Page 61 of Blood of the Stars

He studied her, his normal laugh lines puckered in thought. “I once knew a man who took to drinking far too much. At first he didn’t know any different. Had friends who drank just as much, or so it seemed. The more he drank, the more he wanted a drink. Gave him relief, but it was a trick, because the more he drank, the more he became tethered to the bottle and the need to drink more.

“One day the man hit his wife, his bondmate. She nearly left him, probably should have, but it scared him as much as her, and he swore to drink less. At first he did, by sheer willpower. But certain friends could convince him to have another one or two. Even having the occasional drink seemed to whet his appetite instead of taking the edge off his cravings. He finally figured out the way to get ahold of his addiction. Know how?”

Aeliana shook her head.

“He gave it up. It was easier for him to swear it off completely than to have even a single drop now and then. His bondmate was more important to him than his drink, and he aimed to prove it.” Velden leaned forward, jabbing a webbed finger in Aeliana’s direction. “Sometimes I think you see yourself like that man. By swearing off all magic, you can protect those you care about. It’s true. In that regard you’re the same. But you know who I think you’re more like?”

Aeliana held her breath, afraid of the answer he might give for his own question.

“His wife.”

She let out her breath, more confused than relieved. “Why his wife?”

“His wife was a victim of his addiction. Until he found a solution, she took the brunt of his anger and violence. She dealt with the consequences of his actions.”

Aeliana looked away, blinking back tears.

“When he gave up alcohol,” Velden said. “She did too. She didn’t need to, but she thought it might help him.”

“And did it?”

“It did,” he admitted. “But Arvid and Vera aren’t here. Using your magic in moderation won’t tempt them to use blood magic. In fact, it will make you stronger to resist the temptation if anyone ever tries to use you for blood magic again.”

Aeliana nodded, giving his words time to sink in. “Thank you, Velden.”

He shrugged. “If you want to hear a better story, we need to go get Jasperus.”

Aeliana smiled.

“You feel lighter than you did before the Sun’s sleep?”

She nodded. “There’s always a sense of relief when the energy leaves, whether it’s through loss of blood or through…”

“Magic?” He grinned again. “No way getting around the word. Your guardians drained all your energy, making your body produce more. Tonight you took a lengthy draft, but tomorrow we merely skim the cream off the top. If we do that every night, your body will stop producing so much energy. It will recognize that you’re storing it and that it doesn’t need to work so hard to take in more from the Sun. Your starlock will help speed up the process.”

Aeliana’s hand automatically reached for the starlock in her pocket, its sharp edges welcome.

“Is your energy source different from other Vendarans?” She couldn’t help glancing down at his neck, still absent of a leather cord.

Velden laughed. “Sayhleen are half-lights too, just like Ahmranans and Dehvlonians across the other barriers. Sayhleen just happen to occasionally have tails instead of feet. Most of them anyway.”

Aeliana gave a faint smile. The legendary water creatures supposedly had bodies covered in scales, their lower halves having fins rather than feet. Knowing she and Cyrus had crossed a barrier, nothing seemed too far-fetched anymore. Besides how else could she explain Velden’s webbed fingers and liquid secretions? The other night, he’d even shown her his webbed toes.

“Many progenies have been brought down by their enemies,” Velden continued, “because they wear their starlock on a flimsy cord around their neck.” He pushed off the tree and bent down, angling one of his fish hook earrings for her to see. “I hide mine in plain sight.”

She sucked in a breath, eyeing the matching pair. “You have two?”

He laughed again. “No one can have two starlocks. Which is why no one suspects that’s what this is. Its simple design was easy enough to replicate. Unless you hold them and feel the weight of the true starlock, you’d never know the difference. My mother suggested it.”

The urge to hide her own starlock grew strong, but she wasn’t sure if it was because she still found the idea of magic so shameful or if it was because she saw the wisdom in his methods.

“Where is your mother now? Did she return to Sayhla Island in Paelen’s Waters? Or is she still in Vendaras?”

Velden’s jaw tightened, and he turned away. “She’s dead. A few years back, a fisherman caught her in his nets. Harpooned her like some sort of animal.”

Aeliana sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry.”

He nodded, a faint smile crossing his features. “She was different, but there was nothing wrong with her. Just like there’s nothing wrong with you.”

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