Page 78 of Blood of the Stars

Why had she waited so long to do this?

She placed her right hand over the wound, ignoring the twinge of discomfort as the euphoria grew. She should bind the wound now, before too much blood was spilled. Or maybe she could heal herself. She’d never done that kind of magic before, but now she had a starlock. Maybe it would be instinctual, like shooting arrows. Maybe this time she could stop things before they got out of control.

But her body refused. Her starlock burned hot, almost as if calling the blood to a higher purpose, encouraging it to be used. The starlocks were gifts from the Stars. If the starlock burned for the magic in her blood, how could blood magic be so bad?

She sensed her mind being pulled along with her body, finding ways to explain away the wrongness, but she couldn’t stop it.

She fell to her knees, her hands burying in the dirt. As the blood hit the earth, she knew she could send out its power, so she did. The ground cracked beneath her. Daisies sprouted in a wave from the soil at her fingertips out to the edge of the water, but there was a sinister air to the speed, like time passing by and aging her, taking life she could never get back. She tried to rein it in, tried to remember how Lukai had described the process of healing. The small stitches of the skin. She could seal it off and stop it all. It wasn’t too late.

A moan met her ears, which turned to a scream. It erupted from her own mouth as she fought the blood magic’s darker pull, but her body remembered too well that relief could come if the blood kept flowing. Her mind tricked her, telling her she could use this magic to get vengeance. To right all the ways she’d been wronged.

Over the rush of the waterfall and her own muffled whimpers, the shouts of her companions drew nearer. Far worse, and more subtle, were the flickers in the sky. Flashes of shadows blocked the quarter moon, hiding both the static stars and the dancing holy Stars.

Her friends were coming, and so were the dark spirits.

She couldn’t control what her body did with this amount of magic. She’d already called the dark spirits without meaning to, and now her friends were coming. She squinted up at the sprites’ trail, then back at the way she’d come, where her friends were surely looking for her. She couldn’t let them find her. She couldn’t let her magic hurt them.

The melodious notes rang out once more, beckoning her to climb the trail, to seek safety for her companions. That was when she finally knew how desperate someone had to be to seek out the sprites.

CHAPTER 32

By the time Valorian’s lighthouse drew Starspeed in, the city’s edge had come alive with its night life. Gaeren’s men itched to disembark, but they didn’t dare grumble about their duties keeping them from immediately entering the taverns. With Valorian’s reputation, they’d still have plenty of time to gamble away the money they’d just earned.

Gaeren, on the other hand, felt time slipping through his fingers as they docked. It had taken far too long to reach the city. Where had Daisy gone in the last week? Had she stayed here? Orra stood at the edge of the boat with a proud serenity that only made Gaeren more anxious. The wind lifted the hair around her cheeks, billowing her skirt until she looked like some sort of sea goddess carved on the boat’s prow come to life.

By her side, Lenda gripped the railing, fingers as white as her face. Despite gaining minimal sea legs, she remained weak. Gaeren fought the empathy rising in his chest, knowing it was a trick of the bond. He’d grown to care more for her in the last few days, felt urges to bring her food or extra blankets. Instead of giving in to those urges, he’d resisted them, swallowing down his growing interest in order to remain focused.

Sometimes it felt like more work than it was worth.

As Larkos hopped onto the dock to tie Starspeed in, Gaeren assisted Orra and Lenda across. By the time the men had secured the ship, had their fun, and returned to their duties, it would be morning, and Gaeren hoped to be back on Starspeed, questions answered—maybe even with a third woman on board to further annoy his superstitious crew.

When Riveran offered to come along, Gaeren only agreed because he could still hear his sister’s haunted words reverberating in his mind. If he wasn’t going to follow all her advice, at least he could heed this one pointless request. Riveran kept the healed X on his forehead hidden by a cap pulled low over his brow, which was a good thing because Gullet already attracted far too much attention.

Orra stiffly allowed the traitor to escort her through the streets, her awareness of the city’s dangers most likely overriding her preferred solitude. Lenda clung to Gaeren’s arm like a leech, nails biting into his skin even through his sleeve. Breeve’s face was bright red as he escorted Lenda’s maid. The deeper they walked into town, the thicker the crowds grew. The cobblestone roads echoed with the clip-clop of hooves and the tap of heels. Laughter rang out between fiddles and hornpipes, and Gaeren had to side-step more than one group of rowdy men sloshing more ale than they took in. They passed a dozen taverns and inns that Gaeren refused to consider, the ramshackle buildings held together with patches of grout and mismatched stones.

They all took a deep breath when they’d left behind the worst parts of town, entering the less lively but still awake areas. The buildings seemed to grow taller and straighter, their smooth surfaces evident of the tenants’ affluence. The streets held half the revelers and half the volume, the celebrations muted in comparison.

Orra finally relaxed enough to stretch out a hand, tracing the buildings they passed as if feeling for the presence of the people inside. Gaeren bit his cheek to hold back his questions, knowing they would only make Lenda ask things he wasn’t ready to explain. They reached the Night’s Light Inn, where Gaeren sent Breeve back to his duties and Lenda half-heartedly fought Gaeren’s insistence that she and her maid get checked in for the night. The moment the innkeeper’s wife brought up a hot bath, Lenda’s protests ceased. Even Orra’s face took on a hint of longing, but the expression was quickly replaced by determination, and she left with Riveran and Gaeren.

“Where to now?” Gaeren asked, his tongue looser without Lenda’s listening ears.

“The edge of town. I can’t sense anything with all the noise.” Orra’s gaze drifted to the mountains in the east, the farthest range housing Lovers’ Falls, which was barely visible even in the moonlight.

“You don’t think they’re here?”

Orra shrugged. “It’s doubtful. Why come all this way just to find another tavern to get lost in another drink?”

Gaeren frowned, irritated by her nonchalance. He was starting to wonder if she spoke in riddles as a distraction. Maybe she didn’t actually have all the answers.

“Is she still—?” Gaeren cut off, glancing at Riveran, who shoved his hands in his pockets and matched their long strides. He wasn’t reacting, but Gaeren knew he was taking in every detail. He’d always been one to listen with little comment.

Gaeren leaned in, blocking Riveran out from the conversation. “Can you tell if it’s still with the girl? Is she still with the two people using blood magic?”

She hesitated. “I can’t—I’m not sure. I still sense the human and?—”

“A human?” Gaeren’s eyebrows rose.

“He was the fourth to cross.”

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