Page 58 of Blood of the Stars

She whipped off her blindfold, frowning at Sylmar as her eyes adjusted to the setting Sun and her vision grew spotted. She ripped the cord from her neck, slipping the hot starlock into her pocket instead of letting its confusing burn settle against her skin.

Her entire body shook with relief and overexertion, like she’d chased the dragon once more. But then she took in the daisies at her feet, the blood-stained moss, the dark brown splatters on their clothes and skin—Cyrus’ pale face.

“Sweet Stars, what did I do?” she whispered.

CHAPTER 24

“You passed your test,” Velden said, clapping with his overdramatic flair.

“But the blood…”

“You didn’t hurt me.” Cyrus was quick to reassure her.

Sylmar’s mouth was set in a line of grim determination, but his eyes shone with something like curiosity or…pride?

By now the others in the group had gathered, probably summoned by her mortifying scream. Their slack faces mirrored the shock Aeliana felt as they took in the mess.

She reached for Cyrus’ bloody hands.

“What did you do?” she narrowed her eyes at Sylmar.

“Nothing.” He held up his hands—which were also covered in blood—in surrender. “You’re right; it was a mask for the truth, created by Jasperus. Ideally, if you were pneumatic, you would attempt to sift through the truth of it. If you were noetic, you would tune in to our minds or emotions to recognize how they didn’t line up with the illusion. If you were somatic, you would adjust his body, attempting to heal him.”

Aeliana turned her glare on Jasperus, whose weathered face held guilt.

“If it’s not real,” she asked, her heart still pounding in her ears, “where did all the blood come from?”

“I assume you tried to heal him,” Sylmar said. “For a new progeny, attempting to heal a wound that doesn’t exist usually produces a tingle, or maybe an insatiable itch. In your case…” He trailed off, eyeing the splatters.

“So I hurt him.” The words came out flat.

“I’m fine,” Cyrus said quickly, placing a hand on Aeliana’s arm. “You startled me is all. Sylmar and Lukai healed me before I could even feel the pain of it.”

His hand was far steadier than hers, his reassurance sustaining even as her guilt deepened. She closed her eyes, wishing she could block out the damage she’d done, but the evidence was burned into her vision, present even on the backs of her eyelids. Even when she used magic the right way, she caused harm.

“You might have been a wee bit overzealous with your test.” Velden’s teasing tone brought her gaze to his. He held up his thumb and forefinger, squinting at the small space between them. “You’re like a baby scorpion that uses up all its venom in one sting.”

Aeliana shuddered. This had been a terrible idea. What if she’d killed someone?

“Your power was unbridled.” Sylmar’s words came slow.

“Dangerous,” Kendalyhn corrected, arms crossed. For once Aeliana agreed with the other woman’s negative outlook. She pulled away from Cyrus, afraid that mere proximity could cause him more harm.

“It could be,” Velden agreed. “Until it’s tamed.”

“So she’s a somatic?” Cyrus asked.

Velden nodded, but Sylmar held up a hand.

“How did you know it wasn’t real?” Sylmar asked, leaning forward. His arm nearly brushed hers, like he still held no fear after all she’d done. “Did you sift through the lies of the illusion?”

“I don’t—I don’t know.” She threw the blindfold to the ground. The familiar sense of euphoria from the release of energy washed over her, triggering her disgust. She scanned the skies out of habit, but nothing blotted out the orange hues settling into purple dusk. She tried to remember that this hadn’t been blood magic. It hadn’t been wrong.

But this was how it felt when her blood was used. It still felt wrong.

She shook her head, attempting to regain focus. “I sensed hot and cold. An unevenness that didn’t belong. But not until after I tried fixing him.”

“So you first adjusted his body, attempting to heal it?” Lukai asked, almost eager. As a constructive somatic, he probably found that idea appealing. Maybe as bondmates, it was desirable to share a spoke.

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