Page 83 of Blood of the Stars

Cyrus coughed and sputtered, his body wracking in the sand until he turned and retched, breaking the connection between them. Aeliana’s sense of relief was quickly overshadowed by her inability to control the energy she released. It backed up along the string, filling Aeliana once more, bloating her with its painful presence.

She opened her hand and released the starlock, practically batting it to the pebbles on the shore. As Cyrus sat up, Aeliana crumpled to the sand, the pain now filling her lungs like the water had filled his.

A figure ran down the beach, slipping in the sand. Aeliana fought to stay awake, to know if the stranger would help Cyrus—or harm him. But the unfamiliar man rushed for her, bending to cradle her head with his tattooed hands, to say words she couldn’t hear. The light of the moon winked out, hidden behind the dark spirits coming straight for Aeliana.

Her vision dimmed, her body too weak to warn either man of the coming danger.

CHAPTER 34

Orra remained in a ball on the ground, focusing somewhere beyond Gaeren, even past Thallahan, Breeve, and Riveran. Her gaze centered on the visions that would plague her every moment of every day if she didn’t hold them at bay. Visions she’d ignored for much of the last thousand years as she preserved the magic threatening to slip through her fingers.

“What do you mean, it’s killing her?” Gaeren asked.

“Prophecies have been set in motion,” she said. “Curses…they’re all colliding.” She released his wrist, then shifted to her hands and knees, dizziness overtaking her.

Interfering was not her way. She was not meant to change outcomes. She was not meant to get involved. But how could she undo her wrongs without making change? Without interfering?

“What do you mean about prophecies and curses?” Gaeren kneeled beside her, the concern in his face not for her. It made him more endearing, to know that he felt so much for someone so far out of his reach.

She sat back on her heels, catching her breath. “It was put into motion generations ago.” Orra fidgeted with the braid at her wrist, her focus shifting past Gaeren once more. “We couldn’t stop what happened tonight. We can’t stop some of the things that are coming.”

“You’re speaking in riddles,” he hissed.

She flinched, then closed her eyes. It was easy to forget how hard it was to see things from a single point in time. She took several deep breaths before opening her eyes and speaking again. “Imagine a decision being made. Maybe to have a child. Maybe to start a war. Maybe to simply eat a meal. That action carries over into the future like how throwing a stone makes ripples in a pond. It can’t be changed or stopped. The effects will be felt through future generations. But the things in the path of the ripple… maybe a lily pad or a boat. They can be moved. So the ripple effects them at just the right time in just the right place.”

He shook his head. “You’re still not making any sense.”

She wasn’t trying to make sense to Gaeren. She was trying to make sense of the confusing thoughts swirling through her. She had no right to interfere with stones being thrown. She’d done it before with disastrous consequences. Her decisions had changed the ripple to a tidal wave. She couldn’t go back and fix that. It was impossible. But she could move things in the path of the tidal wave she’d created.

It wasn’t quite the same as interfering. This was more like a gentle nudge. Like the shifts that came with her mere existence. It was impossible to be present for a thousand years and not have some impact, some change, on the world. Those gentle nudges were allowed.

“If we put things in the right place at the right time, we can heal things.” She gazed up at Gaeren, her vision clearing, regaining focus. “We can put things right.”

Something inside her burned with hope, with the knowledge that the Sun approved. Perhaps it was less about whether or not she interfered and more about whether or not the interference was guided by the Sun. The Sun didn’t just want her to follow the arrow and gather the starbridges. The Sun wanted her following and helping Aeliana.

Gaeren stood, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “What does this have to do with”—he glanced at the others before leaning in close—“with her? With the starbridge?”

Dozens of possibilities flashed in the recesses of her mind. “Perhaps everything.”

CHAPTER 35

Gaeren exchanged a wary glance with Riveran, aware of Thallahan and Breeve watching a few paces away. They’d never seen Orra anything other than composed, but now, there was a madness in her that seemed to be crawling out. Larkos’ suggestion about witches came back to Gaeren, unsettling him even more. He wanted to trust her. Especially now that the stableboy proved she’d been leading him the right way. But he needed her to speak clearly.

Gaeren leaned in to whisper, “Is she still alive? Can we help her?”

Orra peered up at him through watery eyes. “What did Enla tell you about Lovers’ Falls?”

Gaeren stilled. He’d never told Orra about Enla’s visions.

“What did Enla see?” Orra pressed.

Gaeren raked a hand through his hair. “She told me to stay away from it.” He glanced over at Riveran. “And to keep Riveran close.” He supposed he could add the bit about remembering his bond, but that felt irrelevant right now.

“And yet you’re willing to go there.” Orra’s brow creased, but she didn’t seem any more upset than she’d already been, just thoughtful.

“If there’s a need to. Each of Enla’s visions are only one of a hundred paths.”

“Perhaps Enla doesn’t want you finding Aeliana.”

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