Page 87 of Blood of the Stars

“Hmm?” Sylmar leaned in, weary eyes sharpening at her words.

“There was a man who came. I didn’t recognize him.” The moment the words left her mouth, she realized they weren’t entirely true. He’d been familiar, but her focus had blurred with his approach, and she couldn’t remember many details.

Sylmar and Iris exchanged a glance.

“Cyrus said as much.” Iris tucked the stray hairs of Aeliana’s braid behind her ear, stroking her head like a child woken from a nightmare. “The man was gone before the rest of us arrived. We’ve searched the surrounding area, but there’s no trace of him.”

“It would seem he doesn’t want to be found,” Sylmar ground out.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Aeliana couldn’t help leaning into Iris, taking the comfort the older woman offered. The lack of pain made her aware of the exhaustion that couldn’t be resolved with sleep alone.

“If the man could be trusted, why wouldn’t he show himself?”

“Because there are nine of us?” Aeliana suggested. “Because he doesn’t know if we can be trusted?”

Sylmar gave a dissatisfied grunt in response.

“Why did you leave camp?” Iris ducked her head with the question, but not quick enough to hide the wetness in her eyes.

“I’m sorry; I—” She hesitated, wondering how much they knew, how much she should say. Did they know she’d used blood magic and called the dark spirits? And then gone after the sprites? Or did they think she’d simply gotten lost and ended up near Lovers’ Falls? She’d been desperate, but, in hindsight, her plan, or lack of it, had been foolish. “Did I—was anyone else hurt?”

Sylmar shook his head, watching her too closely.

“What about the dark spirits?”

“We saw them from a distance,” Sylmar said. “They were gone by the time we reached you.”

Aeliana frowned. She shouldn’t have used blood magic to save Cyrus. There had been enough energy with the starlock, more than enough. But it had been instinctual to draw from her wounds. And she couldn’t help wondering if it acted like a catalyst, giving her access to the rest of the power deep within her. But it had brought the dark spirits again. How had they not overtaken her?

Footsteps rustled through the trees on their left, and Cyrus and Lukai stepped into the clearing.

“Aeliana?” Lukai broke into a grin, then quickened his pace.

She stood, warmth filling her chest at the concern in his voice, the relief on his face. He pulled her into a hug, the sensation of his arms around her both foreign and strangely familiar. He pulled back to study her face, which felt tight with scabs. He brought his hands up to her jaw, cupping her face and running his thumbs over her skin.

Aeliana’s cheeks heated at the intimate gesture, far too aware of everyone watching. But relief spread wherever his thumbs brushed, and soon her eyes were closed as she leaned into his healing touch. His hands lingered a moment longer after he’d fixed even the tiniest of scratches.

“Thank you,” she whispered, then stepped back and cleared her throat.

He reached for her hand, turning it over to trace a finger along the mark of her bond. “I felt your pain when I searched for you. I thought—it felt like you were dying.”

“She was,” Cyrus said.

Aeliana’s awareness expanded as she took in the return of those who’d been hunting. Holm and Kendalyhn had already started skinning the hide from some type of deer. Jasperus pulled Sylmar aside for an update, and snippets of their conversation carried back to Aeliana, the subject centering around whether it was too late in the day to travel farther.

Weapons had been dropped in a circle at the base of a tree that was wider than Aeliana was tall. The white bow and arrows Lukai had given her stood out in contrast to the green moss and brown trunks, beckoning Aeliana to come pick them up.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Lukai asked.

“I found Cyrus in the water. I was certain he was dead. The sprites told me?—”

“You spoke to the sprites?” The disapproval in Sylmar’s tone hurt more than Aeliana cared to admit.

She hesitated, catching more frowns and averted gazes from the others. “I thought the cost would be high to me. I didn’t realize…”

No one spoke, not even those around the cookfire a dozen paces away. Only the sound of Holm’s knife gutting the poor creature broke the silence.

“I’m so sorry. When Sylmar suggested I be bled to help the weaning process, I didn’t want to endanger the rest of you. Only it was too much for me to do it alone. I grew desperate. I knew you were coming, but so were the dark spirits. It was the only way I knew to keep you safe.” She covered her eyes with her hands, shaking her head as she tried to understand her own justification. “Only I still put you all in danger.”

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