Page 79 of Blood of the Stars

How long would a human last in this part of the world? He supposed they were no different from the half-lights without starlocks—just men and women with powerless blood. But who knew for certain? Anticipation brewed beneath his compulsion to find Daisy. If it weren’t for his obligation to find her and protect her, this was the kind of adventure that would distract him. Finding the starbridge and traveling to other lands—meeting long-lost people groups. He would still use it to protect Daisy, but maybe he could also use it to convince Enla she needed an ambassador to the other lands more than a throne warden.

If nothing else, she would see the starbridge as a desirable source of power and authority.

Orra’s question came back to Gaeren, making him instantly contrite. Did that make Enla the kind of person who wanted to use the starbridges to make the world smaller? Did it make Gaeren that kind of person if he wanted to use them for his own freedom from the crown?

Orra would probably want him to think about what he could learn from the humans living in Lorvandas, or what he could offer them, instead of how he could benefit.

She stopped, turning slowly to look at him. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and without thought, he drew energy from his blood, wrapping it around his mind like a shield, certain she’d been listening to his thoughts. Her power’s strength and place on the Wheel still remained a mystery to him, and he’d foolishly started leaving his guard down.

“She didn’t pass through here,” Orra whispered, her face growing troubled. Once again, she bent to her knees, shoving her hands in the earth, heedless of the wet soil soaking into her dress. They’d finally reached the edge of town, several fields the only thing separating them from the forest and eventual mountains.

Gaeren let out a breath. She’d been listening to something else, then. Except maybe this was worse. Had they lost Daisy and the starbridge completely? “So you were wrong on the island? Can you still track it?”

She tilted her head, eyes closed. Moonlight glowed soft on her skin, a strange trick of the light. Gaeren snuck a glance at Riveran, whose fascination mirrored Gaeren’s own.

“It’s faint. They’re near Lovers’ Falls if I had to venture a guess.” She stood, brushing the dirt from her hands, but the uncertainty etched between her brows bothered Gaeren far more than the mud being flung on his pants.

“A guess?” Gaeren’s laugh held no humor. “You expect me to abandon my ship and follow a ‘faint trail’ based on a guess?”

Her eyes flashed with anger, but her voice remained eerily calm. “I expect you to go after any chance if the price is right. How much do you want the things you seek?” She raised a brow, her question holding some deeper meaning. She wasn’t just asking if he wanted to find Daisy and the starbridge. Whether she knew it or not, she was asking if he wanted to fix the mistakes of his past and secure protection for the future.

Enla’s warning rang through his mind. He had no problem going to Lovers’ Falls, especially if it could help him find Aeliana, but somehow the warning held more weight if approaching the sprites was Orra’s idea instead of his.

“If you have other methods of tracking,” she added, “I’m more than willing to part ways. I no longer need your services.” Her chin rose, a spitting image of Enla dismissing servants.

Riveran hid his face, but Gaeren knew he was being laughed at. By the traitorous fool who’d shunned his sister, no less. He clamped his jaw, unsuccessfully attempting to match Orra’s cool.

“I just want to know how accurate your guess might be. I’m already going to be a week late returning home. If I follow your guess, I’m guaranteed to miss the dignitaries Enla wants me home for.” Enla would never forgive him. His father would berate him as a sorry excuse for a throne warden. And what about his mother? Had her health improved or declined? How long could he safely stay away?

Orra gazed across the fields, her eyes locked on the mountains rising in the northeast, silhouetted by the quarter moon. “She was never here, which makes it more difficult. I sense she passed near here, and headed that way”—she pointed to the mountains where Gaeren knew Lovers’ Falls to be—“but the trail will grow cold if we wait. I suggest we leave now.”

“Now? As in tonight?” Riveran finally spoke, his wide eyes turning to Gaeren.

Gaeren swallowed hard. It felt like she was bent on making a fool out of him, seeing how far he was willing to go. Maybe even trying to get him to give up so she could resume the chase on her own. But what if this was his only chance?

“You think Lovers’ Falls is their ultimate destination?” he asked, stalling.

“Perhaps. I sense their path veering from the well-traveled roads, whether for haste or concealment.” Her gaze remained on the distant hills.

“I can’t just leave,” Gaeren said. A trip through southern territory and its Recreants required planning. Gaeren was just as likely to be recognized and assassinated as he was to get answers.

“Then stay,” Orra said. “And I will leave.”

Gaeren and Riveran exchanged a look.

Riveran leaned in. “What exactly are you tracking? Larkos made it sound like you were on a treasure hunt, but Orra’s been talking about people. Is this about…” He trailed off, eyebrows raised. Even with their friendship long dead, he didn’t give up Daisy’s name in front of a stranger.

Gaeren bit the inside of his cheek. If he told Riveran everything, he wouldn’t have to make the decision alone. But even if he had time to explain it all, he wasn’t ready to share it with Riveran. Not now, maybe not ever.

He turned back to Orra without answering Riveran.

“I need to at least send word to Larkos.” It wasn’t a lie, but it also wasn’t the only thing Gaeren planned to do.

Orra shrugged. “Be quick.”

“Stay with her,” Gaeren instructed Riveran even as he backed away toward town.

Riveran’s surprise shifted to a glare, and he opened his mouth.

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