. She’d been squatting there for the last week, searching through his books and keeping track of his plans, but she hadn’t expected this.

She grasped the braid, using the energy flowing through her blood to reach out beyond the mangrove trees into the night air, past the deep waters under the dancing Stars, even beyond the barrier. Reaching for the long-lost piece that called out to her, that spoke to her. Its signal grew stronger, closer, the woman grasping it acting as a conduit.

Orra grew blind to the mangrove forest, lost awareness of her own slight frame and slender limbs. The eyes of her mind sought someone new, someone powerful, someone who might be able to help her.

Someone who’d touched the arrow.

CHAPTER 8

Aeliana couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips. When Cyrus turned, it was impossible for her to hide her bent posture, the arrow in her hands. She clung to it like a lifeline even as she feared the power feeding it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

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