Page 86 of Blood of the Stars

“She’s not ready for this kind of travel,” Gaeren insisted. “It’s for her own good.”

Larkos only laughed harder, waving Gaeren toward the ship to gather his supplies. Despite the older man’s teasing, it would be hard for Gaeren to leave behind the father figure, especially knowing he’d only have Riveran and Orra for company.

Thallahan and Breeve offered their assistance, going so far as to help him find and load three horses. He headed for the place he’d last seen Orra with her hands buried in the soil, but when the fields came into view, Orra and Riveran were gone.

He rubbed his horse’s side, hoping it would cancel out the agitation the black gelding was sure to be sensing. The gelding snorted and turned, showing off the white stripe down his nose like the fur on the back of a skunk. A howl whined in the distance, and the chestnut mare he’d taken for Orra and the roan gelding he’d taken for Riveran grew equally nervous, pulling at their bits. He’d attached their reins to his own horse, and the three started a strange dance.

He’d have to ride toward Lovers’ Falls. Catching up wouldn’t be an issue with them on foot. The bigger concern was passing them. Gaeren rode to the edge of the forest, where he let his mount lead, the horse finding the path familiar to him into the woods thick with bamboo and vines that looked threatening by the light of the moon. Another winex howled.

Gaeren heightened his senses, preparing to tune in to his surroundings for any danger when something swooped from the sky and dug claws into his shoulder. He readied himself to attack, pulling energy from the starlock burning over his chest before recognizing the bird nipping at his ear.

Gullet.

The hawk readjusted, its claws finding new places to make holes in Gaeren’s shoulder. He winced as blood beaded up on his shirt.

“Am I supposed to be thankful he sent you to find me?”

Gullet’s beady eye stared back. Memories poured through Gaeren without his permission. Finding the bird when it was just an eyas, his soft brown feathers tickling Gaeren’s skin as he slept in Gaeren’s arms. Helping Riveran feed him, then laughing as Riveran took to carrying him around like a baby. Riveran training him to hunt and Gaeren recalling the bird’s memories to speed up recognition of Riveran’s whistles. Gullet returning the favor by pooping on Gaeren’s head.

“Yeah, you know I don’t like you. I probably like you even less than I like Riveran.”

The bird cocked his head, then took off, the scrape of talons when taking flight more painful than the initial landing. Gaeren followed the hawk as it flew from tree to tree, and before long, his senses caught the trail of heat, the memory of Orra and Riveran, just ahead of him in the woods.

He nudged the gelding’s side, picking up the pace. When Gullet disappeared, Gaeren knew Orra and Riveran had to be around the bend.

“Took you long enough,” Riveran complained the moment they were in sight. Still, he beamed at the roan before holding out his hand and complimenting the horse in hushed tones. Gaeren pictured Riveran in the royal stables, taking a hand from stall to stall, reassuring each animal individually. What could Riveran have accomplished if he hadn’t been stripped of his starlock?

He shoved down the twinge of remorse. Riveran didn’t deserve his pity. It was too close to understanding, and Gaeren could never understand how a man who had loved a woman could break the bond connecting them. Gaeren might not love Lenda, but he still wouldn’t break their bond.

Gaeren winced as his bond mark twinged, a reminder of how he’d left Lenda back in Valorian. Breaking a bond was dishonorable, but was it any better than marrying a bondmate you could never love? A sense of longing flared in Gaeren, one that left him uneasy. He still hated Riveran for what he’d done to Enla, but a small part of him was jealous of the other man’s freedom. It made Gaeren no better than the traitor.

Orra ran a calming hand along her mare before leaping astride her back and silently taking the lead.

Gaeren followed, not bothering to see if Riveran fell in line.

CHAPTER 36

As Aeliana’s consciousness returned, fear pricked the fuzzy edges of reality. It made no sense, because for the first time in a long time, she felt almost no pain. The peaceful trill of birds met her ears, and bright light discouraged her from fully opening her eyes.

She gasped, sitting upright and blinking against the day’s light. “Cyrus?” she croaked out.

“Hush, love, he’s fine.” Iris sat by her bedroll, urging her to lie back down. “He’ll be back any moment. Sylmar and I stayed behind while the others went hunting.”

As if summoned by his name, Sylmar shuffled from the cookfire to Aeliana’s side.

“What happened?” Aeliana remembered the sprites and Lovers’ Falls. She remembered Cyrus, dead, then alive as she pulled the water from his lungs with magic. Her starlock burned against her chest as if pulsing with the memory, but Aeliana reached for it anyway, reassured by its presence, its heat.

“We were hoping you could fill in some of the details.” The gravel in Sylmar’s voice seemed thicker. “You’ve slept straight through the night and half the day.”

Aeliana turned, taking in the way he leaned against his staff even as he sat on a stack of bedrolls at her back. It was then she noticed the entire camp was packed up. Only Kendalyhn and Holm remained at the cookfire, but the supplies had all been tucked away for the journey. It was as if they’d been waiting for her to rise, and the moment she did, they’d begin their trek again.

“How do you feel?” Iris asked.

“Better?” Images of Cyrus floating in the lake flashed through Aeliana’s mind. The moment the energy surged through her, drawing the water from his lungs. The instant relief, followed by the energy’s return, the pain resurfacing. She shuddered as she recalled the dark spirits.

How had they survived?

“The man,” she whispered.

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